They do good things. They read...

I read! Whole books sometimes. It's kind of a new thing for me. Reading always seemed like a chore for high school English. 'Read two books by the end of each quarter and take some pointless test on them for a grade.' It wasn't until after college that I got bored and started reading. And I haven't stopped. I obsessively have to get through a story as quickly as possible. And if it's a series, well...look out. I read Foundation by Isaac Asimov. Two weeks and fourteen books later I had read the entire Foundation series. Oops.

And on that note, let me get to the point of this post: Stephen King. My mom is a huge fan of his, and so I have been familiar with his work since long before it was appropriate for me to read it. I'm not going to review his work or anything like that. Not in this post anyway. It's just I realized how impressive it is that he is still relevant. This guy has been writing for what, forty years now. He has no problem producing a 1000-page epic novel every year or so, with other short stories and volumes in his Gunslinger series to fill the time between. I won't say all of his work is pure gold, but you have to hand it to the guy for having so many original stories. Chances are, if you somehow do not know him by name, you have seen his work in one form or another.

What I find even more impressive is how so much of his work is constantly being adapted to film and television. And it shows no sign of slowing down. Carrie was already a movie, but is now being remade. Under the Dome, published only in 2009, is being made into a (mini-)series, starting this summer. They are now almost definitely remaking Cujo. The Shining is getting a prequel movie, and there is a separate documentary out now about the Kubrick adaptation of the novel. I had heard a few months back some rumors about rebooting It and/or The Stand, which were both miniseries in the 90's.

It must feel really cool to sit back and see how people are still being fascinated and terrified by your storytelling. And to know that your characters -- Carrie White, Jack Torrance, Annie Wilkes, among others -- are among the most compelling (and disturbing) literary characters of our time (in my humble opinion). If you haven't read any of his works, get on it. Be it horror, sci-fi, or fantasy, his work is easy to read and will draw you in. You'll be finished before you even realize how quickly the shit hit the fan. Just be sure to keep a nightlight plugged in.