Pet Sematary

Stephen King's writing can be as smooth as butter, making it easy to read but also easy to forget that it's horror. The short and accessible chapters are a plus, and even the intentional misspelling of "sematary" feels right.

The character building is incredible, as expected from Stephen King. You get to know the people and how they interact with each other and the other side.

Although I haven't seen any of the Pet Sematary movies, I expected plenty of silliness from this book. Maybe waves of rabid cats and dogs leaping over tombstones and sieging the house with Gremlin cackles and howls of evil laughter. But it soon becomes clear that this isn't that type of book. It's closer to a slow-burning family thriller with notable horror elements.

Published in 1983, nine years after his first book, Carrie in 1974, and 'Salem's Lot in 1975, the writing maturity in comparison to his early work is evident. There are fewer characters and less convoluted plot twists that were confusing and untethered in 'Salem's Lot, for example. This book slows down and focuses on building emotional attachment between family and friends and the fear of potentially losing connections and emotional ties. It's slow but never plodding, initially intriguing and mildly gripping, ultimately leading to foreboding as you sense what's coming next.

At 55% (part two), I had to put the book down and take stock before continuing. For a day or two. There was a genuine fear that this might go too far. If you've ever loved anything or anyone and feared possible and unimaginable loss, maybe unable to breathe because of irrational thoughts that things will never be the same, perhaps spasming with terror at the horrible concept of spending the rest of your life bereft of hard-earned love and being abandoned or finding yourself alone, you'll emotionally connect with this book.

Pet Sematary plays on such fears in droves.

You may question whether you need the psychological stress of what's laid out in front of you. But the urge to find out what happens next is worth it.

Although this is a scary book, Stephen King is more reliant on your personal apprehensions, circumstances, and experience of what his stories mean to you. He doesn't do hardcore or splatterpunk, and there are only moderate graphic descriptions. But psychological horror is abundant, and the core storytelling skill is the prize.

It's something about the way the book is written, the close proximity and homeliness of all the characters, the bond between family and neighbours, even the fight later on, rather than the stark horror itself. We don't see many lurching monsters, but we can regularly feel the evil beneath the surface as it waits to rise up and take over because we invite it into our lives through ill-advised perceptions of right and wrong. It's our silly egos, our inability to accept loss and move on from the past, while trying to make everything whole again at any cost or consequence.

This book makes you realize that we are sentimental to the point of absurdity and unable to forget because, after all, that's all we have, our memories and connections to each other.

This is profound horror literature rather than jump scares and cheap thrills. If you're looking for serious gore or mayhem, this may not be the best place to find it, as it's too slow-paced and closer to perfect psychological terror.

It's amazing that a book can be so mature and dark when presented on the surface as action-packed survival against zombie-like pets with soul-piercing stares and incredibly springy rear haunches, with "pet cemetery" more like an allegory for our inner fears connected to loss and shattered existence.

This is a five-star read, and measured consistency is what it's all about. It doesn't go too far or take us on an impossible ride that could never happen, allowing us to accept the improbable as very possible from a horror perspective.

Sometimes dead is better

First read (mid-1990s) – 5 Stars

Re-read (June 2020) – 5 Stars

There are two notable things about this book.

1. It is one of the two Stephen King books that I managed to finish in a single sitting, with the other being The Dead Zone. This shows the captivating nature of the story, which kept me hooked from start to finish.

2. When I was a kid, I was so scared of this book that I had to make sure the cover was not facing out. In fact, I didn't even like looking at it when I was awake. The mere sight of the cover would send shivers down my spine.

In the introduction to Pet Sematary, King reveals that he almost didn't submit it for publication. That would have been a great loss as this book is a masterpiece. It seems to be a common theme in his book intros that he almost didn't finish or submit a book. Maybe it's just his way of adding drama. One of the intros, for his novel Blaze written as Richard Bachman, said he didn't submit it originally because he thought it wasn't that great. However, Blaze is one of my favorites of his, which makes me wonder what other great ideas he has scrapped that we might have missed out on.

This is King at his prime. Pet Sematary is a perfect blend of character building, suspense, the supernatural, gore, horror, and gut-wrenching shocks. Like his other novel, Cujo, some of the developments might be hard for readers to accept. You might even find yourself cursing King's name for putting you through such a terrifying experience. But as a reader, I'm always on the lookout for shocking and memorable roller coaster rides, and that's exactly what I got with this book. Don't start this book expecting a slow and gentle read or just a little scare. The reality is, it may give you nightmares and make it difficult to sleep at night. It might even change the way you look at your pets forever. Every time you drive by or visit a graveyard, you might get a chill you've never felt before. This book will get under your skin and hold on tight.

I'm often asked where a reader should start if they want to try out King. Pet Sematary is a good place to start, but it might be a bit too intense for some to handle.

