Reasonable Doubt

He Was Supposed to Be the Next Stephen King. Then the Aliens Came.

Reclusive writer Whitley Strieber reflects on his career — and ‘the visitors’ that interrupted it

Whitley Strieber at an exhibition opening at the Annenberg Space for Photography in 2016. Photo: David Livingston/Getty

Whitley Strieber was supposed to be the next Stephen King, a pop-horror writer whose golden pen produced books begging for big-screen…