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 Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2001 1:41 am Post subject: |
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Well for a while now I've been swamped with course work and moving into a new place and all that. Things have finally settled down, and I got a lot of help when I was finally able to read some good old King between papers. Then of course I came back and found this wonderful place was closing. So I suppose this will be the last review I ever do for Casey's message board. Kind of sad for me, but at least we'll all be able to chat about our horror novels at Gorezone, which I'll be at shortly with any other reviews. So without further ado...
You get in and first it's the wonderful smell of your own car, almost new. There's something underneath that smell, but it's an old car, that's all it is. You turn the key and the engine roars to life, an almost feral, living sound as you settle in. Your hands carress the steering wheel and there a seductive almost sensual feel as you get that sense of power from your own car. Like she can do anything for you... anything...
And thus Christine awakens once more. Stephen King certainly delivers in his tale of a '58 Plymouth Fury with an amazing seductive power and deadly personality certainly delivers in the area of chills and action as well as King's usual fine story-telling. The beautiful thing about this novel though is that it's more than just a story of a killer car. The underlying themes of friendship and the turbulence of the last few years of being a kid and transitioning into adulthood give the story much deeper emotional levels and a more realistic feel for all of us that have been through that time.
The story involves Arnie Cunningham, a high school loser who is out with almost everyone, his only real affinity for cars. His one friend Dennis (who narrates the first section of the book) can see a lot more to him and helps him survive... until Christine comes along. When Arnie sees the rusted hulk on the side of the road, he knows somehow that he can fix her up. It's then that he first starts to stand up for anything, to his overbearing parents, to anyone that tries to put him down. He will do anything to have Christine and she does indeed get fixed up.
It's then that Dennis begins to worry about his changing friend and the strange hold that the car seems to have over him, a strange hold that everyone but Arnie can see. And when people begin to truly cross him or Christine, bad things happen and only get worse as Christine gains more power.
Needless to say, I quite enjoyed this one on a variety of different levels. The emotional context of Arnie and Dennis and the themes of true friendship are very powerful and highlight the themes of the strange transition from adolescence into true adulthood.
And of course, there is the horror factor. The general supernatural feel that King endows the car with is remarkable, pointing out all those little things we all do that almost make cars seem like living things, as well as the sense of power that anyone gets from thier first car. Another good thing about the horror in Christine is that there is a feeling of inescapability as the novel moves on in that there is really no way to truly get away from Christine, no defense against the vehicle of destruction once she sets her sights on you, because the car finds a way to get to just about anyone, anywhere.
So if you haven't read this one yet, pick it up somewhere, you'll be glad that you did. Though it will make you a bit edgy about certain cars, especially that old junker that seems to look just a bit better than it did the day before...
Well that's it for my last review here. Kind of wish I wasn't so rusty, but that's the way it is sometimes. I'll just have to get back on my feet at Gorezone once I finish The Wolfen by Whitley Strieber (naturally my kind of book *grins*). Still, very sorry to see this place go, it's been our home for a long time. But such is life I guess.
Rest in peace, Doc. We love you, man.
*a howl echoes through the night, some in mourning but also full of the knowledge that the people will still be around, even if the setting is different, then the Wolf heads off for the new hunting ground*
the Wolf
Submitted By: the Wolf |
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| Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2001 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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I also think that Christine is a great book. I also think the movie was great too. And I'll miss The Cabinet too.
Submitted By: CJ |
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