Stephen King

Moogles

Moogles

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I've read dozens of King's novels/short stories...and EVERY one has glued me to the pages. The man's a genius. If I'm reading a book at my own will, it's a book written by Stephen King.

Anyone else enjoy his stuff?
 
I've only read Carrie ... well, half of it. I hated how he wrote it. It went from a story, to a reflection of the events that haven't yet happened from a future point of view to a freaking character analysis. I didn't need to have characterisation points about Tommy Ross shoved in my face. As the reader, I'm meant to make my own opinion anyway ¬_¬ Also, he ruined the damn thing in one of the future-tense descriptions of what happened in the events that hadn't yet happened by giving away that
Tommy Ross
died. Well, that was anticipation just thrown out of the window.

I want to believe he's a good author ... but Carrie has put me off him.
 
Honestly, Carrie wasn't one of my favorites. I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as others like The Shining, It, The Stand, or Misery...to name a few.

At least Carrie's a short book. Doesn't drag on for hundreds and hundreds of pages.
 
I've never read any of his books, but looked at some of them in bookshops and want to. There are so many though, I wouldn't know which to get! I really wanted to start with The Shining, but for some reason I cannot find it anywhere.
 
I actually had a really hard time finding that book myself.

In fact, I think I ended up having to borrow it from a friend.
 
Princess Aighurhmnw said:
I've never read any of his books, but looked at some of them in bookshops and want to. There are so many though, I wouldn't know which to get! I really wanted to start with The Shining, but for some reason I cannot find it anywhere.
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No surprise there, they're bough up quicker then anything. And the ones I find are usually worn out from being lovingly read over and over. :P

I've read several of his stories, and I suggest Lisey's Story, the Dark Tower series, or Cell. I haven't finished Cell or the series, but they're both really good so far. But basically, you can pick up almost anyone of his books and still get a good story.

The Dark Tower series, book 4, is what I'm on right now. It's really quite good. And I had been reading Cell, but I lost the book and now have to start over, since it's a pet peeve of mine.
 
Iv read a couple, one I can't remember the name of but some Sheriff guy had a family that was travelling locked up and was a bit mad. Iv read a little of Dolores Cliarbourne (sp)

Id love to read The Shining, it's one of my favourite films ever so I can only imagine the book would be epic
 
I really enjoy reading his short story collections such as "Four past midnight" and "Nightmares and Dreamscapes"

Until recently I haven't been able to find the time to read any of his novels, but I will probably start one soon
 
I've read (that I can remember) The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, Misery, Everything's Eventual, The Dead Zone, Thinner, The Longest Mile, and 3/4ths of Insomnia.

I don't like him very much. Well, let me clarify...I think he writes very good short stories. Everything's Eventual, his collection of short stories, was pretty good. There were a few stupid ones, but I thought it was overall pretty strong (especially 1408! XD That one scared me).

His longer novels....oy. Christ, man, stop. Just stop writing. It's okay not to describe everything. We don't need to know if Jim blew his nose or not. I also don't find him a very...good writer. I never lean back in my chair and say, "Oh my god. What a beautiful way to describe something." I guess he's good for quick, cheap, and dirty reading. I must admit, I'm pretty impressed that he's still writing and has yet to run out of storylines.

From the books I read, I liked The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon the best. Insomnia's concept was really cool, but it just kept dragging on and on.
 
Anyone read his The Dark Tower series? I've read The Gunslinger, The Drawing Of The Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, and Wolves Of The Calla and I am about to start Song Of Susannah. It's a great fantasy series set in a truly unique universe which is rather outlandish. Definitely a must read if you are a fan of Stephen King or fantasy that differs a bit from the usual "orcs and elves" galore.

Apart from that I have also read Needful Things, The Shining, Salem's Lot and It.
 
I stopped at The Wizard and the Glass. I liked the wierdness and such, but it started to get real predictable once they got on the robotic monorail. I mean, dead baby humor? Come ON. We're supposed to be reading wierd wild west, not Howard Stern's assistant Richard. (Oh wait, that's gay humor...)

I do agree that a lot of his short stories were better than his long stories for the main parts.


...but as for good books, I recommend Rose Madder, the whole of Green Mile, The Gunslinger and Rose Red.
 
Anthiena said:
I stopped at The Wizard and the Glass. I liked the wierdness and such, but it started to get real predictable once they got on the robotic monorail. I mean, dead baby humor? Come ON. We're supposed to be reading wierd wild west, not Howard Stern's assistant Richard. (Oh wait, that's gay humor...)

I do agree that a lot of his short stories were better than his long stories for the main parts.


...but as for good books, I recommend Rose Madder, the whole of Green Mile, The Gunslinger and Rose Red.
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Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla both have a pretty strong wild west theme going on. Especially Wizard and Glass which for most parts is about Roland when he was a young gunslinger. I haven't started the next one yet, but that one is apparently mostly set in New York.
 
