Hodder Paperbacks Cujo

Cujo wanted to be a good dog

I wanted to read Cujo for a while, having read polarised reviews. I finally got round to it last week and I must say I was pleasantly surprised - Well, if 'pleasantly' can be used to describe a novel about a rabid dog that savages innocent people that is!As usual, King walks a fine line between literary and genre fiction. Whilst he always provides an easy read, I feel what marks his novels out from other popular fiction is how he roots his stories in everyday fears that we can all recognise and uses allegory and ostensibly mundane themes to create a multi-layered narrative. In Cujo, all of these tropes are present to varying degrees. We witness breakdowns in everyday relationships - marriage, family and corporate - parallelled by the eponymous K9's descent into rabid madness. This is done particularly well throughout, despite the novel being unusual for King in that it contains very few - if any - supernatural elements.The novel is very much one of tension and this is where I feel it has been underrated. Whereas IT, Pet Semetary and Salem's Lot rely on the unknown supernatural element to mark them out as horror fiction, Cujo is rooted in real life. As great as those other works are, it takes a real master to keep you on edge for 400 or so pages, with very few gory deaths and traditional horror imagery. The narrative of Cujo moves at just the right pace and builds perfectly to its dramatic conclusion. There is nothing groundbreaking, just a master of the craft demonstrating how to plot a bestseller for maximum emotional impact.A surprising element is how King treats Cujo himself. We read the dog's inner thoughts as he succumbs to his illness - which may sound ridiculous, but I felt it worked very well. It makes the reader emphasise and pity the animal and see it as more than 'the monster', once again demonstrating how King weaves complexity into what is on the surface a very simple, almost cliche, horror motif. In my opinion, it is this anthropomorphising that makes the novel work. As something of a slow-starter, the sympathy we initially feel for Cujo and the impending dread of what we know is going to happen to him gives a feeling of dread before any violence occurs.All in all, this was a thrilling and at times challenging read - challenging in terms of content that is. Whilst some may feel it takes a while to get going, there is enough to keep it interesting until it all kicks off. The lack of the supernatural may turn some off, but there it is suggested enough at several points to scratch that itch. My only quibble - and I don't know if it is just with this edition - is the lack of chapters.

Stephen King delivers again with Cujo, the haunting tale of a rabid dog turned beast. Iconic Terror has published Cujo expertly with all 420 pages arrived unstained and without and blotches, misspellings or tears in the page and with a strong binding that doesn't wrinkle during reading.King hops from different albeit entirely relatable lives of varying families in the first half of his novel, refraining from boring the reader by adding inner monologues of the dog himself, a cute little Saint Bernard that becomes even more entertaining in the light of it's transformation. King writes horror like no one else and the accessible style of his writing in Cujo creates a chilling tale sure to resonate and stay with any reader for good.A must have for any horror fan and a good jumping on point to Kings work.

Cujo felt a little different to King's other popular novels, there was a whole lot of people politics, and relationships, and the horror elements were only really under currents up until the last quarter. For that reason, I found it quite boring, which was disappointing, I thought this could be a new favourite.Cujo himself just made me sad, as an animal lover, the dogs slow descent into madness wasn't really what I'd expected. I just felt sorry for the poor guy, and was waiting for someone to put him out of his misery. The rest of the characters were just what you would expect, well rounded, some likeable, some hateable, and some just there for filler.I was pretty much set on this being 2 star, but the horrific/shocking ending, pulled it back to a 3 star. Definitely not King's finest.

Normally I finish a book and lend it to friend, but I won't be doing that with this one, not because the story isn't good (I've only just opened it) but because I don't think it will survive being read more than once. The spine has detached from the cover and the pages are coming away along the bottom half of the book. I would return it, but its already the second time I've had to order it due to delivery issues and I just want to start it. Considering this is a brand new book (and clearly is, no crease in the spine) I'm disappointed, but I'm sure the story will make up for it.

What a perfect read for Spooktober, not only was this hugely gripping and full of suspense... but it was chilling and full to the brim of emotion. I love King's books and I have only read a handful, but the story of Cujo is described so well and planned amazingly that it almost feels real. With one thing after another, after yet another...you can really feel for the characters and the ending was just heartbreaking, not at all what I thought would happen. If you like the genre I hugely recommend Cujo for a chilling, spooky read, I will always think of this story if I ever watch Beethoven again xD.