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Stephen King

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Cujo Mass Market Paperback – August 1, 1982

by Stephen King (Author)

4.5 6,264 ratings

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The #1 bestseller—for King's rabid fans.

It happens innocently enough, but doesn’t it always. A big, friendly dog chases a rabbit into a hidden underground cave—and stirs a sleeping evil crueler than death itself.

A terrified four-year-old boy sees his bedroom closet door swing open untouched by human hands, and screams at the unholy red eyes gleaming in the darkness.

The little Maine town of Castle Rock is about to be invaded by the most hideous menace ever to savage the flesh and devour the mind.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Cujo is so well-paced and scary that people tend to read it quickly, so they mostly remember the scene of the mother and son trapped in the hot Pinto and threatened by the rabid Cujo, forgetting the multifaceted story in which that scene is embedded. This is definitely a novel that rewards re-reading. When you read it again, you can pay more attention to the theme of country folk vs. city folk; the parallel marriage conflicts of the Cambers vs. the Trentons; the poignancy of the amiable St. Bernard (yes, the breed choice is just right) infected by a brain-destroying virus that makes it into a monster; and the way the "daylight burial" of the failed ad campaign is reflected in the sunlit Pinto that becomes a coffin. And how significant it is that this horror tale is not supernatural: it's as real as junk food, a failing marriage, a broken-down car, or a fatal virus.

Review

"Just when your blood pressure is back to normal, Stephen King is at it again."
-Kansas City Star

“Hits the jugular.”—The New York Times

“Just when your blood pressure is back to normal, Stephen King is at it again.”—Kansas City Star

“He builds up the suspense, holds back the dynamite until you’re screaming for it, and then lets you have it.”—Minneapolis Tribune

“It grabs you and holds you and won’t let go…excruciating suspense…a genuine page-turner.”—Chattanooga Times

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Signet (August 1, 1982)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0451161351
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0451161352
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 830L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.16 x 0.87 x 6.87 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #894,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,482 in Ghost Fiction
- #39,402 in Suspense Thrillers

Customer Reviews:
4.5 6,264 ratings

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Stephen King

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Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection YOU LIKE IT DARKER, HOLLY (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), FAIRY TALE, BILLY SUMMERS, IF IT BLEEDS, THE INSTITUTE, ELEVATION, THE OUTSIDER, SLEEPING BEAUTIES (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: END OF WATCH, FINDERS KEEPERS, and MR. MERCEDES (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works THE DARK TOWER, IT, PET SEMATARY, DOCTOR SLEEP, and FIRESTARTER are the basis for major motion pictures, with IT now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Customer reviews

6,264 global ratings

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Customers praise the book for its engaging storytelling and realistic characters. They find the writing quality good and believable. Many describe the book as classic Stephen King, with a realistic concept of a rabid dog. However, opinions differ on the suspense level.

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Readability Storytelling Writing quality Character development Kings Suspenseful Pacing Difficulty to follow

165 customers mention "Readability"156 positive9 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the premise and overall quality of the book. However, some readers found the pages running together at times. Overall, customers consider it a good read and worth purchasing.

"...In short, this is an excellent book that I'd recommend to anyone interested, but be warned that it packs an emotional gut-punch...." Read more

"...I wish it had a happier ending but SK does make it a good read. He never disappoints." Read more

"...It is still a great book but I have been starting to prefer his newer writing where he edits his descriptions a little to make a tighter story." Read more

"...Despite these shortcomings, the book is a worthwhile read, and I would recommend it. I especially liked Brett Camber, and, of course, Cujo." Read more

51 customers mention "Storytelling"51 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the engaging storytelling in this book. They find it realistic and well-crafted, with a great plot and interesting characters. The backstory and tangents provide depth into the characters. Readers appreciate the story without a villain. Overall, they describe it as an amazing novel.

"It was definitely an engaging story. Have a hard time putting it down. So much detail i could see it in my head s though a movie was playing...." Read more

"...It may be called Cujo, but in reality, it is a book about people and their lives. I liked it a lot for that reason...." Read more

"...lover, the mother who wants something better for her son, all were poignant and sympathetic. I cared for each of them...." Read more

"...This is also a story without a bad guy. The only person that comes close is Donna's lover. You'll see what I mean...." Read more

50 customers mention "Writing quality"35 positive15 negative

Customers find the writing quality good. They say the story is believable and a real page-turner. The book has detailed descriptions and graphics that make it easy to visualize the characters and events.

"...Have a hard time putting it down. So much detail i could see it in my head s though a movie was playing...." Read more

"...nosed, controlling, abusive father, which, let me say, is quite a good peice of writing if I can feel sorry for a man like that, and it was because..." Read more

"...The Kindle version I read was very poorly edited, and I found that to be an enormous distraction. A typo here and there is one thing...." Read more

"...However, the writing style helped keep it from getting boring...." Read more

26 customers mention "Character development"26 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the character development in the book. They find the dog character believable and the story engaging. The story starts with introductions to several characters, letting readers get to know and care about them. Readers appreciate the realistic concept of a rabid dog and the story told from the dog's perspective.

