Stephen King. The name itself strikes fear in readers worldwide. Perhaps you've heard of The Shining, King's tale of a family staying in a deserted hotel. Or Misery, where an author endures a crippling car crash and kidnapping. Among these masterpieces of horror is Cujo, King's novel of a rabid dog's killing spree.

Set in Maine, like many of King's novels, Cujo follows several characters in a complex plot with a number of conflicts introduced early in the story. Cujo is a pet Saint Bernard, and when he gets rabies, well, a gruesome tale follows.

King's continuous use of text effects like italics, bold, and extra spacing jumps out to attack the reader. The characters' thoughts disturb the reader, with horrifyingly realistic descriptions. The action is fast and disorienting, leaving the reader grimacing.
This book disturbed me, but in a strangely pleasant way. I now understand why King's fan-club T-shirt reads “We never sleep.” What I find most remarkable about King's craft is how after all the horrifying events, he is able to end Cujo on a positive note. This certainly is one of King's masterpieces.