Well, I wrote a letter to send to Mr. King, but I see now (after reading other posts) he doesn't receive fan mail directly because of sheer quantity :/
That said, I'm pretty stoked to have stumbled across this site because I have tons of questions about connection and continuity between Stephen King's novels. I'm aware that Dark Tower has oodles of references to his previous works, but the more I reread his books the more I see the same folks showing up again and again. I'm looking forward to actually researching the connections here before rereading his stories; the added crossover depth will make for an amazing revisit!
And, as this seems to be the practice of new members, here's the letter I wrote:
Dear Mr. (Sir I'm sure, if you had been born in England) King,
Right off the bat I'd like to say I'm a huge fan of your work. Hopefully this honest admittance of adoration will bring you to read at least the third line of this letter. If not, why the hell am I still writing? If so, sorry about the third line of this letter...
I honestly can't remember the first book of yours that I read, which I believe says volumes for your work as a whole. Nothing stuck as a first, plenty stand out, and none left me thinking, "well, that was a waste of time but at least my eyes got some exercise." You've been praised as a great horror writer, and you are, but for me your books have just been plain old interesting and completely engrossing. If you've gotten this far, then I suppose you'll read the rest even if I warn you now that my few gripes with your books follow immediately.
My first complaint is that your author notes, be they introductions to an entire book, notes before a short story or concluding remarks, always seem to have an air of questioning and uncertainty about your talent as a writer that completely disregards the success of your previous works. I understand self doubt in the face of criticism, but at some point one would think the evidence of greatness must rationally outweigh any irrational doubts; I realize the irony of this assumption considering the fact that much of your work deals with the suspension of rational thought, voluntary or otherwise. I guess I would just like to read an introduction that contains something of the following sort:
"It takes one to read one, and for that, constant reader, I am eternally grateful for your contribution to the former part of this simple equation. But I'll allow myself now to be completely honest: I am one badass author."
This might be better received in a second printing of a successful book rather than a first printing, but I'd still like to see something like it in print some day.
My second gripe is that all of your introductions (by their nature) come before the stories, and some of your author notes do the same. I've yet to skip any of your notes or introductions, but I never read them before the content that they introduce. In the future please put your introduction at the back of the book, and author notes at the end of your stories. This is not a legitimate gripe and I have only mentioned it to illustrate that after my first "gripe" (which has nothing to do with your actual work), I'm honestly out of things to complain about.
Whew, that's a weight off my shoulders.
This is supposed to be a fan letter, so I'll get to fanning. Your books make me think, make me question, make me blank out in pure reading-a-great-story bliss, but most importantly (in my estimation), make me happy. Sure, I may feel horrible or sad or downright off for a while after I finish reading a story of yours, but that's the mark of a great story told greatly.
I read quite a bit, and I love or like most books that I read. I think this may simply be an indication that my literary recommendation connections are above average at worst... for my tastes at least. I have never loathed a book. I've slogged through books, but in the end I have appreciated them for what they are, a story told completely and well, regardless of whether the story itself bores the ever living sh*t out of me. Your stories? Well, let's just say I haven't met one I wouldn't read again. If I were asked to describe your books in five words or less, I'd say, "Sloggless, you'll read them again."
Finally, you think strange things and you see strange things and you write strange things. I just finished 'Four Past Midnight' for the first time (I'm not sure how I missed it up 'til now, but it was a damn good read). In your introduction to 'Secret Window' you describe looking out of a basement window you had never looked out before, that you maybe looked out simply because you never had before, and saw something you never would have (described as mundane a thing as a "different angle"). I may be overstepping my bounds as a single reader among(st?) millions, but I believe that what you have created merits this short reply to every one of your thankful introductions to your constant readers:
Not everything is as it seems, and nothing is as it seemed when viewed from elsewhere. This is what you give us, your constant readers: a view from elsewhere of a fear, a hope, a desperation, a loss, a beginning, an unknown, a closure, and none and all of the previous sort; every story you've told lets us experience elsewhere as a dream shoved into reality.
Thank you, for every amazing read.
One of many,
Constant reader Kevin
P.S. I had to Google "Sir Stephen King" to make sure you hadn't actually been knighted for your literary contributions. Otherwise the opening of this letter would have made zero sense. If you have, in fact, been knighted then I blame Google and my own (Google's) laziness for the senseless opening of this letter.
That said, I'm pretty stoked to have stumbled across this site because I have tons of questions about connection and continuity between Stephen King's novels. I'm aware that Dark Tower has oodles of references to his previous works, but the more I reread his books the more I see the same folks showing up again and again. I'm looking forward to actually researching the connections here before rereading his stories; the added crossover depth will make for an amazing revisit!
And, as this seems to be the practice of new members, here's the letter I wrote:
Dear Mr. (Sir I'm sure, if you had been born in England) King,
Right off the bat I'd like to say I'm a huge fan of your work. Hopefully this honest admittance of adoration will bring you to read at least the third line of this letter. If not, why the hell am I still writing? If so, sorry about the third line of this letter...
I honestly can't remember the first book of yours that I read, which I believe says volumes for your work as a whole. Nothing stuck as a first, plenty stand out, and none left me thinking, "well, that was a waste of time but at least my eyes got some exercise." You've been praised as a great horror writer, and you are, but for me your books have just been plain old interesting and completely engrossing. If you've gotten this far, then I suppose you'll read the rest even if I warn you now that my few gripes with your books follow immediately.
My first complaint is that your author notes, be they introductions to an entire book, notes before a short story or concluding remarks, always seem to have an air of questioning and uncertainty about your talent as a writer that completely disregards the success of your previous works. I understand self doubt in the face of criticism, but at some point one would think the evidence of greatness must rationally outweigh any irrational doubts; I realize the irony of this assumption considering the fact that much of your work deals with the suspension of rational thought, voluntary or otherwise. I guess I would just like to read an introduction that contains something of the following sort:
"It takes one to read one, and for that, constant reader, I am eternally grateful for your contribution to the former part of this simple equation. But I'll allow myself now to be completely honest: I am one badass author."
This might be better received in a second printing of a successful book rather than a first printing, but I'd still like to see something like it in print some day.
My second gripe is that all of your introductions (by their nature) come before the stories, and some of your author notes do the same. I've yet to skip any of your notes or introductions, but I never read them before the content that they introduce. In the future please put your introduction at the back of the book, and author notes at the end of your stories. This is not a legitimate gripe and I have only mentioned it to illustrate that after my first "gripe" (which has nothing to do with your actual work), I'm honestly out of things to complain about.
Whew, that's a weight off my shoulders.
This is supposed to be a fan letter, so I'll get to fanning. Your books make me think, make me question, make me blank out in pure reading-a-great-story bliss, but most importantly (in my estimation), make me happy. Sure, I may feel horrible or sad or downright off for a while after I finish reading a story of yours, but that's the mark of a great story told greatly.
I read quite a bit, and I love or like most books that I read. I think this may simply be an indication that my literary recommendation connections are above average at worst... for my tastes at least. I have never loathed a book. I've slogged through books, but in the end I have appreciated them for what they are, a story told completely and well, regardless of whether the story itself bores the ever living sh*t out of me. Your stories? Well, let's just say I haven't met one I wouldn't read again. If I were asked to describe your books in five words or less, I'd say, "Sloggless, you'll read them again."
Finally, you think strange things and you see strange things and you write strange things. I just finished 'Four Past Midnight' for the first time (I'm not sure how I missed it up 'til now, but it was a damn good read). In your introduction to 'Secret Window' you describe looking out of a basement window you had never looked out before, that you maybe looked out simply because you never had before, and saw something you never would have (described as mundane a thing as a "different angle"). I may be overstepping my bounds as a single reader among(st?) millions, but I believe that what you have created merits this short reply to every one of your thankful introductions to your constant readers:
Not everything is as it seems, and nothing is as it seemed when viewed from elsewhere. This is what you give us, your constant readers: a view from elsewhere of a fear, a hope, a desperation, a loss, a beginning, an unknown, a closure, and none and all of the previous sort; every story you've told lets us experience elsewhere as a dream shoved into reality.
Thank you, for every amazing read.
One of many,
Constant reader Kevin
P.S. I had to Google "Sir Stephen King" to make sure you hadn't actually been knighted for your literary contributions. Otherwise the opening of this letter would have made zero sense. If you have, in fact, been knighted then I blame Google and my own (Google's) laziness for the senseless opening of this letter.
(I must be tired...)
