An examination of how, in a post-literate era, a man specialising in the most reviled of fictional genres became the world's bestselling author of all time. Banker charts the extraordinary rise of Stephen King, his books, the many films and TV programmes - good, bad and downright bloody awful. King's fictional universe is explored, linking together the books that span his 30-year career: all his work, including collaborations, comics and the pseudonymous Bachman Books.