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Stephen King – The Wind Through the Keyhole | Review

Title: The Wind Through the Keyhole

Author: Stephen King

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 390

Rating: 7/10

Stephen King – The Wind Through the Keyhole

This book is something of an anomaly, because it’s a late addition to Stephen King’s epic Dark Tower series. Even though the first seven books told the story in full, that hasn’t stopped King from revisiting it; here, we see a side of Roland and his ka-tet that we haven’t seen before, in a book that’s set between two of the earlier books in the series.

It uses a pretty simple plot device, and it’s similar to what Bram Stoker used in Snowbound, which was one of the first books I ever reviewed for the site. The travellers become trapped by the weather, and they while away the time by listening to Roland as he tells a story.

It’s actually interesting to note that there’s a story within a story within a story here, and it’s well done – I don’t want to tell you exactly what happens because I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but watch out for that, because it’s impressive and it works well. It also means that, overall, you get three stories in one here, and I’m fine with that.

Stephen King Quote

It’s also important for me to mention that you can read this book without having read the others – it works just fine as a standalone, although you will still get a little more out of it if you’re already familiar with Roland and his band of followers. And it’s a cracking read, and one that keeps you turning the pages – in part, because the three stories make you feel as though you’re making serious progress.

So it’s a good place to start if you’re new to the world of the Dark Tower, although I’d still recommend just picking up a copy of The Gunslinger, because it was a great story and an easy way to get started, and that would mean that you’re beginning at the beginning, too. Other than that, this is the best place to start your journey for the Tower, and I’d definitely recommend doing that – you don’t even have to be a fan of Stephen King’s to enjoy it. In fact, The Wind Through the Keyhole (and the other Dark Tower books) are a different beast altogether. Crazy!

Stephen King Quote

Click here to buy The Wind Through the Keyhole.

Bram Stoker – Dracula’s Guest | Review

Title: Dracula’s Guest

Author: Bram Stoker

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 416

Rating: 8/10

Bram Stoker – Dracula’s Guest

Dracula’s Guest is just a short story, with an interesting history – I believe that it’s a sort of missing chapter, which was originally supposed to be part of the original manuscript and which helps to set the scene for Stoker’s notorious novel. Here, it’s the titular story of a collection, but there’s much, much more on offer than just a bonus scene from Dracula, which is, after all, a masterpiece in its own right.

I’m not going to go into depth about each of the short stories, but I will tell you that Stoker’s short fiction is just as good as his long-form work, and I should know – I’ve read a bunch of both, and whilst Dracula gets all of the praise, I have a lot of love for some of his other stuff such as Snowbound, which follows a theatrical touring party as they tell stories whilst stranded by snow. Here, the stories are just as good, but they’re condensed and easier to swallow.

Because of that, this is a pretty good place to start if you’re relatively new to Stoker’s work – I’d suggest reading Dracula first, if you can, but because of its length, it can seem off-putting to a lot of people. This book is about the same length as Dracula, but it has ten other stories in it, including The Lair of the White Wyrm, which is probably my favourite piece out of all of Stoker’s work.

Bram Stoker

I’m not saying it’s easy to read, though – it’s a dense book, and it took me a good two weeks to get through it, but it was rewarding enough for me to stick with it. I don’t think this book is for everyone, but if you’re the kind of person who likes to read things even if they’re challenging, then you’ll probably make it to the end, given time.

After all, that’s one of the good things about short story collections – because the stories are so short, you can dip in and out of them at will, and that gives you a lot of power as the reader. Even if it is a little heavy going, you can always read a story, move on to something else, and then come back again later to finish it. I certainly think that The Lair of the White Wyrm could have been published in its entirety as a standalone.