7 Kindles That Prove Stephen King is IT!

By now, the hype of Stephen King’s It should be gushing out of every storm sewer, hanging by a thin red balloon strand in every movie theater and landing into the plans of every enterprising young clown — or would-be clown — who will make it a point to dress up in full clown regalia at unexpected places, like in a cemetery that’s rumored to be haunted or on the quad of a major university.

That’s not what this article is about, however. This is a list of Kindles that show just how much the writer Stephen King has affected pop culture and our collective psyche. He’s injected mass consciousness with everything from spooky clowns to telekinetic teens and from post-apocalyptic duels to demonic muscle cars.

Here’s some of the best King Kindles available:

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
I can hear you now. “Are you even kidding me? On Writing!?! King has delivered some of the scariest moments in literary and movie history and you start out with some boring book about writing?”

Why, yes. Yes I am. On Writing is one of the most succinct, no B.S. books on the art of writing on the market. It should be ranked right up there with Strunk and White’s Elements of Style and Zinsser’s On Writing Well. King’s rules of writing are simple, but often ignored principles. He talks about simplicity and clarity, avoid the passive voice, and write to express not to impress.

Plus, you learn a lot about King, both as a man and as a writer, in this delightful book. (*Note: King probably wouldn’t be pleased with that “delightful” because he tells us to limit unnecessary words in On Writing.)
You can buy On Writing on Kindle for about $12.99

IT
It would be incredibly disingenuous to not mention the reason for the latest burst of Stephen King hype: the movie based on the book It. This is the story of a group of adults who come back to their hometown to take on the nightmare that destroyed their childhood. The nightmare’s name? It. King has a gift of externalizing deep and disturbing myths, as we will discuss throughout this piece. In this book, he takes on creepy clowns. That creepy clown, Pennywise, portrayed brilliantly by Tim Curry many years ago, represents some of the deepest, darkest fears of childhood. The Kindle costs about $11.99.

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower series is considered Stephen King’s most profound literary achievement. Like a lot of King’s works, so much bubbles under the surface. You can look at it as a dystopian western that focuses on Roland of Gilead: the Last Gunslinger and his adventures in a violent, desolate world. But, according to some King scholars, the book was taken from a poem: Robert Browning’s: Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came. Go even deeper and the story is a meditation on the battle between good and evil.

Start with the Dark Tower I Kindle first and work your way through the series.

The Stand
Stephen King’s The Stand is about as sweeping as a novel gets. We’re talking about 150,000 words. The novel, another one of King’s dystopian meditations, begins with a simple Defense Department mistake. Obviously, simple Defense Department mistakes often have catastrophic consequences. And this one has exponentially catastrophic consequences. At only $9.99, this Kindle has the best value for a Stephen King book.

This is from one of the top reviews for the book:
“I’ve been a Stephen King fan for 40 years. The Stand is and will remain my favorite of his books. I like all of them but I love a select few and The Stand is at the top of the list. If you are already a King fan and you haven’t read The Stand, you’ll love this book. The overall theme is Biblically related and he sticks close to details in well known Biblical stories. But, don’t get me wrong, this is not “Christian Fiction”. This is the best of Sci-Fi/Horror you’ll find in King’s books. The characters are fully developed and totally interesting. The dystopian story is compelling and believable.”
https://www.amazon.com/Stand-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B001C4NXKM

Christine
One thing most readers find interesting about King is his ability to take common objects — lawn mowers and clowns, for example — and turn them into the scariest things imaginable. In Christine, he does it with a 1958 four-door red Plymouth Fury. In real life, it’s kind of an innocuous vehicle, but, in King’s imagination, the car, which must represent America’s obsession with wealth, power, and speed, at least on some level, turns into a jealous demon that goes on a killing spree.

You can get the Kindle for $9.49.

Carrie
Every school had — or has — a Carrie. She doesn’t look quite right. Doesn’t dress in the latest fashions. And is usually mercilessly picked on. In this revenge fantasy, King gives every one of those Carries a voice — and, oh yeah, he gives them deadly telekinetic powers while he’s at it. Carrie was really a breakthrough hit for King and kicked off his amazing literary career. It also showed how adaptable his writing was to both the big screen and the small screen — and, now, the screen of your Kindle. Sissy Spacek starred in the original movie and inspired scenes that no one can ever forget. In fact, probably every prom King and Queen looks up warily into the rafters for any signs of blood buckets when they step on stage and into the spotlight.

It costs $9.49 for the Kindle version.

The Shining
Want to know how much Stephen King has affected pop culture? How about… Heeeeeeer’e Johnny! Red Rum. All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy.

Ring any bells? Well, to be honest this might be a better example of how Stanley Kubrick, Jack Nicholson and Stephen King teamed up to affect pop culture. Some of the most famous phases never appeared in the movie, one that King never really appreciated.

You can make that decision for yourself by purchasing the Kindle version of this controversial work by King. It’s only $8.99.

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