The Science of Stephen King: From Carrie to Cell, The Terrifying Truth Behind the Horror Masters Fiction [Paperback]

Lois H. Gresh (Author), Robert Weinberg (Author)

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Product Details

Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (Aug 9 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0471782475
ISBN-13: 978-0471782476
Product Dimensions: 15.5 x 1.9 x 23.7 cm
Shipping Weight: 318 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #120,754 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Human characters, not science, are the heart of King's fiction, but Gresh and Weinberg (The Science of James Bond) use these tales as a jumping-off point in their latest pop-sci tie-in. In Carrie, Firestarter and The Dead Zone, mayhem arises from the use of psychic abilities, so the authors explore not only the history of such powers in fiction, but also human consciousness and modern neuroscience. The killer vehicles of King's story Trucks are compared to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, rounded out with a short discussion of artificial intelligence. Dreamcatcher and The Tommyknockers lead to a look at the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere, from flying-saucer paranoia to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Discussion of The Stand includes a look at fictional and real plagues, while the parallel worlds and alternate histories at the heart of The Dark Tower bring up theoretical physics from relativity to wormholes. The truths revealed are hardly terrifying, but the book is an excellent introduction to both popular science and science fiction themes. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Human characters, not science, are the heart of King's fiction, but Gresh and Weinberg (The Science of James Bond) use these tales as a jumping-off point in their latest pop-sci tie-in. In Carrie, Firestarter and The Dead Zone, mayhem arises from the use of psychic abilities, so the authors explore not only the history of such powers in fiction, but also human consciousness and modern neuroscience. The killer vehicles of King's story "Trucks" are compared to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, rounded out with a short discussion of artificial intelligence. Dreamcatcher and The Tommyknockers lead to a look at the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere, from flying-saucer paranoia to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Discussion of The Stand includes a look at fictional and real plagues, while the parallel worlds and alternate histories at the heart of The Dark Tower bring up theoretical physics from relativity to wormholes. The truths revealed are hardly terrifying, but the book is an excellent introduction to both popular science and science fiction themes. (Sept.) (Publishers Weekly, July 23, 2007)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 3.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, but lots of errors, Feb 16 2008

By M. Gibson - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: The Science of Stephen King: From Carrie to Cell, The Terrifying Truth Behind the Horror Masters Fiction (Paperback)

I found this book at the library where I work and borrowed it, since I've been reading Stephen King for years. It seemed interesting enough, but I was too distracted by the errors to really get into it. The authors give a synopsis of the work they are about to discuss, and frequently the synopsis contains errors. Maybe I'm obsessive but it just seemed like someone should have taken the time to check for accuracy.
If you're not crazy about detail, this could be a good read. If you're a big Stephen King fan and the errors are going to drive you crazy, maybe this isn't the book for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars good but not great, Feb 12 2008

By adead_poet@hotmail.com "adead_poet@hotmail.com" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: The Science of Stephen King: From Carrie to Cell, The Terrifying Truth Behind the Horror Masters Fiction (Paperback)

It's an okay book, the problem is trying to put some scientific reasoning behind King's supernatural works. That and I felt that they picked a lot of King's weaker works and didn't focus on where he was best. Plus King's fans are drawn by the human characters and their relationships and how they overcome adversary. But it is good for the hardcore fan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Whole New Perspective on King's Fiction, Oct 26 2007

By Angeline Hawkes - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: The Science of Stephen King: From Carrie to Cell, The Terrifying Truth Behind the Horror Masters Fiction (Paperback)

From religion to medicine and technology, THE SCIENCE OF STEPHEN KING poses educational and intriguing concepts that encourage the reader to look at King's fiction not just as entertainment but as both scientific and cultural reflections of our society. Weinberg and Gresh weave intricate mathematics and scientific calculations with detailed history and contrasting religious views. I found the book captivating. Stephen King's work resonates with deeper symbolism and meaning after I have examined the ins and outs of the realistic and unrealistic science that serves as the foundation of his fiction as proposed by Weinberg and Gresh. THE SCIENCE OF STEPHEN KING is a definite must-read for King fans and literary buffs of all genre-persuasions. In short: READ THIS BOOK.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 6 reviews 3.5 out of 5 stars