The Science of Stephen King: From Carrie to Cell, The Terrifying Truth Behind the Horror Masters Fiction

by Lois H. Gresh

Overview

Advance Praise

"What a treasure house is this book! Robots, space aliens, Einstein, black holes, time travel—these themes, and much more, from Stephen King's amazing books are opened up like toy chests. It's tremendous fun, entirely educational, and a great tribute to King."
—Peter Straub

"A fun, fun read."
—F. Paul Wilson

"The Science of Stephen King appeals to both the scientist and the longtimereader of Stephen King in me. Gresh and Weinberg use concepts from King's fiction as launching pads for in-depth explorations of concepts as diverse as ESP, pyrokinesis, time travel, artificial intelligence, quantum chemistry, alternate realities, string theory, and the possibility that we'll be visited by aliens or that we'll face a global pandemic. Much of what Stephen King writes about in his novels is closer to reality than you might think."
—Bev Vincent, Ph.D., author of The Road to the Dark Tower

"A superb overview of King's use of scientific concepts in his stories. And considering all the scary talk lately about pandemic flu, their chapter on The Stand is timely as hell."
—Stephen Spignesi, author of The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia

"Just as Sagan and Asimov popularized science to the masses by making itentertaining and informative, so too do Gresh and Weinberg.Compulsively readable and thought-provoking."
—George Beahm, author of The Stephen King Companion

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780471782476
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	08/01/2007
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	717,658
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.24(h) x 0.77(d)

About the Author

Lois H. Gresh and Robert Weinberg have written numerous books together, including The Science of Superheroes, The Science of Supervillains, and The Science of James Bond.

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Where Science and Fiction Intersect.

1 From Proms to Cells: The Psychic World of Stephen King.

Carrie;  Firestarter;  The Dead Zone;  Hearts in Atlantis Cell;  The Green Mile.

2 On the Highway with Stephen King "Trucks."

3 They Came from Outer Space.

Dreamcatcher;  The Tommyknockers.

4 The Fourth Horseman.

The Stand.

5 Up the Dimensions with Stephen King.

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger;  Insomnia.

6 Traveling in Time with Stephen King.

The Langoliers.

7 Parallel Worlds.

"The Mist;" From a Buick 8;  The Dark Tower; The Talisman.

8 Longevity and Genetic Research.

The Golden Years.

9 Evil, Obsession, and Fear.

The Tommyknockers;  Carrie;  The Talisman;  It;  The Stand; Danse Macabre;  The Shining;  Misery; "Night Surf."

Notes.

Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"What a treasure house is this book! Robots, space aliens, Einstein, black holes, time travel—these themes, and much more, from Stephen King's amazing books are opened up like toychests by Robert Weinberg and Lois Gresh. It's tremendous fun, entirely educational, and a great tribute to King."
—Peter Straub

"The Science of Stephen King appeals to both the scientist and the long-time reader of Stephen King in me. Weinberg and Gresh use concepts from King's fiction as launching pads for in-depth explorations of concepts as diverse as ESP, pyrokinesis, time travel, artificial intelligence, quantum chemistry, alternate realities, string theory, and the possibility that we'll be visited by aliens or that we'll face a global pandemic. Their broad knowledge of the history of science fiction also allows them to trace each of these concepts to their fictional origins in seminal stories and novels from the days of the pulps...and beyond. In a style reminiscent of science populists like Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov, they present challenging concepts--such as the possibility that the world we live in consists of nearly a dozen dimensions instead of just three—in clear, easy-to-grasp language. They don't stretch beyond the limits of credibility—if something is scientifically unlikely or patently impossible, they show why rather than hand-wave an explanation. If you've ever read Stephen King's works and asked yourself what's real and what could be real, you might be surprised by the answers Weinberg and Gresh provide. As they so cleverly explain, much of what Stephen King writes about in his novels is closer to reality than you might think."
—Bev Vincent, Ph. D., author of The Road to the Dark Tower

"Robert Weinberg and Lois Gresh's The Science of Stephen King is not only a superb overview of King's use in his stories of scientific concepts like ESP, aliens, time travel, artificial intelligence, parallel universes, and teleportation, it is also an excellent primer on everything from quantum physics and genetic engineering to nanotechnology and the scientific roots of obsession. Plus, it's written in a clear, entertaining, and understandable manner. And considering all the scary talk lately about pandemic flu, their chapter on THE STAND is timely as hell."
—Stephen Spignesi author of The Complete Stephen King Encyclopedia, The Lost Work of Stephen King, The Essential Stephen King

"Bob Weinberg and Lois Gresh have done it again—made sense out of seeming chaos. A fun, fun read. Even if you don't like science, it's a great way to revisit all those beloved Stephen King novels of yore."
—F. Paul Wilson

Editorial Reviews

* Human characters, not science, are the heart of King's fiction, but Gresh and Weinberg (The Science of James Bond) use these tales as a jumping-off point in their latest pop-sci tie-in. In Carrie, Firestarter and The Dead Zone, mayhem arises from the use of psychic abilities, so the authors explore not only the history of such powers in fiction, but also human consciousness and modern neuroscience. The killer vehicles of King's story "Trucks" are compared to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, rounded out with a short discussion of artificial intelligence. Dreamcatcher and The Tommyknockers lead to a look at the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere, from flying-saucer paranoia to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Discussion of The Stand includes a look at fictional and real plagues, while the parallel worlds and alternate histories at the heart of The Dark Tower bring up theoretical physics from relativity to wormholes. The truths revealed are hardly terrifying, but the book is an excellent introduction to both popular science and science fiction themes. (Sept.) (Publishers Weekly, July 23, 2007)

From the Publisher

Human characters, not science, are the heart of King's fiction, but Gresh and Weinberg (The Science of James Bond) use these tales as a jumping-off point in their latest pop-sci tie-in. In Carrie, Firestarterand The Dead Zone, mayhem arises from the use of psychic abilities, so the authors explore not only the history of such powers in fiction, but also human consciousness and modern neuroscience. The killer vehicles of King's story "Trucks" are compared to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, rounded out with a short discussion of artificial intelligence. Dreamcatcherand The Tommyknockerslead to a look at the possibility of intelligent life elsewhere, from flying-saucer paranoia to the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Discussion of The Standincludes a look at fictional and real plagues, while the parallel worlds and alternate histories at the heart of The Dark Towerbring up theoretical physics from relativity to wormholes. The truths revealed are hardly terrifying, but the book is an excellent introduction to both popular science and science fiction themes. (Sept.)

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