The Storyteller: A Novel [Hardcover]

Arthur Reid (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 5, 2003

He’s the most famous novelist in the country, the author of a raft of international bestsellers, the darling of New York’s publishing circles. But the more successful he becomes, the more terrifying is the predicament he finds himself in.

In the beginning, Steven (with a v) King is an aspiring writer tending bar in a small town in Maine. He works diligently on his novel, dreams of the life he and his fianceé, Tina, will share, and puts his faith in the successful power-agent (his first cousin Stuart) who represents him. Then Steve’s life takes an unexpected turn. In a stroke of unimaginable good fortune, he gets his big break—though not the kind he’d always wished for. With a momentous decision, he opens a Pandora’s box that transforms him from a failed novelist into one of the hottest authors in the world. To avoid confusion with another famous writer from Maine, Steve uses his ancestral name, and the phenomenon known as Steven Konigsberg is born.

Within weeks of his first book’s publication he is perched firmly on top of the bestseller lists. His subsequent novels only outdo each other. His face graces TV talk shows and magazine covers . But Steven Konigsberg has a very dark secret—a hidden skeleton that not only threatens his meteoric career, but may very well jeopardize the safety of his family and his own life. As a range of sinister people come out of the woodwork of the past, Steve must make an agonizing choice: confront his deepest secret . . . or lose far more than just his place on the bestseller list.

An irresistible blend of gripping suspense and black humor, THE STORYTELLER is a colorful, inside look at the vanities, glamour, and power plays of the exotic world of publishing and fame . . . with a twist.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reid, a veteran publishing executive writing under a pseudonym, has penned a publishing world satire that follows the efforts of the unfortunately named young writer Steven King to get his work published. After several false starts and a long bout of writer's block, Steven believes his prayers are answered when he meets kindred spirit Ben Chambers, an older writer and barfly who gives him valuable literary advice. But his new friend suddenly dies, leaving him a wealth of unpublished manuscripts. Demoralized by too many rejections and facing unrelenting pressure from his demanding fiancee and his disappointed parents, Steven decides to exploit his role as Ben's literary executor and sell Ben's novels under his own name. The highly commercial works immediately find a publisher, and Steven is on his way to fame and fortune. Reid effectively builds the suspense as he thrusts Steven into a moral and professional quandary, compounded when people start coming out of the woodwork to blackmail him: an old associate of Ben's who typed a draft of one of his manuscripts; a pair of twins, June and Vera Bowers, who were once tutored by "Uncle B" and possess an original copy of one of his stories. As the clever plot twists and turns, Reid gleefully skewers all echelons of the book publishing industry and is equally unsparing of writers. This is an engrossing, darkly comic work that is refreshingly accessible even to those who don't follow-and didn't know they cared about-the book business.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Bartender Steven Konigsberg always wanted to be a novelist, but has never had much success getting published. When he inherits all the possessions of a recently deceased mentor, he finds two trunkfuls of excellent but never-published stories. Unable to resist the temptation, Konigsberg begins publishing them under his own name, and he finally achieves the prestige and recognition he always hoped for. Naturally, one lie leads to another, and, soon enough, Konigsberg finds himself confronted by acquaintances of his former mentor who threaten to expose the famous and popular "author" as a fraud. Reid likens the premise to a Faustian bargain, but present-day readers may find The Storyteller more interesting and engaging than its predecessors in that genre. In addition to the novel's more complicated plot, Konigsberg is much more likable than his analogues, perhaps because of the lack of overly dramatic self-pity. Readers will feel his dilemma and be quickly drawn in. The novel is surprisingly engrossing and is well worth the few hours it will take to read. Gavin Quinn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1St Edition edition (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 038550621X
• ISBN-13: 978-0385506212
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #695,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Genuine Page Turner !!!, February 7, 2004

By 

BeachReader (Delaware) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Storyteller: A Novel (Hardcover)

I had heard a lot of praise for this book via word-of-mouth and since I am interested in the publishing industry, I gave it a try. I should never have started reading it at 9 PM because it kept me up until the wee hours of the morning!

No summary needed--Amazon did that above very adequately.
Arthur Reid, whoever s/he might be, sure gave us an insider's look at the business of making books. When you see how random it is that a book is chosen to become a *star*, it makes you wonder how many great books are ignored.

I loved the clever way this book was written, starting off as a tale of a small-town, would-be writer and then escalating into a full-blown literary thriller. The twists and turns always seemed plausible, not forced, and I found myself rooting for Steven even though he had initially done something that was morally wrong. I think it takes a good writer to get the reader on the side of the "bad" guy!

I would highly recommend this book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Start this one late at night!, February 25, 2005

By 

Amy Leemon (North Fond du Lac, WI) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Storyteller (Mass Market Paperback)

An absolute page turner describes this book completely. A struggling writer Steven (with a v) King is having trouble coming up with his first novel. In the midst of his struggle, he is presented with a unique opportunity - he takes it and suddenly the sky is the limit. He's published, he's famous, he's bestselling and he's rich. Everything he touches turns to gold. Life couldn't be better until ---- he's face to face with the consequences of his impulsive decision.

This is a wonderful, suspenseful and insightful book about the publishing industry and how the best of people can make the wrong decisions. You won't be able to stop reading until you find out how Steven resolves (or not) his situation.

There's also a completely surprise twist at the ending.

You can't go wrong with this one.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Enjoyable and Darkly Thought-Provoking, Too, October 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Storyteller: A Novel (Hardcover)

The other reviewers cover the plot summary quite well, so I'll not repeat them. I read this book in 4 hours. Couldn't put it down. It's a terrific read, and I highly recommend it both for its intelligent sense of humor and the interesting points it makes about America's treatment of the arts, celebrities, and the craft of writing.