StephenKingman
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Posts posted by StephenKingman
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What's the scariest book by King then? :-)
Mitch.
I reckon either The Shining or The Stand if you want pure, spine-chilling terror, some of the scenes that King describes in The Shining are enough to make you want to close the book its that unnerving, and The Stand has an air of menace running throughout the book as you sense the ancient theme of good vs evil in the characters and the setting and of course in Randall Flagg!
For psychological scares try Misery, Carrie, Apt Pupil or Geralds Game.
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Having just read this book and read this thread, i would also like to add my thoughts. I agree that it is a very bleak and pessimistic novel but the themes of governmental control, the hierarchy of society and the nature of war is absolutely relevant to the times we live in. Some of his predictions with regards technology were perhaps a bit off but one could argue that the 'proloterian' class of society is monitored by mobile phones and email and cctv etc but mind you, Orwell states that the common person does not need to be watched as they do not have either the resources or intelligence to realize that the world is anything ither than what they see. A very true and powerful statement!
I sense from this book, as well as Animal Farm, that Orwell was deeply miserable about the nature and inequality of society i.e. rich are always rich, poor are always poor, the minority control the majority, all life is concerned with a power struggle amongst the rich 5% etc etc, he saw these harsh facts daily in his life and attempted to change them through a theme of rebellion both with Winston and Julia and the animals overthrowing the farmkeeper. A very intelligent man.
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Just finished re-reading 1984 and also rereading Animal Farm, excellent books! I was recommended 1984 so gave it a go and the first time around was just to read the story and the second time to analyse the hidden political and societal messages contained within the book!
Animal Farm is a work of genius, too and it can be read on so many levels. Orwell was bang on the money when it came to the true nature of society, class and government!
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It was easy for me to know - I started the thread!
I love George Orwell!
Me as well, i was gobsmacked whilst reading the book as to how accurate his statements on war, the hierarchy of society and the true nature of war were, i will have to re-read it a couple of times to fully understand the messages. Next on my list is Animal Farm.
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There is, but it's listed under its published title of Nineteen Eighty-Four, which is maybe why you couldn't find it?
Ah, that would explain it
Thanks a million Janet.
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Just finished 1984 and im gobsmacked by how accurate the predictions of George Orwell were, particularly with his observations on the nature of society, war, government and control. I will need to read the book again to fully appreciate it but right now im dying to discuss it, is there a 1984 thread here anywhere, i searched but couldnt find.
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Just finished "The Life and Death of Myra Hindley" today and i never want to read any more about the Moors Murders, i now know officially everything about Hindley and her crimes. A well-researched book but only for hardcore true crime fans.
Next on my list is 1984 which im starting...NOW!
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If there is one book i WILL read again then it is 1984, if only to better understand the political and societal hidden messages contained within it and the disturbingly real future predicted by Orwell....
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Since becoming a member i have branched out and bought books like The Larsson trilogy which i ordinarily would not have bought but since reading so much about them here i have been very curious to try it and its next on my to be read list after 1984.
Also, i have found out that The Blind Side and Shutter Island were books as well as movies which i had no idea about before joining! So although my main area of interest is crime and horror, i have been experimenting thanks to you people so thanks!
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King is a phenomenal writer, one of those who stands head and shoulders above the crowd because he just has something, some special spark that makes him write the way he does you can't teach that, it's innate. Koontz is a fairly good writer from the couple i've read now, I don't think it's healthy or necessary to compare authors competitively that much, writing is a very different breed of art, but King by a fair mile if we are talking about impact, innovation and inspirational depth for me.
Kings books are genuinely frightening whereas Koonts' books are merely thrilling but dont linger long in the mind. Also, King can build suspense very slowly so that you dont even realise you are tense whilst reading his books and then he will strike when you least expect it. Nit to say Koontz is a bad writer but he is certainly nowhere near the standard of King.
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If I make my own bread / rolls then I always use Wrights. I found them easy to use for making by hand, and tasty. You should be able to find all additive on their website. I don't often have white bread now, and make sure it is really top quality and fresh when I do. I think coming away from the over processed can help make a big difference to how I feel. You realise that the cr*ppy white stuff is pure mush!
