With ,,The Shining", one of his most famous and literally acclaimed novels, Stephen King managed to ultimately make me a fan of his works. Yes, I have admitted it: His stories may be unrealistic and even exaggerated in their contents, but I love them. Now, listing Stephen King as one of your favorite authors isn't always easy. Not seldomly are people judged by others because they read and enjoy books from ,The King'. 
 More recently, I watched the movie adaption of ,,The Green Mile". It was one of the rare times where the ending of a film made me cry (let's be honest, it was the only time so far); where the film was so heart-breaking that I couldn't forget it for a long time. Some days later, I talked to someone else about Stephen King, and this other person only mentioned, ,I'll never read him, he only writes unrealistic horror, this is nothing for me.' I countered, he is indeed popular for many horror novels, but doesn't he also write enthralling stories apart from the horror genre? It was obvious the person I talked to didn't believe me and internally still thinks Stephen King only writes horror. But I don't want to feel ashamed because I like King's writing, and I definitely won't start feeling so because others think he only writes crap. 
 The point I want to punctuate: Stephen King not only succeeded with influencing my reading tastes (after all, I started to shape the plan in my mind to read all his books some day, and currently try to figure out the best reading order). He also convinced me that the horror genre is no genre which should be avoided because of its unrealism. Fantasy is just as unrealistic, only with less blood (usually). Many consider him to be the King of Horror, but after now having read quite a few of his novels, I consider him to be the King of Emotion. His characterization is pure perfection, the tension imbedded in his writing (at least in those works I've read so far) agitating and breathtaking. 
 So was ,,The Shining". Not everyone would have had such a success with writing an unrealistic, yet believable story which is so well-known today that I believe a summary of the novel to be unnecessary. The book included some sections where the time simply didn't pass, where I needed a long time to get through one single chapter (yes, I'm looking at you, chapter eighteen, and you, chapter forty-four). But there were 56 other chapters which saw me flying through the pages, always longing to know what happens next. I can understand why someone dislikes this book, but I'm proud of having read and enjoyed it. It was a great ride, really scary at some points, but ridden by authentically developed characters. Highly recommended! 
 Initial reaction after finishing: 
 This book was as unsettling and disturbing as it was fascinating and breathtaking. Full review to come very soon.