Book Review - Stephen King Behind the Iron Curtain
Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2025 5:55 pm
Hey folks, a few weeks ago, Yernar Shambayev, the author of Stephen King Behind the Iron Curtain: The Story of Stephen King's Books in the USSR and Russia (1981–2025), reached out to me about his new book which traces the history of King's works in Russia, from the earliest days of sneaking copies into the country to modern times. I wasn't paid anything for the review but did receive a PDF copy to read.....The main reason I agreed to review it at all is that my parents fled from communist controlled Czechoslovakia to the USA with me in tow back in 1981. The USSR and it's politics and policies affected my family and life directly. As a result I have been a keen student of that period in history. The idea of hearing from someone on "the other side" how King was received was quite interesting to me personally.
The book takes you on an interesting journey through how Stephen King’s horror stories made their way into the USSR and post-Soviet Russia. Covering the years from 1981 to 2025, the book mixes literary analysis, personal stories, archival research, and pop culture tidbits to show how King’s work became a big part of Russian life and culture.
What It Does Well
I think this book will click most with King fans curious about his global reach and those readers interested in Cold War-era publishing, censorship, and fandom from another cultural perspective.
You can pick up a copy of his book either in paperback, hardback, or kindle over at Amazon
The book takes you on an interesting journey through how Stephen King’s horror stories made their way into the USSR and post-Soviet Russia. Covering the years from 1981 to 2025, the book mixes literary analysis, personal stories, archival research, and pop culture tidbits to show how King’s work became a big part of Russian life and culture.
What It Does Well
- Cultural Depth: The book does a great job showing how King’s stories got reimagined and woven into Russian life — from Cold War propaganda to cosplay contests in Tuva.
- Unexpected Stories: Some fun highlights are razor-blade thefts of King books from Soviet libraries, a snow sculpture of Pennywise, and a made-up phone call between King and Darya Dontsova.
- Historical Background: Shambayev places King’s reception within big geopolitical changes — from Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speeches to the fall of the USSR and the rise of digital piracy.
- Fan Culture and Creativity: The book shows how King’s work sparked everything from punk albums and doll museums to teen book clubs and Rube Goldberg machines.
- Density and Structure: The writing is rich but sometimes wanders off with lots of detail that might be a bit much for a casual/high level read. I admittedly did skip over a few parts, most of the footnotes and more in depth details of particular translations for example.
- Niche Focus: While super interesting, the very specific references — like Soviet literary journals, regional publishing quirks, and obscure fan projects — might feel a bit too niche unless you’re really into Russian literary culture.
I think this book will click most with King fans curious about his global reach and those readers interested in Cold War-era publishing, censorship, and fandom from another cultural perspective.
You can pick up a copy of his book either in paperback, hardback, or kindle over at Amazon