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on 20 May 2010
I'm not a fan of horror fiction, because I'm easily spooked and I don't fancy restless nights. However, I thought I'd give Cujo a try because it's a story which isn't dependent on any intrusion of the supernatural.
It really is a superb piece of work. Although it's actually a slow-paced story, Stephen King manages the tension so skilfully that I was gripped from first page to last. He really takes you inside the characters so you see events unfolding through their eyes, rather than as a spectator.
The various sub-plots interweave very neatly and keep the action going. They all explore the theme of the potential disasters which lie in wait by the side of our otherwise stable, peaceful lives, and which only need some quirk of bad luck to be activated. There's some intelligent exploration of each character's inner conflicts, alongside the twists and turns of a menacing plot-line. There's much more here than the tale of a mad dog.
Highly recommended for anyone but the very squeamish.
It really is a superb piece of work. Although it's actually a slow-paced story, Stephen King manages the tension so skilfully that I was gripped from first page to last. He really takes you inside the characters so you see events unfolding through their eyes, rather than as a spectator.
The various sub-plots interweave very neatly and keep the action going. They all explore the theme of the potential disasters which lie in wait by the side of our otherwise stable, peaceful lives, and which only need some quirk of bad luck to be activated. There's some intelligent exploration of each character's inner conflicts, alongside the twists and turns of a menacing plot-line. There's much more here than the tale of a mad dog.
Highly recommended for anyone but the very squeamish.
on 14 April 2017
Is is a review of the content of the book itself. The audio book quality was perfect. This story just feels like a lesser King story, when it's advertised as being a story about a killer dog and that's maybe 20-30% of the book you feel a little ripped off. The majority of the story is made up of inane family drama of two families, one working class and one middle class. If you like to know the details behind how breakfast cereal is advertised then you're in luck. But if you're looking for the genius from the author of 'The Stand' and 'IT' might be worth looking elsewhere.
HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWERVINE VOICEon 21 April 2017
Back in the earlier days of Stephen King’s books this was published, and was written at a time when Mr King was drinking heavily. So although this is a good solid story it does have a couple of problems, ones that you would have expected an editor to have wrinkled out back then.
As is common with this author’s books we are taken to a small New England town and we meet some of the residents of the place. We also meet Cujo, a rather docile St Bernard. Those in the know will recognise Cujo as the alias of William Lawton Wolfe of the SLA. As we see this dog becomes rabid after being bitten by an infected bat, and having had no vaccination himself he contracts the disease.
As you would expect there is more to this tale than just a rabid dog, and we see different family dynamics take place as different people are facing problems, both inside and outside of marriage. As such the story does come together well, but it is the actions of the dog, and as we see those who come into his presence that are the best parts of this book.
We have some other weirdness going on here, what with Tad a four year old boy, and the bogeyman in his closet, and the mentioning of a former policeman who was a psychopath. These two instances are never really developed beyond their initial stages, and if they had been removed then the plotting of this would have been that little bit tighter.
With the trapping and waiting for assistance by two characters we see here also the germ of an idea which was to be later fully formed in Stephen King’s novel Gerald’s Game. And we also see a little play with names here as well, because we have the name Cujo, and later in the book we have another dog that is called Willie, both of which could refer to the same person.
As is common with this author’s books we are taken to a small New England town and we meet some of the residents of the place. We also meet Cujo, a rather docile St Bernard. Those in the know will recognise Cujo as the alias of William Lawton Wolfe of the SLA. As we see this dog becomes rabid after being bitten by an infected bat, and having had no vaccination himself he contracts the disease.
As you would expect there is more to this tale than just a rabid dog, and we see different family dynamics take place as different people are facing problems, both inside and outside of marriage. As such the story does come together well, but it is the actions of the dog, and as we see those who come into his presence that are the best parts of this book.
We have some other weirdness going on here, what with Tad a four year old boy, and the bogeyman in his closet, and the mentioning of a former policeman who was a psychopath. These two instances are never really developed beyond their initial stages, and if they had been removed then the plotting of this would have been that little bit tighter.
