About Stephen King Revisited
Cemetery Dance Publications invites readers everywhere to the launch of StephenKingRevisited.com, a massive new project unlike anything the horror and suspense publisher has undertaken in their twenty-five years in publishing.
Starting this Halloween, Cemetery Dance founder and publisher Richard Chizmar will begin re-reading ALL of Stephen King’s books in the order of publication, starting with Carrie, and posting his thoughts about the experience.
“Like many longtime readers,” Chizmar explains in his first post on the site, “I can chart the course of my life by when and where I read most of Stephen King’s books. Re-reading Christine recently (when writing an afterword for an anniversary edition) was like traveling back to my youth in a time machine. I turned the pages, and I was a teenager again, carrying around a tattered, old paperback. Experiencing the novel for the first time. It felt like a kind of magic. And I wanted to do it again.”
When Chizmar asked Stephen King what he thought of the idea of him re-reading all of the books in order, King replied, “You should blog about it” and “go for it!”
After each re-read, Chizmar will post his thoughts on StephenKingRevisited.com. Readers are encouraged to read along and share their own thoughts, including their memories of where they were when they first read each book.
For readers who are interested in behind the scenes information about King’s unprecedented career, author Bev Vincent will be writing a historical context post for each title, including insightful anecdotes about the writing and publication history of the book.
In addition, special guest contributors who are well known to Stephen King readers will be providing their own take on the books. Some of the first guest contributors include Michael Koryta (author of So Cold the River and Those Who Wish to Kill Me), Josh Boone (director and writer of the films The Fault in Our Stars, Stuck in Love, and two forthcoming Stephen King projects, Lisey’s Story and The Stand), and Jack Ketchum (author of The Lost, The Woman, and I’m Not Sam).
Stephen King Revisited can be found at StephenKingRevisited.com and Cemetery Dance Publications can be followed on Facebook and Twitter for updates:
https://www.facebook.com/CemeteryDance
https://twitter.com/CemeteryDance
Great idea! I look forward to following the blog and potentially adding a few personal notes here and there. 🙂
Stephen King Revisited – that’s a perfect name for the project. It’s really about re-visiting your favourite King’s places and characters… Not actually reviewing his books.
I’m hopping on. With great enthusiasm. It’s an excellent idea and I’m thrilled to follow this. Will there be a place for outside essay submissions for interested outsiders along the ride?
That’s something we’re looking at for down the road! Thanks for asking!
Excellent! I’ll be the first one to pitch in. For now, I got some catching up to do!
I’m sitting here cleaning up old email and came across this one. I laughed a little to myself after I read this, and thought of all the coincidences in my life. This fall I was finding myself in a bit of a book slump. I couldn’t find anything that really scratched the itch. So, I decided to go back and reread all my Stephen King books, after all it has been over 20 years since I read some of them for the first time. I dubbed it “The Year of the King” (my husband has since dubbed it “The year I disappeared” or (much to my chagrin) “The year of no sex”.
I started in October with The Shining, then It, then I moved on the Gunslinger Series. I got through the dark tower in order to Wolves of Calla when I happened to find an interesting article (http://honkmahfah.blogspot.com/2012/04/dark-tower-suggested-reading-order-for.html) on the order that one avid reader felt the gunslinger series should be read. I have now gotten through Salem’s Lot and yesterday finished The Stand (complete and uncut). This morning I started Eye of the Dragon. From there I guess I will follow the recommendations on the list (cause why not) and then go back in date order.
I am loving reading this books and remembering where I was the first time I read them (like when I didn’t sleep for four day’s until I knew that f’n clown was finally gone and not going to kill me every time I passed over a sewer grate). I even called my dad to thank him for introducing me to Mr. King all those years ago, and thought that if the supernatural shit ever hits the fan, I may be slightly less shocked that the average bear.
After 20 odd years I am pleasantly surprised at all I have forgotten. It’s the first time I have rejoiced the fact that my feeble mind is purging old data to make room for new (I hope that’s why). I turn the pages of the books like I have no idea what’s coming. It’s as if I just discovered him again for the first time.
I can’t help but think great minds think alike (and I like the idea that I am included in the “great mind” grouping, I’ll take it where I can get it) when it comes to this project.
Enjoy your own “Year of the King”!
Signed, your fellow Avid Reader