Stephen King

[Rawr]

I thought the end of The Stand was cockadoodie (in the immortal words of Annie Wilkes ) the first part is absolutely brilliant though, starts to drag around the three quarters mark as if King ran out of steam.

[Ooshie]

Yes, that's just about where I started to flag in The Stand! I was blaming my lack of stamina! Glad to hear it's not just me

 

 

So far I

[Rawr]

I think the film and the novel are two different versions of the same story, Kubrick basically altered so much to suit his own agenda and I adore them both, but the novel is very different and more emotionally involving for sure. Yes, The Stand is definitely a novel of two halves imo!

[Mia]

My top five are:

 

'Salem's Lot

The Shining

Firestarter

It

Duma Key

 

 

Perhaps I will try Duma Key again then. I got not-very-far in and then abandoned it.

[Rawr]

The Tommyknockers is up next for me, I got around a quarter through it last year but had a lot going on so i'll be restarting.

[Ooshie]

Originally posted by Mia

Perhaps I will try Duma Key again then. I got not-very-far in and then abandoned it.

 

I wasn't very inspired by the beginning either, but really enjoyed it once it got going. My 15 year old loved it too.

 

Originally posted by Rawr

The Tommyknockers is up next for me, I got around a quarter through it last year but had a lot going on so i'll be restarting.

 

I only read The Tommyknockers once when it first came out, and didn't really enjoy it, but I'll be interested in your comments on it - perhaps it's time I tried it again!

[Rawr]

It's King's take on the alien archetype so I'll be interested to see his opinion, I think it's gonna have that B-Movie kinda vibe At least that's the idea I had he was building up to when I attempted last time.

[StephenKingman]

It's King's take on the alien archetype so I'll be interested to see his opinion, I think it's gonna have that B-Movie kinda vibe At least that's the idea I had he was building up to when I attempted last time.

 

Its also arguably the worst book he has ever written. Truly awful and the only King book, after Cujo and Bag of Bones, that i genuinely considered not reading to the end. Its protracted, the plot goes from fast paced to slow and turgid and King completely lacks his trademark scare tactics with The Tommyknockers. Awful!

[Rawr]

I think that award goes to 'Dome! I spent a huge amount of money on it too I let him off due to the quality of his work though, everyone's allowed a poor release as long as it isn't the norm.

[StephenKingman]

I think that award goes to 'Dome! I spent a huge amount of money on it too I let him off due to the quality of his work though, everyone's allowed a poor release as long as it isn't the norm.

 

Yeah, even the best of authors have to have a few duds on their way to the top, but the poor quality books in Kings collection follow no recognizable pattern: his first book Carrie was fantastic, many years later he managed the admirable task of writing a book where the plot stands still for the entire duration of the book (Bag of Bones) and a book about a rabid dog, the first third of which is spent describing the digestive troubles of the local postman :irked:, not to mention slow-paced and distinctly unscary tales like Christine and Maximum Overdrive.

 

You didnt like Dome, Rawr? I hated the ending with a passion but still felt he had achieved a lot with his common themes on small-town politics, isolation and the dormant malevolance that resides in us all. That ending did bring the score down a few points though

[ned]

I thought he wrote the character of Big Jim very well, its been ages since i have hated a character like i hated that man i wanted to keep reading to see if he was going to get his comeuppance. In the end that was rather dissapointing too.

[Rawr]

I like a lot of the problems with the town of Chester's Mill and all the interior politics, it was worked very well, the effects of such a crazy situation on a town controlled like that and rife with corruption even before the event. I also liked the aspects of the outsider, in Barbie, and all that it brought upon the tale, but everything else just seemed to not relate or flow well at all, it was like a big mesh of threads that just did not connect and heavily effected the original premise of the Dome. The 'bad guys' were horrifically done too in my opinion, with the exception of Big Jim. It was nice to see King try another villain who is believable and not simply for the sake of being evil to balance the story. I didn't identify with any character whatsoever except for Rennie which is sad as King's characterization can be very strong and grip you to the books.

[mirandashell]

I didn't like Tommyknockers either. I could see what he was trying to do but it was bad. I managed to get to the end but did slightly begrudge the time spent.

 

Gerald's Game, though, that's superb. Creeped the **** out of me when I read it!

[Mia]

I loathed The Tommyknockers and have never considered re-reading it. I did enjoy Christine and Gerald's Game though. I'm waiting for Dome to come out in paperback.

Edited May 10, 2010 by Mia
Typo

[StephenKingman]

I loated The Tommyknockers and have never considered re-reading it. I did enjoy Christine and Gerald's Game though. I'm waiting for Dome to come out in paperback.

 

We will get on just fine then because i hated that book as well. Gerald's Game is a very under-rated King title as it came out with little fanfare compared to the biggies Rose Madder and Dolores Claiborne at the time. But for anyone who wants a tightly-plotted little chiller about isolation and terror in an old, out of the way forest cabin, check it out!

 

You should already be able to get Under The Dome on paperback, i picked it up over here in Ireland on release day in paperback.

[ian]

I thought Tommyknockers was pretty good - I see I might be in the minority here! This was the point at which he tails off in quality for me though. "IT" was excellent, so was Misery, but "bag of bones" was terrible!

 

I'm currently reading under the dome, about halfway through, and I'm really enjoying it at the moment. I'm a bit dismayed that so many of you are disappointed in the ending.

 

Ian

[ned]

Stick with it Ian, although i was dissapointed i was kind of glad that i read it as well, if that makes any sense

[Pablo]

I know I've bashed King for being, in my opinion, overrated, but recently I downloaded his entire collection for my e-book and thought I'd give him another chance, having already read 'Needful Things', 'The Dark Tower' series, 'The Stand' and a cross-section of his shorter works and quite like some of it.

