By Ian Nathan

Palazzo, out now

A detailed examination of Stephen King’s stories as seen on big and small screens…

I have great empathy with Ian Nathan for the work involved in the preparation of this book, having carried out a similar exercise five or six years ago for my own book on King… and he had a lot of extra material that’s come out in the intervening period to cover. For every It Chapter One, there’s a Mangler Reborn; for every Shining, there’s, well, the other Shining (the TV version). Some great movies and TV series have derived from King’s work; some utter and complete dross has somehow made it through the production process and reached the screen. And Nathan has watched it all, from Carrie through to the first season of Castle Rock (and set the scene for others, such as Pet Sematary and It Chapter Two that have arrived during the publication process).

The book is laid out in chronological order, with the section length usually a good indication of the quality of the product being discussed (and sometimes product is the right word). However Maximum Overdrive (directed by King himself) gets the same number of pages as Misery (to be fair there’s good reason)! There are informative sidebars on some of the films that got away, and the one-off TV episodes while others dwell on the ones that spawned seemingly infinite sequels.

At the end comes The Final Reckoning – Nathan’s own ratings of the 84 topics covered. I’d say odds are there are very few people in this country who’ve seen anything from number 72 onwards and really anything below number 61 (the Salem’s lot TV remake) is for King devotees only. The top 20 includes at least two items that I’m pleasantly surprised to see so well rated by someone else – and the contents of the top five shouldn’t surprise, even if the order does.

Sarah Pyke’s design deliberately makes it look as if the book has been found at a particularly gory crime scene – there’s “blood splatter” on the majority of pale-based spreads – and breaks the text up with good use of photos. including some high quality monochrome ones.

As with any guide to such a large topic, inevitably you want to hear more on many of the movies and series discussed (the TV Dead Zone for instance), but Nathan brings an experienced eye to the movies and shows, their creation and reputations, deserved or otherwise. You won’t agree with everything, but it might get you seeking out one or two that you’d not heard of before.

Verdict: A highly readable overview of what still appears to be an expanding topic. Recommended. 9/10

Paul Simpson

Click here to order from Amazon.co.uk