The Science of Stephen King »

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.

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

Publishers Weekly

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.)

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.