Book · 1989
The Dark Half
A 1989 Stephen King horror novel, one of the best-selling books of its year, later made into its own film.
- Year
- 1989
- Kind of horror
- Psychological
This is Stephen King doing what he does best, and it clearly worked, because it was named the second best selling book of the whole year it came out, only beaten to the top spot by one other book. That is not a small thing for a horror novel to manage.
I won't spoil a word of it, because the whole point of King is watching an ordinary premise curdle into something much worse, and this one is no different. Expect a slow build rather than a quick fright, the kind of unease that creeps rather than jumps.
It suits a properly dark, quiet night, the sort where you want a story that gets under your skin rather than one that just makes you flinch and move on. Curl up, keep the lamp close, and give it your full attention.
It clearly struck a chord, because it went on to become its own film a few years after the book came out, which tends to only happen to stories with real staying power.
If you like this, try
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