By Bev Vincent

Epic Ink, out now

“A complete exploration of his work, life and influences”

The TL:DR version of this review is simple: If you’re a fan of Stephen King’s work – whether you come to it via his fiction, the TV series or films based on his stories, or his various pieces of non-fiction writing – you need this book. Even for those of us who have researched and published our own guides to King over the years, there’s a plethora of information here that supplements what was previously available – and because it’s so well illustrated, you get to experience things in a way that hasn’t previously been possible.

Vincent provides a chronological account, with plenty of sidebars that pick up on elements that deserve further expansion that cross the decades – King as innovator (The Green Mile / Riding the Bullet / The Plant); King the movie star; King the sports fan and sportswriter – which make this far more than simply a dive into the genesis of the fiction. Illustrations range from the familiar to the outré, with script pages, call sheets, old maps of Derry, pages from copyedited manuscripts, a photo of him looking uncannily like his son Joe, all vying for space.

Kudos to Kim Winscher and all those involved with the design of the book – it has the feel of a large scrapbook yet at no point do any spreads feel overly cluttered (and even my major bugbear – white text on a black background – is presented clearly). It’s a hefty tome but not one with a hefty price tag for what you get – £21 RRP in the UK, $30 States-side.

Verdict: Celebrate Mr King’s 75th birthday with this analysis that more than lives up to the subtitle’s promise. 10/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from Amazon.co.uk