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The Shining, 'Salem's Lot, and Carrie
Stephen King is a unique and powerful writer without equal for millions of horror fans. His incredible narrative drive ensnares the reader in a web of everyday surroundings, believable situations and recognizable characters that are eventually caught up in a terrifying noose of monumental evil. Three of King's earlier classics are here together in one volume, complete and unabridged and the explosive adolescent powers of Carried; the slow, insidious corruption of a small American town by a terrorizing vampire; and the malicious machinations of the Overlook Hotel and the gift of the "shine."
- GenresHorror
747 pages, Hardcover
Published June 17, 1983
4 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,388 books890k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 10, 2021
Salem's Lot: ★★★★ (want to read again)
The Shining: ★★★★ (29/06/18) It started out a bit slow but picked up about halfway through. Some things were a little hard to get past, like just how intelligent Danny seemed to be for a 5-year old, and the hedge animals that felt like something out of Harry Potter more than Stephen King, but I really liked it. I keep thinking that I’ve read enough horror/thriller novels to be immune to them, but I was thoroughly scared towards the end. King is brilliant!
Carrie: ★★★1/2 (10/05/21) This one definitely accomplished what it was meant to do, and that's disturb the hell out of me. The most terrifying thing was probably Carrie's mother... yeesh, religious fundamentalists scare me. I liked the length, I think it suited the nature of the story perfectly, but I didn't vibe with the format of using exerpts from newspapers, legal reports etc to tell part of the story. Also there were too many details about teenage girls' boobs, and that made me very uncomfortable. I'll give Steve a pass on those things though, it's his first book after all. Now I can finally say I've read it!
The Shining: ★★★★ (29/06/18) It started out a bit slow but picked up about halfway through. Some things were a little hard to get past, like just how intelligent Danny seemed to be for a 5-year old, and the hedge animals that felt like something out of Harry Potter more than Stephen King, but I really liked it. I keep thinking that I’ve read enough horror/thriller novels to be immune to them, but I was thoroughly scared towards the end. King is brilliant!
Carrie: ★★★1/2 (10/05/21) This one definitely accomplished what it was meant to do, and that's disturb the hell out of me. The most terrifying thing was probably Carrie's mother... yeesh, religious fundamentalists scare me. I liked the length, I think it suited the nature of the story perfectly, but I didn't vibe with the format of using exerpts from newspapers, legal reports etc to tell part of the story. Also there were too many details about teenage girls' boobs, and that made me very uncomfortable. I'll give Steve a pass on those things though, it's his first book after all. Now I can finally say I've read it!
March 4, 2018
All three stories are good stories. The Shining is probably the best. The characters are well developed and the evil drips off the page. This is classic Stephen King. Salem's Lot is a great vampire story. The male lead is especially well developed. I sympathize with Father Callahan and I felt an admiration for the young boy. I could not put the book down. I liked the Carrie story but I do not like the style of this particular work. In my opinion this was the weakest of the three stories contained in this book.
June 9, 2021
The Shining: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Salem’s Lot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Carrie: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Salem’s Lot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Carrie: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 25, 2024
Motherf***er long as hell
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews