The Dark Half
Published: 20, October 1989
Author: Stephen King
Genre: American, Classic, Fiction, Horror, Media Tie-In, Psychological, Supernatural, Thriller
Check the summary of this book here:
The Dark Half Summary
The Review
Stephen King's horror thriller The Dark Half was the second best-selling book in 1989, behind Tom Clancy's Clear and Present Danger, according to Publishers Weekly. In 1993, the novel was turned into a feature film with the same title. During the 1970s and 1980s, Stephen King published many works under the alias Richard Bachman. The majority of the Richard Bachman books were darker and crueler in tone, with a primal feeling of terror that contrasted sharply with the psychological, gothic approach prevalent in many of Stephen King's most well-known works. In response to his revelation as Richard Bachman, Stephen King penned The Dark Half, a novel about a novelist with a nasty parasitic twin.
The book's main antagonist, George Stark, was named after Richard Stark, a pen name used by author Donald E. Westlake to create some of his darkest and most violent works. To obtain approval, Stephen King personally called Donald E. Westlake. Stephen King's own pseudonym, "Richard Bachman," was partially inspired by Richard Stark: he was reading a Richard Stark novel at the time he adopted the name.
When I first read it, I felt sad rather than terrified. I felt sympathy for the villain of this narrative and wished him a happy life; I always do for someone with this character's past. It seems complicated, but if you read the story attentively, you'll understand; I'll give you one hint: it's about being "absorbed by the stronger one."
From the first page of The Dark Half, I was completely engrossed. This creepy tale was difficult to put down.
The Dark Half is twisted entertainment with moments that pop to life and characters that are truly unparalleled. Every time one of the main characters appears on the page, this page-turner can give you the chills.
I believe it is best not to read this book late at night, not because of the gore, but because George Stark is the last fictional character you want to think about before falling asleep!
Overall, Stephen King's The Dark Half is gripping, dark, and intense, immensely intense! Somehow it snatches you by the neck, drags you inside, and refuses to let go.
The passages are so well-written that you believe as if you're in the story, watching everything happen in real-time, and you're just as terrified of George Stark as everyone else. In true Stephen King flair, the finale is downright creepy.
I didn't want to reread this book because of how sorry I felt about the antagonist, but I had to, and I'd suggest it to anybody who likes a dark, brutal novel!
I'm not sure why I always imagined Stephen King as the protagonist and actually thought it might happen to an author like him in real life when I was reading this book for the first time. The crazy thing is that I had no idea he was Richard Bachman, and he basically wrote this book for a reason, which I will explain in the following paragraphs.
Warning: Some of what I'm about to say in the next few paragraphs may contain spoilers for new readers, so skip ahead to Final Thoughts if you don't want to be spoiled.
The author's The Dark Half was one of his final straight horror novels before moving on to more modern works like Dolores Claiborne, Gerald's Game, and Rose Madder.
It was also penned in the wake of having his alias of Richard Bachman uncovered after numerous books printed under that name.
Based on his own assumptions, a bookshop employee looked up publishing information that identified Stephen King as the author of one of the Richard Bachman books.
Stephen King, perhaps feeling that his secret was on borrowed time anyhow, permitted the clerk to interview him, resulting in the rest of the world finding Richard Bachman's identity.
This turn of events clearly influenced The Dark Half. Under the alias George Stark, the main character, novelist Thad Beaumont, creates significantly more violent fiction than he usually does.
After Stark's identity, like Bachman's, is revealed, a sequence of savage killings targets those who were involved in Stark's fake death. Stark has somehow crossed over from the fictional world to the actual world, and he isn't thrilled about being murdered off as a PR ploy.
It's easy to envision Stephen King using this narrative to express some of his darker thoughts about being outed as Bachman.
Considering the terrible nature of Stark's killings, you'd have to think that the author was holding some wrath and animosity about the incident.
He created the Bachman identity to avoid over saturating the market with his own name and to test whether he might thrive in the literary world as an unknown for the second time.
He was getting close, because Bachman's most recent novel, Thinner, did far better than the previous four, and Stephen King was considering publishing Misery under the Bachman moniker.
We're left to speculate about what may have transpired, but at the very least, the entire experience inspired a Stephen King novel.
The Dark Half is a completely eerie and thrilling book and signaled the end of an era in Stephen King's career.
Some of the early material is wonderful, but it takes a few chapters for it to really take off. This Stephen King masterpiece will impress you with its savagery and the villain's nastiness.
The Dark Half will transport you to a magnificent world you never imagined conceivable, with plenty of twists, turns, and shocks, as well as Stephen King's trademark descriptive brilliance.
It will carry you further than you ever imagined, and if you read closely enough, you may find yourself questioning yourself once you've finished.
Final Thoughts
One point about the book "Needful Things" that has to be clarified is that it made several references to the events of The Dark Half. However, it has little influence on the main storyline of Needful Things.
You may read Needful Things first and then read The Dark Half afterward. However, it is preferable if you have already read The Dark Half because it provides some background and context for where Alan Pangborn is during the events of Needful Things, as well as information about the impact of the events that some characters in Stephen King are still dealing with as a result of the events of The Dark Half.
I'm usually rewarded with outstanding writing and clearly defined characters when I read a Stephen King novel, and this one is no exception.
This tale of evil deeds and murderous doings was inspired by Stephen King's personal adventure into the realm of pseudonyms as alter ego Richard Bachman.
Taking the possibility of murdering Bachman off the table, Stephen King has his protagonist Thad Beaumont issue press releases and stage pictures at the late writer's cemetery. Regrettably, this is when things start to go awry.
I enjoyed this novel because it had me guessing the entire time, wondering if Stephen King's protagonist was insane or if his conviction in the existence of George Stark was warranted.
The writing is crisp and intelligent as always, but it also made me smile at times, which is wonderful.
Must have for aficionados of horror, murder, and fictional writers coming to life and murdering a slew of people.
Synopsis
“Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine
A “wondrously frightening” (Publishers Weekly) tale of terror and #1 national bestseller about a writer’s pseudonym that comes alive and destroys everyone on the path that leads to the man who created him.
Thad Beaumont is a writer, and for a dozen years, he has secretly published violent bestsellers under the name of George Stark. But Thad is a healthier and happier man now, the father of infant twins, and starting to write as himself again. He no longer needs George Stark and so, with nationwide publicity, the pseudonym is retired. But George Stark won’t go willingly.
And now Thad would like to say he is innocent. He’d like to say he has nothing to do with the twisted imagination that produced his bestselling novels. He’d like to say he has nothing to do with the series of monstrous murders that keep coming closer to his home. But how can Thad deny the ultimate embodiment of evil that goes by the name he gave it—and signs its crimes with Thad’s bloody fingerprints?
The Dark Half is “a chiller” (The New York Times Book Review), so real and fascinating that you’ll find yourself squirming in Stephen King’s heart-stopping, blood-curdling grip—and loving every minute of it.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
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Rating: 90/100
Recommended: 90/100 Yes.
Buy the Kindle Version Here
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