**Pet Sematary, Stephen King**

Pet Sematary is a chilling 1983 horror novel penned by the renowned American writer Stephen King. In November 2013, Louis Creed, a doctor from Chicago, is appointed as the director of the University of Maine's campus health service. He relocates with his wife Rachel, their two young children, Ellie and Gage, and Ellie's cat, Church, to a spacious house near the small town of Ludlow. From the very moment they arrive, the family is beset with troubles. Ellie hurts her knee, and Gage is stung by a bee. Their new neighbor, an elderly man named Jud Crandall, comes to their aid.

Jud warns Louis and Rachel about the busy highway that runs past their house, which is often frequented by speeding trucks. Louis and Jud quickly form a close friendship. Since Louis's father passed away when he was just three, he views Jud as a surrogate father figure. A few weeks after the Creeds move in, Jud takes the family on a walk in the woods behind their home. A well-maintained path leads them to a pet cemetery (misspelled as "sematary" on the sign) where the children of the town bury their deceased animals. This outing引发了 a heated argument between Louis and Rachel the next day. Rachel disapproves of discussing death and worries about how Ellie might be affected by what she saw at the "sematary." It is later revealed that Rachel was traumatized by the early death of her sister, Zelda, from spinal meningitis, an issue that is brought up several times in flashbacks. Louis empathizes with his wife and blames her parents for her trauma, as they left Rachel alone with her sister when she died. Louis himself has a traumatic experience during the first week of classes. Victor Pascow, a student who has been fatally injured in an automobile accident, addresses his dying words directly to Louis, even though the two men are strangers.

On the night following Pascow's death, Louis has what he believes to be an extremely vivid dream in which he meets Pascow. Pascow leads him to the deadfall at the back of the "sematary" and warns him not to go beyond that point. Louis wakes up in bed the next morning convinced that it was just a dream, until he discovers that his feet and bedsheets are covered in dried mud and pine needles. Nevertheless, Louis dismisses the dream as a result of the stress he experienced during Pascow's death, combined with his wife's lingering anxieties about the subject of death. On Halloween, Jud's wife Norma suffers a near-fatal heart attack but makes a rapid recovery thanks to Louis's assistance. Jud is grateful and decides to repay Louis after Church is run over outside his home around Thanksgiving.

The story continues to unfold with more惊悚 and unexpected events, keeping the readers on the edge of their seats. The unique spelling of "sematary" adds an element of mystery and strangeness to the novel. King's masterful storytelling and vivid descriptions bring the characters and the setting to life, making Pet Sematary a truly unforgettable horror classic.

Let's just turn a blind eye to the obvious and pretend that we're a normal, happy family potentially forever.

There are numerous spoilers, some with puns that are more lackluster than engaging, so be cautious. Seriously, it's impossible to dissect this work without revealing secrets as they are integral to the plot.

Drifting into darkness, it's one of King's smoothest transitions of a happy group of people into a state of decline towards madness and despair, starting from animals to humans and leading to mental breakdowns. A significant advantage is the unusual precision and brevity of the piece. King condenses (not alcohol) rather than rambling on for 1k pages, making this exceptionally dense in atmosphere and action without excessive length. Perhaps the reason, once again not so subtly hinted at, is

The substance abuse problem that made him reduce what some might consider excessive and unnecessary drivel to the normal amount of words needed to create a book. Subjectively, I find writing this one under the influence of whatever he took at that moment to be more eerie than many of his other works. It includes cute pets and kids and has a unique, outstanding touch in his entire body of work. So, with less real violence, a great deal of suspense, and a dark ending, it manages to creep out everyone.

Seems legitimate. Honestly, one must assume that people will do anything for their loved ones, regardless of how dangerous, sick, or disturbing it may seem to others. And not just strange hardcore DIY fringe shamans without any real, proven necromancy skills and experiences shown on darknet social networks for both Satanists and necrophiles who are really into this stuff, but also for sober, reputable people with scientific backgrounds. So, before someone discriminates against desperate family members who practice dark magic, blood sacrifice, or voodoo economics to make their loved ones healthy, wealthy, or alive again, they should walk a few zombie steps in their shoes. As the saying goes, better a living corpse than a dead body.

Personal fears. King enjoys incorporating real-life impressions and personal elements into his works. For instance, "The Shining" is strongly inspired by his experiences as a struggling parent, teacher, and alcoholic. Therefore, one can assume that the inspiration for "Pet Sematary" could have been the parents' fear of losing a child and how far one would go to save a loved one.

Slow escalation. Happy family life is shattered, and the search for a new hope begins with small experiments that escalate to the ultimate conclusion. Continuing this idea, one could end up with not just special families but entire towns or states run by extraordinary people. Depending on their mindset, great or terrifying new societies could be built on the basis of resurrection, as long as there is no daily or weekly limit or they don't run out of Charon's obols and go soul broke.

