Sword in the Darkness
Encyclopedia
Sword in the Darkness is the title of an unpublished novel
by American author
Stephen King
.
Sword in the Darkness is the longest of King's unpublished works, at approximately 485 pages (150,000 words) in length. Upon its completion in April 1970, it was rejected by twelve publisher
s. King has said that he now considers it unpublishable and intends for it never to be released to the public.
The book's plot includes a character dealing with the suicide
of his pregnant sister and the death of his mother from a brain tumor
, and another character, a black activist
lawyer, who incites a riot
after speaking at a local high school.
In 2006, a lengthy excerpt from the book was published in Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished, by Rocky Wood
et al. (Cemetery Dance Publications
, March 2006). The excerpt related the back-story
of one character, a teacher named Edie Rowsmith. It is effectively a stand-alone horror-story in the style of the early Stephen King.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by American author
American literature
American literature is the written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States. During its early history, America was a series of British...
Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
.
Sword in the Darkness is the longest of King's unpublished works, at approximately 485 pages (150,000 words) in length. Upon its completion in April 1970, it was rejected by twelve publisher
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
s. King has said that he now considers it unpublishable and intends for it never to be released to the public.
The book's plot includes a character dealing with the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of his pregnant sister and the death of his mother from a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
, and another character, a black activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
lawyer, who incites a riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
after speaking at a local high school.
In 2006, a lengthy excerpt from the book was published in Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished, by Rocky Wood
Rocky Wood
Rocky Wood is an award-nominated writer and researcher best-known for his books about horror author Stephen King. He is the first non-American to hold the position of President of the Horror Writers Association. Wood was born in Wellington New Zealand and lives in Melbourne, Australia with his...
et al. (Cemetery Dance Publications
Cemetery Dance Publications
Cemetery Dance Publications is a specialty press publisher of horror and dark suspense. Cemetery Dance was founded by Richard Chizmar, a horror author, while he was in college. It is associated with Cemetery Dance magazine, which was founded in 1988. They began to publish books in 1992.Cemetery...
, March 2006). The excerpt related the back-story
Back-story
A back-story, background story, or backstory is the literary device of a narrative chronologically earlier than, and related to, a narrative of primary interest. Generally, it is the history of characters or other elements that underlie the situation existing at the main narrative's start...
of one character, a teacher named Edie Rowsmith. It is effectively a stand-alone horror-story in the style of the early Stephen King.
External links
- Cemetery Dance Publications, Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished. This hardcover edition is now out of print.
- Kanrock Publishing, Stephen King: Uncollected, Unpublished. This second edition, in paperback, is in print.