Bad Dogs and a Car From Hell

Sorry it has taken me a while to update again. I've been swamped with writing related work as well as the day job. But have no fear, my reviews of the next 3 King books are here. So let's get down to it...

Cujo (published 1981)

If you're afraid of dogs I don't recommend this book. A lovely Saint Bernard by the name of Cujo is attacked by a bat and is unfortunately the recipient of rabies. Things go down hill rapidly from there. And it's going to be hell for one lady when she gets trapped in her car. What would a King novel be without a few deaths?

This isn't so much a horror story but the sad truth of what can happen to a pet if they contract the nasty rabies disease. What I found unique was the fact that King included a few passages from Cujo's point of view. You get to see how he's suffering, and as a big animal lover these parts of the book were the hardest for me to read. I felt for Cujo.

There's a movie, of course, and I do believe that it will be on NetFlix at some point this month so yes, I will be watching it.

Cycle of the Werewolf (published 1983)

You want to talk about little know works by King, this one definitely takes the cake. And it's a one-day read. This is a short book with beautiful illustrations. It tells the tale of Tarker Mills and the horrible deaths that occur every fool moon. I love the way this book is presented. Each chapter captures those brightly lit nights as a year goes by. Of course, part way through the book you know who the culprit is, but the story is still intriguing enough to keep going, and like I said, it's a very quick read. People should definitely give this little known gem a try.

Christine (published 1983)

Another of the more well-known King novels. I borrowed a copy from my aunt's stash. I'm sure there are few people out there that know Christine is a possessed car, a relic of the past that becomes the horrifying obsession of Archie's future. He spots her as a rusted out piece of junk owned by a cantankerous old man. And absolutely must have her. Unpopular, always picked on Archie's life is about to change. Not for the better. Eventually his best friend picks up on the changes in Archie as being the work of Christine, but do you think Archie is willing to listen? Of course not, or the book would be as short as the one mentioned previously.

It's a little drawn out in the beginning and there's little gore/horror until the second half of the book. Christine is fairly adamant that no one will come between her and Archie. Yes, a possessed car. That seems almost completely unstoppable. There are a collection of car related songs throughout the book, more than I could ever have named, but I think they go to show how much a man can fall in love with his car, how much she can become the most important lady in his life. It's kind of creepy in a subtle way. Well done, King.

And yeah, I'm sure there's a movie I need to watch for this one, as well.

So next up on the book chopping board is Pet Sematary; which I read some years back. It'll be fun to have a fresh perspective now. Since I'm currently reading something else I think the next few posts will involve TV shows/movies based on the woks of King. He's had so many!