The punishment for misusing indigenous burial places. It seems fair that those who sin must be punished, in an eye-for-an-eye style. But does that mean it would be okay with permission? Maybe, although then the saved personality may become demented or mad after a certain time, only providing a short, good revival before returning to the state it would have been in with an instant blasphemy-fueled curse ruining mental capacities and social skills. It's better to wait for a mind upload or a nanobot repair set for cryogenically frozen dead relatives because techno-optimism seems to be a far safer bet than voodoo zombie puppets.

A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside of books: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

A young family relocates to a place where there exists a Pet Sematary. This mysterious place may or may not grant you all your desires, but at a certain cost. It is a very dark tale that gradually creeps up on you.

Interestingly, there is a key'spoiler' within the narration, yet it astonishingly works extremely well. It double shocks the reader, first with the'spoiler' and then with the harsh reality.

King masterfully manages the suspense in this story. He leads the family and the reader down into a spiral of intense pain and profound despair! It is truly a haunting bestseller for us Constant Readers. Stephen King weaves his horror spectacles around the subject of grief, utilizing an idyllic house near the Pet Sematary and a bustling road. Is this one of his great works? Well, it earns a 9 out of 12, a high Four Star read. You will most definitely feel the impact of this story!

2016 read; 2008 read

Stephen King has been a significant part of my life, both in my teens and adulthood. His works have the power to craft nightmares that linger long after the book is closed.

As a teenager, his stories influenced my bedtime routine. I would go through a series of rituals to protect myself from the imagined horrors. Closing all doors, checking under the bed, and tucking in the blanket tightly were all part of my nightly battle.

Years later, although my attention span has shortened, King's ability to build atmosphere and craft relatable characters still shines through. Even though some parts of the book may have seemed to plod along for me, I can't deny his mastery.

Half of the book isn't a traditional horror; instead, it's an exploration of human grief, behavior, and nature, which can be just as terrifying.

However, there are still moments that send a chill down your spine. The descriptions of the wind and the darkness in the woods are enough to make anyone feel a sense of fear.

Even though I've outgrown my nightly monster-prepping ritual, I know that tonight, after reading this book, I won't be sleeping easily. The words and images will haunt my dreams, just as they have for so many years.

King's ability to tap into our deepest fears and emotions is what makes him such a great author. His works continue to captivate readers and leave a lasting impression.

I never truly regarded myself as a die-hard Stephen King fan. In fact, I had never delved into the pages of "Pet Sematary" before. However, after reading it, I found it to be an incredibly profound and insightful exploration of death and grief.

Given the preface, it is evident that Stephen King pours a significant part of himself into his writing. I can now understand why he has such a vast and dedicated fan base. Although infusing so much of one's essence into a story doesn't always yield successful results and might even lead to writing under a pen name later on, it truly worked wonders for the King in "Pet Sematary"!

The synopsis of the story is somewhat drawn from King's own life experiences. He resided on a busy highway in Maine with his wife and children. The highway was constantly plagued by speeding 16-wheelers, and unfortunately, pets were frequently run over. The heart-wrenching scene where Louis Creed's daughter screams, “He’s my cat! He’s not God’s cat! Let God have his own cat! Let God have all the damn old cats He wants, and kill them all! Church is mine!” served as the inspiration for this novel. I was really captivated by the folklore of the wendigo, the Indian burial ground, and the pet cemetery. But what truly touched my heart was the intense grief and raw emotion emitted by Louis, Ellie, and Rachel after Gage's death. I was so deeply moved that I momentarily forgot this was just a work of fiction. They seemed so real and believable to me, almost like a true story documentary. Jud Crandall added that perfect touch of local flavor that couldn't be entirely fabricated by imagination. I was able to suspend my disbelief and descend into madness right along with Louis Creed!

I asked my wife if she wanted to watch the movie adaptation with me. She replied, "no, she did not like it. Because it's stupid." But I knew better. Her flippant response was just her way of saying that it had affected her. And that doesn't happen very often to my gothic wife! Well done, Stephen King!

This might very well be King's darkest book.

If you consider yourself goth, then reading this will surely make you 5% more goth.

The story within these pages delves deep into the shadows, exploring themes that are both disturbing and captivating.

King has a unique ability to create a world that is both familiar and yet so very different from our own.

As you turn each page, you'll find yourself drawn further into the darkness, unable to look away.

The characters are vividly portrayed, their flaws and fears laid bare for all to see.

This book is not for the faint of heart, but for those who embrace the gothic aesthetic, it is a must-read.

So, if you're looking for a book that will take you on a journey into the unknown and leave you with a sense of unease, then look no further than this.

It's a true masterpiece of the gothic genre, and one that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.