Cujo

By Stephen King

The #1 bestseller—for King's rabid fans.

It happens innocently enough, but doesn’t it always. A big, friendly dog chases a rabbit into a hidden underground cave—and stirs a sleeping evil crueler than death itself.

A terrified four-year-old boy sees his bedroom closet door swing open untouched by human hands, and screams at the unholy red eyes gleaming in the darkness.

The little Maine town of Castle Rock is about to be invaded by the most hideous menace ever to savage the flesh and devour the mind.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Aug 1, 1982
• ISBN: 9781101138069

Stephen King

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. 

Reviews for Cujo

[firewild · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good story for an audio book, without extravagant descriptive intricacies that get lost in audio narration, yet not entirely brainless and somewhat original plot. The main issue I have with audiobooks in general (and this one in particular) is a gross mismatch between a narrating voice and a dialogue been narrated. I understand that this is a necessary evil in audiobooks (and the reason I am not a big fan of the format in general) but here it was particularly pronounced, as it is one thing to narrate regular dialogue and completely another to impersonate crying, sobbing, shrieking, wailing and other near death experiences so common to the horror genre. A two year old wailing for his mom in an old woman's voice just adds a whole other level of freakishness to the story.

[bekkil1977 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

You know why it's good? Because there's nothing supernatural about it. It is something that very well could have happened (not today, probably, what with cell phones and all, but still). "Cujo" is about a rabid dog holding a woman and her little boy hostage in a Pinto. He times the tension perfectly in this, from having Donna gain hope that the mailman will save them, only to find out the Joe Chambers stopped the mail service. Then the arrival of Sheriff Bannerman, only to have the dog kill him, too. Every time a glimmer of hope pops up, rabid Cujo is there to snap it away. Brilliant.

[hyzie-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I expected this to be scarier. Not that it was *bad* in any way, but it was not at all what I had been expecting when I picked it up. Instead of giving me nightmares, it just made me sad.
Easily the most realistic Stephen King book I've ever read, though I'm disinclined to believe that is an entirely positive statement.

[krystlelow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The way I'd rate thriller/horror books are on the scale of how much it creeps me out and how easily it makes me jump at the slightest sound (because I'm twisted that way, yet am a complete wimp with horror movies).
This is, ashamedly, my first Stephen King novel, and what better way to start off than to pick a book involving a cute, cuddly Saint Benard that goes on a rabies & gore-filled rampage? Perfect.
It took almost half of the book for the 'action' to start, and when it did, boy could you literally 'see' what was going on in the scenes. Very descriptive.
I felt anxious and a bit impatient, I admit, as the story switched between the different characters' perspective/stories, especially when one of them is currently in deep shit.
The last 20-or-so pages were tough to read, as you can't help but feel for them. It had also been a bit sad to read some situations in Cujo's perspective, especially when he had been bitten and was confused about the changes in him; how he would've died for his family, yet he seemed to be having these horrible thoughts about wanting to hurt the people he loved. My heart cried out to Cujo. =(
All in all, it was quite a good read, and it successfully made me almost jump out of my skin a couple of times; no thanks to how every time I was reading a particular intense scene, sounds would just pop out outta nowhere and added to the intensity of the read, hah.

[mainrun · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am pretty sure I read this book back in the 1980's. I did not recall the details. That was why originally I rated it two stars. After finishing it this time, I'll move the rating up by one: now three stars. None of the adult characters were enjoyable. That is my biggest complaint.

