Stephen King

[Univerze]

Well I never really compared the madness etc in SK's books with that of Lovecraft.. in SK's book there's some of people going mad by the things they see, but then again a lot of the people in his books deal with the evil they face.. whereas in Lovecraft's stories, people go mad, absolutely, totaly insane. They don't deal, they find themselves back sometimes, but they never really face evil and come out the hero. Or, you know, most of the time. I can't say I have read all stories yet ofcourse, and not even all I have in my books. But their minds are destroyed, they never come out clean so to speak. And in King's works, they manage to get over the madness (if it even is there), some even hide it away, flee from it like it never happened, but few are destroyed (ofcourse there are some, like the boy in It, can't recall his name, the one who's hair turned white.. (mind you, I am recalling the film most, has been too long since I read the book) but his mind is destroyed... ).

Anyway, to me it never seemed the same.

[bighappygoth40]

My favourite King books by far have to be The Dark Tower series....absolute genius and I loved the way he managed to add the fantasy aspects to it. It was a wonderful ending too. I also love Desperation and Rose Madder.

[Mia]

I'm happy to hear someone else likes Rose Madder apart from me! It doesn't seem to be one of his most liked books, but I really enjoyed it.

[frankie]

Rose Madder is definitely a good one, it was one of the few King novels that are so good I had to get my own copy. That cop is evil. I loved how everything started to come together for Rose, and everything seemed fine for a moment. It's a really chilling read, the cat sniffing and waiting and finally catching the trail of the mouse... That books does not leave you cold.

[vinay87]

I never can seem to finish a Stephen King book for some reason. And oddly enough I've read On Writing several times and I love it. I put Cujo, Gunslinger and Drawing of the Three on my TBR for this year. Let's see what happens.

[frankie]

Vinay, I think Cujo is a very readable and great King novel. I would also recommend Carrie for you, it's quite a short read compared to some of King's lengthier novels and I think it's also very readable. Here's hoping you finish your first fictional King this year and enjoy it!

[vinay87]

Not that I have a problem with mammoth books you see. But a book about an "evil" St Bernard just begs to be read.

[ned]

I've just finished Cujo, very good read.

[Nicola Booth]

My Favourite Stephen King Book would have to be The Stand.

[Rawr]

Loved The Stand, the first half is particularly amazing. The attention to detail within that part is fantastic and he really builds up the story so effectively. I feel that after a certain event King just lost his way a little and it certainly didn't reach it's full potential (in my opinion as a faithful reader) but it is a brilliant novel and it's his story so i have no complaints in that respect.

[BigWords]

I feel that after a certain event King just lost his way a little and it certainly didn't reach it's full potential

 

You mean the bit where he

killed half the cast of the book off

? The reason that is in the book is because he wrote himself into a corner and imagined that he had developed terrible writers' block, the only way he could see to proceed was to do something drastic.

[StephenKingman]

This is my kind of thread! Just spent an hout reading some of the opinions on Stephen King here and i loved it. I am of course a huge fan and am currently reading Just After Sunset. I completed Under the Dome and The Stand recently, too. I would rate the former 7 out of 10 and the latter 10 out of 10.

[Rawr]

The Stand is a great book StephenKingman, i agree And yes BigWords, i can see how he wrote himself into a corner, once the whole community gets going it starts dragging a little, I just think there were better choices than the way things went after that, there were so many subplots going on that a different avenue could have opened up, but hey ho it's a great novel either way.

[StephenKingman]

For me i found the ending of The Stand fantastic and satisfying, something King isn't always able to deliver. The Stand grips you from the very first line and doesn't let go. I envisioned many possible endings to the book as i was reading it but i was happy with the actual ending.

 

Under the Dome, in my opinion, had a terrible ending. The book is still quite good when you consider the themes and plot but the reveal of the Dome itself was King's worst ending in years.

[Kell]

TI completed Under the Dome and The Stand recently, too. I would rate the former 7 out of 10 and the latter 10 out of 10.

I totally agree with The Stand being 10/10 - it's one of my all-time favourite books.

[CrazyBlade]

I used to be a massive fan of Stephen King, but just haven't read any of his in a long, long time.

