The Mist

• Genre: Fiction; horror novella
• Originally Published: 1980
• Reading Level/Interest: College/Adult
• Structure/Length: 11 chapters; approx. 230 pages; approx. 5 hours, 19 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: David Drayton, his son Billy, and their neighbor Brent Norton get trapped in the grocery store with several people after a mysterious mist descends on the town. A religious zealot inside the store tries to convince them that the mist is punishment for their sins against God and that a sacrifice must be made. The people split into two factions—those for sacrifice and those against—and staying may prove fatal for those who do not wish to make a sacrifice. When they attempt to escape, they find that what’s outside is much worse.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence; monster gore; death              

Stephen King, Author

• Bio: Born in 1947 in Portland, Maine; attended University of Maine; prolific novelist of horror and suspense; earned a teaching degree but worked initially in an industrial laundry; sold short stories early in his career; worked as an English teacher in a public high school; left teaching with the success of his first published novel, Carrie, in 1973; has earned great fame with over 65 published novels and novellas, many short stories, movies from his works, and several nonfiction works
• Other Works: The Shining (1977); Christine (1983); IT (1986); Needful Things (1991); Under the Dome (2009)
• Awards: World Fantasy Award nominee (1981); Locus Award nominee (1981)