[bragan_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Stephen King's 1981 novel about a rabid dog who traps a woman and her kid in their broken-down car. Somehow, I'd managed to go this long without ever reading this book or seeing the movie, although I do remember my cousin trying to read me bits of it when I was a kid and begging her to stop because I was entirely too easily freaked out then.Well, I am far less easily freaked out now, which may be a good or a bad thing when you're reading horror fiction. But I liked this one, honestly, much more than I expected to. What was effective about it, for me, wasn't so much the scariness of the dog -- although I do find rabies utterly, utterly terrifying -- or any of the usual Stephen King style creepiness. There is a bit of that, with some well-done passages about monsters in a kid's closet, although the attempt to bring hints of the supernatural into what is, by and large, a story about real-world things like dogs and diseases is a bit odd. But mostly what gets me here is the series of largely unrelated decisions and difficulties that all slowly add up to mounting disaster with no rescue in sight. That could have felt massively contrived, I suppose, but instead it feels sickeningly realistic to me. Although it's interesting to note that this is a quintessential example of a story that could not be written now, in the age of cell phones. Or at least, it couldn't be set now, and might never be thought of.The main takeaway here, though, is obvious, and worth taking to heart: Vaccinate your damn dog!

[madam_razz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to drag in a few places, mostly the areas involving Ad Worx and advertisements and things like that. Two of the characters are ad execs who own their own small advertising agency in Maine. I'm sure that some people probably find it interesting or neat or just amusing, but I found the bits about it boring and the book had trouble keeping my attention when shifting to those parts.However, that said, I think this book is going to stay with me for awhile. I watched the movie a few times when I was a kid with my grandfather and I can't really remember very much about it, except that I think the ending of the movie and the ending of the book are quite different, but don't quote me. I won't go any further into the ending than that. You'll have to see for yourself what's so different about it. ;)I really like the way that King's stories so often involve a series of minute little chances of fate and coincidence. One tiny turn here, one little swerve there, and things might have gone quite differently for all of the characters. And I think that, out of the books of King's I've read so far, nowhere has that been the case so profoundly as in this particular book. I think it's even more striking for the fact that when you're reading the book and see it happening, you realize how easily it could happen in real life, too. I think that really does something for the experience of reading one of his books and I've always quite liked it.Reading the book, I already knew what was going to happen to Cujo. I think most people know, by now, even if they've never seen the movie what's going to happen to do the dog at the center of this book when they pick it up. What I wasn't prepared for was to feel so sad about it. King does a very good job of making the dog a sympathetic character and I think that's helped along by the fact that we get to even see things from Cujo's perspective a few times before the madness takes over. We get that afterward, too, and I think that really helps cement it in some ways. Cujo was a good dog, a sweet and loving dog, and to see that and to know his mind while he's not yet sick, but then to see him deteriorate and then to also hear Cujo think to himself about how miserable he is and know his suffering. That puts a new perspective on things when you're reading about him killing and terrorizing people.Overall, the book isn't all that scary so much as suspenseful. There are, however, some parts of the book that are downright chilling in their creep factor and raised goosebumps along my arms. I swear that at least once the hair on the back of my neck stood up a bit too.Unlike in a lot of King's other stories, there's not as much mention of the supernatural here but it's there and it does have significance. Those are also the parts that I found to be the creepiest.This book would probably be good for people who are looking for compelling characters and situations, but don't want a whole huge amount of focus on paranormal happenings.Keep a box of tissues handy while you read this. It's gonna be a hell of a ride, but it's worth it.

[oscarwilde87_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cujo is a likable Saint Bernard dog living with the Camber family in Castle Rock, Maine. Joe Camber has a car repair shop in his barn and his wife, Charity, is a housewife who dreams of a more properous future than her husband can offer her. Joe Camber is rather blunt and aggressive and his wife dreams of a more sophisticated life in a bigger city. Since she cannot have that dream herself, she wants her ten-year-old son Brett to see what opportunities a good education can offer. Therefore, she takes him on a trip to her sister whose husband is a lawyer. When they return home to Castle Rock, their lives have changed. Joe Camber is dead, killed by their dog Cujo, who has become rabid.Then there is the Trenton family. Vic Trenton works in advertising. He and his wife Donna have just moved to Castle Rock from New York City. Their son is four years old. Life has not been treating the Trenton's well lately. Vic is struggling not to lose his only big client. Plus, his wife has been cheating on him for some time and he only finds out about it when he gets a note from his wife's lover who seeks revenge on Donna who has dumped him. On top of that, Donna's car is broken and she has to take it to the Camber farm for repairs. She does so while her husband is in Boston on a business trip to save his ad agency. Since she cannot leave her son home alone, she takes him with her. The two of them only just make it to the Camber's when the car dies. The car, however, is not the only thing that's dead. Joe Camber is not to be found, but soon Cujo, the family dog, starts attacking Donna. Donna and her son are trapped in the car, which is their only protection against Cujo. However, it is a very hot summer, they cannot open the windows and they do not have food or drink.Stephen King himself says about this novel that he likes it a lot, but that he can almost not remember writing it because he was in an alcoholic stupor. Cujo was published in 1981, a time when Stephen King, according to his own description, was a heavy drinker. The novel, then, probably serves as a metaphor for King's life, also being a good guy who only wants the best for his family, but addicted to alcohol, which messes with his head just as rabies messes with Cujo's head.On the whole, the novel is quite enjoyable, but I think King has written many better novels. 3 stars.