Thanks very much for your help, i will research further!
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Today marks a month since i have given up eating white bread and i feel all the better for it. I used to eat tonnes of in as sandwiches, toast, rolls etc but since switching to wholemeal/wholegrain products, i feel a bit better and dont miss that white bread taste at all.
I would like to ask though can anyone here recommend a quality wholemeal or wholegrain loaf or even a good recipe to make it because i dont fully trust the supermarket loaves as they are bound to have plenty of preservatives and colorings in them, as well as being processed.
Any bread experts here to point me in the right direction?
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King, naturally, because his books are more terrifying and raw than those of Koontz, who tends to write his stories in the style of a thriller than an outright scare fest. King has a unique way with words that can raise all the hairs on the back of your head with a single sentence, plus his storytelling abilities are far superior to Koontz in my opinion.
I reckon Koontz has always been in the shadow of Stephen King and although i cant imagine it bothers him that much these days, with all his money, he would probably be the number one horror author had King not existed.
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Wasn't it Mike when he'd finished his chores who did that? I loved that pipe in the Kitchener Ironworks moment, all he wanted to do was pick up a souvenir, guess he got more than he bargained for
Ah my mistake it was Mike, i havent read it in a few years now but the memory of the giant bird at the Ironworks is still crystal clear!
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I really enjoyed his newer one called Lisey's Story.
I think my favourites of his are Misery, Salems Lot and IT.
I like most of his books, but i think they sometimes drag on too long!
I also liked those titles, too, especially Misery. In general King does seem to drag out certain sections of his books when describing towns or characters, he can go overboard at times and his style of writing has also changed since his accident in 1999. I found a lot of his books post-99 much more of a slow burner than the raw terror works like The Shining and Carrie. For example, Duma Key takes a very long time establishing mood and anchoring the background plot, which makes the finale all the sweeter when Perse unleashes her wrath!!
Also, you reminded me of a moment in IT where a young Stan is chased down a tunnel by a huge bird that contains the spirit of IT, truly pant-wetting stuff.
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Grammar....
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Snowboarding
Lots of short books or one long book?
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Although Lost still remains one of my favorite shows ever, i still feel a bit cheated by that ending- 6 years is a hell of a long time to watch a show and then to simply expect an audience to just accept that the island has mysteries that dont need to be explained is pushing it a bit- its too easy to just write off the many mysteries of the island just for a happy ending for the characters and also, half of season 6 is irrelevant because it didnt happen!
On the general discussion of Lost though i must say Ab Aterno, the episode which explains Richards backstory is up there with one of my faves, along with the opening of season 2.
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I have recently cut out white bread from my diet and after nearly a month i feel a bit better and even a tad slimmer. I didnt find it hard at all and now i could only eat wholemeal or wholegrain bread and not white, which has the nutrients stripped from it and is heavy on preservatives.
Does anyone here recommend any high quality wholemeal or wholegrain breads or even any recipe tips for cooking it yourself? Even though wholemeal bread is better for you, i have no doubt that these also contain colorings and treatment agents so i am eager to buy the freshest produce, any tips outside the supermarket?
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Just have a few more thoughts and questions after yet another day pondering!
1. How did Jacob leave the island as we saw him do when he selected his next lot of candidates and then just go back to the island whenever he pleased?
2. What was the meaning of the pool in the temple that revived Sayid and what was the 'test' about that revealed good and evil in a person? The Temple had been referenced dozens of times from series 1 -5 so to just leave it without offering an explanation as to who built it and why, who were the leaders and why they feared the monster so much was just sinful. And on that point, am i the only one who thinks Sayid was totally redundant as a character since series 5? He isnt one of my fave characters but i just think he served no purpose at all after shooting a young Ben Linus and was merely limping along to the finale!
3. What exactly was the big deal with Smokey leaving the island? He just wanted to leave, nothing else and there is no reference to him wanting to destroy the world, that was just feared by Jacob etc?
