A brief guide to Stephen King

In 1974, a new talent burst onto the horror scene: Main schoolteacher Stephen King. Over the next forty years, king's name would become synonymous with horror and dark fantasy through over fifty bestselling books including his magnum opus the dark tower series. Simpson traces the writer's development through his difficult childhood and his early writing career to the success of carrie, salem's lot and the shinning in the 1970's and the outpouring of material over the following two decades, some published under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman. He shows how king's writing was affected by the accident that nearly killed him in 1999, and the ways in which his battles with addiction to alcohol and medication are reflected in his stories. He also discusses the dozens of films, tv shows, plays and comic books that have been inspired by King's works.