Pet Sematary Signet Horror Book Review

How far would you go to protect someone you love? That, not cemetaries, cats, or scary shenanigans, is the true horror of Stephen King’s “Pet Sematary”.


Basically, with no major spoilers, the plot centers on a young family, the Creeds, who move to Maine for a new start. Shortly after the move, neighbor Judd Crandall shows Louis Creed (the father) a rather supernatural place that can perform miracles beyond human comprehension. However, when a tragedy rocks the Creeds and Crandalls to the very core of both families, Louis must make the horrible decision of whether or not to use that magical power (which also contains some rather unfortunate consequences for the user) for his own personal gain.


As is typical with King, the entire book (when not developing the characters, which is also quite important and interesting) is a morality play between “man” (which should represent good, but often does not) and “evil” (a dark force as old as time). What really will stick with you after you finish reading the novel, though, is how close you might come to making the exact same choice that Louis Creed ultimately does. The lines between what is “right” and what is “wrong” are blurred enough that each scenario could produce both “good” and “bad” consequences.


I am currently working my way through all of King’s novels (in no particular order), and it never ceases to amaze me how he uses the same basic themes (man’s struggle against evil) to create exciting fiction. I guess part of it has to do with the interesting characters he creates, which holds true in his book. Each character seems to add a new dimension to Louis’ “big decision” towards the end of the book.


Thus, King fans can expect the same masterful story crafting in this novel, while newcomers to the master of suspense will find that the true horror of King is not in the physical/spiritual realms, but in the psychological thought processes we all have.