[mooingzelda · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I first read this when I was 13, and I think it was even more terrifying 21 years later. Totally gripping with a slow-burning first 100 pages or so to help you really root for the characters. Considering King wrote this when he was in the middle of his drugs/drink problem, it's really rather good (and proves what a master he is at writing damn good stories).

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bad Dog! Worse owner.

[skippybuck · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cujo was the star of this horror story to me. I WANTED him to get ahold of that whiny little kid and... well, anyway, I was AMAZED how Mr. King really got INTO the mind of Cujo!! This was this first time I ever experienced the Point-Of-View of a DOG. Simply Brilliant.The Movie version was one of the BIGGEST letdowns I have ever known. The BOOKS have ALWAYS been a superior experience for me, but the movie production of CUJO was particularly disappointing.I YEARN to add a Hardcover to my small personal Library Shelves... and hope to have the pleasure of RE-reading this tale in the near future.

[hedgepeth_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Spoiler alert -- If you are looking for a strong supernatural component, this is not the book for you. While King hints at a malevolent spirit driving the killing, there is nothing in this book that cannot be explained by science.While that may seem to imply a negative rating, this is one of the best books I have read in a long time. From a literature standpoint, this is an excellent example of plot and character development. The developing tension between the characters is built methodically and believably. The most impressive is King's ability to personify the dog's declining mental status. Through King's deft storytelling, Cujo became a sympathetic character not the face of evil.

[thelivesoundguy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Whether it be cars, dogs, or aliens, or just plain terror, this is classic King.

[chris4graham_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very tense story about every dog owners nightmare!

[gma2lana · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a page turner! Loved it! I like most of Stephen King's earlier work, always keeps you on the edge of your seat.

[blockbuster1994 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A blast from my teenage past from a favorite author. Incredible story, vintage Stephen King, dogs! This has it all. My only question is why did I wait so long to rediscover this novel?

[srboone · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Slam-bang, bare bones horror tale from the best in the business. Scary and touching with an ending that divides fans to this day. A masterpiece.

[moonkey_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Stephen King's books are weird for me. I can't face picking them up and starting them but when I do I enjoy them. This was a very likeable book and as usual I found myself spurring the characters on in my head willing them to survive. I guess that says a lot.

