by Jay Wilburn

The plan is to reread all of Stephen King’s works in the order that they were published. Richard Chizmar of Cemetery Dance had the vision. I’m doing it because I am a writer and I want to improve my fiction. And I love Stephen King’s stories. I think there is something to be learned through this process.

You can also go back to the beginning and read Before Carrie or any of my other posts up through this one and beyond by checking out this link to the Master List of all my #StephenKingRevisited posts.

I have not read Dreamcatcher before. Unlike other novels I have failed to read over the years by Stephen King, I have heard mostly mixed to negative responses to this one from friends and other readers. It’s been a while though since I’ve heard anyone discussing this one at all. That kind of makes me look forward to this book more.

My favorite part of this process is always catching books I haven’t read before. With this one, the bar is set low, so I’m primed to enjoy it even more. At the same time, I have this contrarian streak that makes me tend to enjoy things that others didn’t. I don’t think it is entirely an oppositional response. I believe there are a few things at work. While I can see the flaws in Stephen King’s work, especially now that I’m reading his books back-to-back in order, I still tend to be very forgiving of a Stephen King story. I enjoy his indulgences in storytelling more than I am critical of them. Even when there is a lot to pick at about a King story, in the end, I’m always glad I read it through to the end.

In addition to the above, I usually find my favorite stories among indie writers, including many that I have met and know. These stories take risks and go places more mainstream writers do not. King is obviously fully in the mainstream no matter how strongly he wants to hold onto his outsider status. That’s not a knock to his writing. All that said, this tendency in me contributes to me enjoying a less than perfect King story and a less well-known story from him.

I am looking forward to reading Dreamcatcher.

My next post in this series will be After Dreamcatcher which will be linked on the Master List of all my Stephen King Revisited posts.

Jay Wilburn

Jay Wilburn has a Masters Degree in Education that goes mostly unused since he quit teaching to write about zombies. Jay writes horror because he tends to find the light by facing down the darkness. His is doing well following a life saving kidney transplant. Jay is the author of Maidens of Zombie Kingdom a young adult fantasy trilogy, Lake Scatter Wood Tales adventure books for elementary and middle school readers, Vampire Christ a trilogy of political and religious satire, and The Dead Song Legend. He cowrote The Enemy Held Near, Yard Full of Bones, and The Hidden Truth with Armand Rosamilia. You can also find Jay's work in Best Horror of the Year volume 5. He is a staff writer with Dark Moon Digest, LitReactor, and the Still Water Bay series with Crystal Lake Publishing.

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