A review by smattei
Danse Macabre by Stephen King

3.0

If I could, I would give this 3.5 stars, but I cannot allow myself to give it more than a middling review because, brilliant and conversational as many sections are, Danse Macabre simply drags at too many points. I’ve been a King fan most of my life and this is my second reading of this particular book—I’m attempting a chronological read-through of all of his works. Reading the author who served as my gateway to genre fiction write about his field can be downright exhilarating, but when he starts to sound like the critics he loves giving a hard time, especially while in the middle of doing so, I have a hard time giving him much of a break. I think it’s worth the read, particularly when he discusses people and material that clearly inspired him, but I question whether it’s worth the slog contained in sections of the 100+-page penultimate chapter on horror literature. He gets a pass for wrapping that up by discussing Harlan Ellison, a storyteller and personality that I’ve never been bored by.