Elevation by Stephen King is a book I was fully expecting to dislike. I have mentioned it in other reviews of his books, but it appears he has been moved to include more and more of his political belief in his books. He also seems to be moving away from horror.

Elevation couldn’t be considered a horror story even if you stretched that definition. His politics too were loud and clear. Although he included a lesbian couple in the story and took great pains to point out their troubles with being accepted, he was actually quite fair in the handling of the subject. He just spent too much time in the short book on the matter.

In the end, the book was weak not because it wasn’t horror or was too political. It was just weak. The premise was interesting and his writing style kept me interested. The ending though was quite anticlimactic.

In the end, I am glad I read it because it gave me hope that all his stuff won’t just be left-wing propaganda from here on out. I just hope he gets back to what he does best – spread creepy stories. His conversational style of writing is still my favorite and his book On Writing is the best book I have read on the subject.

by Chris Doelle