This is the first critical work on Stephen King to examine his most recent novels, Dolores Claiborne, Insomnia, and Rose Madder, and to analyze the many threads of his fiction in a way that is accessible to young adults and general readers.

It is designed to help the reader understand the carefully organized narrative structure of his novels, the relation of his fiction to the horror and science fiction genres and to each other, character development, and stylistic and thematic concerns that recur and evolve throughout his work. Following a biographical chapter that links King's life to the development of his fiction. Russell offers an overview chapter on all his novels. Individual chapters examine nine representative novels: in addition to the three mentioned above, Russell examines Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand, The Dark Half, The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands, and Needful Things.

A complete bibliography of Stephen King's work, and a listing of critical sources and reviews of the novels complete this volume.

Each chapter deals with one novel and includes sections on plot and narrative structure, character development, and thematic concerns. Russell also draws comparisons to other novels in King's canon. She shows how King uses horror, science fiction, and suspense to explore human relationships, how he expands traditional approaches to the genre by combining elements of the various genres in his fiction, and how he has continued to grow as an artist throughout his career.

Each novel is also examined from an alternative critical approach, which offers the reader an additional perspective from which to read it. Because it is the only critique of King to deal with his recent novels and has been designed for young adults and general readers, this critical companion will be a key purchase for school and public libraries.