Pet Sematary

Year: 1983

Abstract:
Doctor Louis Creed and his family move to rural Ludlow, Maine after he gets a job at the university infirmary in nearby Bangor. There they meet Jud Crandall and discover the pet cemetery where ages of children have buried beloved animals. But death is coming. And there's a place beyond the pet cemetery where all is not as it seems and those buried there have a habit of coming back. Changed.

Advanced Mind
Exploration/Quest
Military/Fighting
Horror
Magic
Advanced Technology
Time Travel/Alternate History
Science
Aliens/Beasties
Contemporality

Other books in this series:
None

tyranist's Review
This is the first of what will probably be quite a few horror novels reviewed on this site. When Spectre and I started doing reviews we agreed that it was sci-fi and fantasy nothing more. But those lines are blurry when horror comes into play. Pet Sematary is not really a horror novel so much as a modern fantasy with strong horror elements. The same can be said of much of the literature piled contemptuously in the horror genre. We'll take these on a case by case basis and if they truly do fit the sci-fi/fantasy mold, we'll review them for you.
As fantasy goes, I am perhaps a bigger fan of the more modern, darker fantasies than those set in an age I can't physically relate to. There are exceptions, but for the most part, a good dark, modern fantasy usually pleases me more. This is no exception. Louis could be me and Jud is a man everyone can love. The death and horror are real and only become fantastic in certain moments. The interweaving of the world I know and the one that Louis Creed lives in is smooth and in some ways makes me want to be there. But I believe that this is King's gift. His world creation is perhaps better than anyone else outside of Frank Herbert and Herbert only has the edge because he had to do so much more to build his world.
Pet Sematary is definitely worth the read, but be warned. If you are a parent with young children, it may be a bit difficult at times. The emotion is as real as it should be.

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