In one fell swoop, mega-successful horror writer Stephen King slammed three trilogies: "Twilight," "The Hunger Games" and "Fifty Shades of Grey" in a recent interview with the Guardian while promoting his latest novel, "Doctor Sleep," GossipCop reports.
King is not only known for his iconic horror stories, many of which have been adapted into films and television series, but his strong opinions on other writers. Back in 2009, King spoke out against "Twilight" author Stephanie Meyer, having said that the vampire romance writer "can't write worth a damn." He then compared her to fellow Young Adult fantasy author J.K. Rowling, whom he praised as being "terrific."
At the time, King ruffled quite a few feathers of "Twilight" fans, but since the hype of the series and subsequent films have died down, he may not be inspiring quite as many to pick up their pitchforks this time around. Nonetheless, by taking a shot at Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" series, which is currently a hugely popular film franchise, King's words won't soon be forgotten.
"I agree with Abra's teacher friend [in 'Doctor Sleep'] who calls 'Twilight' and books like it tweenager porn," King told the Guardian. "They're really not about vampires and werewolves. They're about how the love of a girl can turn a bad boy good. I read 'Twilight' and didn't feel any urge to go on with her. I read 'The Hunger Games' and didn't feel an urge to go on."
King even compared "The Hunger Games" series to his own book, "The Running Man," about "about a game where people are actually killed and people are watching: a satire on reality TV." This isn't the first time "Hunger Games" has been compared to another writer's work. When the science fiction novel first came out back in 2008, many likened it to King's book and Koushun Takami's 1999 film, "Battle Royale." Collins, however, has stated that she drew upon Greek mythology, Roman gladiatorial games and reality television as inspiration for post-apocalyptic novels, and had not seen or known of the premise to "Battle Royale" prior to writing her books.
As for the erotica series "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E.L. James, which was originally "Twilight" fanfiction, King didn't have anything positive to say either.
"I read 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' and felt no urge to go on," King said. "They call it mommy porn, but it's not really mommy porn. It is highly charged, sexually driven fiction for women who are, say, between 18 and 25."
King's latest novel, "Doctor Sleep," a long-awaited sequel to "The Shining," is set for release Sept. 24.
