Stephen King Says There's One Complaint About His Books He Can't Escape

Prolific horror author Stephen King is revealing the often-heard complaint he hears from fans of his work.

During a joint June 2026 interview on the horror and true crime podcast, The Last Podcast on the Left, alongside his son, author Joe Hill, King noted that he's killed off quite a few characters in his countless novels, short stories, and novellas. He said while his fans can handle the demise of most humans, they draw the line at a passing of a dog.

"But, you know, the thing is when children die, or adults die in books, that's one thing. Don't let a dog die," said the Cujo author during the interview.

According to King, fans were particularly unhappy with a scene involving a dog in his 1979 novel, The Dead Zone.

"I've never heard the end of it," said King while recording the podcast episode.

When asked if he laughs when writing a character's death, King replied, "How twisted do you think I am?" He also refrained to answer if he plans out certain characters' deaths when writing his books. Instead, King asked his son to answer the question.

"I mean, sometimes I know I'm working towards a big scene. Sometimes I have like a set piece in my mind, and so I'm working towards that," replied Hill, who has written popular horror books like Horns and Heart-Shaped Box.

Hill clarified that he was taken aback about the deaths of one of his characters in his dark fantasy book, King Sorrow, published in 2025.

"A few characters died in the last one, King Sorrow. And when one of them died, it took me by surprise. I didn't realize that was going to happen, and I felt a little bit shaken up by it," said Hill during the podcast interview.

He said, however, that his 22-year-old son immediately guessed which King Sorrow "character was going to be the first one to die." According to his son, he made the death obvious in earlier parts of the book.

"And I thought, 'I did?' Because I had no clue," said Hill.

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This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 8:17 PM.