The Dark Half
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Stephen King |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Psychological horror |
| Publisher | Viking |
Publication date | October 20,1989 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 431 |
| ISBN | 978-0-670-82982-8 |
The Dark Halfis ahorrornovelby American writerStephen King,published in 1989.Publishers WeeklylistedThe Dark Halfas the second-best-selling book of 1989 behindTom Clancy'sClear and Present Danger.The novel was adapted into afeature film of the same namein 1993.
Stephen King wrote several books under apseudonym,Richard Bachman,during the 1970s and 1980s. Most of the Bachman novels were darker and more cynical in nature, featuring a far more visceral sense of horror than the psychological, gothic style common in many of King's most famous works. When King was identified as Bachman, he wroteThe Dark Half– about an author – in response to his outing.
The book's central villain, George Stark, was named in honor of Richard Stark, the pen name of writerDonald E. Westlakeunder which he wrote some of hisdarkest, most violent books.King telephoned Westlake personally to ask permission. King's own "Richard Bachman" pseudonym was also partly named for Stark: King had been reading a Richard Stark novel at the time he chose the pen name.[1]
Plot summary
[edit]Thad Beaumont is an author and recoveringalcoholicwho lives in the town ofLudlow,Maine.Thad's own books – cerebral literary fiction – are not very successful. Under thepen name"George Stark", he writes highly successful crime novels about a psychopathic killer named Alexis Machine. When Thad's authorship of Stark's novels becomes public knowledge, Thad and his wife, Elizabeth, decide to stage a mock burial for his alter ego at the local cemetery, which is featured in aPeoplemagazine article. His epitaph reads: "Not a Very Nice Guy."
Stark emerges from the mock grave as a physical entity, complete with the personality traits that Thad exhibited while writing as him, such asalcohol abuseandPall Mallcigarette smoking. He then goes on a killing spree, gruesomely murdering everyone he perceives as responsible for his "death" – Thad's editor, agent, and thePeopleinterviewer, among others. Thad, meanwhile, is plagued by surreal nightmares. Stark's murders are investigated byAlan Pangborn,the sheriff of the neighboring town ofCastle Rock,who finds Thad's voice andfingerprintsat the crime scenes. This evidence, and Thad's unwillingness to answer his questions, causes Pangborn to believe that Thad – despite havingalibis– is responsible for the murders. Later, it is discovered that Stark has the same fingerprints as Thad, a clue to the twinship he and Thad share.
Thad eventually discovers that he and Stark share a mental bond, and begins to find notes from Stark written in his own handwriting. The notes tell Thad what activity Stark has been engaging in. Observing his son and daughter, Thad notes that twins share a unique bond. They can feel each other's pain and at times appear to read the other's mind. Using this as a key to his own situation, he begins to discover the even deeper meaning behind himself and Stark.
Pangborn eventually learns that Thad had an unborn twin brother who was absorbed into Thadin uteroand later removed from his brain when he was a child. He had suffered from severe headaches and it was originally thought to bea tumorcausing them. The neurosurgeon who removed it found the following inside: part of a nostril, some fingernails, some teeth, and a malformed human eye. This leads to questions about the true nature of Stark, whether he is amalevolent spiritwith its own existence, or Thad himself, manifesting analternate personality.Thad eventually destroys Stark in a showdown where he uses a bird call to bring forth a flock of sparrows that tear Stark's body apart, but the book ends on an unhappy note. It is suggested by Alan Pangborn that Thad's wife may be having serious doubts about the future of their relationship: she is appalled that Thad not only created Stark (if unintentionally), but that a part of him liked Stark.
References
[edit]In the novelNeedful Things,Sheriff Alan Pangborn thinks about how Thad would get drunk and call him. He also recalls that Thad's wife took the twins and left him.[2]InBag of Bones,the main character, author Mike Noonan, recalls how a Maine author named Thad Beaumont killed himself.[3]
Adaptations
[edit]The novel was adapted as a film,The Dark Half,byGeorge A. Romeroin 1990, and was released in 1993. It was filmed in part atWashington and Jefferson Collegeand other locations in southwesternPennsylvania.It starredTimothy Huttonas Thad/Stark,Michael RookerasAlan Pangborn,and featuredJulie Harrisas an eccentric colleague of Thad's who provides some vital information about the supernatural. Anadventurevideo game adaptation was released forDOSin 1992. It was developed by Symtus and published byCapstone Software.[4]In December 2019, it was announced thatMGMwould develop a film adaptation of the novel, withAlex Ross Perryset to write and direct.[5]
In Bangladesh, the book was adopted as Trityo Noyon (The Third Eye) by Roksana Nazanin, published fromSheba Prokashoni.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^Richard Stark (1 March 1999). "Richard Stark: Introduced by Donald E. Westlake".Payback.Grand Central Publishing. pp. vii–x.ISBN978-0-446-67464-5.
- ^Stephen King (October 1991).Needful Things.Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.ISBN9780670839537.
- ^Stephen King (September 1998).Bag of Bones.Simon & Schuster Inc.ISBN9780684853505.
- ^"The Dark Half".archive.org.1992.RetrievedOctober 16,2020.
- ^Fleming, Mike Jr. (2019-12-11)."'Her Smell' Helmer Alex Ross Perry To Adapt & Direct Stephen King Novel 'The Dark Half' For MGM ".Deadline.Retrieved2020-01-26.