 

I made it through 'From A Buick Eight' and was left completely unsatisfied by an idea which had promise, but which ran out of gas quickly and became repetitive. And talk about loose ends not being tied up.

 

Next was 'Nightmares And Dreamscapes', and I'm not kidding when I say this, but the stuff I'm writing just now wipes the floor with all of the stories within. Unimaginative and just plain silly about covers it.

 

One more, I thought, choosing 'It', another highly thought of book in his collection.

 

Oh dear. Where to begin. With the rambling story? Ridiculous finale? Or how about the completely unnecessary eight year old gang-bang which somehow helps kids escape from a sewer system?!

 

I must confess that I cringed as I read that scene, and lost, not only all interest in the characters (who, to be fair were well portrayed until that point), but also all respect for King.

 

And what's with his fascination with animal cruelty? Are there any novels he's written that don't contain the suffering of animals?!

 

Definately not a selling point for me, and as such I'm glad I didn't pay a penny for any of his works.

 

I can't see myself lowering my standards enough to read his work again though.

Edited May 21, 2010 by Pablo

[Rawr]

I think IT is an absolutely wonderful tale weaved with love and nostalgia at the heart of it, there are definitely parts of the history of Derry (I love reading about Derry but there was much that just didn't have a place in this story) and character background (which is fantastic despite this) which weighs a few areas down and drags the story significantly.

 

I think that's always the danger with such a massive tale. Those sections could have been cut and edited better, but I really think despite it's overcrowded content, it's one of his best. I've read it four times now and it's up there in my favourites of all time, I just connect so well to it personally.

 

Oh yeah and I try not to think of the children having intercourse, it kind of skips my memory I know what he was trying to convey but the pact does that so much more effectively, it was unnecessary. I actually love the ending too, which is very rare for a King, it just seems to fit, maybe a little rushed, but with King you don't often get many satisfying endings, but I felt that it was good for the story.

 

I can agree on From A Buick 8, i didn't feel it at all, very blocky and fumbling throughout.

 

Some from Nightmares and Dreamscapes are great, the opening one, Dolan's Cadillac is a fantastic short story, imo a modern classic. There's a certain vibe in that one specifically and I can see why he started with it, probably better saved for later. They are entertaining shorts but not really much to shout home about. It is very commendable how he continues backing the short story form still, he is hit or miss for me on that front, when he's off form, it drags and drags and drags without a pay off, but when he's on, I feel he really brings it better than most.

 

I think with a lot of King's shorts, he wants to carry on that kind of quirky gothic horror tradition that he's so influenced by, like the seemingly inanimate object springing forth to life or whatever ala Chattery Teeth, goofy black comedy with The Moving Finger, he just likes playing about with those boundaries, it can be a little silly but still enjoyable, i think rather than trying to be taken seriously, he's trying to entertain himself and keep those traditions alive. I found Rainy Season great, it's such a silly and simple idea but it works somehow. They Got A Hell of a Band or whatever it's called was just ridiculous but made me laugh, definitely not trying to be taken seriously there. I just think King is always best when he's innovating for me, which usually comes in his ambitious novel ventures but I love to see him writing shorts.

Edited May 21, 2010 by Rawr

[Sheeta]

I think I am falling in love with Stephen King right now, from today to infinity and beyond. I can add him to my pantheon of Gods (which includes a lot of musicians and writers). He's in the scary category! I have only read 1408 and Autopsy Room Four, but that's enough to tell me that I will love him. When I'll finish Everything's Eventual or before, I will borrow The Shining! Which book is his best, in your opinion? I want It too.

[Rawr]

The Shining is a fantastic novel, definitely cannot go wrong there

 

I did not like Autopsy Room Four, I thought it was really annoying. Though I love a lot of King's shorts, as seen above.

[StephenKingman]

I think I am falling in love with Stephen King right now, from today to infinity and beyond. I can add him to my pantheon of Gods (which includes a lot of musicians and writers). He's in the scary category! I have only read 1408 and Autopsy Room Four, but that's enough to tell me that I will love him. When I'll finish Everything's Eventual or before, I will borrow The Shining! Which book is his best, in your opinion? I want It too.

 

In my opinion, The Stand remains the best book King has ever written, its practically flawless and builds its tale of society gone mad perfectly and delivers a very satisfying ending to boot! The Shining is also excellent but IT could have easily been 200 pages shorter were it not for King's habit of describing the sewage and dam system in Maine in FAR too much detail.

[Rawr]

The first half of The Stand is ridiculously amazing, the vision is fantastic. The second part, well how can you live up to the first half he built up? It's practically impossible though I enjoyed it, I just did not like the ending, I understood it but it was a let down for me. Amazing book though, it only took me a couple of weeks to read too, that's how entertained I was by the damn monster.

[StephenKingman]

The first half of The Stand is ridiculously amazing, the vision is fantastic. The second part, well how can you live up to the first half he built up? It's practically impossible though I enjoyed it, I just did not like the ending, I understood it but it was a let down for me. Amazing book though, it only took me a couple of weeks to read too, that's how entertained I was by the damn monster.

 

Yeah it literally only took me 3 weeks to finish, too, i was that gripped. I actually enjoyed the ending, it provided a decent and definitive conclusion to the entire story and even when Stu was battling to return to Colorado and Frannie, i was still rooting for him. Plus i loved the very last page of the book, which described how evil comes full circle, very clever.

 

I actually hated the ending of a few Kings books but in my opinion The Stand was perfect.

[Beccles]

I am reading Insomnia and although I am well into the book page wise it is a hard book and really very boring. I do hope it improves. I never start a SK and not keep reading so I will let you know how I get along at the end

 

Also Amazon says the Dome wont be out in paperback until July.

Edited May 23, 2010 by Beccles