Poe vs. King Poe was the classic horror writer during the 1800's. He is known as the first horror writer in the United States. He is also known as the first writer of detective stories. Poe set the precedent for the horror writers in the USA. Stephen King followed in Poe's footsteps to work in the horror genre. There are many similarities and differences in the two men's work. The most visible difference is the language of the story. They lived in different time periods which means they used the language that was common during their time. King uses modern words. He uses slang words that people in the 1800's wouldn't