Can't Wait for Stephen King's New Book 11/22/63? Peek into the Witch's Head (PDF or EPUB)

Stephen King's next novel, entitled "11/22/63," will be released on November 8, 2011. At right is the Amazon link, where you will be able to order the book when it is released. In fact, if you JUST CAN'T WAIT, you can even Pre-order the book now from Amazon.

However, if your impatience is such that even the act of pre-ordering is nowhere near enough to console you-- if, in fact, nothing seems sufficient to assuage your raw horror upon contemplating the dreary prospect before you of the waiting itself , of the interminable stretches of desolate pining during the months-long interlude until the actual "11/22/63" release date... well, if you find yourself in such dire straits, what hope then remains for you?

Fortunately--against all hope, as it were-- I just so happen to have a suggestion for filling those seemingly infinite abysses of waiting and pining with some good old-fashioned high quality HORROR. This particular batch of horror is to be found in a certain body of reading material, and you, now feeling the first glimmerings of dawn after the long night of darkness, will no doubt be even further encouraged and gratified when I assure you that this body of reading material comprises a book of generous length (as in several hundreds of pages). And this treasure-filled tome, known to a careless world by the mere monosyllable of 'book', may be yours for the taking right now!

In fact, it gets even better, for this blood-curdling tale, written by an author famed far and abroad in a bygone age, may be had completely free of charge, and with only the scarcest of delays. You, who have for the sake of attaining your heart's desire already had to deny yourself for far too long, will in this case have no need to wait any longer than the time that it takes you to read this brief "epistle of hope"--- if I may ironically (and yet, ironically, not-so-ironically) so refer to this present little monograph of mine. For I am, after all, espousing no less than that you should find solace from one horror in yet another, stranger, deeper horror!

Interested? Have I kindled your curiousity? Are you in fact, obliged to acknowledge that you find, with a thrill of terror, that you cannot look away ? Ah, the exquisite pangs of tortured ambivalence!-- let me say it: "the game is opening well". So be it, then: I shall let you in on a little secret, "the attainment of which is destruction"... but in this case the destruction not of life, limb, or hope, but rather of despair itself!

This old-fashioned horror to which I have so elliptically and cryptically alluded thus far, is in sooth a masterfully wrought tale, and as I have hinted already, one of vintage stock and sterling pedigree. But who is the author, you ask? You insist upon knowing, do you? Very well. Such implacable curiosity! Ghastly shades of Pandora's box! But that fatal box opens on one condition only: before I divulge the key of this enigma, first you must guess who the author may be, and you must frame your guess after reading a few hints and possibities I set forth below. Agreed? But be warned to resign yourself to failure at discovering the truth by your own efforts, no matter the sharpness of your wit, nor the breadth and depth of your scholarly erudition, nor the purity of your love of paper and ink themselves. Even so, rest assured that his name, and the book's name, will in due course be revealed. And so, be of good cheer, for having waded through a mere few hundreds of words here, how great shall be your reward when you will have gained a few hundred pages of story, plot, adventure, and thrills by your efforts!

So, without further parlay, I present and frame the aforementioned several hints and possibilities for your consideration:

Of course, Edgar Allan Poe would be a possibility, and a choice phrase from his "MS. Found in a Bottle" has already graced this hub in an homage to that master of horror.

Even so, a perhaps even stronger contender for bridging the days until King-dom come would no doubt be that crafter of utterly ultramundane utterances, H.P. Lovecraft, who is well known to rank high in Stephen King's estimation.

A dark horse contender might be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, best known for Holmes and Watson, but not by any stretch a slouch at creating superb tales of horror and amaze, as hinted at in many of the Sherlock Holmes adventures, particularly "The Hound of the Baskervilles".

An even darker horse would be H.G. Wells, whose "The Island of Dr. Moreau" contains some highly disturbing moments capable of eliciting an exceedingly visceral response from the most jaded of horror epicures. Elfman's Oingo Boingo and Groehning's The Simpsons are among the indigents of pop culture who have sought shelter for a night in the House of Pain Wells built, and thus stand deeply in his debt, at least in terms of creativity. A choice phrase of Wells, taken from "The Invisible Man", also graces this hub.

All so worthy; all so deserving. And yet I give you to understand that the above authors nevertheless simply serve as hints of who the mysterious author under consideration is NOT. He remains faceless and nameless even yet. Now, ready or not, having seen examples of who he is not, you must make your guess as to who he is. And below is a photographic likeness of him, if it may be of any help to you. Look well upon it, resolve your mind, and make your guess; then, once the die is cast, whether you are right or wrong you may scroll down for the deliciously grim denouement of this hub of horror.

For the stirring conclusion of this essay.....

the person whom I am suggesting as a comforter and consoler (yet as a provider of horror) until you have access to Stephen King's latest, Is none other than Sir Henry Rider Haggard. As an author, Sir Henry is more commonly referred to as "H. Rider Haggard" or just plain "Haggard". Haggard is not well known for being a writer of horror, being indelibly associated with his best known fictional creation, Alan Quatermain, an elephant hunter who features in more than a dozen books written by Haggard. Yet even in the Quatermain books there are splendid passages of horror woven in amongst the shooting, fighting, lost cities & civilizations, and other tokens of adventure that figure so prominently in each tale.

Despite having savored those occasional morsels of Haggard's horror, I was unprepared for what I would encounter when I stumbled across "The Witch's Head". Realizing that this was a book by Haggard of which I'd never heard before, I rejoiced at my luck in having found it, and dived in eagerly between the pages. There surprises awaited me. I hope that you'll do the same-- dive in and meet with those surprises, that is. Let me briefly describe just a bare sketch of the experience in store for you.

If you are a Stephen King fan, you'll find the writing style employed by Haggard considerably different, since Haggard was a writer of the Victorian age. You may also find that during the first few chapters of the book, you almost feel that you've wondered into a Charles Dickens novel. And yet, as we read on, when the first inklings of unrest begin, and when presentiments of the horror that is to come, first obtrude upon our consciousness, then it becomes clear that the Dickensian beginning and the Victorian style make the gathering darkness all the more disquieting, for they establish a sort of "law of simultaneous contrast" that make the dark seem darker by its contrast with the light. There are a goodly number of characters who inhabit this book, and even in the very first page tantalizing hints are dropped that at least some of these characters have skeletons in their closets. As chapter succeeds chapter, we become achingly aware that many characters who have much good in them, and who have enlisted our sympathy by their conduct and good intentions, nevertheless each have character flaws, momentary missteps, or temporary lapses in judgment, that threaten to unleash misery upon them and those around them. The author succeeds in shrewdly delineating the complex interplay of events and personality, and makes us aware of dysfunctions not only of family, but also of friends, lovers, and cultures.

So far, all of the foregoing complications have been directly attributable to natural causes. But at a certain point in the story we find the natural sphere being, apparently, invaded by something decidedly supernatural...

Can a man write a book that satisfies the hopes, fears, and hopes for fears aroused within us when we read the title, "The Witch's Head"? Read the book, and find out! And let me know how you liked it, if you have the time.

You've probably noticed the links at right and above. The first one is to the totally free Google Books version of "The Witch's Head", which is scanned from an original edition of the book and which may be viewed on line or downloaded as a PDF or EPUB file. Below that are Amazon links to buy the book in ebook format for the Kindle (only 99 cents!) or to purchase an actual hard copy printed version of the book. Thanks for your kind attention, and may you spend a sleepless night while unable to put down this book!