Review: Tracing The Trails: A Constant Reader's Reflections on the Work of Stephen King

Tracing The Trails: A Constant Reader's Reflections on the Work of Stephen King by Chad A. Clark
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Subtitled "A Constant Reader's Reflections on the Work of Stephen King," TRACING THE TRAILS is a literary memoir by one thoughtful author/reader as he embarked on a quest to read every piece of writing by the master, Stephen King. Beginning in 2013, author Chad Clark began to read (or reread) everything Mr. King had published, in order of publication. In some cases, that became a little odd for Mr. Clark as for other readers; for example, the original published version of THE STAND, long as it was, still was not as significantly lengthy as the version Mr. King initially penned, which was published later. Mr. Clark takes care to elicit King's background situations at the time of each story, which is appealing to long-time King fans, but he also shows us his own viewpoint at the time of his reading. Through this method, the book becomes so much more than a list of Mr. Clark's reading. I am reminded of the stories about Fae who lead travelers and unwitting visitors off the path and into the forest; except here, it is author Chad Clark raising high a lantern, guiding us safely, stopping to point out a novel here, there a story, over yonder a collection. Pausing to explain why each is important, what it means to his life, and what was going on in the life of Mr. King as each story was created. The value for me in this book is threefold; I learned more about Stephen King as author and individual, and about his literary output. I saw through a different viewpoint, that of a reader/writer who loves Mr. King's works. Finally, Mr. Clark's guidance along this literary path inspired in me new considerations and food for thought, as well as an impetus to return to some of my favourites and to rethink (and reread) some I didn't care for on first read. I recommend taking this book a section at a time: let it speak to you, think about what Mr. Clark is telling, pick up the King story in question and reread (or possibly, read for the first time). This book is not meant to be a one-sitting read, but a guidebook written by a Constant Reader whose devotion and intelligence shines through.

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