I'm hot and cold with this one, but Vincent mostly gets points for quoting much of the inspirations King had for his various novels and stories, even if they're mostly "what ifs?"

It's interesting that the author chooses to do synopses of some of the books, yet others seem to get a very short shrift, and I'm not sure why.

But overall, it's about Stephen King, so it's always going to be entertaining. I just wish it had gone more in depth. ( )

Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences by Bev Vincent is an informative and entertaining look at King's life as in is entwined in his writing.

Not quite a biography but biographical, this book focuses on the literary output and how King's life has been played into the stories, and how they sometimes come back to influence his own life. Like so many people I have read just about everything he has written (also like most people there are some things I haven't, he is simply that productive) as well as most of the works written about him, yet there were still some things here I was unaware of.

The strength of this volume is less about learning something new as it is about having a well-written overview of his career in an attractive book that can be referred to whenever I have a question. I loved the pictures, seeing old covers and photographs, letters and notes about various books, and of course pictures from the many movie and television adaptations.

While this is definitely something any King fan will want I would also recommend this to those interested in literary history and the area where works of fiction meet popular culture.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )