Stephen King has been pretty forthcoming about the fact he’s not satisfied with his literary legacy. $45 million dollars and one of the most massive readerships ever not withstanding, he apparently also would enjoy some goddamn canonical respect, perhaps to transcend the ranks of gamers and fat kids and stand alongside William Faulkner and Jose Saramago. Or, you know, Jonathan Franzen.
When King recently announced plans for a follow up to The Shining (http://www.imdb.com/news/ni15953386), I couldn’t help but imagine him hoping somehow this next one would be the book that changed his fate. More so, I couldn’t help thinking what it would be like if instead of trying to write more literary novels, like, you know,Cell, and, uh, Under the Dome, he might just put one of those other lucky becoming-canonized American literary motherfuckers in the story.
I took the liberty of sketching some ideas for such a book.
