The Losers' Club: A Stephen King Podcast

After releasing  The Colorado Kid  and  Joyland  via the Hard Case Crime imprint, Stephen King made his grand debut into the world of hard-boiled crime fiction with  Mr. Mercedes . The first in a trilogy, the 2014 novel introduced readers to Bill Hodges, a crusty, retired detective who finds his golden years interrupted by the taunts of a psychopathic killer he failed to apprehend.  Join the Loser...

The Losers head to Frazier, New Hampshire to review Stephen King's novel Doctor Sleep . Together, they weigh in on the True Knot, dirty dozens of dishes with poundcake, and argue whether King should have ever burned down The Overlook Hotel. Note: This episode was recorded in Fall of 2019 and is being re-published for our chronological read through. Follow us on  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram...

Fifty years ago today, Stephen King published his first novel, Carrie . A lot has changed since 1974 -- the world, the culture, King himself -- and yet his debut novel pervades. Half a century later, Carrie has become a trope, a story we all think about when we see the curious kid in the corner. It's been adapted, emulated, and influenced countless cultural moments. Carrie White lives. Today, the...

The Losers head down to North Carolina for a summer job at Joyland . Together, they discuss Stephen King's second Hard Case Crime novel, weighing in on the era, the crime at the center, and how it connects to an iconic work in King's Dominion. Spiritually, of course. Follow us on  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram   |  Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for info...

The Losers return to Mid-World to discuss the eighth and final (?) Dark Tower novel: 2012's The Wind Through the Keyhole . Follow us on  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram   |  Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Losers reach the last page of Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63 . In the sixth and final episode of their coverage, the Losers return to the present to discuss the tear-jerker of an ending, King's original finale, and their final thoughts. Follow us on  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram   |  Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abou...

The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63 . In the fifth of six episodes, the Losers spend their time healing at the Parkland Memorial Hospital, all before the big, titular day. Follow us on  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram   |  Patreon Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pers...

The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63 . In the fourth of six episodes, the Losers go on a stakeout and get stuck between stations, specifically Dallas and Jodie, Texas. Yes, our man Jake Epping experiences what we call the sweet and sour of life as he gets lovingly closer to Sadie Dunhill and yet dangerously closer to Lee Harvey Oswald. To keep thi...

The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63 . In the third of six episodes, the Losers head back to Derry, Maine, all before road trippin' down south to Sunset Point, FL, Dallas, TX, and Jodie, TX. Things take a dark turn along the way, proving - as King writes - it wasn't all Andy-n-Opie back in 1958. Follow us on  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram   |...

The Losers continue their journey through Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63 . In the second of six episodes, the Losers head to Derry, Maine, where they reunite with familiar faces and meet a new villain in King's Dominion: Frank Dunning. Along the way, they also discuss the evolution of Jake Epping -- err, George Amberson -- and how this section of the book affords Constant Readers th...

The Losers finally reach Stephen King's time-traveling drama: 11/22/63 . In the first of six episodes dedicated to the 2011 best-seller and Constant Reader favorite, they wrestle with the novel's origins, its themes, and its commitment to history. Along the way, they also try to pinpoint what this story might have looked like when King originally dreamt it up way, way back in the early '70s. Follo...

The Losers scan the nearby skyscrapers and gaze at the monstrosities watching from above. The stone monsters. The gargoyles! Join Losers Dan Pfleegor and Dan Caffrey as they flip through Stephen King and f-stop Fitzgerald's coffee table book Nightmares in the Sky: Gargoyles and Grotesques . Together, they discuss the impetus behind the project, King's essay, and the countless photos within. To sta...

What a long dark night it’s been on this trip through Stephen King’s 2011 collection Full Dark, No Stars . After traveling back to 1922 and taking a detour through Big Driver , Losers Justin Gerber, Rachel Reeves, and Jenn Adams make a pit stop in Derry for a nasty little tale of schadenfreude and revenge, “Fair Extension.” Then it’s full speed ahead through the collection’s final novella A Good M...

Our Full Dark, No Stars coverage continues! In the second of three episodes dedicated to the 2010 collection, Losers Justin Gerber, Randall Colburn, and Jenn Adams discuss one of Stephen King's most uncomfortable stories to read due to the subject material. The less written here, the better. What's next? Well, next week we're reviewing Pet Sematary: Bloodlines. We'll conclude our Full Dark coverag...

With summer behind us, it's time to embrace the Fall season ahead of us. Be sure to keep an eye on your watch as the sun hits that horizon much, much earlier this time of the year. Before you know it? Full Dark, No Stars . Alas, the Losers have reached the next novellas collection in their journey through Stephen King's catalogue. The first of the four finds them dialing the clock back to 1922 and...

In the third and final episode devoted to Stephen King's 2009 novel Under the Dome , the Losers tuck in their bibs for the sloppiest plate of poundcake they've had in ages. Bellies full, they also discuss their favorite passages, least favorite jokes, and what may or may not be a cameo from our good friend RF. Speaking of cameos, what's Jack Reacher doing here? Man, this book is weird.  Follow on ...

The Losers' mingle with the heroes and villains of Chester's Mill in the second of our three  Under the Dome  episodes. Is Barbie boring? Is Big Jim Rennie TOO evil? And what's going on with Junior? Randall, Ashley, and the Dans also sift through the book's hundreds-deep ensemble in search of their favorite supporting characters, from the drug-addled Chef to the tragic Dinsmore clan. Along the way...

Your favorite little worker ants are wiggling in the lens of your magnifying glass in the first our three (!) episodes about Stephen King's 1,100-page  Under the Dome . In this episode, the Losers unpack the 2009 book's decades-long history, King's quotes about its creation, and the political and social climate that influenced its themes. Dick Cheney, evangelicalism, and Wolf Blitzer (?) color a c...

There are 13 stories in Stephen King's Just After Sunset. In the second of two episodes dedicated to the 2008 collection, Losers Jenn Adams, Michael Roffman, Ashley Casseday, and Mel Kassel rank all 13 tales. Last week, they shared their bottom eight, this week sees them name the top seven. What's their No. 1 pick? Will it be "Willa"? "A Very Right Place"? "N,"? You'll have to listen and find out!...

There are 13 stories in Stephen King's Just After Sunset . In the first of two episodes dedicated to the 2008 collection, Losers Jenn Adams , Michael Roffman , Ashley Casseday , and Mel Kassel rank all 13 tales, starting at the bottom. These aren't necessarily their least favorite. They're just ranked as such. Stay tuned next week for the concluding coverage with the top seven. Follow on  Facebook...

The Losers grab their swim trunks and take a plunge into Stephen King's 2008 seaside supernatural thriller Duma Key . Join Losers Dan Caffrey, Jenn Adams, Dan Pfleegor, and Rachel Reeves as they count their steps in the sand and share a pitcher of iced green tea. They’ll hang out under the beach umbrella and discuss how to draw a picture, meditations on healing, aquatic horror, and the end of King...

Forgive the creaking hinges and fluttering moths, Constant Listeners. The Losers just cracked open Stephen King’s fabled TRUNK, the one where he keeps all the inked-up pages he’s not yet ready to unleash upon the world. It’s here where the final (?) Richard Bachman's Blaze moldered for decades. Join Losers Randall Colburn, Jenn Adams, Dan Caffrey, and Dan Pfleegor as they chat about this curio in...

The Losers reach Boo'ya Moon, where they discover Stephen King's 2006 novel, Lisey's Story. Join Losers Jenn Adams, Michael Roffman, Ana Marie Cox, and special guest Johann Trotter as they meditate on how King's personal story of love and trauma brings us closer than ever to the Master of Horror. Note: This episode was originally recorded and released in June 2021 ahead of the Apple TV+ series. It...

The Losers run out of Boston Common as The Pulse consumes the world around them. Luckily, they find a peaceful retreat at Gaiten Academy, where they catch their breath to discuss Stephen King's Cell . Together, they meditate on the reverberations of 9/11 throughout the post-apocalyptic novel, the parallels to H.G. Wells and Richard Matheson, the hilarious digital marketing campaign around its rele...

The Losers return to Maine and take a ferry out to Moose-Lookit Island, where they learn about the mystery of The Colorado Kid . It's a slim tale with very little answers, but they quickly learn there's a lot of meat to chew on. Hell, you might even choke on it! Keep all that in mind as you join the Losers for their first book episode of Season 7. Together, they discuss the origins of the Hard Cas...