Stephen King excels at writing both horror and sci-fi stories, but two of his most abrupt book endings confirm a harsh reality about combining these genres. King’s best book endings are a reminder of why his work is so beloved, but many of his books also leave readers wanting more, either unraveling too quickly or failing to live up to the rest of the story.
The Tommyknockers and Dreamcatcher are alien stories that see King venturing into sci-fi and horror territory, and both books have pretty underwhelming endings. The ending of The Tommyknockers feels rushed and sudden, with King dedicating little time to Haven’s and Gard’s fates. The threat posed by the spacecraft is successfully eliminated, but the problem plaguing Haven is tied up too quickly and neatly.
Dreamcatcher’s final showdown between the Greys and the book’s main characters also unfolds fairly fast, and the problem of the alien species is once again resolved through a couple of explosive acts. Both books leave questions about characters’ fates open-ended, and they don’t explain major twists or the lore behind the aliens as well as they should.
This sort of ambiguity works well for horror, but it doesn’t quite land when it comes to sci-fi stories. And this brings up a harsh reality about blending those two genres: striking the right balance can be challenging. Perhaps it’s not surprising that two of King’s attempts to mesh sci-fi and horror fail to stick the landing, as these genres require different approaches.
Sci-fi tends to require more explanation and closure, while horror often leaves things open to interpretation and strives to go out with a bang. By contrast, sci-fi stories have a tendency to explain things and offer closure, and the aftermath of incidents like alien invasions usually proves more complicated than wiping them out in one fell swoop.