It was again in Could 2022 that Stephen King first revealed that he was writing a sequel to Cujo, however particulars had been stored to a minimal. It is known as “Rattlesnakes,” and the creator described a selected scene that performs out within the story, however he did not reveal precisely how the sequel connects to his beloved 1981 novel. Lastly, that query now has a solution, as a preview of King’s upcoming assortment You Like It Darker has been revealed, and it reveals that “Rattlesnakes” is advised from the angle of Vic Trenton – the husband of Donna Trenton and father of Tad Trenton from Cujo.
An excerpt from “Rattlesnakes” is now out there for Fixed Readers to devour over on Leisure Weekly – as it has been introduced that You Like It Darker might be revealed subsequent spring (pre-orders at the moment are open). The paragraphs, advised from the primary individual, reveal that the story takes place in 2020 on Rattlesnake Key on the Florida Gulf Coast, and the protagonist is staying on the “McMansion” of his outdated enterprise associate, Greg Ackerman. Vic, now 72-years-old, has an encounter with an aged girl named Mrs. Bell, who he spots pushing an empty double stroller, and he engages her in dialog.
Those that have both learn Cujo or seen director Lewis Teague’s 1983 adaptation (one of many all-time greatest Stephen King films) will keep in mind that Vic Trenton was in promoting and coping with an issue involving a cereal consumer within the novel/film. It was due to this enterprise disaster that he was out of city (with Greg Ackerman) when his spouse and son acquired trapped inside a broken-down automotive and terrorized by a rabies-infected canine.
Studying that “Rattlesnakes” is advised from Vic’s perspective is important provided that it signifies that the story will certainly take care of the trauma the character experiences on the finish of Cujo. Whereas the superb movie adaptation has a comparatively completely satisfied ending, the supply materials is way darker, as Donna Trenton survives the siege of the titular diseased canine, however younger Tad doesn’t. This horrific previous is seemingly referenced within the excerpt by way of Mrs. Bell’s empty stroller and Vic musing on Greg asking if “her drawback” would current a problem for him (her particular “drawback” isn’t recognized).
Stephen King has beforehand teased a horrifying sequence within the story that entails a pair of four-year-old twins who get trapped in a rattlesnake pit, and I am prepared to wager that the stroller is linked to them, and that the occasions find yourself being devastatingly triggering for Vic Trenton.
The creator revealed in early August that You Like It Darker can be revealed in 2024, and now we now have an official date, with Scribner planning to have the omnibus out there to readers on Could 21, 2024. Keep tuned for extra particulars in regards to the e book right here on CinemaBlend and in my weekly King Beat column (revealed each Thursday), and you may maintain monitor of all of the diversifications at present within the works with our Upcoming Stephen King Motion pictures and TV information.
