Rating: 
Summary: A great, bizarre horror story
Review: "Pet Sematary" is one of my favorite Stephen King books simply because of how weird it is. It's the scariest one he's written, along with "'Salem's Lot." This one is about a nice little family who moves out to a rural area in Maine. The father is a doctor, the mother a housewife, and they have two little kids and a cat named Winston Churchill. They go walking with their new neighbor, and discover an animal graveyard in the woods behind their house. But further in the woods, beyond the "Pet Sematary," is an ancient Indidan burial ground which supposedly raises who or whatever is buried there back from the dead, but they come back a bit more evil than they were in their past life. This is one of the best King books because it is very bizarre, but is not for a reader with a weak stomach. If you want a scary, gruesome book with a twisted plot, than this is the one to get.
Rating:
Summary: super good
Review: i only recently discovered stephen king books. but, i read quite a few already. this book is really good. it doesnt deal with lame antagonists like monsters or something like that. it deals with real world fears, such as losing somebody you love. this book is not that scary, but it still is scary. it is hard to find an even remotely scary book. if you want to read an excellent and scary book, i truly recommend this book. it is awesome.
Rating:
Summary: Hey, Ho! Lets Go!
Review: I'm not a rabid King fan, although I do enjoy the occasional dabble into his worlds. So far I'd have to say that this book leaves everything behind in it's dust.The story is that of the Creeds, who move to a little town- most likely in Maine, perhaps?- looking for a new beginning. They meet the neighbours, the Crandalls, and get aqqauinted with their home, including a mysterious trail that leads up into the forest, to a mysterious 'Sematary'... I won't lie to you. The book made me feel bad. I don't usually feel this way after books I enjoyed, which really speaks for the skill involved in writing it. There are several things that will always stand out in my mind when I recall Pet Sematary. 1)I liked Louis Creed's reactions, his mental comments, etc. They really show how, especially towards the end, his sanity is being sucked down the drain. His constant flashback's to important phrases, such as, "Sometimes dead is better" give a very creepy feeling. 2)The whole storyline concerning Lou's wife's childhood, and
'Oz the Gweat and Tewwible' were the most disturbing,and satisfying, parts of the book. 3) Queen of Spades: "Darling" Need I say more? I strongly reccomend this book to anyone who doesn't like scary stories, because you need to be cured. You might as well go for the gold.
Rating: 
Summary: "The soil of a man's heart is stonier"
Review: Louis Creed wants nothing more than the best for his family, and with this in mind he takes on a new job as a doctor at a university health center, and moves the four of them (plus the family cat "Church") to rural Maine. Upon first arriving at the new house, Louis loses his keys, his daughter Ellie stumbles and scrapes her knee, and the youngest child Gage gets a nasty bee sting. Though some might consider these bad omens, Louis and his wife Rachel shrug these incidences off and get on with their lives. Little do they know that an ancient evil lurks within the woods beyond their new home.
When Ellie's cat Church gets hit by a truck in the road over Thanksgiving, the Creed's neighbor, Jud Crandall, divulges the secret of the Micmac burial ground and it's evil properties to Louis. In a desperate attempt to keep the pain of death and loss temporarily from his daughter, Jud leads Louis out to bury Church. Though changed in somewhat inexplicable ways, Church comes back from the dead and Louis's daughter Ellie gradually learns the lesson that "sometimes dead is better." However, this particular lesson will come much later for Louis himself and his wife Rachel.
I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of King. Pet Sematary, like many of his other books, is very predictable. King even divulges much of the plot well before it happens saying things like he "now had less than two months to live." In other words, little, if anything, is left to surprise. Furthermore, the prose is somewhat less-than-eloquent. Though that does make this an extremely easy read for those looking for something simple and fun. I also found Ellie's prophetic powers to be somewhat cheesy in this particular novel.
