[Review]—"Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences" by Ben Vincent

Epic Ink Books published "Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences," by Ben Vincent, who also wrote The Stephen King Illustrated Companion, to coincide with Stephen King's 75th birthday on September 21, 2022. It's a chronicle of Stephen King's 50-year writing career, complete with archive images and documents from King's personal collection.

Let me start by saying that I evaluated a digital galley via NetGalley rather than a physical copy. According to what I've heard from other readers, the cover is constructed of high-quality materials yet has the appearance and feel of an old, worn-out paperback. If that doesn't scream Stephen King, I don't know what does.

I'm going to venture a bet and say that most reviews will either give a brief biography of Stephen King or the brevity of his bibliography. That's not what I'm doing. What I will say is that I've been a fan of Stephen King since I first read The Shining in the early 1990s. Even though I was probably a little too young to read adult horror at the time, I became immediately drawn to King's writing style. I then started reading more of his works and viewing both the good and awful movie adaptations. 

Call it a biography or a companion volume, but Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences is a must-have for fans of the author. Stephen King's whole creative career is covered by the author, Ben Vincent, from his first "short stories" to his most current book, Fairy Tale. The television and movie adaptations are discussed, including the peculiar Children of the Corn film series.  

To summarize, I thoroughly enjoyed Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences. It's a brilliantly written tribute to one of the best horror authors ever.╌★★★★★