NPR's Book of the Day

Episode: Stephen King on 'The Shining' Sequel and the Novel He Co-Authored With His Son

Date: October 31, 2025
Host: Andrew Limbong
Featured Authors: Stephen King and Owen King
Guest Hosts/Interviewers: David Green, Mary Louise Kelly

Episode Overview

This special Halloween episode dives into the master of horror, Stephen King. It features two insightful interviews:

• A 2013 NPR conversation with Stephen King about "Doctor Sleep," his sequel to "The Shining," exploring themes of alcoholism, generational trauma, and writing evolution.
• A joint interview with Stephen King and his son, Owen King, discussing their collaborative novel "Sleeping Beauties," the dynamics of their co-writing process, and the family legacy of storytelling.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Revisiting The Shining: Doctor Sleep and Generational Trauma

Segments: 01:58 – 09:38
Interview: David Green with Stephen King

• On Writing a Sequel to a Classic

  • Stephen King addresses the challenge of following up such an iconic work. He reflects on the enduring resonance of "The Shining," particularly with young readers discovering it at a formative age.
    • “Being scared is like sex. There's nothing like your first time.” — Stephen King (02:13)

• Danny Torrance Grown Up: Cycles of Trauma

  • The desire to revisit Danny as an adult is linked to curiosity about whether people can rise above familial mistakes and trauma.
    • “Can we rise above the mistakes that our parents made or the character flaws that our parents had?” — Stephen King (03:33)

• Addiction and AA in Doctor Sleep

  • King draws from personal experience, contrasting Danny’s journey with Jack Torrance’s. The nature-vs-nurture question is central, with special attention to whether one can escape familial predispositions to addiction.
    • “Jack Torrance never tries Alcoholics Anonymous...I wondered what it would be like to see Danny first as an alcoholic and then see him in AA.” — Stephen King (05:17)
  • King is reserved about specifics but affirms “a lot of personal research” shaped the depiction of recovery.
    • “I haven’t had a drink in about 25 years now, so you could draw certain conclusions from that. But I wouldn’t cop to it. Let me just say this, David. I’ve done a lot of personal research.” — Stephen King (06:31)

• King’s Evolution As a Writer

  • King feels he's become more sophisticated but is determined never to “phone it in.” He’s driven by a need to fully use his talent in the time he has.
    • “There are plenty of people who’ve got lots of talent. This world is lousy with talent. The idea is to work that talent and try to get to be the best person that you can, given the limits of the talent that God gave you or fate or genetics, whatever name you want to put on it.” — Stephen King (07:30)

• Spirituality and Mortality in Storytelling

  • On reluctance to proselytize, King wants themes to emerge naturally, letting his characters be the vehicle.
    • “My main job is to tell stories and to be a storyteller. And what I feel about spirituality...are things that should come through in the book. But I don’t put up any billboards.” — Stephen King (08:16)
  • He candidly addresses aging and thoughts about death:
    • “Death is the great mystery and it’s the final act in our lives. And it deserves, if anything ever does, it deserves the kind of treatment that a guy like me can give it: speculative and imaginative.” — Stephen King (09:13)

2. King & Son: Collaborating on "Sleeping Beauties"

Segments: 10:15 – 17:15
Interview: Mary Louise Kelly with Stephen King and Owen King

• Origins of a Horror Family

  • Both Stephen and Owen recall childhood memories that influenced their paths as writers:
    • Stephen’s mother read him shocking stories like "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (10:49).
    • Owen describes their family “writing game,” a collaborative storytelling exercise (11:26).