With the trapping and waiting for assistance by two characters we see here also the germ of an idea which was to be later fully formed in Stephen King’s novel Gerald’s Game. And we also see a little play with names here as well, because we have the name Cujo, and later in the book we have another dog that is called Willie, both of which could refer to the same person.
on 10 January 2014
I am (re)reading Stephen King's works in chronological order and this re-read was up next for me. I originally read the book when it was first published in 1981 making me 13yo. It made a big impression on me at the time and I was quite shocked it ended the way it did. The change in the movie ending infuriated me. Re-reading it all these years later, I don't find it anywhere near as good as what King had written to this point, though better than Firestarter. Cujo is a short book compared to the other's but longer than Carrie. I had thought this was going to be pure realistic horror but had forgotten about the boogieman element. King goes about playing this realistic, frighteningly possible story of a rabid dog wandering in a rural backwoods area while adding in just a touch of the paranormal which we could believe is imagination on the part of the participants but King won't let us off that easily. Cujo has a small cast of characters and King does something different here for the first time (disregarding the Bachman books) by spending a lot of time on character development of the main handful of major players. There is not even any threat until well over 100 pages in which is 1/3 of the book. King also chooses to write from the dog's point of view occasionally; this is a tricky thing to do and pull off well. But The King does it! Cujo's thoughts come much less frequently than any others, and his passages are always short lending great credibility and success to Cujo never becoming personified. He is always an animal, even though the reader is party to his brief canine thoughts. A good quick read. Classic King, but I'd call this a turning point from his work to date so far, more of a psychological thriller than horror; but still horror in a more real sense than in actually being scary or creepy.
Now as I'm reading through the books, I'm also looking for the connections to the previous books in the big Stephen King Universe and this one is easy. Taking place in Castle Rock, right after the events of The Dead Zone, our new family moves into the house owned by the killer in DZ. This killer (I won't say who it is) and the case which forms the first half of DZ are referred to frequently in Cujo. Finally, Sheriff Bannerman from DZ is a character in both books. I didn't pick up on anything else.
Now as I'm reading through the books, I'm also looking for the connections to the previous books in the big Stephen King Universe and this one is easy. Taking place in Castle Rock, right after the events of The Dead Zone, our new family moves into the house owned by the killer in DZ. This killer (I won't say who it is) and the case which forms the first half of DZ are referred to frequently in Cujo. Finally, Sheriff Bannerman from DZ is a character in both books. I didn't pick up on anything else.
"Tad could hear the coathangers jingling softly, talking about Daddy in their coathanger language..."
on 15 September 2012
CUJO is the famous story of the huge great St.Bernard dog, who having contracted rabies from some poorly bats who bit his nose, lays siege to Donna and Tad Trenton in their broken down car. The story is simple, but King develops his characters well, and the supporting cast get full histories, outlooks and characterisations. Donna and Vic Trenton are married but in trouble - Vic has work problems and Donna has just ended a messy affair, which the other party gleefully informs Vic about. Tad, their four year old son, is scared of monsters in his closet, and isn't happy about Daddy having to go away on a business trip. Their car, a knackered old Pinto, is giving up the ghost and in dire need of some tinkering. Old Joe Camber lives on the outskirts of Castle Rock; he's a cheap but reliable mechanic. His wife is scared of him, and when she unexpectedly wins a packet on the lottery she takes her son on a little family interstate trip. Joe is left alone with his drunken pervert friend Gary from next door, and his sons huge dog Cujo to keep him company. Events conspire to that final simple occurrence; Donna and Tad trapped in a dead Pinto, outside Joe's garage while a disoriented, pained and very confused dog is getting very angry at everything.
Its not just the human characters that King draws well but Cujo himself is painted in a very sympathetic manner; before the disease Cujo is a big loveable furry heap of a dog, a huge gentle giant, but illness makes him hurt, makes his head pound, makes him confused. Cujo is not the villain here, the villain is rabies, and the villain is fate; the day-to-day living with the card you were dealt, and how twists and turns of fate can affect many others inextricably linked with your destiny.
Alledgedly King wrote most of this book while off his face on various hard drugs and booze but while it does wander a bit, its still a fairly grounded piece of Castle Rock mythology, and occasionally the writing shines. I loved a little line, early on, when Vic is checking in Tad's closet for monsters and "Tad could hear the coathangers jingling softly, talking about Daddy in their coathanger language." I think that's great. I never really considered reading CUJO a while ago, much like I still don't really fancy SALEM'S LOT or CHRISTINE, but CUJO turned out to be read ahead of some other choices simply because it was small enough to fit into my pocket to read on the way to the hospital to see my dying father. Its quite a tight book, smaller than Kings usual behemoths, and really engaging, especially in the last third. I also enjoyed just the Castle Rock people - the mailman, the serial killer from last decade, the old woman who can predict the weather - and the atmosphere; I'm hugely interested in reading more of the Castle Rock chronicles, preferably when its out of season.