[jseger9000 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With Cujo Stephen King finally mastered the thriller.I've been reading Stephen King's books in order of publication and the last few (The Dead Zone and Firestarter) just didn't stack up to what he'd written before. It was clear he was trying to craft thrillers rather than the out-and-out horror of his earlier novels, but was coming up short.With the simple premise of Cujo (a rabid Saint Bernard keeps a mother and child trapped in a sweltering Pinto) he knocked it out of the park.King's trademark strong characters and multiple sub-plots (a badly ended affair, a mother trying to show her bright son that there is more to life than small-town Maine and an ad agency dealing with a disaster) are all here as well, but he was able to tie every one of them in to the main struggle. Each 'story' supports and adds to another until they all dove-tail together in a way that never felt forced.The book starts slowly, showing us slices of the various characters lives before dropping them each on their own personal chute to hell. Cujo is the darkest King book I can think of. The recurring theme of the book is the cruelty of fate. All of the threads that the book follows hinge on good people whose lives are thrown into chaos through sheerest coincidence or events beyond their control.One problem I do have with the book is the supernatural undercurrent. Overall, it didn't detract from the story and could have been an interesting element. But at various times King goes out of his way to show that there are some ghostly things happening in Castle Rock. The thing is, this aspect of the book never seems to go anywhere. Tad being afraid of the closet monster and marrying that fear to the beast holding him hostage in the car was effective. Pointing out that the contents of the closet had indeed been rearranged by something other than the family in the house seemed pointless. Tad's fear of the monster would have been just as effective if we believed that the thing in the closet was inspired more by gravy than the grave.The monster in the closet aside, I really enjoyed Cujo. It streamed along and held my interest. The cuts to the various side stories were effective and interesting and worked to build the tension. Cujo is not the thriller that Misery is, but it is respectable on its own.

[haymicheal · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is literally,the worst book I have ever read, and hear me out. It is the worst book that I have ever read, finished, and didn't like. Some books I set down after the first chapter, some don't make it that far.It does have redeeming qualities, like it is well written, the characters are brutally real, the situation is believable, but when it was all said and done, what the heck was the point? The dog went rabid, killed a few people, then a little boy dies of heat stroke.IT was kind of a let down. Everyone needed to die an make it miserable, or everyone needed to live (secondary characters excluded) and happy endings all around.If there was a point, I missed it.

[feelyourhrtbeat · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Cambers' once-friendly St. Bernard turns into a killer after being bitten by a rabid bat. Donna Trenton's husband is in New York trying to contain a disastrous ad campaign. Feeling abandoned by her workaholic husband, who is frequently out of town, Donna Trenton embarks on an affair with a local handyman. Left to fend for herself, she takes her ailing Pinto to Joe Cambers' garage for repairs only to be trapped with her son Tad in the sweltering car by the monstrous dog.Cujo was not what I predicted it would be. It was sad and scary in turns. It is one of the few books were I feel sad for the antagonist. Cujo was not evil. In fact, all he wanted was to be a good dog. Cujo is a story of fate.

[tinydancer11_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Definitely less exciting and "supernatural" than most Stephen King books, but great writing as usual.

[barpurple · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cujo is one of the Castle Rock novels. It's draining and frustrating to read helplessly as Fate conspires to bring tragedy to this small town once more. Cujo isn't my favourite tale from The Rock, but it is good classic horror.

[evie6bookish · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Cujo" was one of these novellas I tried to stay away from as long as possible. I don't really know why exactly, but I wasn't very fond of the idea of a rabid dog on a killing spree.. I love dogs and perhaps that's why I was keeping away from this particular book.However, being a huge SK fan, I just couldn't walk away from this book when I saw it on the library shelf the other day. And you know what, it was a great decision to get it! I was pleasantly surprised, as King didn't make a mindless, stupid beast out of Cujo, but a smart, loving, gentle giant, who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.. I loved the way the book unravels, showing the story from few different perspectives (especially Cujo's perspective was oh so brilliant and tragic!).It amazes me that this book was written few years before I was even born, yet I can relate to the characters in the story. And of course, King's writing style is delicious as always, which makes me think maybe I should reach for Firestarter - another SK book I've been subconsciously staying away from.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This stands out to me as possibly King's most harrowing novel built on the things of real life. (I'd still name The Shining and Salem's Lot as his scariest, but I don't think any King book left me more shaken.) There are small hints of the supernatural, but in essence the horror is caused by a lovable St Bernard dog, Cujo, becoming infected with rabies. That might sound prosaic, and the film made of this novel is mediocre and its ending a cop-out. Nor can any film put you into the head of Cujo the way a novel can. I don't think King ever wrote scenes of greater horror and suspense than the one in this book where a mother and her young son are trapped in a car in the baking sun menaced by the 200-pound monster that was once their beloved pet. And unlike some of King's later door-stopper books, at 320 pages this one is a well-paced taut page-turner.

