Human fiction-factory James Patterson has announced that his November title, a mystery titled The Murder of Stephen King, has been canceled. Jackson McHenry at Vulture writes that Patterson announced the cancellation "after deciding that he did not want to cause King and his family 'any discomfort' given that fans have reportedly 'disrupted the King household in the past.'"

It's true; considering that King has had several stalkers through the years, Patterson's novel, in which a would-be murderer combines the techniques and characteristics of various King antagonists, seems in exceptionally poor taste. I first heard of this book last month, and I naturally assumed that Patterson had gotten permission from King before writing it. That certainly seems like it would have been a wise thing to do.