"...Cujo, until almost halfway through - but King's writing and excellent character work kept me engaged the whole way through...." Read more

"...I know what being a dog is like, but I can say, I found this dog character believable...." Read more

"...In the end, I recommend this book because it has interesting characters who are so drawn to their troubles which seems meaningless when the real..." Read more

"...to tension making some scenes terrifying, that and the mix of characters and points of view, both good and bad, and all different shades in between..." Read more

17 customers mention "Kings"17 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it a classic Stephen King novel, though not one of his masterpieces. The book is described as straight-up horror.

"...Cujo is a big, well-loved Saint Bernard, and he lives with the Cambers (THE MAN, THE WOMAN, and THE BOY) in Castle Rock, Maine...." Read more

"Classic Stephen King! I first read this book many, many, years ago, as a boy. Then I came across Cujo while surfing on Kindle...." Read more

"...fan, I am not likely to run his books down; and I have to say Cujo is a classic...." Read more

"I have read all of Stephen King's writings. Cujo is an early one and worth the read...." Read more

85 customers mention "Suspenseful"57 positive28 negative

Customers have varying views on the book's suspense. Some find it engaging, thrilling, and terrifying with an amazing climax and twist at the end. Others describe it as heartbreaking, fatalistic, and bleak, not for the faint of heart.

"...Wanting me to see how it all ended. Stephen king fans will enjoy this timeless classic." Read more

"...There was always a little snippet of life outside the main plot given that not a lot actually happens in this book. Loved all the little details...." Read more

"...And as frightening as this book is, it's also absolutely heartbreaking, especially if you're a dog lover like myself...." Read more

"...The characters are engaging, the story taut and suspenseful...." Read more

26 customers mention "Pacing"18 positive8 negative

Customers have different views on the book's pacing. Some find it fast-paced and engaging, while others feel it takes time to build up.

"...Seemed a bit shorter than usual King novel length too. Super fast read...." Read more

"...His style of writing makes it a very fast read - I believe it was also written very quickly, since he was entirely drunk when he wrote this book...." Read more

"...The novel took a long time to build up. However, the writing style helped keep it from getting boring...." Read more

"...To have that feeling of presence while reading a book is the result of a writing genius...." Read more

12 customers mention "Difficulty to follow"4 positive8 negative

Customers have different experiences with the book. Some find it a good introduction to King's work, easy to recommend to anyone, and fast-paced with concise information. Others find it confusing at times, hard to get into, and frustrating.

"...It was disorienting and by the end of the book, very frustrating...." Read more

"...This is an easy book to recommend to anyone whether they are established King fans or new readers." Read more

"This book was hard to put down & even though I have read all of Mr. King's books, except this one, I wasn't sure I could read it being too much an..." Read more

"...This one, however, was EXTREMELY difficult for me. I think it's because of how realistic this book is. It could happen to anyone, at any time...." Read more

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BlueRidgeMountainMan
Nope, nothing wrong here.
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2023
Verified Purchase
I've been fascinated by Cujo ever since I was like 11 or 12 and was horrified by the original DVD cover when I saw it at Wal-Mart in the early '00s. Looking at it now, it's clearly a bad photoshop job (which in a way makes it even more unsettling), but the image of that snarling dog with gigantic teeth and eerily human looking eyes, juxaposed against a blue sky with fluffy white clouds, terrified me for years as I avoided it in the DVD department at any given store. Beneath all this, I was curious about the movie itself. I eventually saw the movie and loved it (and as soon as the Special Edition was released, with less horrifying cover art, I snapped it up). But I never read the book... until now.

This was the first full Stephen King book I ever read, and it won't be the last. Its relatively slow pace may surprise some people - the book doesn't get to the main setpiece, Donna and Tad trapped in their car by the rabid St. Bernard Cujo, until almost halfway through - but King's writing and excellent character work kept me engaged the whole way through. I was as engaged with the stupid cereal commercial subplot as I was with the horrifying main plot. And as frightening as this book is, it's also absolutely heartbreaking, especially if you're a dog lover like myself. The glimpses into Cujo's deteriorating mental state, and his sendoff... poor thing. He was a good boy who deserved so much better. And I don't wanna spoil it, but that's not the only heartwrenching thing that happens.

In short, this is an excellent book that I'd recommend to anyone interested, but be warned that it packs an emotional gut-punch. Not bad for a book written by a guy who was so drunk and stoned that he barely even remembers writing the thing. Or so I've heard. I've come across conflicting reports as to what the writing process here was really like, so I don't know for sure what happened. What I do know is that King made a masterpiece with Cujo.

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Kindle Customer
Good story
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2024
Verified Purchase
It was definitely an engaging story. Have a hard time putting it down. So much detail i could see it in my head s though a movie was playing. I wish it had a happier ending but SK does make it a good read. He never disappoints.

