If the rumours are true, we will look in vain next year for that staple, another great yarn from schlockmeister Stephen King, on the best-seller lists next year. The wired world has been buzzing ever since 1997 with rumours that King, whose success has only been matched by the likes of Clancy and Grisham, might be considering retirement.
King, whose website has always smoothly denied reports of a premature lay-off, confirmed to the LA Times that he was going to cut back drastically on his output as a writer.
Some fans are sceptical: