Pet Sematary

This book pet sematary has the distinction among kings' constant readers as his darkest book written. I believe its story of grief and how we as a society and we as individuals deal with the phenomenon of grief will leave you with some thoughts on the subject too. This book will not disappoint, do yourself a favor and read the darkest story king ever wrote!

I had not read this before though I have seen all the movies based on it. Again while I know they cut things I am Again surprised by how much they cut in every movie version.Very well done and sad.

Stephen King once said that Pet Sematary is the scariest book he’s ever written. Here’s why I agree. Beware of spoilers for the following review. As a horror fan, I can tell you that horror isn’t typically scary. Grotesque, sure- but scary? Besides jump scares, horror has very little horror in it, because most horror fans have the recognition of the horror not being real. Vampires, aliens, monsters? Not real, so in the back of your head you know it’s not scary. Instead, you enjoy it because of how unbelievable it is. But then there’s real horror- the kind that reflects very real situations, that makes your stomach churn and your heart race because as you read it, you can imagine it happening to yourself. Stephen King is a master of this. The scariest part of IT wasn’t the clown alien- it was the domestic abuse, the horrors of an ugly, violent reality. Pet Sematary, on the other hand, tackles the very raw and real fear of death. Stephen King himself had a close call with his son and a truck- and he also went through having to explain death, especially pet death, to his children. It’s a relatable situation, and one that I believe you can feel the turmoil of in King’s writing. The horror, the struggle, the fear was real. Louis Creed’s thoughts, his imagining of everything being okay, was well written and crucial to the story. King’s personal stake made these moments all the more thought provoking. Though the writing is slow, the darkest parts of the novel are written beautifully, with a masterful use of emotion. It’s real, honest, and raw- making it a brilliant read. Pet Sematary is a very human novel, at its core. One of the most well written parts of the novel was the descriptions of Gage’s death and the scenes that follow; the heartbroken reactions of the characters reacting to a tragic event. The grief in this novel is a very real depiction of how it is in real life. I also loved the truth of Rachel’s family- what they had been through, how they reacted, the strained relationships of her parents and her husband and the way her father tried to make things right in the end. There’s an honest discussion about death being natural versus death being unnatural, and I respected King showing both sides, showcasing Louis’ view of death and tragedy versus Rachel’s extremely opposite view.Another thing to mention is the depiction of love in this book. King is known for his sex scenes often being written with an inappropriate or crude edge, but the romance between Louis and his wife Rachel was one of my favorite parts of the book. It feels very believable that they have the relationship of a husband and a wife, and the scenes between them were not as cheesy as I expected them to be. Moreso, the love that Louis had for his children was extremely apparent in this book. The other works I’ve read from Mr. King have not had healthy love in it, and Louis is a different kind of character- one who cares deeply for his family. Emotionally, this was a very strong read.Now, all this sounds good, so you might wonder why I chose to give it a four and not a five star review. There is one main reason for this.I believe that King gave away too much of the plot. It’s a great writing device, but I am not sure it worked well here. I knew the plot of the novel already, because I’ve seen the movies many times. But I found it jarring when King alluded to Norma Crandall’s death before it happened, and then again with his own son. It was clever, in many ways, but I just struggled with it having been revealed in that way. There was very little surprise in the novel- it all was rather linear, and while the writing was great, that lack of intrigue took it down a notch for me. I still believe this to be one of King’s better novels, though.

