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In a Half-World of Terror
18 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1965
3 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,391 books889k followersStephen 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.
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 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 7, 2015
I was ready to slam this story until I realized it had been published in 1966. Even so, I didn’t enyoy it.
In some of King’s other early stories you catch glimpses of the writer he is now. Not with this one. I ended up skimming the last few pages just to get it finished.
Dreadful!
May 21, 2023
King prefered the title "I Was a Teenage Grave Robber" for this story...
First published in Comics Review, 1965. Later reprinted in Stories of Suspense (1965) retitled as “In a Half-World of Terror”. Partly reprinted in The Stephen King Illustrated Companion (edited by Bev Vincent, 2009).
First published in Comics Review, 1965. Later reprinted in Stories of Suspense (1965) retitled as “In a Half-World of Terror”. Partly reprinted in The Stephen King Illustrated Companion (edited by Bev Vincent, 2009).
April 15, 2023
In a Half World of Terror:
Okay, we need to cover the obsession I’ve picked up with the number nineteen first. Early on in the story a gravestone reads: Danile Wheatherby 1899-19622. (First I wondered if this might be a typo, but then I did a little math and began wondering if this might be the earliest showing of 19.)
19 (6+2+2=10) making it: 1910
Then there’s 1899
18 (9+9) making it 1818
2 eighteens’ and 1 nineteen. I wonder if this was subconscious or if this was done knowingly… or maybe it’s just a coincidence.
This one read’s better than Hotel at the End of the Road, though it’s still in the beginning stages in his carrier. Encompassing many beginner mistakes that I still make myself and wouldn’t expect from a King book. It’s funny but it’s mainly why I liked it. It’s a great comparison to show how much he’s grown as a writer, and how much all writers are capable of growing if they put in the effort. Seeing it like this is truly inspiring. I'm rating this based on the scale I use for authors just starting out, since it is one of his earlier works.
A lot of the progress I’ve made in the last year I attribute to the stories I read. A good deal of which
have been Stephen Kings of late. I've learned a lot from him, and have gained a long list of books to read once I'm done with his. But I kept wondering how he could write so flawlessly. Seemingly without effort. Reading this shows me how much work he’s put in to become the amazing author he is today.
What's more, the story was captivating. It reminded me of old horror movies. The real horror movies. Before they came up with the cookie cutter predictable stuff they sell today. The descriptions might not have been as perfect as his present day stuff, but they put vivid images in my mind. For this one, I wish I could watch it in movie form.
It was an imaginative story that was well told.
Okay, we need to cover the obsession I’ve picked up with the number nineteen first. Early on in the story a gravestone reads: Danile Wheatherby 1899-19622. (First I wondered if this might be a typo, but then I did a little math and began wondering if this might be the earliest showing of 19.)
19 (6+2+2=10) making it: 1910
Then there’s 1899
18 (9+9) making it 1818
2 eighteens’ and 1 nineteen. I wonder if this was subconscious or if this was done knowingly… or maybe it’s just a coincidence.
This one read’s better than Hotel at the End of the Road, though it’s still in the beginning stages in his carrier. Encompassing many beginner mistakes that I still make myself and wouldn’t expect from a King book. It’s funny but it’s mainly why I liked it. It’s a great comparison to show how much he’s grown as a writer, and how much all writers are capable of growing if they put in the effort. Seeing it like this is truly inspiring. I'm rating this based on the scale I use for authors just starting out, since it is one of his earlier works.
A lot of the progress I’ve made in the last year I attribute to the stories I read. A good deal of which
have been Stephen Kings of late. I've learned a lot from him, and have gained a long list of books to read once I'm done with his. But I kept wondering how he could write so flawlessly. Seemingly without effort. Reading this shows me how much work he’s put in to become the amazing author he is today.
What's more, the story was captivating. It reminded me of old horror movies. The real horror movies. Before they came up with the cookie cutter predictable stuff they sell today. The descriptions might not have been as perfect as his present day stuff, but they put vivid images in my mind. For this one, I wish I could watch it in movie form.
It was an imaginative story that was well told.
June 30, 2017
Tough I just found about this story thought Stephen King's "On Writing" book. I can see it's beginning and realize that no one begins perfect and there were some big plot holes and things that didn't make sense. However for being the first work published its well done, that would lead to improvement and become one of the best authors of horror.
July 16, 2025
A little weird but still liked it.
April 4, 2020
4.5
Un relato bastante curioso, creo que uno de los primeros que público Stephen King.
Si bien este relato es un poco flojo, en comparación con sus otras obras, no quita el hecho de que cause incertidumbre al momento de estarlo leyendo, no tiene la mejor narrativa ni una historia excepcional pero si me hizo sentir unas pequeñas cosquillas en el estómago debido a los nervios.
Un relato bastante curioso, creo que uno de los primeros que público Stephen King.
Si bien este relato es un poco flojo, en comparación con sus otras obras, no quita el hecho de que cause incertidumbre al momento de estarlo leyendo, no tiene la mejor narrativa ni una historia excepcional pero si me hizo sentir unas pequeñas cosquillas en el estómago debido a los nervios.
November 16, 2024
4 stars because it was so much fun to see how his writing was as a teen! (Oh, and he did not know how to write females, a mystery to many teen boys lol) I do agree, this is no masterpiece in writing mechanics, but the ideas are brilliant (terrifying) where it counts! It shows his promise; it shows his weaknesses. It shows all the work and dedication he put into the storytelling he truly loves!
June 7, 2018
Not very well written and not in the style King was to later use. Someone mentioned it was his first published story although he did self publish some stories when he was 13. He would have been around 18 or 19 when he wrote this.
September 22, 2020
Uno de los primeros relatos escritos por un muy joven Stephen King.
April 28, 2024
Ur-King plot: Broke dude
takes horror job but finds love.
Zombies get a chomp.
takes horror job but finds love.
Zombies get a chomp.
December 14, 2024
This is the first story Stephen King published. One star, but in the best possible way. It's fun to see how King's writing has evolved since he wrote this at age seventeen.
December 22, 2025
More common name of this book is "I Was a Teenage Grave Robber"
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews