Carrie is Stephen King's first published novel, considerably short compared to his other novels but as always his plots are gripping and tense, it makes it hard to put the book down. He is the master when it comes to gory and horrifying scenes and this book has plenty, the detail that he goes into at times can be quite disturbing.

In this book King takes a common scenario of a high school teenage girl that has been bullied and tormented all her life, adds a supernatural aspect to the story by giving her the power of Telekinesis, and whips up an excellent horror novel like only he can do. The characters are superbly constructed and you will love to hate them, even though Carrie is the villain in the end I still pitied her and felt no compassion for the other characters whatsoever, they got what they deserved, especially her mother whom I hated from the very beginning.

Stephen King doesn't disappoint, an absolute must read for anyone that considers himself his fan. ( )

First Stephen King book I ever read. Read it in a single sitting then went out and bought Salem's Lot which set me on the reading bug for life ( )

King hasn't quite found his voice yet, so the novel's a bit rough. ( )

I've always believed that the true test of a good book comes when one rereads it. Many books are good the first time, but old and stale during a reread.

Carrie passes the test with flying colors. I read this book less than a year ago and still found myself holding my breath in parts and in one instance, fighting off tears. Even though this was his first book, Stephen King still has the power deliver a swift punch to the very core of your emotional center, where it hurts the most.

For those of you who don't know the story, Carrie White is a high school senior with the power of telekinesis. Having been raised by her religiously fanatic mother, she's been the butt of every joke of the town since she first started attending elementary school. Because of this, her self esteem is low and her mind is permanently damaged by years of abuse, both at home and at school.

However, when she is invited to the prom by her crush, Carrie believes things are finally looking up for her. Tommy Ross is a nice boy and means her no harm. Another student does, though, and with this final prank, Carrie goes over the edge and decides to enact her revenge on a town that's done nothing but torment her.

I know Stephen King is known as the "King of Horror", but I honestly feel Carrie is more of a tragedy that a horror book. Yes, there were parts that made me shudder. King takes you into the mind of Billy Nolan, a young man who I believe is a slight sociopath, Chris Hargenson, a spoiled girl who wants nothing but to hurt Carrie because she received a detention after being caught playing a prank on the unsuspecting girl, Margaret White, the example of how some people can take religious mania to a frightening level, and Carrie White, a young girl who desperately wants to fit in, but all the odds are stacked against her. However, due to the format of the book, you know from the get-go what's going to happen at the end. Despite this, you spend the entire book hoping that things will turn out all right. You can't help rooting for the characters.

King's strength, in my opinion, has always been his characters and how he gets into their heads. Even the most horrible characters in the books are simply products of their environment and you feel for each and every one of them. That is what makes this such a powerful, and frightening, book. ( )

This was honestly one of the scariest books I have ever read, and it really gets you thinking because this book is only part fiction, in a way. There are really kids out there who are treated so terribly and with such cruelty.

King just does such a great job building up the climax and when the end finally does come, it still gives me chills. And it provokes lots of thought. Was Carrie a villain or simply a vengeful hero? ( )