Someone needs to fill the void that King will leave behind

Some time ago, Stephen King announced that he will no longer be writing horror novels after… Some time ago, Stephen King announced that he will no longer be writing horror novels after his famed “Dark Tower” series is completed. The news sent a stinging shockwave through his devoted fan base, which has clung to the master of terror for more than 30 years of thick, surly novels.

While he is tinkering with nonfiction works (such as his book on the last Boston Red Sox season), he almost certainly will not be spinning off any more masterpieces such as “The Stand” or “Pet Sematary.” In fact, his last novel, “From A Buick Eight,” bewildered critics and was, ultimately, a lifeless disappointment. So, with King marching off of center stage, will his retirement be an end to a literary era?

Well, perhaps the most upsetting facet of his retirement is that his genre is somewhat indescribable, and therefore even more difficult to replicate. Sure, it’s horror, and few would disagree with this typical classification. But to pigeonhole his entire collection simply as “horror” would be unjust. Most novels traveled paths that other horror fiction couldn’t (or wouldn’t) venture onto, whether it was the unnerving domestic abuse in “The Shining” or the character development of a troubled 13-year-old girl in “The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.” The depth of his work will be the most difficult for any pioneering writer to continue past King’s retirement.

King has offered books that would make the strongest soul shudder. Beginning in the early 1970s with “Carrie,” his tradition of taking an inside-out look at his characters has been among the most engaging elements of his style. This continued throughout the 1990s, with works like “Insomnia,” which took a chilling look at the life of the elderly through their own eyes.

Few other novelists have proven they can establish such character development in quite the same way. Even contemporary best-selling writers such as Robin Cook or John Saul have often veered to the general story template to save their novels, relying on a neatly boxed plot and two-dimensional characters for a safely written package.

King carved out his own niche, and market demand followed, not vice versa, which is the case for many other novelists. His early 1970s renegade book “Carrie” was a ghastly microcosm of our cultural demons, released at a time when America was still drunk on the glorified innocence of the ’50s and ’60s. His style shifted over the years, mainly from an earlier all-horror tone to more recent flirtations with poetic themes, but his boundaries have held steady. His uncanny ability to construct a haunting storyline in even a beautiful tale (see “Bag of Bones”) is an unmatchable quality that will likely be lost from literature with his departure.

Many other authors have tried to emulate King’s style, but the elusive x-factor within his novels will always set him apart from the rest. The horror genre will be without its shining star, its capstone leader, who has proved to critics that scary stories can be — and certainly are — worthy of literary recognition. “The Stand” did this much and is often cited as one of his most impressive pieces of work, depicting a battle of good versus evil.

While King was zealously writing over the years, he has developed a loyal following. His readers span the spectrum, from adolescents to grandmothers, from businessmen to English professors. His fan base will be somberly looking for another to replace him. Will anyone take his place? Hopefully some talented novelist will rise and again elevate the horror genre to the level King established.