LOL. Same here. I didn't even finish Christine. Of his earlier works, I liked The Shining and The Dead Zone the best. I also liked Different Seasons a lot (a collection of four novellas). "The Shawshank Redemption" is based on the first one, but I thought the second one "Apt Pupil" was the best of the lot.
Wow!....Comments edited... I've been waiting to hear what people are saying about the "Dome." Sounds like I need to read..
"The Stand" is one of his best, make sure you get the latest edition. His first was slightly abridged. Gary Sinise stared in the excellent movie version. One of his books I enjoyed the most was the Non-fictional auto bio, called "On Writing" On trying to gain acceptance in the writing world and all his failures. Flat broke with a young family. Then "Carrie" came along.
'The Stand' is what got me into King and started my obsession with post-apocalyptic themes. In a lot of King's books I get to a point where I know that I can skim for 100 or so pages because he's completely phoning it in, but with the 'The Stand' I found myself hanging onto every detail and hoping it would never end. 'The Dark Tower' series could of went on for another 7 books and I would of happily plunked down the cash for each one. As with a lot of King's books, it's always the journey that is the most satisfying, while the endings always feel like a bit of a let down. I think the most frightening book I've ever read is ''Salem's Lot'. It's a shame they've never come out with a decent film adaption that captures the horror of vampire Billy Glick scraping at the windows, asking for permission to enter the abode so that he can take his blood meal. Good stuff.
"Salem's Lot" was one of the books I read early on and perhaps the only 'horror' one I enjoyed. I get so tired of "Pulsing glowing walls" and Dirty leering looks from rats and crows.. The Stand was a good read, I was fishing up in Alaska with that to keep me company at night. Totally surprised when I got back to find that the world was still populated. Read both editions of the book and really enjoyed the Gary Sinise movie.
Not a Steven King in any way, and I've read a lot his stuff, but The Stand and It are easily two of my favorite works. What King does better than anyone is tell stories from multiple perspectives. I'm never scared, because, hey, it's a book, but his characters are scared. They're terrified, and the terror is palpable. King's problem is that his horror is so outsized that he has trouble reigning it in at the end. The horror in It is an extra-terrestrial spider, which is an epic fail as a denoument, but the fear those 7 kids lived with is real.
Just finished "The Dome". Even with his acknowledgement to his editor for "trimming it down" it was still 1076 pages. It moved along OK fleshed out his goodies and baddies but didn't really grip you. Or me at least. Still better than some books I've read this past few months but not a rave. Disappointed with the ending, didn't seem to know how to get out of it.
Directv are doing a Steven King week this week. Just saw an ad speed by and missed the channel but if you're interested it wouldn't be hard to find out.
Finished 11.22.63. Similar to Dome for me, was gripped all the way thru but ending was a little meh. I have vague recollections of seeing a similar story in a Outer Limits type programme.
11.22.63. My wife has this on order with the local library. I have to appropriate it when she gets it.
Not a fan. Last of his novels I read was The Stand - 30 yrs ago? Ii never thought his books were scary so what was the point. BUT - the short story collection Night Shift from 1978 is full of terrifying stories - highly recommended. And several of these he made into novels. Once you read the original short story the novels just seem bloated.
I haven't read Night Shift in at least 20 years. What stories were made into novels? But really, King's strength isn't that he's good at telling scary stories (though he is.) His strength is that he's good at telling stories, period. Hell, some of his best stories aren't even horror. Could he have published a bit less dreck amidst the gems? Definitely. Does he have to write 1000 page books? No, almost certainly not. But if you're in the mood for an entertaining read, he's hard to beat.
My problem with King is precisely that he tells scary stories. He creates an outsize terror, and ultimately he has trouble reigning it all in at the end. I'll presume that in a King discussion thread, I won't be spoiling anything, but take for instance, The Stand. You've got a monumental good v evil struggle that is barely one step away from God vs Satan. God's side wins out, kills the almost-Satan, and then he's reborn somewhere else. I think King was trying to say something about the never-ending, almost cyclical threat of evil, but to me, the ending was anti-climactic. Same with It. An evil so ultimate that the town of Derry just goes into hibernation every 3 years when it awakes, is in the end a giant space space spider. Ugh. I loved both of these books, and I re-read them often. Just not the last chapter or two.