However, all of the aforementioned quibbles aside, this tale is tolerable in that the plot is intriguing. I also enjoyed King's inquiry into the human nature as it deals with the extremely real element of death. This seems to be somewhat of a "road less traveled" for many authors, even in the horror genre. Though many reviewers seem to think that this book would have been better without a good chunk of the first half, I would tend to disagree. The first half of the book sets the stage for the way these individuals deal with death and grief, and what their opinions are on the subject, which is all too human and realistic. It's an inquiry into simple human nature. In the introduction, King explains that he was concerned he "had finally gone too far." Perhaps that is because many people, like Rachel's character in the book, would rather pretend death isn't a part of reality and thus would not like to have it shoved in their faces.
King also notes in his introduction that "'sometimes dead is better' is grief's last lesson....That lesson suggests that in the end, we can only find peace in our human lives by accepting the will of the universe." All grudges with King's books aside, this is a worthwhile lesson to be learned, and I enjoyed reading his ponderings on the subject and the way in which they were presented in this novel.
This book is definitely worth a read. Though the movie adaptation sticks quite well to the majority of the plot, the intricacies are left out (as is the case with many movie adaptations). If you read one Stephen King book, this should be it.
Rating: 
Summary: Am I the only one who sees through this?
Review: Now don't just give me a non-helpful vote cause I didn't like the book, at least hear me out. I like King...a lot. He was one of best American authors in the latter half of the 20th Century, and has churned out thriller after thriller that are rightfully critically acclaimed. However, no matter how much I like a particular author, I judge each book individually, and this is not a good book.
Characterization is one of the things that makes King more than Dean Koontz: he develops his characters to the point where the reader really cares what's happening to them. In addition, if you pardon the cliche, his books are "tightly-plotted," moving quickly from situation to situation and keeping the reader involved. Both of these crucial developments are missing in Pet Sematary, none of the main characters are well developed, and so when terrible things begin to happen the reader remains more detached than involved. In addition, supporting characters are brought in at times when the plot calls for it and then thrown away, without ever being developed at all.
The plot is also surprisingly flimsy for a King novel, used only as a clothesline to hang scary and macabre situations on, instead of supporting the novel itself. The actions by the characters often don't make sense, especially at the climax of the book, and the wonderfully set-up "Pet Sematary" itself is inexplicably abandoned in favor of the place "beyond" the Pet Cemetary over the big dead tree.
Look I wanted to like this, I really did, but it's a poor piece of writing that people like because it's macabre and written by Steven King. 3/10
Rating:
Summary: I'll Never Look at Cats the Same Way Again!!
Review: PET SEMATARY is a book that will stand the test of time. It is, of course, one of King's early novels, and we can see the author at his peek. The horrors he reveals (from family dynamics to supernatural burial grounds) are chilling enough to scare the bejesus out of the sternest of hearts!
The story revolves around the Creed family and their move from a bustling Chicago suburb to quiet Bangor, Maine, where the father (Louis) starts work as a physician. He brings with him his wife and two children (Ellie, a preteen daughter, and Gauge, a preschool boy still in diapers). The house they move into is beautiful with plenty of land for the children to play on, and a nice old neighbor couple across the "road", the Crandalls. It is this "road" that causes some immediate concern to Louis as Judd Crandall tells him about the deaths of animals caused by the big semi-trucks that blaze down its blacktop.
Judd becomes friends with the family and eventually takes them (or rather is drawn into taking them) on a small path behind the Creed's house that leads to a very special place: the PET SEMATARY. This is the place where most of the animals that'd been killed on the "road" are buried. It's a strange place with concentric circles, the shape the multiple graves make as they are laid out against the well-kept grounds. Louis and Ellie notice a large deadfall tree and Judd warns them not to climb it because it is too dangerous. But there's more to the story than that. What lay beyond the deadfall tree?
Ellie's cat, Church, is eventually killed on the "road", and Judd and Louis decide to bury the cat, but not in the PET SEMATARY; they go beyond, over the deadfall, and into a very special place known as the Micmac burial grounds, a place that has existed since the Earth began, and has the power in its soil to bring back the dead. But at what cost?
"Has anyone ever buried a human being back there?" Louis asks Judd.
"Don't even think such a thing, Louis!" Judd replies.