4. How does a sonic fence stop a creature that can fell dozens of men in mere seconds, and who thought up this barrier?
5. The biggest mystery of all, and one which i was very very frustarted with over the course of the last series, was how the hell didnt the Losties spot buildings like The Lighthouse, the Well etc???? They had just spent months and months traversing practically every inch of the island and stumbled across hatches, abandoned planes, hidden caves, streams, radio towers, walked literally the length and breadth of the island and we the viewers are expected to believe that not once in all their travels did they come across these features. And of course how the HELL did they miss the golden stream when it was so close to their original beach camp back in series one near the bamboo forest, thats just a huge cop-out.
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The Scarecrow
Tennis or Badminton?
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Yes, i appreciate that a lot of mysteries would be unsolved or left up to the viewers to watch again but the fact remains that most viewers will not have the patience to watch old episodes again in an attempt to catch some clues. And there are at least 5 mysteries that the makers copped out on answering which was sinful considering how much emphasis was placed on these themes throughout the show:
1. Why exactly was Walt kidnapped and what was the reason behind The Others kidnapping children specifically, this has never been explained satisfactorily.
2. The four-toed statue may have been written off as "just another trivial mystery" but for the fact that it was the Egyptian God of Fertility Tabek, and it carried two anks, the symbols of eternal life. Knowing all we do about the history of babies dying on the island and the gift that Jacob had of granting unending life to his servants like Alpert, it was sinful not to explore in detail the history behind this statue- who built it, why did Jacob live there and how did Alanahs' crew know about it, as referenced in the tapestry at the end of season 5 when they burned Jacobs' cabin, which brings me nicely onto.....
3. What was the deal with that cabin, who exactly said "Help me" back in season 3 in that chair that took the form of Christian, was it the smoke monster? And why was there ash surrounding the cabin, and also whay was there a huge mural of a dog inside the cabin (watch it again!).
4. How could Ben 'call' the monster, as evidenced when he let it loose on Keamleys men in season 4? The smoke monster has been doing is own thing for centuries and then we are expected to believe that Dharma and The Others devised a system to trap and control this being? Ridiculous! And what IS the monster? As mentioned, we saw how the Man in Black morphed into the monster but not what exactly it IS or how old it is. And why did the fake mother thank her 'son' for stabbing her to death? Could it be that the woman was possesed by this ancient spirit and could only be purified by being murdered by a third party? It would certainly explain how she had the strength to dipspatch her big muscular son with a mere push.....
5. So, is Vincent God then? Think about it, he showed up just as Jack awoke in the pilot episode, seemed to evaluate him, then ran away as if he had choosen to let Jack and the others live to go through this essential challenge for his character, popping up now and again to watch over them. Dog is God backwards and in episode 4 of series one, called Tabula Rosa, Locke calls Vincent with a dog whistle but stares intently at him in the final scene with a look of hatred. Even back then was it possible that Locke sensed that MIB wanted to use him to destroy God (Jacob) ? And Vincent was the last 'person' with Jack before he dies- was this God being by his side at the final transition to comfort him?
Dont get me wrong, it was a good ending in terms of resolving the characters fates but too many essential island mysteries were just left hanging mid air. 3 seasons would have done it, season 4 and 5 and all that flash forward/time travel nonsense was just padding on a show that was forced to air long beyond its original end point.
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As a huge fan of the show since day one, i was very disappointed with that ending-nothing was explained about the island, the statue, what exactly the orb at the centre was, why Desmond was time travelling, who were the people living in the temple etc etc?
The only plotlines it resolved were how the remaining islanders got off the island, the rest was just irrelevant. And i still dont understand the flash sideways if anyone out there wants to explain it in english?
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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.
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
in Horror / Fantasy / SF
Posted
Yes, i intend to read a few more of his books thanks for the recommendation. I find him easily to be one of the most astounding authors i have ever read, in that his predictions about the future and government and even education were for the most part spot on. I have now read Animal Farm 3 times and each time i have gotten another message from it, a truly brilliant book.