The Mist by Stephen King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

And this brings me to the end of the 70s, in this chronological reading of Stephen King's body of work.

This was one average monster story. I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to any non-fan. Don't introduce anyone to King with this book, anyway.
Two points escape this generalisation: (1) the exploration of social dynamics in a time of crisis (which he does much more efficiently and with many more impli/complications in The Stand); and (2) the meditations of the protagonist who reflect King's agonies whether they make serious art or they're putting food on their family's plates, as hard working Americans have to.
[Harold Bloom would slap our hero (and King) to get himself together and stop entertaining foolish thoughts.]
In any case, the reader justifies the protagonist, as they justify King's storytelling, because apart from his repetitiveness and his not-that-sharpened-yet tools of his craft ("unreality" keeps "washing over" our protagonists since Salem's Lot), he still has one entertaining, honest (enough) story to say, one that you don't regret spending a few hours in the subway reading...

...even though if the whole thing would have been far more entertaining as the world's most hilariously unbelievable excuse to the missus if she ever confronted you with suspicions of your adultery with an out-of-towner lady. "Monsters! Giant bugs! Of course!"




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Creatures of a Day: And Other Tales of Psychotherapy by Irvin D. Yalom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Yalom's insight of the human psyche, along with the embrace of his own issues and his curiosity for the healing factor, delivers a read that becomes an authentic, true, therapeutic experience in its own right. This book highlights the importance of existential issues for the journey that therapy and self discovery is. It makes the reader feel less lonely in the process of this journey and becomes a virtual group-therapy experience that reaches out to all those who are looking for answers and keep asking questions.

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The Dead Zone by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been in this chronological Stephen King reading a few months now, mostly because I put aside The Stand for a good few months.
King delivers a great novel, even though he is guilty of many of the sins he later condemns in his excellent "On Writing: a manual of the craft".
Up to the "Dead Zone", I find "The Long Walk", under Bachman's pen name, the most intense, timeless and thought-provoking piece of writing.
Dead Zone's an interesting read, as it illustrates King's evolution as an author, but it's also satisfying and entertaining, like watching a decent film with friends at home on DVD. Johnny, the tragic protagonist, is not effectively portrayed as ambivalent as the author probably intended, but stays with the reader long after the epilogue in the form of letters and hearing transcripts.

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