Pet Sematary
Revel in the horror of King’s most terrifying book—on the page <i>and</i> on the screen.
-
-
4.6 • 1.3K Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
Now a major motion picture! Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestseller is a “wild, powerful, disturbing” (The Washington Post Book World) classic about evil that exists far beyond the grave—among King’s most iconic and frightening novels.
When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Despite Ludlow’s tranquility, an undercurrent of danger exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift graveyard in the nearby woods where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard where another burial ground lures with seductive promises and ungodly temptations. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. As Louis is about to discover for himself sometimes, dead is better…
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Stephen King has called Pet Sematary the most frightening book he’s ever written. That’s a bold statement, but we’ll co-sign it—because the horror these characters face isn’t a rabid dog or killer car, but the crushing finality of death itself. Soon after moving his family to a small Maine town, doctor Louis Creed learns about a decades-old animal burial ground from his elderly neighbor. After unthinkable tragedy strikes, Louis finds out even more about the town’s creepy history. Unsettling darkness transforms into pure evil, ensnaring Louis’ family in a hideous vortex of gory horror and deep-seated grief and regret.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The first unabridged audio edition of the novel King considers his most frightening should be more than enough to lure the author's fans, and the fact that it's read by Hall, who played the eponymous serial killer on Showtime's Dexter (adapted from Jeff Lindsay's novels), will only add to the appeal. Hall effectively employs a full emotional range, starting with joyous. That's the dominant mood of Dr. Louis Creed as he and his family wife Rachel, kids Ellie and Gage, and Ellie's cat, Church arrive at their new home in Ludlow, Maine. Hall's narration quickly loses some of its cheeriness when young Ellie falls from a swing and bangs her knee and toddler Gage is stung by a bee. And, when their new neighbor, elderly Jud Crandall, leads them to a pet cemetery (with its misspelled sign) in the shadowy woods behind their home, the atmosphere grows distinctly chilly. The chill only increases when Church is killed by a car and Jud informs Louis in an avuncular, Down East accent courtesy of Hall that some animals placed in the Micmac Indian burial ground just beyond the cemetery have been resurrected. Louis and Jud bury Church there, and the cat does come back, but it's different, malodorous, and sullen. Eventually there are more burials and reanimations, resulting in ever-increasing grotesqueries, with the narration rising to a hackles-raising height of terror. The combination of King at his bloodiest and Hall at his most terrifying make this irresistible.
Customer Reviews
I love Stephen King!
A fascinating, scary, and above all else, a terribly sad story that I’m never able to put down no matter how many times I read it. This is King at his finest.
Favs
I couldn’t put this book down. I found this book to be way more emotional than scary. EXCEPT the last 7 chapters sent chills down my spine “darling”.
Kind of a downer.
Classic Stephen King writing and craftsmanship but ultimately a downer. In many of his other books King manages to mix horror and tragedy with hope, but this one is all tragedy. Be warned.