Church returns to the living, but is much changed. The cat smells foul, and has a very cold and evil manner about it. But at least Ellie has her cat back, right?
Eventually the "road" takes more than just an animal of the Creed's. In a horrific set of narratives, Mr. King draws us into what might happen if humans were brought back from the dead. What happens to our soul if we're brought back? Does it come with us? Or does it stay on the Micmac grounds? Or perhaps something in-between?
This book will, in every sense of the word, "freak" you out! It's terrifyingly terrific, as were many of King's earlier novels. A must read for the horror afficionado.
Rating:
Summary: dead is sometimes better. HOW?
Review: Steven King! Another masterpiece in my full honest opinion. It kept me awake for nights because i allowed myself to think the unthinkable.The most outrageous thought abstracted from the book crossed my mind and i found it frightening and full of awe. It has an aura of death that won't make you want a second read.
The story:
Aman named Louis Creed moves to a town anmed Ludlow, Maine from upstate Chicago. He has just been promoted to Head of the medical department at the University of Maine. He finds friendship with an old neighbor named Judson Crandall who lives with his sick but strong wife. At the beginning we sense that Jud is an energetic character and we have warm feelings towards him. But in the Second chapter we begin to dread him.
While his wife and two children are on vacation he is left home alone with his daughter Ellie's cat, Church. He is phoned by a shaken Jud who tells him Church the cat has been run over. Louis is devastated because he does not know how to tell this to his daughter who still does not accept death. JUD has an idea. A very bad one.He escorts Louis to the burial ground beyond the pure ,child created Pet Sematary beyond his yard.The Micmac burying ground. Believed to be a place of pure evil. It is here that they bury Church and Jud does not give reason to their actions.The is something wrong with Jud, his face has a look of unbelievingly pure joy. Like something is igniting him to proceed on.The very next morning Louis awakes to find Church alive and well, but something is different. He smells of death. There is blood on his muzzle! He has an urge to kick the cat but he withdraws. The mission is accomplished.
Soon later his son, a mere toddler, is hit by a truck and dies. Thoughts overwhelm Lois, surely he could bring back his son and his wife and daughter will be joyful. He does not allow the thoughts of Church's change in atmosphere distract him and he easily thinks he could play God. What a fool. We cannot blame him though, he has to carry on the mission. The burying ground is taking over his being.
We already know the proceedings but what will Gage's return influence?
Rating:
Summary: One of the top 3 scariest books I've ever read
Review: The characters are immediately likeable, the story flows with such smoothness throughout, the intensity heightens as the story builds, and the scare factor is off the chart. What more can you ask for? This book is my favorite SK ever because even though its not exactly realistic its not totally out of reach either. Indian burial grounds have always intriged me and SK did a spectacular job capturing the folk lore and spookiness of it all. Highly recommended. Nothing else like it.
Rating:
Summary: Pet Sematary
Review: This book shows the reader a lot about death; how death is the ultimate and no matter how much you love someone, once they're dead, there's no comming back. Except in Dr. Louis Creed's case who just moved to the small town of Ludlow with his wife Rachel, daughter Ellie, and son Gage. Not to mention his black cat, Church. Everything seems great at their new place, even their new neighbors Jud and Norma Crandall. The only problems are Route 100, which is the road right in front of their house with very fast moving trucks zipping by at all hours, and the Pet "Sematary" at the end of a small path in the woods right at the end of the Creeds property. One night Church is hit and killed by one of those trucks while the wife and kids are out of town, and Lou's neighbor, Jud, takes him beyond the Pet "Sematary" to an old Indian burial ground to bury the cat. The next day, the cat comes back to the house, seemingly alive, but more clumsy and "non-Church like." Then, later, Lou Creeds little boy, Gage is hit and killed by a truck. Louis will go through the ultimate test: bury Gage and bring him back, or realize that sometimes dead is better. This novel is superb if you like horror and any reader who likes Stephen King will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: To long to get started
Review: this is a great SK book but it doesn't get going to very far in the book. in all honesty the horror of it didn't dtart until the last fifty pages. But it still has a good plot and i recomend it to anyone who enjoys reading.
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