By Gracey Murphy
15 minutes. That’s all the time Stephen King needed for his reading to sell out every one of the Englert’s 725 seats.
King, the ubiquitous horror, suspense and science fiction author will appear at the Englert Theatre, 221 E Washington St., tonight at 7 p.m., to read from his new book End of Watch.
The reading, presented in collaboration with Prairie Lights, is part of a nationwide book tour King has embarked upon to celebrate the release of his 55th book.
Some of King’s previous novels include Carrie, The Shining, It, and many others. In addition to selling upwards of 350 million copies to date, many of King’s books have also been made into critically and popularly acclaimed films.
King’s most recent book, End of Watch, was released on June 7. The book marks the third installment in a trilogy that follows the adventures of Bill Hodges. The first two books in the series are Mr. Mercedes (2014) and Finders Keepers (2015).
In this book, Hodges is a retired detective recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Before he dies, he vows to investigate a recent line of suicides connected to Brady Hartsfield (a.k.a. “Mr. Mercedes”). Though Hartsfield is supposedly in a vegetative state, Hodges and his sidekick Holly fear he may be faking his injuries.
Prairie Lights is one of only 12 bookstores King is scheduled to visit. Jan Weismiller, co-owner of Prairie Lights, emphasized what a privilege it will be to host King, one of the most successful novelists of his time.
Because the bookstore cannot hold the number of people King promised to attract, they decided to hold the reading at the Englert.
“They didn’t want the event in a super big place, so the Englert was the only place to go,” Weismiller said.
At the reading, 400 pre-signed books will be given out to members of the audience at random.
Taking into account the rapid ticket sales that preceded tonight’s event, Weismiller again noted the significance of King’s visit.
“We’ve had big names like Drew Barrymore and Lena Dunham, but no one as prominent as Stephen King. I’m very much looking forward to seeing him,” Weismiller said.
What: Stephen King reading
When: Monday, June 13, 7:00 PM
Where: Englert Theatre, 221 E Washington St.
Tickets: Sold out
