The Dark Half, Stephen King, 1989
My favorite quote: “You’re dead, George. You just don’t have the sense to lie down.”
Notable characters: Thad Beaumont, the writer; George Stark, his pseudonym and dark half
Most memorable scene: Thad’s childhood surgery to remove the partial remains of his unborn “twin.” Much like poor Thad, I’ll never entirely get that “twin” out of my head. Just one of many horrors implanted into my brain by Stephen King — but alas … I love him for it
Greatest strengths: The Dark Half has some of the most gruesome descriptions ever — even for a Stephen King novel. And not just the removal of the “twin.” There’s more, *shudders*
Standout achievements: The writing style. In The Dark Half, Stephen King merges noir, gothic, and horror — in a way that only he can do. I get that he’s long been considered a horror-writer, and he definitely is — but the beauty of Stephen King is that he’s so much more, and even in an earlier work like The Dark Half, you can really see it
Fun Facts: In the 1970s and 80s, Stephen King wrote several books under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Writing The Dark Half was his response to being outed as the real author of the Bachman books. Though where all the creepy black birds in The Dark Half (let alone the removal of Thad’s “twin”) came from is anyone’s guess
Other media: The 1993 film, The Dark Half by George Romero, starring Timothy Hutton. A DOS video game adaptation in 1992 by Capstone Software. I don’t know how one would “play” The Dark Half video game (see if you can successfully excise Thad’s “twin,” maybe?) but then, I’m not much of a gamer. Also, there’s a coming film adaption of The Dark Half that’s slated to be written and directed by Alex Ross Perry
What it taught me: As a writer, I’ve probably learned more from Stephen King than any other author, and The Dark Half taught me that even the most unique and intriguing concepts require good execution. This book is a fantastic idea, but even so, it’s Stephen King’s prose that really makes it pop
How it inspired me: I pretty much can’t read anything by Stephen King without coming away buzzing with creativity. That includes The Dark Half, which isn’t even one of my favorites. I think writers of any genre could learn a lot from Stephen King. Except maybe people who write those instructions on how to assemble chairs and entertainment centers. I don’t think someone inspired by Stephen King should be encouraging anyone to pick up hammers and drills and the like. Things could go terribly wrong very quickly
Additional thoughts: While the idea of a pseudonym gone wild is actually pretty brilliant, I didn’t love The Dark Half. In my opinion, it wandered, repeated itself, and went on too long. On the other hand, there are moments in this book I’ll never forget (have I mentioned the removal of Thad’s “twin?”) so it’s a mixed bag … For me, that’s not an entirely uncommon response to Stephen King books
Haunt me: alistaircross.com
Read The Dark Half
Alistair Cross 
Hi Alistair,
I loved the Dark Half. I bought it as a regular from a book club I belonged to at the time. The Richard Bachman connection and fictional revenge on the publisher’s employee who outed him was very apparent, making this a very memorable book. I still quote the catchphrase, ‘the sparrows are flying’ to my wife whenever I see a flock f the little birds. Also, ‘Low slung sonofabitch’ is a cool monicker for a number plate!
Keep ‘em coming.
Best,
Tom Adams
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Yes! I do love the story behind the story on this one! Thanks for stopping by!