[kyze0422 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was a pretty good book. In the beginning, it was really confusing with all of the stories going on but at the end I saw how it all came together

[babyfacetiger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I like an author to make me FEEL for characters and I didn't get that here

[traciinaz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great book. Classic Stephen King. I read the ebook version and it had a lot of typos which pulled me out of the story at times, but King's story itself was great.

[dverdecia-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finally got through this book. It was a very good read. I did enjoy the book. Stephen King is a master at understanding human nature.

As most may know, Cujo is a story about a rather large St. Bernard that goes through a series of rabid events. It is also a story of all the people that come in and out of Cujo's life after he was bitten with the rabies. This was the first time I ever read the book, I only knew the story from the movie adaptation of this book.

It is interesting to see the turn of events happen to all these people in the circumstances where they meet the dog and each other. The story itself is quite boring if one were to look at it from an external point of view. Some mundane things and some not so mundane things happen. On the mundane are things like Vic and Roger's exploits with AD-Worx and how they are trying to save the company by saving thier largest account, Sharp Cereal Corporation. Charity's abusive relationship with her husband Joe Camber and what she worries about with her son's relationship. Some of the not so mundane would be Donna Trenton (Vic's wife) tumultuous relationship with the vagabond poet/tennis player, Steve Kemp. Even Steve Kemp's adolescent attitude towards getting dumped was interesting to read. (Are there really 21 year old people that behave with that type of petty jealousy?) And of course, Tad's (Donna's and Vic's son) nightly horror ritual with the monster in his closet and his Dad's "Monster Words" that help keep the monster at bay.

Cujo's fate was sealed the minute he decided to chase that rabbit down the hole. Afterwards, it just become a rabid experience for the dog throughout the rest of the book.

What I found facinating about the book is how Stephen King has the ability to put himself in Donna Trenton's position when she took her car to get it repaired at Joe Camber's place. Stephen King gave wonderful first person descriptions of just about all the characters in this story. Even some of the minor charaters like the mailman and the town sherriff were brilliantly described. This is what makes the story. He is able to write about the characters in the first person and still tie all the circumstantial experiences that led to the end of the story.

By the time she (Donna Trenton) got there, Cujo just took his second victim -- Joe Camber himself. Joe's family, Charity and Brett, took an extended trip to visit Charity's sister in Connecticut. Donna's husband Vic was with Roger in Boston working to save Ad-Worx. And Donna was all alone at the end of a Dead end road in rural Maine, wanting to get her car repaired, but was being held hostage by a rabid 200 lbs. St. Bernard. The way Stephen King gets inside Donna's mind as she thinks things through is amazing. He also gets into the dying Tad's mind as well and describes the horror from the small boy's point of view. Oh, did I forget to mention that there was a heat wave in the middle of summer here in Maine? 3 Days, little or no food. Nothing to drink. Inside a very hot, broken down Pinto. One can die of the heat inside the car, or step outside for a momentary breeze -- before Cujo tears your throat out! I'd say that has the makings for one of those days where your only choices ended up being a no-win situation.

The suspense was great! The psychology was great. Stephen King's writing proved to me that reading this book was way better than the movie. As a matter of fact, half the movie should have been about what people were thinking and it wasn't. The movie did not do the book justice. I even shed a tear at the end of the story as Mr. King wrapped everything up. It was a sad story at the end, with Stephen King giving the reader a glimmer of hope for the future of the two main characters, Vic and Donna Trenton. I highly recommend this read. I would rate it PG-17 in today's world. It is intriguing. It is scary at points. But most of all, it is a human nature story.

Flyinfox

[lukerik-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you live in a country where they drive on the left it important to remember that in America the cars are left hand drive. The set piece of the novel takes place in a car and I imagined it back to front and then couldn't correct it in my mind's eye.