Its not just the human characters that King draws well but Cujo himself is painted in a very sympathetic manner; before the disease Cujo is a big loveable furry heap of a dog, a huge gentle giant, but illness makes him hurt, makes his head pound, makes him confused. Cujo is not the villain here, the villain is rabies, and the villain is fate; the day-to-day living with the card you were dealt, and how twists and turns of fate can affect many others inextricably linked with your destiny.
Alledgedly King wrote most of this book while off his face on various hard drugs and booze but while it does wander a bit, its still a fairly grounded piece of Castle Rock mythology, and occasionally the writing shines. I loved a little line, early on, when Vic is checking in Tad's closet for monsters and "Tad could hear the coathangers jingling softly, talking about Daddy in their coathanger language." I think that's great. I never really considered reading CUJO a while ago, much like I still don't really fancy SALEM'S LOT or CHRISTINE, but CUJO turned out to be read ahead of some other choices simply because it was small enough to fit into my pocket to read on the way to the hospital to see my dying father. Its quite a tight book, smaller than Kings usual behemoths, and really engaging, especially in the last third. I also enjoyed just the Castle Rock people - the mailman, the serial killer from last decade, the old woman who can predict the weather - and the atmosphere; I'm hugely interested in reading more of the Castle Rock chronicles, preferably when its out of season.
on 21 November 2013
There are many commonly held misconceptions in the world, and one of these is that Stephen King is a "Horror" writer. But he's not. He simply writes some bloody good stories that, occasionally, have horrible things happen in them. Cujo is like this. I have been reading this at tea breaks and on the bus over the last few days, occasionally breathless, caught up in the suspense. Forget the film. It's not in the same league as the book. I almost didn't read this because I saw the film a number of years ago and remembered it as ok...ish. But the book was a different story. Different ending too. VERY sad ending and one that had me cursing that SK could DO such a thing! I loved the fact that we could "hear" Cujo's "thoughts". It's how I've always imagined my dog "thinks". Not WHAT i think he thinks (I hope...) but in terms of THE MAN, THE BOY etc.
This book made me remember why I love Stephen King's writing. 1 small criticism which is why 4 instead of 5*'s - There are too many loose ends at the end. Another few pages of an epilogue so I could have closure on the the characters who died, what happened to the bloke who vandalised the house and how everything else settled down. There is one of sorts, but it's too sparse.
Overall, one of Mr. King's best. And you know that his best are very special indeed.
This book made me remember why I love Stephen King's writing. 1 small criticism which is why 4 instead of 5*'s - There are too many loose ends at the end. Another few pages of an epilogue so I could have closure on the the characters who died, what happened to the bloke who vandalised the house and how everything else settled down. There is one of sorts, but it's too sparse.
Overall, one of Mr. King's best. And you know that his best are very special indeed.
on 23 April 2017
A plot and idea so simple i was worried it may be boring. king doesnt dissapoint. truely captivating an adicive story telling.
on 22 May 2013
Unless you've been living under a rock (Or some kind of creepy hiding place), you will know by now that Stephen King's Cujo, is a classic horror tale about a Saint Bernard dog, that gets bitten by a rabid bat and goes on a rampage more violent than Marvin Hagler versus Tommy Hearns.
What you wont know is that this book is a slow building page turner, that is tense, brutal and extremely violent in places. King takes no prisoners with this dark and gory tale.
Cujo has a slow start, but it creatively builds to a crescendo of violence and dread.
The book starts off peacefully enough. Cujo, a giant friendly Saint Bernard is out adventuring on his family farm and he ends up chasing a rabbit into a small hole/cave. This is all a bit of fun for the big friendly giant, but unfortunately for Cujo (And the residents of Castle Rock) the small hole doesn't just hold a scared little rabbit. It is also the home to a swarm of rabid bats. And these blood suckers, do not take kindly to the 200 pound dog invading on their turf. One bite and Cujo's life is changed forever. As each day goes by, he is transformed from a friendly loveable household pet, into a 200 pound juggernaut of death and destruction.
