What happens when master of horror Stephen King writes a children’s book? It’s going to be creepy.
That’s exactly the case with Charlie the Choo-Choo, a picture book written by “Beryl Evans,” King’s pen name.
Charlie the Choo-Choo first made its (fictional) appearance in the Dark Tower book The Waste Land. King wrote:
On the bright green cover was an anthropomorphic locomotive puffing its way up a hill … its headlight was a cheerful eye which seemed to invite Jake Chambers to come inside and read all about it.
As he looked down at the cover, Jake found that he did not trust the smile on Charlie the Choo-Choo’s face. You look happy, but I think that’s just the mask you wear, he thought. I don’t think you’re happy at all. And I don’t think Charlie’s your real name, either.
Now, King wrote the actual book, and it is illustrated by Ned Dameron.
It is described as, “Engineer Bob has a secret: His train engine, Charlie the Choo-Choo, is alive…and also his best friend. From celebrated author Beryl Evans and illustrator Ned Dameron comes a story about friendship, loyalty, and hard work.”
And judging by the cover of the book (which we know you shouldn’t do), it does look creepy.
King is a celebrated author known for his horror novels. He has written 54 novels, many of which have been adapted to movies, such as Carrie, Pet Sematary, The Shining, Misery, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Stand By Me, and many more.
The book will be out on November 22.
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