Carrie - Stephen King 5/5 stars
Stephen King was called the master of modern horror for a reason. His first published novel is a classic that shows us the dark side of human nature, and holds up extremely well forty three years later. Carrie is a short read, but one that packs one hell of a punch. No one could have suspected that he would be such an influntial writer, but reading Carrie you can see it. There's something about Carrie that makes it unique. It's all in the way the story is told. While most authors are content to tell the story in one style, he chooses to give us different angles to draw us deeper into the story. What seperates King is that in Carrie, the horror isn't based on a monster, but a character who has a special ability that begins to appear after her first period.
The strength in Carrie is in fact Carrie herself. You can't help but feel for her and the ridicule she's subjected to by her peers, and the over bearing religious beliefs of her mother. It's these two factors that form the back bone of the novel. King weaves these two elements together seamlessly, and what I have always loved about this novel is how he's able to make you feel as if you're a part of the story. You're able to feel as if you know Carrie because as kids, we all knew someone like her. As the novel progresses we see how one act of kindness can go terribly wrong. King wants us to feel Carrie's pain, he wants us to identify with her. Instead of being just another horror novel it becomes something else. Something much darker, and terrifying.
As far as debuts go, this one is perfect. King's style does shift a little over the course of his career, but in Carrie you see a writer finding his footing, but he's still a great story teller. The early novels were always well written, and gave us something different. Carrie is no exception. This just happens to be the beginning of his career, and what a beginning it was. This is a perfect horror novel that shows us that we don't need monsters, or demons to make a story scary. A bullied girl with telekinesis exacts her revenge, but there's much more to the story. King's early work was a huge influence on me, and it's still just as amazing as I remember it. While he may not be as good as he used to be, you can see glimpses of his greatness here in Carrie. Stephen King truly was the master of modern horror and Carrie proves it.
Stephen King was called the master of modern horror for a reason. His first published novel is a classic that shows us the dark side of human nature, and holds up extremely well forty three years later. Carrie is a short read, but one that packs one hell of a punch. No one could have suspected that he would be such an influntial writer, but reading Carrie you can see it. There's something about Carrie that makes it unique. It's all in the way the story is told. While most authors are content to tell the story in one style, he chooses to give us different angles to draw us deeper into the story. What seperates King is that in Carrie, the horror isn't based on a monster, but a character who has a special ability that begins to appear after her first period.
The strength in Carrie is in fact Carrie herself. You can't help but feel for her and the ridicule she's subjected to by her peers, and the over bearing religious beliefs of her mother. It's these two factors that form the back bone of the novel. King weaves these two elements together seamlessly, and what I have always loved about this novel is how he's able to make you feel as if you're a part of the story. You're able to feel as if you know Carrie because as kids, we all knew someone like her. As the novel progresses we see how one act of kindness can go terribly wrong. King wants us to feel Carrie's pain, he wants us to identify with her. Instead of being just another horror novel it becomes something else. Something much darker, and terrifying.
As far as debuts go, this one is perfect. King's style does shift a little over the course of his career, but in Carrie you see a writer finding his footing, but he's still a great story teller. The early novels were always well written, and gave us something different. Carrie is no exception. This just happens to be the beginning of his career, and what a beginning it was. This is a perfect horror novel that shows us that we don't need monsters, or demons to make a story scary. A bullied girl with telekinesis exacts her revenge, but there's much more to the story. King's early work was a huge influence on me, and it's still just as amazing as I remember it. While he may not be as good as he used to be, you can see glimpses of his greatness here in Carrie. Stephen King truly was the master of modern horror and Carrie proves it.
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