One thing that really works about this book is the fact that king lets you inside Cujo's head. You hear every one of his thoughts and its an idea that really works. It makes the character more human and you understand why the dog acts so psychotic towards the end of the book. You are brought along for his whole transformation. You will despise Cujo in places, but at the same time, you understand that his mind is only reacting to the poisonous rage that is flowing through his veins.
When the dog's mind is finally corrupted, he hates everything and everyone. Sunlight hurts him, sound shatters his senses. Water tastes like poison and he blames anyone and anything for his illness. He is angry, and wants everyone to suffer for causing him pain.
King also teases you with the transformation from gentle giant to the devil dog. Before he finally snaps, there are various scenes where you think that Cujo will attack, but suddenly, sanity kicks in and the dog remembers who he really is. These moments had me on the edge of my seat, and you know that when Cujo does snap, it is not going to be pretty.
The characters are all well written, but as usual, in most of King's books, there is the descriptive filler. You know every characters background. How many brothers and sisters they've got. Where they grew up. What color of socks they were wearing on the 8th of August 1968 (Okay, maybe you don't know about the sock thing, but you get the point). Sometimes you just want a bit more progression and a little less description, but hey, its Stevie King, who am I to complain.
The book also has a very shocking ending. I didn't see the twist coming. It is very dark and also very sad. I'm not going to say anything, as I don't want to spoil it for you, but it will shock and even upset you.
This book isn't the scariest thing that King has written, but it does for dogs, what IT does for clowns. I will pray that I never come across any kind of rabid dog.
A very tense & gory page turner, that will keep you on the edge and get that adrenaline pumping.
Read it if you get the chance :)
22/05/2013
What you wont know is that this book is a slow building page turner, that is tense, brutal and extremely violent in places. King takes no prisoners with this dark and gory tale.
Cujo has a slow start, but it creatively builds to a crescendo of violence and dread.
The book starts off peacefully enough. Cujo, a giant friendly Saint Bernard is out adventuring on his family farm and he ends up chasing a rabbit into a small hole/cave. This is all a bit of fun for the big friendly giant, but unfortunately for Cujo (And the residents of Castle Rock) the small hole doesn't just hold a scared little rabbit. It is also the home to a swarm of rabid bats. And these blood suckers, do not take kindly to the 200 pound dog invading on their turf. One bite and Cujo's life is changed forever. As each day goes by, he is transformed from a friendly loveable household pet, into a 200 pound juggernaut of death and destruction.
One thing that really works about this book is the fact that king lets you inside Cujo's head. You hear every one of his thoughts and its an idea that really works. It makes the character more human and you understand why the dog acts so psychotic towards the end of the book. You are brought along for his whole transformation. You will despise Cujo in places, but at the same time, you understand that his mind is only reacting to the poisonous rage that is flowing through his veins.
When the dog's mind is finally corrupted, he hates everything and everyone. Sunlight hurts him, sound shatters his senses. Water tastes like poison and he blames anyone and anything for his illness. He is angry, and wants everyone to suffer for causing him pain.
King also teases you with the transformation from gentle giant to the devil dog. Before he finally snaps, there are various scenes where you think that Cujo will attack, but suddenly, sanity kicks in and the dog remembers who he really is. These moments had me on the edge of my seat, and you know that when Cujo does snap, it is not going to be pretty.
The characters are all well written, but as usual, in most of King's books, there is the descriptive filler. You know every characters background. How many brothers and sisters they've got. Where they grew up. What color of socks they were wearing on the 8th of August 1968 (Okay, maybe you don't know about the sock thing, but you get the point). Sometimes you just want a bit more progression and a little less description, but hey, its Stevie King, who am I to complain.
The book also has a very shocking ending. I didn't see the twist coming. It is very dark and also very sad. I'm not going to say anything, as I don't want to spoil it for you, but it will shock and even upset you.
This book isn't the scariest thing that King has written, but it does for dogs, what IT does for clowns. I will pray that I never come across any kind of rabid dog.
A very tense & gory page turner, that will keep you on the edge and get that adrenaline pumping.
Read it if you get the chance :)
22/05/2013
on 19 August 2014
Ive ejoyed all of King's Iconic Terror novels and even by my already very high expectations of his work, I thought Cujo was brilliant. Very gripping story that consistently builds speed to a great ending. Brilliant deep multifaceted characters and Cujo himself is a great realistic horror. Acutally more frightening because it is a completly possible situation.
