252: Flashback: An Interview with Michael Whelan

This live recording of The Kingcast was done last week in Las Vegas at KingCon in a room full of Stephen King super fans. Thankfully, Tom Jane proves his King credentials as this deep dive chat covers King's books, short stories, and the adaptations that Jane has had a chance to partake in. Yes, including Dreamcatcher. Maybe especially Dreamcatcher.

Revival is King's underappreciated masterpiece about seeking for the truth behind the afterlife. The story follows a young man from childhood into adulthood as a he keeps encountering his small town preacher who is becoming more and more obsessed with piercing the veil through his experiments with secret electricity.

The Mist is Stephen King's stab at Lord of the Flies as he explores the microcosms that form when a group of small town strangers are trapped in a small grocery store while a supernatural mist hides deadly creatures just outside the doors. 

What if the distance between two points could be manipulated? How aggressive can a single person be about shaving a little driving time off her commute? Turns out anything is possible in Stephen King's brain as this small town, deeply Maine, story unfolds and includes possible folding of time and space. 

Whelan is the recipient of 15 Hugo awards for his work illustrating for the most popular names in genre storytelling, including Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert A. Heinlein, Brandon Sanderson, and, of course, Stephen King.

What began as a weird short story with mythological overtones about an absurdly large man who eats a ton of lawn clippings ended up as a movie about a mentally challenged lawnmower who becomes VR Hitler thanks to Pierce Brosnan with an earring. This is the movie so radically different from the source material that it inspired not just one, but two different lawsuits from Stephen King. 

Romance writer Paul Sheldon is in a catastrophic car accident and that's only the beginning of his troubles as his rescuer turns out to be a psychotic fan who has some very strong opinions on the direction of his recent work. 

You can always count on Kate Siegel to keep things chaotic and Emily V. Gordon to bring her psychology degree to the table when analyzing King's work. Be prepared for lots of talk about "that scene" from IT and to desperately want a tee-shirt with the slogan "Stank Some Os" by the time this chat wraps up.

The Life of Chuck is a recent King novella published in If It Bleeds, a standout story about finding joy in life, even if that means dancing your ass off in front of complete strangers. The odd feel good story about a world falling apart that has been adapted into a wonderful new film from Mike Flanagan.

Revival is the story of a nice guy preacher who suffers great personal tragedy, loses his faith, and seeks for answers about the afterlife that he, and us, the constant readers, aren't ready to face. Released in 2014, this book still has yet to be adapted, even though folks like Mike Flanagan have tried.