The Dark Half covers a lot of classic King territory (the main character is a writer, to name one trope) to the point where there's a "been there, done that" quality to the narrative. But the familiar elements matter little, because this is a strange and absorbing entry in the King canon - one that has sadly garnered little respect or acclaim over the years. That's not to say that The Dark Half, with its story about a novelist who "kills" off his pseudonym and ends up at the tail end of said pseudonym's revenge (a very King-esque plot if ever there was one), is considered to be a bad work of fiction... you just don't hear it mentioned in the same league as the established classics. A shame, given that this novel served as a brilliant meditation and deconstruction of the whole "Stephen King is Richard Bachman" ordeal, in which Bachman was exposed as a King pseudonym. As such, The Dark Half is required reading for all King fans.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
