Its the story of a world without women, who are vanishing into mysterious cocoons.
Needless to say, things dont go well with only men left to deal with the situation.
The project will be developed by Sugar23 and Anonymous Content.
Scribner
Thats just how it was being Stephen Kings son.
His mother did it, too.
But it was their self-imposed solitary confinement that daunted him.
Scribner (2)
It was kind of scary to look at how much time they spent alone, working at this thing.
It turns out nightmare-making doesnt have to be a lonely business.
The 700-page tome is part plague thriller and part fable.
Hasbro
Guess how that works out.
When the women go under, they are enshrouded in mysterious, protective cocoons.
Peel away wrapping to wake them, and the womens bodies lash out, like savage sleepwalkers.
Shes all those things, Owen says, on a conference call with his father in Maine.
I dont know about you, Dad, but I like her un-know-abilty.
She really isnt quite defined.
I like the mystery of her.
Maybe they dont really want to come back.
Owen hasinspiredhis fathers work before, however.
But being Stephen Kings son was … not very scary or weird.
I mean I actually had astrangelynormalchildhood despite all that.
In some ways, theyve been collaborating since Owen was just a kid.
(Well get to theG.I.
Joecharacter they invented a little later.)
To be asked by Owen to collaborate on a book was the greatest thing in the world.
You see these signs that say Smith & Sons hardware or stuff.
So, sons do follow in their fathers footsteps.
But in a specialized area of one of the arts?
It was very gratifying to me.
We really did do it for fun, Owen adds.
We didnt know if it would be any good or that we would be happy with it.
ONCE UPON A DREAM
Sleeping Beauties creators were seldom in the same place at the same time.
But despite its fantastical elements,Sleeping Beautiesis noCaged HeatorBig Doll House.
Its much closer toOrange Is the New Black but with mystical undertones.
We tried to put that in the book and make that prison as realistic as possible.
Yeah, and we wanted to respect peoples experiences, Owen says.
Then they would hand off that chunk for the other to build and complete before handing it back.
The only difference is, they didnt fully know what they were constructing.
There were things that I didnt expect, but thats the fun of it, man, Stephen says.
Its like going along the road and finding things that are valuable.
Does that make sense?
I totally understand what you mean, Pop, and I think that was what happened, Owen says.
(Lets pause to appreciate that Stephen Kings kids call him Pop.)
Sometimes they deliberately wrote sadistic cliffhangers for the other to resolve.
A sort of dare or challenge as they handed back the book.
Owen says his father never failed to keep the plot from plummeting into the abyss.
My dads got that.
That honor belongs to Crystal Ball, a villainousG.I.
Joecharacter they concocted together back in the mid-80s, when Owen was a 9-year-old.
Oh, I mean that is such bullsh, Stephen King replies.
It was his idea!
He had all theG.I.
Joesand we watched it on TV, and we read the comic books.
Stephen has pretty specific recall on that day.
He said, Dad, it would be great if there was aG.I.
Joewho could read minds.
And I said, Oh, yeah, that would be really great.
What would you call a character like that?
And Owen said, Crystal Ball!
I think the character that we wrote wasnt particularly well-liked, which is the funniest part, Owen says.
Joepeople dont really like him.
This does not wash with Stephen King, who droppeda mention of the toy in his 1987 novelThe Tommyknockers.
I think Crystal Ball was one of themostpopular ones!
Theres a clacking of computer keys on his end of the line.
Im looking right now on the internet…
No, Owen assures him.
Hes not particularly popular, butIlike him.
Hasbro did, too, and the company was so grateful for the contribution that they named anotherG.I.
Joegood guy, the recon ranger Sneak Peek, Owen King after the young fan.
I just scrolled through The Top 50 GreatestG.I.
JoeCharacters of All Time, and… hes not on it.
Joeis what, Owen?
A pop culture test for the child of the 80s.
Owen guesses Destro the silver-headed arms-dealing villain, who works with Cobra on its quest for world domination.
No, Stephen says, with a tsk of his tongue.
That makes sense, Owen replies.
Crystal Ball may not rank at the top, but that dastardly hypnotist still stands for something special.
Most dads can buy their kids a toy, but not many can invent one with their son.
And it’s possible for you to visit together.
No matter how old you are.
No matter where you live in the real world.