His books have great/good plots, but he describes everything to death, im reading black house, which could probably be 100 pages shorter.

His books are ideal to turn into movies, as all the time he wastes describing stuff can be done in one screen shot
 
Placebo said:
His books are ideal to turn into movies, as all the time he wastes describing stuff can be done in one screen shot
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Yet most of the movies I've seen of his books are complete crap. The Green Mile was a good film...as was Misery and The Shining.

Hmm...now that I think about it, there may be more good movies than bad ones.

It and Tommyknockers sucked, though.
 
I always thought that the TV miniseries made over The Shining was much better than Stanley Kubrik's movie was. The movie wasn't too bad, but it lacks the coherency and atmosphere of the mini-series, and strays too far away from the book in come scenes.
 
Erythritol said:
From the books I read, I liked The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon the best. Insomnia's concept was really cool, but it just kept dragging on and on.
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Oy, Insomnia... it's an alright book, don't get me wrong... but your right, it drags on and on and on and on... well, you get my point. :P I've tried unsuccessfully to read through it twice, and just can't get to the end.

And as for the Dark Tower series: It's still very good. And I love Roland. But Jake is my favorite.
And how Sussannah ended up burning with Roland watching, that was a great twists, at least, I think so....

IT... I just can't really bring myself to read. I saw the movie, and it just creeeeeped me out. *shiver* I just don't like clowns. I want to read it, it's just that if I get really into it, I see things (big imagination). XD

I've been wanting to read 'The Shining' and 'Rose Madder' for a long time now...

And as for his descriptioins, they can really drag out. But I guess that's just his style. 'Cujo' is a perfect instance. He made an entire book out of one rabid dog, and two people trapped in a car. Wow. :confused:
 
I've read a lot of Stephen King, he's one of my favourite authors. My favourite has to be IT, then MIsery and then his collection of stories he did under his alias of Richard Bachman (spawned such films as The Running Man)


If I were to suggest one, it would probably be The Stand. The first few hundred pages sho the de-evolutuion of society and plenty amounts of chaos throughout. It's amazing. Good for a holiday read.
 
The only novel of his I've read and didn't enjoy is Gerald's Game.

If you don't like excessive detail, then don't read that book. He got an entire book out of a lady handcuffed to a bed. I had to force myself to finish that one...
 
I tried reading the Dark Tower series, but I struggled with the first book. I really didn't like the style. I've been told by almost every source that I must persevere with it, because the first book is by far the weakest, and doesn't do the series as a whole justice.
 
Grand Lethal said:
I've only read Carrie ... well, half of it. I hated how he wrote it. It went from a story, to a reflection of the events that haven't yet happened from a future point of view to a freaking character analysis. I didn't need to have characterisation points about Tommy Ross shoved in my face. As the reader, I'm meant to make my own opinion anyway ¬_¬ Also, he ruined the damn thing in one of the future-tense descriptions of what happened in the events that hadn't yet happened by giving away that
Tommy Ross
died. Well, that was anticipation just thrown out of the window.

I want to believe he's a good author ... but Carrie has put me off him.
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Well, geeze, Carrie WAS one of his FIRST books, y'know? Give him a break...I don't remember thinking it was so bad, though, but surely there are better works of his than that, yes...

Fraix said:
Iv read a couple, one I can't remember the name of but some Sheriff guy had a family that was travelling locked up and was a bit mad.
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I believe that would be Desperation...if you liked it, you should check out the 'mirror work' done under SK's pseudonym Richard Bachman called The Regulators (which I personally liked much more than Desperation...less God stuff=more fun).

Anyways, yeah, I LOVE the Dark Tower series...Personally, my favorites are The Gunslinger, which I know is VERY hit or miss for people who read it because of it's oblique, shifting storyline...but to me it just makes me think of Quentin Tarantino's style of storytelling...but I can see how people would think it's just artsy BS that's trying too hard...I think even SK has admitted that it's that way because he wrote it so long ago...

I also love Wizard & Glass though because young Roland (or just solo Roland) & Cuthbert are my favorite characters in the series...

I've read all of the Dark Tower-related books as well, and my favorite, of all the SK books really, has got to be The Talisman. It's just a great Fantasy/Adventure story...kind of predictable ending, since it's also very much a Quest story, but also immensely satisfying.

I mostly agree w/everyone about Insomnia...it takes a LONG time to get going, but I think that when it does get going, it's really good...but maybe I think that because of it's close ties w/the Dark Tower...but, yeah, I was seriously being put to sleep (punny?) by about two-thirds of it...

I'm also one of the few & the proud SK fans who thinks that Cell is better than The Stand. Now, I absolutely love a lot of the characters from The Stand, but I just couldn't handle the absolute
deus ex machina
ending very much...

I want to see SK do something w/a more specific, or 'classic' sci-fi edge to it...like something set in space or w/a lot of aliens maybe...I dunno...it seems like a genre he's only explored the edges of...I LOVED Dreamcatcher though (both the book & the movie!).
 
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