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

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

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471782475 | ISBN-13: 978-0471782476 | Publication Date: August 31, 2007 | Edition: 1

Advance Praise

"What a treasure house is this book! Robots, space aliens, Einstein, black holes, time travel--these themes, and much more, from Stephen King's amazing books are opened up like toy chests. It's tremendous fun, entirely educational, and a great tribute to King."
--Peter Straub

"A fun, fun read."
--F. Paul Wilson

"The Science of Stephen King appeals to both the scientist and the longtimereader of Stephen King in me. Gresh and Weinberg use concepts from King's fiction as launching pads for in-depth explorations of concepts as diverse as ESP, pyrokinesis, time travel, artificial intelligence, quantum chemistry, alternate realities, string theory, and the possibility that we'll be visited by aliens or that we'll face a global pandemic. Much of what Stephen King writes about in his novels is closer to reality than you might think."
--Bev Vincent, Ph.D., author of The Road to the Dark Tower

"A superb overview of King's use of scientific concepts in his stories. And considering all the scary talk lately about pandemic flu, their chapter on The Stand is timely as hell."
--Stephen Spignesi, author of The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia

"Just as Sagan and Asimov popularized science to the masses by making itentertaining and informative, so too do Gresh and Weinberg.Compulsively readable and thought-provoking."
--George Beahm, author of The Stephen King Companion

Editorial Reviews

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.)
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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)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471782475
• ISBN-13: 978-0471782476
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.7 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,475,242 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

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

By 

M. Gibson (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Science of Stephen King: From Carrie to Cell, The Terrifying Truth Behind the Horror Master's 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, February 12, 2008

By 

[e-mail] "[e-mail]" (Beaumont, tx USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Science of Stephen King: From Carrie to Cell, The Terrifying Truth Behind the Horror Master's 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, October 26, 2007

By 

Angeline Hawkes - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Science of Stephen King: From Carrie to Cell, The Terrifying Truth Behind the Horror Master's 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.