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The Dead Zone/Cujo

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Two novels in one volume from horror writer Stephen King. The books contained are "Dead Zone" and "Cujo".

812 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1997

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About the author

Stephen King

2,499 books886k followers
Stephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Jan Raymond.
Author 12 books93 followers
March 25, 2014
It's Stephen King. Where does one even start? I just have to bow down to genius and hope he never stops writing.
Profile Image for ♥Xeni♥.
1,212 reviews80 followers
November 7, 2010
Both books, The Dead Zone and Cujo, are strange. Really really strange! The type of freaky stories that only originate in King's mind. Of the two, my more favorite one was The Dead Zone. But that has to do with my prejudice. I loathe dogs, and super scary rabid dogs who try and kill everyone around them are even worse!!

Whereas I am really interested in the brain and mind and The Dead Zone showed that. I haven't seen any of that TV show. I wouldn't know if I would want to. I just remember fondness for The Dead Zone (while cringing inside so strongly thanks to his severity of headaches) and utter fear and loathing for Cujo.

(Although, It has been my 'most scariest' book by King so far. Cujo is like no. 5 or so on that list!)
Profile Image for Michelle Dunton.
90 reviews5 followers
April 28, 2024
One of my favorite Stephen King books. I watched the tv series and as usual it did not portray how amazing this book is. I always fall in love with his main characters and route for them to succeed. I've been reading his books in chronological order -- there are some that I don't find very good but this one will stay with me as one of his best.
2 reviews
October 18, 2025
Still doing my self-assigned classic King lit seminar! These two novels are some of his best. More feels than you’d expect from horror. 😢
Profile Image for Marlene Bentsen (Boggrippen).
737 reviews25 followers
October 5, 2018
Så blev det igen tid til lidt gammelt Stephen King og denne gang skulle det være en gammel omnibus med historierne The Dead Zone og Cujo.

Det er to bøger fra starten af hans karriere og som var med til at slå hans navn fast som bestseller forfatter.

The Dead Zone udkom i 1979 og allerede i 1983 blev den filmatiseret, instrueret af en ung David Cronenberg. I 2002 kom der også en tv serie, der kørte i en del år.

Vi befinder os i Maine i 70’ erne og Vietnam krigen er på sit højeste. Bogen handler om skolelæreren Johnny, der kommer slemt til skade og går i koma. Vi følger både ham, hans nye kæreste og hans forældre, hvor moren er på vej ind i en i et religiøst vanvid (ikke meget ulig Carries mor!).

Da Johnny langt om længe vågner op, er det med en exceptionel sjette sans, som er mere en forbandelse end en velsignelse.

Det er en historie, der udvikler sig ekstremt langsomt, men har man (jeg😊) lært at sætte pris på Stephen Kings beskrivende og detaljerige skrivestil, så gør det absolut ingenting. Man kommer helt ind på livet af personerne og det skaber en fantastisk stemning mens man læser👍

The Dead Zone er den første bog, hvor den fiktive by Castle Rock bliver nævnt. Det fandt jeg lidt sjovt, nu hvor de er i fuld sving med at lave en tv serie med Castle Rock som setting🤓

På et tidspunkt i historien var der en af karaktererne, der i høj grad mindede mig om en meget aktuel nulevende person. Det var ret pudsigt og rammende og Stephen King har også selv sammenlignet dem😃

Historien er dragende og personerne er fantastiske. Jeg fandt den ikke uhyggelig, men mere creepy på den der helt særlige Stephen King måde👍

The Dead Zone giver jeg 3*** ud af 5 stjerner.

Cujo er en af Kings ældste og mest klassiske historier. Den udkom i 1981 på bog og kom i biograferne i 1983.

Jeg så filmen for rigtig mange år siden og kan kun huske meget få glimt, så jeg har glædet mig lidt til at få genopfrisket historien om en sød Sankt Bernhardshund, der går amok.

Historien starter stille og roligt og vi lærer forskellige personer at kende. Særligt familien Trenton - Donna, Vic og deres fire-årige dreng Tad.

Men hvad, der starter stille og roligt, udvikler sig til at blive noget af det mest nervepirrende, jeg længe har læst! Jeg har aldrig været bange for hunde, men efter den her historie vil jeg være lidt mere på vagt. Specielt overfor dem, der vejer 100 kg😳

Igen i Cujo beviser Stephen King, at han er en genial historiefortæller. Vi får nemlig alt fortalt fra både voksne, barn og hund og det gør altså historien ekstra god.

Det er intet mindre end frygtindgydende spændende at følge Cujos blodrus og der var også nogle steder, hvor jeg havde lyst til at springe scenerne over, fordi det blev for grumt eller spændende😱

Jeg vil ikke fortælle om handlingen, men jeg kan da afsløre, at vi igen befinder os i Castle Rock, Maine og Cujo er altså ikke familien Trentons hund.

Der er en lille sammenhæng mellem The Dead Zone og Cujo. Men det var også nærmest lige til sidebenet, når nu begge historier foregår i samme by🤓

Cujo er en fremragende og ret realistisk gyserfortælling. Puh, den er nasty! Den får klart 5***** ud af 5 stjerner😃🙌👍
Profile Image for Jeff Pfeiffer.
Author 1 book2 followers
September 6, 2017
I'm not sure how this got in my collection. I've only read the Dead Zone. It was good, as I'm sure, most people know by now.
Profile Image for Stefan.
11 reviews1 follower
April 30, 2014
Time Travel. Rabid Dog. Perfect combination :)
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

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