Books
New Stephen King Novella ‘Elevation’ Coming This Halloween; Plot Details
As it turns out, Stephen King is releasing not one but two brand new stories this year. While new adaptations of his work continue to take over screens both big and small, King is gearing up to release The Outsider on May 22, which begins when “An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is found in a town park.”
What else is coming this year from THE master of horror? A 144-page novella titled Elevation, which is set in King’s iconic fictional town of Castle Rock!
The book is described as “a riveting, extraordinarily eerie, and moving story about a man whose mysterious affliction brings a small town together—a timely, upbeat tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences.”
In Elevation…
“Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis.
In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face – including his own — he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.”
Elevation will be published on October 30, just in time for Halloween.
Chad Fifer and Chris Lackey, the folks behind the Strange Studies of Strange Stories podcast, are set to launch their own tabletop RPG in Strange Stories – The Roleplaying Game. Currently, the Backerkit pre-launch site is live, where you can sign up for updates when the campaign launches next month on July 21.
For those unfamiliar, the Strange Stories podcast centers around classic sci-fi, fantasy and horror literature, aiming to “render the familiar unfamiliar,” compelling its listeners to “experience the world anew” regarding topics such as monsters, magic and flying saucers. With the TTRPG, this one-night, rules-light session game will emulate short stories of the fantasy/horror/sci-fi genre. The team plans on replicating the same experience for their listeners with tabletop players, plunging them into extraordinary situations that reframe the ordinary.
Chris Lackey is no stranger to working on TTRPGs, having written for TTRPG publishers Chaosium and Pelgrane in the past, including the award-winning “Cults of Cthulhu”. For Strange Stories – The Roleplaying Game, accompanying each adventure will be an audio companion to prep Story Guides (GMs) to run each session. More details are expected when the campaign officially launches.
“For seventeen years on our podcast, we’ve studied the architects of the uncanny. Now, our game brings their worlds to life. Drawing on the work of Rod Serling, H.P. Lovecraft, Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E. Howard (just to name a few), we plunge players into extraordinary situations that reframe the ordinary.”