The King of Creeps

Hey guys!

I went to the library the day before, and it turns out that they did have the sequel to The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. So I took it out and I started reading it yesterday. I'm going to get some reading done today as well, so you can look forward to a review for The Dream Thieves sometime soon.

In the meantime, I thought I should post a new review. Since the last one was about a book that had given me the creeps, I figured why not review a book by the King of Creeps? Stephen King. Get it? Well, I thought it was clever.

Anyway, back on topic. I've only read a total of three novels and two novellas by Stephen King. The last book that I happened to read was Cujo, so I think I'll review that one for now.

I'll say right now that I wasn't expecting this book to turn out the way it did. And not just the ending (because I really wasn't expecting that ending) but also the general plot. As many of you probably already know, Cujo is the name of a dog that goes on a killing spree. In all honesty, I was expecting Cujo to be a werewolf. I don't know why I did. But as it turns out, Cujo is merely a Saint Bernard that gets rabies. Don't get me wrong, it's still a good book. I was just expecting a werewolf for some reason.

Anyways, onto the plot. As always, King manages to construct a really creepy and compelling main plot that is supplemented by a series of interesting sub-plots that up the ante. Sub-plots include, but are not limited to failing marriages and broken down cars and really hot weather. It'll make sense in a second.

Cujo's owners are a family of three: Joe (the mean and abusive drunk), Charity (the wife who doesn't have the sense to divorce Joe), and their son, Brett (whom Charity fears is turning into his father). Joe is a mechanic; remember that. It's important.

There is another family of three who hire Joe as their mechanic. Their names are Vic (who works for a floundering advertisement business), Donna (the wife with the mid-life crisis who is having an affair), and their son, Tad (who has nightmares about monsters and is only four years old).

Okay, so now you know the characters. Now here's the series of coincidences that lead to the premise of the main plot. Vic goes out of town to save his advertisement business. Charity and Brett also go out of town to visit her sister (to get away from Joe). Donna's Pinto is a piece of crap. Really, it's amazing that the thing is still running. Cujo gets rabies from chasing a rabbit out into the woods and getting bitten by an infected animal. Donna decides to go to Joe to get the Pinto fixed and she brings Tad along since he didn't want to be left alone with a babysitter.

I won't give too much away, but the Pinto breaks down in Joe's driveway. Seems like a stroke of good luck, right? Wrong. Donna and Tad are trapped in the car because Cujo is outside ready to attack them should they be stupid enough to emerge from the stiflingly hot Pinto. It's summer, remember? It creates a greenhouse effect so that Donna and Tad are basically getting cooked alive.

Scary, right? It's not a very long book with a very compelling plot line, so I managed to finish it in a few days. The ending is a bit sad and unexpected, but it's still a good read. If you've read King before or you haven't and want to give it a try, this is the book for you. Give it a shot.

All right, guys. I'm going to go read some more of The Dream Thieves. I'll let you know how it is.

Happy Reading!!