8 Stephen King Characters Who Deserve Their Own Book
5. Dick Hallorann
Dick Hallorann first appears in The Shining, a book that needs absolutely no introduction. Hallorann works as a cook at the Overlook Hotel, and like Danny Torrance, the novel's protagonist, he possesses the Shining ability, which is basically a form of clairvoyance that makes one sensitive to preternatural forces. This alone makes him worthy of revisiting, given how the Shining ability is one of the most fascinating powers in King's entire bibliography. But there's even more that makes him great. Hallorann shows up again in IT, referred to as an Army cook and a member of the African-American army nightclub The Black Spot, which is burned to the ground by The Legion Of White Decency. When this happens, Hallorann uses his Shining ability to save several people from the fire. Not only that, but we discover that Hallorann is one of the very few sane adults who can actually see It. While Hallorann's fleeting appearances are undoubtedly part of the reason that makes him special, his ability is just too interesting not to want to explore it further. Despite Danny Torrance sharing the same gift, we only really see it in the context of the Overlook Hotel, and to a lesser extent in Doctor Sleep (in which Hallorann is again mentioned, specifically to have died in 1999). A novel that focuses on Hallorann's early life and his time as an Army cook would be a fantastic way to give readers more information on the Shining ability without dipping directly into that well once more.
