Pet Semetary

by Stephen King

Info

Date Finished: 4/3/2026

First Sentence: Louis Creed, who had lost his father at three and who had never known a grandfather, never expected to find a father as he entered his middle age, but that was exactly what happened... although he called this man a friend, as a grown man must do when he finds the man who should have been his father relatively late in life.

Last Sentence: 'Darling,' it said.

Companion Album:

New Cover

A book cover for "Pet Sematary" by Stephen King. Against a textured, distressed light gray background, the author's name is written at the top in large red letters with a black outline, just above the book title in a black serif font. The center features a rough-edged white shape resembling torn paper, displaying a sketchy red watercolor illustration of a fluffy, wide-eyed cat with bright yellow eyes.

A Few Thoughts

Twenty percent creepy, eighty percent abject misery. I don't know how Stephen King does it. You know exactly what's coming, but that makes the horror of it even worse. And despite the bleakness of the story, I could not stop listening. I blazed right through it in a few days.

Cover Notes

I painted this one! I've been taking some watercolor painting classes and tried my hand at adapting and adding my own little twist to this illustration from Louis Wain. I originally found it via this Bluesky post of a Japanese pharmaceutical ad featuring Wain's artwork. It then led me down a rabbit hole about Wain and his struggles with schizophrenia. Anyways, I thought my version turned out OK! Still learning, of course. Lots to improve.