Pet Sematary

Stephen King

May 2014 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this eBook

Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestseller is a “wild, powerful, disturbing” (The Washington Post Book World) classic about evil that exists far beyond the grave—among his most iconic and frightening novels.

When Dr. Louis Creed takes a new job and moves his family to the idyllic rural town of Ludlow, Maine, this new beginning seems too good to be true. Despite Ludlow’s tranquility, an undercurrent of danger exists here. Those trucks on the road outside the Creed’s beautiful old home travel by just a little too quickly, for one thing…as is evidenced by the makeshift graveyard in the nearby woods where generations of children have buried their beloved pets. Then there are the warnings to Louis both real and from the depths of his nightmares that he should not venture beyond the borders of this little graveyard where another burial ground lures with seductive promises and ungodly temptations. A blood-chilling truth is hidden there—one more terrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful. As Louis is about to discover for himself sometimes, dead is better…

Ratings and reviews

It's difficult to love a book that is about so many heartwrenching topics. I read it in less than two days. King is an absolutely mesmerizing writer. Much better than the film. But such a difficult read, especially if you have small children. I will probably not read it again, however it will stay with me forever. It made me truly grateful yet very aware- life can change in a second. Cherish what you have. WHO you have. The rest doesn't matter.

My first king book and I thought it was great, I had just moved to a small town on Maui called Hana.i had moved from San Jose CA it was 1984 I wore big bells and leather jacket, my first day of school I realized I was in a different world the dudes wore shorts and that was it no shoes, my first class was reading and they were reading see spot run no lie anyway I got my ass kicked, anyway it was safer to stay home so I read this book instead of getting my ass kicked, thank you King

Pet Sematary is another twisted take by the master of horror himself. The elements of tragedy, horror, and what not are used to full effectiveness in this very unsettling tale. It is unsettling. I lost track at difficult times while listening but I do kind of get it.

About the author

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.