You are completely right on about his difficulties with his endings. I almost mentioned it last night but I was too tired. However, I didn't personally have a problem with then ending of The Stand or It. In The Stand, it would have actually been kind of lame for evil to have been completely defeated. Besides, Randall Flagg is a character who appears in many other SK books as the embodiment of evil and darkness. He is Satan, the biggest, baddest Big Bad ever. One of the lamest endings of a Stephen King book ever is Under the Dome, which is a shame because most of the book is a great read. But the ending caused my eyeballs to get stuck in a rolled position. I know that there are several other examples - in fact, the more a SK is science fiction (rather than horror), the more likely the ending will be ridiculous. I would highly encourage you to read "Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Body." They are neither horror nor science fiction and I believe that are some of his best work ever.
i only found out recently, but stand by me is by stephen king!!! i wonder if thats him in the beggining with reichard dreyfuss
I don't think it is. It took him a while to get into the cameo-thing a la Stan Lee. Oh, and welcome to BS. Especially the books forum Though what is it with all these new Man Utd supporters?
If Johnny31 means 'Stand By Me' the movie(and I assume it is as he also mentions Richard Dreyfuss who narrates as the main lead in adulthood looking back) then I believe it was based on the short story 'The Body' by Stephen King.
Anyone catch the movie for "Hearts in Atlantis"? Maybe I was reading too fast, but the book didn't try to pin it on the J Edgar Hoover Administration did it?
I only got through Book 4 of the Dark Tower series. There was just too much time between them. By the time the last few came out, I had forgotten everything. I just started listening to audio of the Dark Tower series so I could catch up and remember. Interestingly enough, things are as they were 24 years ago, when I started reading the series the first time. The Gunslinger is something that might prevent someone from continuing. I barely found it interesting... again. I didn't the first time, and I didn't this time. It was ok, as this time I knew I had something to look forward to. The Drawing of the Three is freakin' awesome. I'm probably 3/4 finished now. I barely remembered it... bits and pieces... all the characters, but it's such a great story. It's almost as if I'm reading it for the first time. A lot of things I read when I was young, I'm disappointed with the second time around -- I barely know what I saw in it in the first place... but this is not like that. Looking forward to the Wastelands... don't remember how I felt about wizard and glass... but I'm excited to see how this whole thing goes now that I'm starting over.
It's about 1400 pages long. first 3rd is a 10/10, truly mesmerizing stuff. Middle 3rd is probably a 7/10, still very good but starts to drag in some areas. Last 3rd is a 1/10, just utter nonsense that rambles and rambles and rambles and rambles.......
I'd describe it similarly, but divide it in quarters: first 1/2 is great, up to 3/4 it's still pretty good, and the last 1/4, well, I've only read that part twice.
Interesting. I have now finished the audio of Wizard and Glass. An interesting phenomenon. I absolutely barely remembered anything about it. Almost nothing. I knew that we went back and learned a lot about what happened to Roland and his friends when he met Susan Delgado... but apart from some minute details, it was like reading a book for the first time. I enjoyed it, but I was annoyed at that sensation. I really thought I should have remembered more. I may switch to the Kindle for the remaining books. I didn't realize that Frank Muller died. The fifth book is dedicated to him. Sad.
I'll drink to that....In fact I think I did. I started the book way back in the 70's on a fishing trip in Alaska. Got dropped off by float plane. last thing heard was "I'll pick you up in 10 days...weather permitting." Good book to read by lamplight. I read it again years later the 'new' edition that is. Gary Sinise was in the made for TV movie/ducodrama which wasn't terrible.
Under the Dome. This starts on TV come Monday 24th. CBS. Like most of you, I found the end pretty lame. It's planned as a 13 week series but there's talk of dragging it out...! Perhaps like the book... I'll watch and see how it goes. The first Dome book I read was John Wyndham's "Midwich Cuckoos" Probably known better here as "Village of the Damned" It was one of the first "modern" sci fi books I read, way back in '57. (1957 that is.) Not counting Jules Verne of course.
"Under the Dome" started on TV last night. Haven't seen a comment on it yet. Prolly coz it's not the book.. Not in the Movie or TV section yet either. I'll watch it later today, I got home late last night and would have slept through half of it. Anyone have and say on it???