 

My favourite would definitely be Misery, the book is so vivid, so claustrophobic. I love Firestarter, The Stand, and Carrie.

 

I may have to invest in Under The Dome once I've got thru my TBR pile.

[Ilona]

I've been a fan of King since about middle school - the first book I read by him being Salem's Lot. While his books aren't the deepest additions to literature I have ever read, his premises and writing style alone are impressive. His ideas for stories - as most know - are some of the most creative ones out there. Additionally, his style itself just seems to ooze with suspense; I don't think we'll find many better suspense writers.

 

It's hard to say which of his books is my favorite - IT, The Green Mile, Pet Semetary, and Misery are all high on my list.

Edited February 16, 2010 by Ilona

[vinay87]

Ok, I'll give King one more try. Cujo failed my expectations and the moment I learned that

he was a rabid dog

I lost interest in it. I didn't really think his attempts to make it seem like

Cujo was possessed by a serial killer's spirit

worked for me. It never got a drop of sweat from me.

 

So I want to know if there's a King book that should make my spine tremble. Books have made me cry. They've made me laugh. They've made me expectant and whoop whenever I needed to. But ever since my last Goosebumps book since I was 12 no book has ever made me scared. Period.

[runner]

Yes there is bound to be a thread on this book but as a newbie I wanted to mention as possibly the best king book i have ever read. It is more than a book it is a magical experience, it shows hope and kindness where we least expect it..the movie did it great justice one of the best tie in's of all time....

[Univerze]

Um.. just a newbie myself but couldn't you have better posted this in the Stephen King thread? Think one of the mods/admins will move this at one point tho..

 

But I have only read the first part of the book.. don't know if it's the case in other countries too but here, when it first came out it was as a series of thin books, think there were like 6. I bought the first one at the time, liked it but well, not much money at the time so didn't read the rest yet. I have seen the film so many times (was one of dad's favourites) that it's putting me off reading the book really.. it might be a bit different but feel like I have read the book at least ten times already..

[Univerze]

Sorry, no King book has ever scared me. However, if I had to recommend two, it's the Stand (adore it) and The Talisman.. with Peter Straub. Neither are scary, but they're just so epic, and the Talisman deals with a sorta alternate universe, really my thing.

[runner]

Um.. just a newbie myself but couldn't you have better posted this in the Stephen King thread? Think one of the mods/admins will move this at one point tho..

 

But I have only read the first part of the book.. don't know if it's the case in other countries too but here, when it first came out it was as a series of thin books, think there were like 6. I bought the first one at the time, liked it but well, not much money at the time so didn't read the rest yet. I have seen the film so many times (was one of dad's favourites) that it's putting me off reading the book really.. it might be a bit different but feel like I have read the book at least ten times already..

 

you are right univerze i was too lazy to look for the thread on king but if you are a newbie then i am a newbie newbie...anyway hope you are well today:)

[Johnny Carson Whit]

Ok, I'll give King one more try. Cujo failed my expectations and the moment I learned that

he was a rabid dog

I lost interest in it. I didn't really think his attempts to make it seem like

Cujo was possessed by a serial killer's spirit

worked for me. It never got a drop of sweat from me.

 

So I want to know if there's a King book that should make my spine tremble. Books have made me cry. They've made me laugh. They've made me expectant and whoop whenever I needed to. But ever since my last Goosebumps book since I was 12 no book has ever made me scared. Period.

 

Stephen King is the first author that I ever got into, the latest I read and enjoyed was Firestarter, he can be very hit and miss though some of his books bore me to tears.

 

Some I would recommend would be:

 

Dolores Claiborne

Misery

Firestarter

The Shinning

Geralds Game

Four Past Midnight (collection of short stories, one of the first King books I ever owned)

The Stand

IT (to a degree, although nothing happens for very long periods and it takes a bit of perseverance)

 

I've not read his more recent stuff, it's something I intend to catch up on.

[Chrissy]

Um.. just a newbie myself but couldn't you have better posted this in the Stephen King thread? Think one of the mods/admins will move this at one point tho..

 

I am here to merge!

[mirandashell]

I found Salem's Lot pretty scary. And Misery. And Gerald's Game.

 

Does anyone else think that King's books have become less effective since he stopped drinking? He seems to have lost that spark. Shame really....