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Title: Cujo

Author: Stephen King

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 352

Rating: 4*/5

Stephen King – Cujo

This is one of King’s earlier novels, but that doesn’t mean that there’s any loss of quality. The only thing that really means is that it’s a little shorter than some of his later works, but that’s a good thing if you don’t want to commit yourself to IT or The Stand.

In this book, we follow what happens when a rabid dog – a 200 pound St. Bernard – finds itself loose in a small Maine town. It’s almost less of a horror and more of a suspense novel, although it has elements that you might recognise from both genres. It defies categorisation, which is par for the course for a Stephen King novel and much to be expected.

I liked this book a lot, although I did think that it suffered from the same flaw as many other Stephen King novels in that it came to an end too quickly. That said, it actually worked, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried a longer ending and found that the shorter one read better. That’s partly because there’s a twist there, and it creeps up on you and hits you in the gut when you’re least expecting it.

Stephen King

Overall then, this is far from my favourite Stephen King novel, but it is still undeniably a classic that stands up well to the test of time and which has a place on every afficianado’s bookcase. You don’t need to be a Stephen King fan to enjoy it, either – it helps, of course, but Cujo would be a badass book no matter who wrote it.

I find it interesting to imagine what it must have been like back in the day when King was first making it as a writer. I wonder if they were as quick to recognise his star quality or whether he had a fight on his hands. Regardless, he proved his point with early releases like this one that cemented his reputation. Most authors would kill to have written this – myself included. Read it.

Stephen King Quote

Click here to buy Cujo.

Peter Haining – The Flying Sorcerers | Review

Title: The Flying Sorcerers

Author: Peter Haining

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 372

Rating: 5*/5

Peter Haining – The Flying Sorcerers

I couldn’t decide whether to give this a four or a five, but in the end, I made the call and I’m happy with it. This book is fascinating in many ways, and it’s pretty much the perfect introduction to the genres of comic fantasy and comic science fiction. Because it’s a collection of short stories, you get to meet a huge range of authors as diverse as Terry Pratchett, C. S. Lewis, Roald Dahl and Arthur C. Clarke.

For some reason, I wasn’t expecting much when I started reading this. I mean, I’m a fan of a bunch of the contributors, but I just didn’t think it was going to be as good as it was. In the end, though, it turned out to be the best collection of assorted stories that I’ve ever read. It’s the kind of book that you just can’t stop reading – there’s so much to take in that you can really read it how you want, whether you decide to dip in and out of it or whether you prefer to work your way through it in one sitting.

It’s hard for me to pick a favourite from the stories in the collection, but I will say that I was surprised by the quality of each of the authors – and not just the ones that I already liked to begin with. In fact, this is almost a rallying call for the genres of comic fantasy and comic science fiction, and it signals the arrival of a serious genre of literary significance. It gives you a buzz to see how fictional worlds can be used to reflect the real life situations of the authors who wrote them, and you’ll have a laugh along the way at the same time.

Overall, then, if you have an interest in the genre – or if you’d simply like to get started with a comprehensive introduction – there isn’t anywhere better to get started. This book belongs on your bookcase, whatever you’re into. It’s one of those rare books that have a broad appeal – and you might meet a new favourite author.