Stephen Kingcast

Right here and now, let's flip back into the Territories one last time. Step through a door to Mid-World to say goodbye to once boyhood hero, Jack Sawyer, as he makes his way across a familiar yet strange land to save all of existence.

As our writer approaches the end of his road, and with us having lived with these characters for decades, Other Worlds Than These makes for a rich reading experience of melancholic remembrances. The novel is a propulsive jet engine of a story infused with a contemplative rumination on time, memory, mortality and the ghosts we carry with us.

On top of it all, we have the possible return of a legendary King villain whose threat, while existing in Mid-World, is deeply American, as the youth in both our country and within the pages of the novel, is consumed by the existential threat of a corruptive force whose identifiable marker is to brandish the color red upon one's head.

A love letter to Jack Sawyer, a tribute to Peter Straub, a musing on mortality, a redemption for more famous Mid-World tragedies, a cautionary tale of mob mentality, and a celebration of King characters past and present, Other Worlds Than These is a triumph of a novel and a worthy conclusion to both The Talisman trilogy and the Dark Tower saga.

Let's continue to examine Mike Flanagan's Carrie. Featuring a scene new to Carrie's story, we see what it would be like for our telekenetic teenager to go to a party. And Flanagan plays against expectation. Rather than giving us a girl who is out of her depth in a social setting for more bullying to occur, we see Carrie have the time of her life, a life raft amidst the turbulent see of pain. And with this, we see just how different this incarnation of Carrie is compared to other versions, one who, if events hadn't transpired the way they will, would have have a chance to find herself and happiness with others.

 

When adapting a 50 year story so ingrained into our shared pop cultural consciousness, you have to begin with "Why?" 

This is the question that Mike Flanagan asked himself and answered with an exploration of the dangers facing our children in a modern world. 

Updating the threat of bullying to a 2026 reality, Mike Flanagan creates a new spin on Carrie, presenting the titular character not as a social outcast, but a sheltered, homeschool girl whose innocence leaves her woefully unprepared for the horrors of high school and the technological terrors that will soon set the community onto a destructive path of fire and blood. 

Plus, we have some seeds that will grow into a rose one day, one that may just be a tower. . .A Dark Tower if you will. 

When adapting a 50 year story so ingrained into our shared pop cultural consciousness, you have to begin with "Why?" 

This is the question that Mike Flanagan asked himself and answered with an exploration of the dangers facing our children in a modern world. 

Updating the threat of bullying to a 2026 reality, Mike Flanagan creates a new spin on Carrie, presenting the titular character not as a social outcast, but a sheltered, homeschool girl whose innocence leaves her woefully unprepared for the horrors of high school and the technological terrors that will soon set the community onto a destructive path of fire and blood. 

Plus, we have some seeds that will grow into a rose one day, one that may just be a tower. . .A Dark Tower if you will. 

Welp. That was something.

I wanted to love it, I really did. And unfortunately, I found myself falling into the same frustrations that plagued me while reading it.

With all of that being said, one thing you can't take away from this show is how beautiful it looks. Truly.

For all of my criticisms, concerns and questions, tune in as a I say goodbye to Lisey's Story.

What a time to be a Stephen King fan! In a few days, we will celebrate our fandom with the one, two punch of Mike Flanagan's updated retelling of Carrie followed immediately by the final chapter of King and Straub's Talisman trilogy, Other Worlds Than These, which is not only a goodbye to Jack Sawyer, but of Mid-World, home to The Dark Tower. And sadly, it's King's goodbye to his longtime friend and collaborator, who had passed away before they could finish the book together. 

In this episode, I prepare us for what to expect for these two properties, what it means for this show and provide a breakdown of all of the goodies over on the Patreon page, which include exclusive episodes dedicated to the legacy of Carrie, the review of the 2002 TV movie, as well as retrospectives on The Dark Tower including an examination on King's version of the multiverse. 

It's a great time to be a Stephen King fan, and I hope to share in the upcoming celebrations of that fandom with you all right here at the Stephen Kingcast, one man's musings on the works of Stephen King. 

As always, write in at stephenkingcast@yahoo.com

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Here, I examine the first four episodes of the Apple's adaptation of King's most personal work. Longtime listeners will remember that this is a novel I could never connect with, so I was very curious to see if an adaptation would do the same thing for the story what the Mr. Mercedes adaptation had done.

Is this show successful? Does it unlock a deeper understanding of what makes this story tick?

Find out as I tackle the first four episodes of Lisey's Story.

In 2020, when The Outsider first premiered, I recorded a review of the conclusion of The Outsider. In the years that have past, I have a different perspective on its ending. In this episode, I challenge my previous self's criticisms and praise the way the story wrapped up and the series as a whole.

I continue my analysis of HBO's masterpiece, this time focusing my attention on the brilliance of Ben Mendelsohn's performance as Ralph Anderson.

In 2020, HBO gave us one of King's adaptations and one of television's most gripping mini series. Stacked with talent and a story woven with delicious writing, we were treated to deeply human story that showed our characters struggle with the unbelievable qualities of the case they're tasked with investigating. What results is a stunning examination of normal people who want to do right, everyday men and woman who must confront an alternate reality from the one they've known their entire lives.

In this episode, I celebrate the accomplishments of episodes 5-7 of Richard Price's The Outsider and discuss the rise in pop cultural fame of Cynthia Erivo in the years following her depiction of Holly Gibney.