I've had a fascination with Stephen King since I was in high school. It's been an off and on relationship. I used to love reading his short stories. In fact, some of his stories that I read in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Skeleton-Crew-Stephen-King/dp/0451168615/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631959&amp;sr=1-1">"Skeleton Crew"</a> back in high school creep back up in my imagination while I'm walking down a dark hallway at night.

The book that meant the most to me was, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Buick-8-Stephen-King/dp/0743417682/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631987&amp;sr=1-1">"From a Buick 8,"</a> published in 2001. I've read it four times and listened to it on audiobook at least three times (which I highly recommend). It marked a moment for me when King became more than a horror writer and a "character developer" for me.

It probably wasn't about him, it was about me. I learned to love characters. It was about the same time I fell in love with the Coen Brother's, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/">"The Big Lewbowski."</a> It was when I learned a novel or book didn't have to be about a story. It needed to be about the full richness of the characters within. It's like life. We can't sum up our lives within a story, but during a eulogy, we can tell people about what a character someone was.

<em>Now, here's the obligatory spoiler alert. I'm going to tell you at least what the Amazon.com page tells you. If you don't want to know that, stop reading. If you are comfortable with that, feel free to indulge yourself in my review.</em>

Okay?

Here we go.

<a href="http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2.jpg"><img class="alignleft  wp-image-4702" style="margin-left: 6px;margin-right: 6px" src="http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/king2-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="198" height="251" /></a>My sister, who is  a library scientist (yeah, there is such a thing) told me that they can't keep King's book, 11/22/63 on the shelf. It' s booked up in reserve for three months. There's a reason. It's worth your time. Don't bother reserving it at your library. Go buy it. In hardback. On your ebook. Now.

If you know your history, 11/22/63 is the date of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What you may not know is how King uses that day in the writing of his novel. King, like any master of fiction, does a great thing. He takes a common person and puts him into an impossible situation.

The main character, Jake Epping, an English teacher, is forced to go back in time to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. That's the spoiler Amazon.com gives you, and that's all I'm giving you.

Who should read this novel? Three groups of people.

First, anyone who grew up in the time of the Kennedy assassination. King is very familiar with the surroundings of the time. It's obvious he did a ton of research and he says so in the Afterword. He captures the flair and nuances with the atmosphere, the characters and the racial tensions of the time. I was born in 1973. There were times I was lost with history. I hate history. But I fired up my iPad and got on Wikipedia and darnit, I learned a few things. Those who grew up in that generation will appreciate King's savvy in weaving around the time period.

He deals with Oswald and the conspiracy. He is very cogent of all the facts. But when it comes right down to it, it's a work of a master blend of characters and fiction. Characters that will come off the page and make you wish you were sitting right there with them, having an ice cold Coke in 1960.

The second group of people who should read this is anyone who loves good fiction. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Pastor-Finding-Restoration-Broken/dp/0615567096/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327633802&amp;sr=8-1">I wrote a non-fiction book.</a> But my love will always be for fiction. Good fiction. Characters that jump off the page and live in your heart. People who come alive and make you think that maybe they really existed at some point in time. King always seems to interject himself in some character in his books. His own interests and hobbies come alive and it's true in this book as well. His writing makes you turn each page in anticipation of concern and care for each individual character, their own well-being, and their future.

Finally, any author worth their salt should read this book. For that matter, King should be on the reading list of any author who desires to be published. About eight years ago, I read the best book I've ever had the pleasure of ever setting my eyes on. Believe it or not, it wasn't a fiction novel. It was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1327631779&amp;sr=8-1">King's, "On Writing."</a> In it, he tackled the task of answering <a href="http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-4703" src="http://provoketive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/onwritng-184x300.jpg" alt="" width="184" height="300" /></a>the questions that many people ask him - "how do I write good fiction?"

He didn't try to write a manual. Instead, he was just honest with his life story and gave a "toolbox" of sorts that he used. I've read it four times and listened to the self-narrated audiobook the same amount. It is priceless. Even for those writers who write non-fiction.

Dirty secret - I used to write songs. But before I wrote lyrics, I'd listen to my favorite band, U2, for at least 12 hours at a time. Why? Because it made for good inspiration. And it made me feel like I was capable of something.

Guess what? If you want to climb Mount Everest, you should watch someone else do it first. If you're a writer, talk to someone who has published first. Or read their work. Stephen King has published an amazing library of works and made <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/index.html">himself open to his readers</a>. Seek out good writing. Don't copy it, but absorb it. Wallow in it. Cherish it.

The characters leap into your mind and your heart. They will dwell there. Not just for days or weeks, but for years. You may forget about them for a while, but one day you will remember them. And you will find yourself wanting to crack open that old novel again days down the road to remember that old friend. And that's how a good novel should be. That's what a good writer wants.

Thank you, Mr. King, for another great work. For more great characters. For another amazing, redemptive read.