Monday Review - DUMA KEY

First, let me start by saying, again, that I love Stephen King's writing. I think he's a genius and I read his books, even if I'm not always enthralled (not being a huge fan of horror) by the subject matter. But he's such a good writer that I generally, okay, almost always, buy in on the very first page.

Mr. King is a storyteller - not all writers are.

But most of the writers I love are. I want to jump in at the deep end and wallow in the story. I want to get to know the characters and live their lives with them. I want to feel what they feel, see what they see, do what they do.

That's exactly what Stephen King does in DUMA KEY. He grabs me by the throat and drags me, sometimes kicking and screaming, along for the ride. And this ride is a thrill.

In many ways DUMA KEY is a classic horror story - isolated location, a few characters battling the big, bad unknown. But it's also a story about art - how it works, how inspiration is almost always unknowable and thus, more than a little frightening.

You should read this book, but there are parts of it that you're going to want to read in the daylight, with other people around you. It scared me and I'm not easily scared.

Once again, Stephen King has convinced me to buy his next book. And the next one. And the one after that.

Kate