Monsters in the Archives My Year of Fear with Stephen King

Picture this: a scholar is handed the keys to Stephen King’s private archives. Boxes of manuscripts. Margin notes in his own handwriting. Scenes and alternate endings that never saw the light of day. What would you do?

Caroline Bicks, the University of Maine’s inaugural Stephen E. King Chair in Literature, did what any of us would dream of doing. She dove in. And lucky for us, she took notes.

Monsters in the Archives is the first book of its kind, authorized by King himself, offering an extended look inside the creative engine of one of America’s most beloved storytellers. Bicks focuses on five early masterpieces, The Shining, Carrie, Pet Sematary, ‘Salem’s Lot, and Night Shift, tracing how King built the language, characters, and chills that have haunted readers for decades. Along the way, she sat down with King for a series of interviews that reveal new insights into his process and personal history.

Praise has been pouring in:

• “A treat for fans of Stephen King.” — Paul Tremblay
• “A master class in craft—and a peek behind the curtain.” — Stephen Graham Jones
• “Illuminating and original.” — Amy Tan
• “A must read for anyone curious about how great books get written.” — James Shapiro, Columbia University

Part literary master class, part biography, part memoir of a grown-up English professor reckoning with her childhood fears, this one is a true discovery. Especially fitting to pick up here in Maine, just down the coast from where so many of those monsters were born.

Curl up. Lock the door. Start reading.

Additional information