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2 people found this helpful

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Craig J
Good read from SK
Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2024
Verified Purchase
I went against my intuition and read this book. I love dogs, so I went in skeptical, because I ordinarily wouldn’t pick up something like this, but I am a King fan, and realized, I had never read this particular book. It may be called Cujo, but in reality, it is a book about people and their lives. I liked it a lot for that reason. I do recommend this if you are a King fan, and overall like the psychology of human interactions, psychology, etc.

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Martin Meek
Love king
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2025
Verified Purchase
Stephen king oldie but a goodie. A rabbit dog. And a mother and son facing the rabbit dog. It had me wanting to know more. Wanting me to see how it all ended. Stephen king fans will enjoy this timeless classic.

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Danielle
Great book
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
Verified Purchase
As described

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JEspo1229
It has been a long time ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2024
Verified Purchase
since I first read this book. But since I just read "You Like It Darker" I thought I should re-read it. Looking back I remembered it as scarier. Regardless of what is in the closet the dog was always the monster for me and very much real, and therefore scarier than many of King's supernatural creations. It is still a great book but I have been starting to prefer his newer writing where he edits his descriptions a little to make a tighter story.

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Laura
Great book
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2011
Verified Purchase
This book as so much better than I expected. I knew it was about a rabid dog, but I expected a simple, straight horror novel. I didn't expect such diverse characters or complex plot. I appreciated the realistic characters. The boy scared of monsters in his closet, the couple with marital problems, the jilted/oppssessed lover, the mother who wants something better for her son, all were poignant and sympathetic. I cared for each of them. I even felt sorry for the hard nosed, controlling, abusive father, which, let me say, is quite a good peice of writing if I can feel sorry for a man like that, and it was because he wasn't totally the black side of black and white. He was a darker shade of gray than the heroes of the story, but there was still enough in him that I could identify with. The jilted, obsessive lover though, the kind who flies off the handle and throws a scary big boy tantrum when he doesn't get what he wants, was not someone I felt at all sorry for, but I can say, I sadly have known people just like. All the characters were real human being's. The dog himself was well written too. I haven't read any other stories where the dogs were so well written. I read Call of the Wild, and the dogs in that story seemed way too human. Not that I know what being a dog is like, but I can say, I found this dog character believable. I did find the ending to be more depressing than I expected, or wanted, but it was not dissatisfying.

The only thing I did not like was that the version I read, had typos in it. A lot of them. At a couple points, the boy named Tad was "Ted", and the first time it happened, I re-read the previous page thinking the point of view had changed (which did happen in the book - the point of view/scene/character would change in the middle of the page with no indication), "guts" was "cuts" and "above" was "about". The typos were enough to completely change the meaning of a sentence! It was disorienting and by the end of the book, very frustrating. I knocked off one star for that, because in my opinion, there is absolutely no excuse for that frequency and severity of typos.

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Amazon Customer
Great book
Reviewed in Canada on August 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
There is nothing better then reading about a 200 pound rabid Saint Bernard. Kings imagination had me turning page after page.

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T. Dar
Real, visceral, tragic and terrifying. Absolute masterpiece.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
An absolutely riveting read from the master story-teller himself. Like all of the best horror stories, 'Cujo' really makes you care about the characters. Such simple, everyday characters - but that's King's power. You can really imagine this happening, and that thought is terrifying beyond belief.

More than anything, 'Cujo' is a tragedy. An unfortunate series of events leads to people's lives being ripped apart (quite literally, in some cases). In this book, King relies not on the supernatural or the bizarre, but on the mundane. And in amongst the mundane, he finds and elucidates real terror.

Absolute masterpiece. Loved it from cover to cover.

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maribel
Cujo
Reviewed in Spain on March 31, 2024
Verified Purchase
Me ha gustado la trama, pero no me ha gustado el final. 😢😢😢

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Laura D
Bof
Reviewed in France on July 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
Je n’ai pas aimé

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Sudeep
Cujo is just fabulous!!
Reviewed in India on December 3, 2020
Verified Purchase
Fantastic novel!! Stephen King never disappoints, as usual.

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Cujo Mass Market Paperback – August 1, 1982

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Not as scary as I was expecting

Top reviews from the United States

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5.0 out of 5 stars Nope, nothing wrong here.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good story

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read from SK

5.0 out of 5 stars Love king

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book

5.0 out of 5 stars It has been a long time ...

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book

5.0 out of 5 stars Real, visceral, tragic and terrifying. Absolute masterpiece.

5.0 out of 5 stars Cujo

5.0 out of 5 stars Bof

5.0 out of 5 stars Cujo is just fabulous!!

Nope, nothing wrong here.

Good story

Good read from SK

Love king

Great book

It has been a long time ...

Great book

Great book

Real, visceral, tragic and terrifying. Absolute masterpiece.

Cujo

Bof

Cujo is just fabulous!!