• How "Sleeping Beauties" Was Conceived and Written

  • Owen pitched the idea: What if all women in the world fell asleep and didn’t wake up? Stephen instantly recognized it as the seed for a gripping story.
    • “Owen kind of tossed this thing off and all my lights came on...This is a situation that demands a story.” — Stephen King (11:54)
  • Their collaborative method involved alternating writing pages and encouraging each other to take ownership—and risks—with the narrative.
    • “I rewrote him and he rewrote me ... just make it as hard as possible for the poor old guy. And then he would do the same to me.” — Owen King (12:37)

• Blending Styles and Creating a "Third Voice"

  • The back-and-forth led to a merging of voices so complete neither could recall who wrote specific passages.
    • “When we were done, the stuff was so interwoven and so rewritten and plowed over, it’s almost like we created a third person, which could be a horror story in itself.” — Stephen King (13:38)

• Evie: The Supernatural Heart of "Sleeping Beauties"

  • The Kings read a lyrical passage establishing Evie’s uncanny omnipresence, highlighting their seamless collaboration.
    • “Evie was almost everywhere. She was a fly in the 767 ... as an aunt, she moved through the still warm blood of a dead teenage girl in the woods where Jared ran from his pursuers.” — Stephen & Owen King (14:13 – 15:16)
  • Neither author could remember who wrote which lines, underscoring their successful partnership.

• Reflections on Co-Writing as Father and Son

  • For Owen, the process was most valuable for the time spent together.
    • “I’m thrilled with the book. I’m very, very proud of it. But the thing that I liked the most about this was that I got to spend all this time with my dad.” — Owen King (16:03)
  • Stephen echoes the sentiment, comparing solo writing to sailing the Atlantic in a bathtub and cherishing the companionship.
    • “I had somebody with me on it, and that was great. And for it to be my son, that was a tremendous gift.” — Stephen King (16:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Being scared is like sex. There's nothing like your first time.” — Stephen King, [02:13]
• “My idea is to come up to you and grab you by the lapels and say, I have this story. I want to tell it to you.” — Stephen King, [04:25]
• “There are plenty of people who’ve got lots of talent... the idea is to work that talent and try to get to be the best person that you can, given the limits of the talent that God gave you or fate or genetics, whatever name you want to put on it.” — Stephen King, [07:30]
• “You could say, having read these two books and knowing that I was a very heavy drinker at the time that I wrote The Shining, and I haven't had a drink in about 25 years now, so you could draw certain conclusions from that. But I wouldn't cop to it. Let me just say this, David. I've done a lot of personal research.” — Stephen King, [06:30]
• “Evie was almost everywhere. She was a fly in the 767 … as an aunt, she moved through the still warm blood of a dead teenage girl...” — Stephen & Owen King, [14:13 – 15:16]
• “It’s almost like we created a third person, which could be a horror story in itself.” — Stephen King, [13:38]
• “To me, that was... I’m thrilled with the book... But the thing that I liked the most about this was that I got to spend all this time with my dad.” — Owen King, [16:03]
• “Writing a novel is like sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a bathtub...I had somebody with me on it, and that was great. And for it to be my son, that was a tremendous gift.” — Stephen King, [16:34]

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment Description | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:58 | Start of 2013 Stephen King interview on "Doctor Sleep" | | 03:06 | Revisiting Danny Torrance and familial legacy | | 04:58 | Alcoholism, nature vs. nurture, AA in King’s works | | 06:52 | King’s evolution and philosophy about writing | | 08:09 | King on spirituality and storytelling | | 10:15 | Introduction to collaboration with Owen King | | 11:26 | Family storytelling traditions, “the writing game” | | 12:23 | Collaborative process of writing "Sleeping Beauties" | | 14:13 | Joint reading: Evie character description | | 16:03 | Reflections on what collaboration meant to father and son |

Episode Flow and Tone

The episode maintains NPR's signature warmth and curiosity, balancing literary analysis with personal reflection. King’s frankness about addiction, writing anxieties, and mortality gives the episode depth, while the exchange between father and son infuses the second half with tenderness and humor.

Takeaways

• Generational trauma and addiction are at the heart of "Doctor Sleep," drawn from King’s personal and familial reflections.
• Collaboration across generations, especially within a family of writers, brings both creative challenges and emotional rewards, as vividly illustrated in the making of "Sleeping Beauties."
• Stephen King’s ability to blend the horrifying with the human has evolved but remains energized by a commitment to mining every facet of his talent—and life experience.

Listeners gain a window into both the psychological terrain of King’s fiction and the human connections that fuel his enduring relevance in horror and beyond.