One of the best movies from my era

Trade paperback 2018UPDATE June 2020 (a little overdue) I had re-bought this item a few months later, and got the correct cover art, the one Amazon depicts in their stock photo. However, it's got glue and bits of paper hanging off of it, just a real mess. I saw a copy of the movie tie in addition from the following year available at the big'ol' W A L M..... and it looked to be more robustly printed, but I have mixed feelings about the 2019 movie, although I haven't seen it because it just looks like it unnecessarily adds a bunch of layers that really add nothing to the story, but like I said -- I haven't seen it (yet...(?))....The "Gallery book 2002" info that the product URL cites is in reference to a popart "comic book style" cover-art that didn't do any favors regarding capturing the appeal of the book visually. The movie this book's author wrote was a by the numbers dry as paint stupid MOFO adaptation. So what's left? That stupid hardcover dust jacket that Doubleday haphazardly slapped onto the initial pressings of the book and the subsequent mass market paperback edition? A respectful hardcover re-issue, put together as part of a set of some of his books sometime in the early 1990s, is almost impossible to find. There was a so-so trade paperback released in England a few years ago with a really stupid tagline.This book deserves a good cover. It's one of those books that's really really really really really GOOD. It's not something God himself would want to read. It's probably not something you yourself would want to make a religion based upon or apply to your life philosophy. Stephen King wrote this book and disowns it because it isn't "truthful" enough. Who cares? Stephen King ain't anyone to talk authoratiatively about the truth. His lesbian daughter preaches the gospel for a living. Apparently having one's head up their butt runs in the family. This book strikes at the heart of man. The heart of man is deceitful above all things --- and exceedingly wicked. We don't need Stephen King to deliver us from that. Some people don't even want to be delivered from that. Sometimes you can't escape it. This book isn't THE TRUTH. But it does speak to the true hearts of real people for better or worse. And it does so in a manner far more effective than most of his horror novels ever did. CARRIE was not the POS that he initially thought it to be when he set out to write it before giving up on it, but it wasn't half as nerverattling as this. 'SALEM'S LOT, THE SHINING and CUJO et al were well and good, but this is the granddaddy of them all. I'm not buying it until I can get it with a decent cover. I tried ordering it after Amazon.com updated the stock photo and they sent me the old one with the popart cover. I guess they still had some of them leftover. This cover-art is the same as the mass market paperback edition issued in February 2017, but I'm not going to pay $9+ so I can "proudly own" this book in some pulp novel format. It'd be one thing if I just didn't have room for it, but unlike my CD collection that is easier to use because its' not vinyl, a trade paperback is every bit as useful as a mass market paperback. The pages are no more flimsy or cumbersome than a mass market and it just freakin' looks better. And a hardcover reissue that doesn't cost $50++ doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon. IT (1986) -- also one of S.K.'s superior works -- did finally get a hardcover reissue, but not only was the cover rather pathetic, but it had that stupid promo quip "NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE" Since the makers of this past summer's re-make of the movie IT are apparently planning to also remake PET SEMATARY (about dang time!), we might get an equally lame hardcover edition of this book finally -- or maybe it'll be a quality hardcover pressing, i.e.: the mistakes of the past are not repeated (it could happen). Perhaps someone who doesn't feel the need to 'I would tell you, but you're not worthy...." will point me to a place on the www where I can find a copy that I can afford(?)

Came in good condition, and a great book besides. Only downside is that the original print looked better (in my opinion), but them's the breaks.

Me encantó la historia. La edición es muy buena también. La letra es quizá un poco más pequeña de lo que me gustaría, pero creo que reste a la calidad del producto. Tiene un acabado que no había visto en otro libro, y creo que eso lo hace especial.

Heel spannend en heel goed! Ik vond dit een van de meest meeslepende boeken van Stephen King die ik tot zover heb gelezen.

El libro está bien, entretenido, bien escrito, fiel a su género, según dicen uno de los mejores de este autor (me temo que es el único que he leído de él).Quizá para mí lo más destacable de este libro es que al leerlo tendió un puente hacia un mundo nuevo.Sin ánimo de hacer spoiler en el propio libro hay un lugar "mágico" que sirve de puente entre dos mundos*. La pregunta es: nos atreveremos a cruzarlo?

I just finished reading this book and I am lost for words. I feel sad. This is not just a horror novel, it's a tragedy.This to me was not only the scariest, but also the most sickeningly disturbing story I have ever read.I'm a huge fan of King. I didn't know what to expect from this one. I am familiar with a variety of his work from Christine to IT. Weather it be a possessed car or a scary clown, I knew one thing... Stephen King can make an interesting story out of anything and pull you in with his unique storytelling style that makes you want to come back for more. Despite the disturbing content in this book, man I loved it. I enjoyed reading this book.So what's this book about? In short, without spoiling it, here it is:A family move in to their new home where they find a path leading to a "Pet Sematary" in the woods where children from the past buried their pets. And then the haunting begins...Sounds simple, doesn't it? Harmless. Innocent. No, it isn't. What happens in this story is dark, terrifying, chilling and mad. It also made me sad. Some forces of nature are not be messed with.What made this book even more interesting is that the book takes its time to build the world around the family as we get to know them. We see how they interact with each other and watch how their relationships grow. It feels slow at first, but you will see why later on. The story really kicks off at Part 2 and that's where the emotional rollercoaster begins. You will feel tense in several places in this book as you progress. It's an addicitive read. Reading at night, not only did I feel a chill down my spine, it kept me up all night. Stephen King hypnotises you with his story telling to the point where you want more. I couldn't put it down.This story is not for the fainthearted. This may indeed be the best story Stephen King has ever told.It's haunting. It's disturbing. This is King's darkest tale.