I generally think that SK has gotten “weenier” since about Gerald’s Game, and attempting psychological horror as well as a lot more “Shawshank” type stuff. Some of it good, some bad, but he doesn’t pack the scare much anymore. Even the good (subjective of course) books like Bag of Bones, Green Mile, Hearts of Atlantis (so far) don’t keep me up at night.
I liked Insomnia OK… wasn’t great, but it was entertaining…
Several of his recent books I haven’t read (yet), and after DreamCatcher I’m not too sure that I want to! I oredered DreamCatcher in hardback mostly cause I was drunk at the time, and surfing Amazon…
I probably will read the rest of them, eventually sigh
I haven’t read the Dreamcatcher yet, but I’ve read all the others. Of the list, Hearts in Atlantis is my least favorite. The others I liked to varying degrees, most of them I liked a lot. I do think that Wizard and Glass was the weakest of the dark tower series, though, so… The only book of his I really thought had terrible parts to it was The Tommyknockers. The first 250 pages…bleck. I’ve heard the theory though, that his wife wrote the beginning, which goes to show that I’m not the only one who thought it wasn’t “his” style…
I’ve read almost all of King’s old stuff, and most of his Bachman stuff. I suppose I’ll get around to reading the newer stuff (basically everything after Needful Things, to me), but my mom, and other people, have told me his newer stuff isn’t as good as the older stuff.
But I sort of liked Needful Things. For me, the revenge stuff was getting good but then when Alan got into the act, I just shrug. IIRC, doesn’t one of the characters go onto the old Camber property from Cujo? I read almost all of King’s Castle Rock stories because I love how he references to other stories and how the town has it’s own detailed history, and that’s why I even picked up NT in the first place, because of the destruction of Castle Rock.
Ironically enough, I have most of King’s later works but just never read them.
There were two – Riding the Bullet and The Plant. The Plant is the serial e-novel he hasn’t finished yet.
I bought and read Riding the Bullet. Was it worth it? I guess. I have a mental block about reading fiction on a computer monitor and it affects my judgment.
It was the same kind of story as the recent one in the New Yorker – internal conflict stuff, almost a writing exercise rather than something finished. (But I really liked the New Yorker story.)
I thought charging for The Plant was just wrong, so I haven’t read any of that one.
AuntiePam- It’s good to see you back on the boards- hadn’t seen you for a few months, but hey. 
I think knowing that (about laying the two covers together) makes one a real SK fan. Hehe…
I always feel I over post to SK threads. I liked the Castle Rock references, too. Like how Ace Merill from The Body returns in Needful Things. Nice little place, Castle Rock. I mean, if you like evil and all that. What was the other Castle Rock book? Surely there was one more, though I’m having a mental blank.
Zoggie - “over-post”? Heavens no. It’d be weird if the King fans didn’t show up on these threads, wouldn’t it?
As for catching cross-references, my brain’s too old.
But the Stephen King Universe is available now – it’s a guide to the places and characters in all his books. I intend to use it during future King reads. Might even try to read Insomnia again.
There were many, but I’m working from memory here:
We’re first introduced to Castle Rock, I think, through The Dead Zone, when Johnny Smith is asked to help catch The Castle Rock Killer. Then there’s Cujo (which King always makes a reference to in the Castle Rock books/stories to follow: about how Joe Camber got killed by his rabid St. Bernard, etc.). You mentioned The Body. The Dark Half either mentions or takes place in Castle Rock, can’t remember which (I think it takes place in the same town as Pet Semetary; but I know that Alan Pangborn, the Sheriff in Needful Things, is introduced in this book). Various short stories of his takes place in The Rock. Mrs. Todd’s Short Cut comes to mind. Then Castle Rock is destroyed in Needful Things.
That’s all I can remember for now. Anything else I’m missing? I’m a big Castle Rock fan, so…yeah. 
Dang, beanshadow - you’re good!
According to the Universe book, Castle Rock features in several short stories – Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut, Nona, Uncle Otto’s Truck, and It Grows on You. Also the novellas The Body and The Sun Dog.
You’re right that Dead Zone was the first novel set in Castle Rock. Then came Cujo, The Dark Half, and finally, Needful Things.
Castle Rock is mentioned in The Man in the Black Suit and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and former townspeople show up in other books, like Bag of Bones (deputy Ridgewick) and It (Frank Dodd’s suicide is mentioned). And Gordy from The Body was born in Castle Rock.
This book is really cool – I hadn’t bothered to look at it until tonight.
AuntiePam- I have to get that Universe of SK Characters…sounds like something I could get into.
Beanshadow- How could I have forgotten The Dead Zone? I think I mentally skipped over The Dark Half- did not like it and in fact never finished it. I remember the Sun Dog. I don’t know if Pet Sem took place there, either, I tend to think of Pet Sematary as the ultimate experience, as in it can’t be confined to a town. The whole situation is way too disturbing to be referenced in another book, though it might have been, not sure. Interestingly enough, none of my four fave SK books/novellas have been set in Castle Rock, though I do like it as a (fictional) town.
Feral Stephen King fan checking in.
If you look over his publishing career, he’s done a gradual shift, from buckets o’ blood (literally) in Carrie - straight horror, in other words - to something more mythological and psychological in later books. Carrie White’s demon is internal, true, but the horror is the revenge she visits on the town, so it’s external; Cujo’s an external as well and so are the vampires in 'Salem’s Lot.
Later books, it turns internal; the Castle Rock folk have to deal with their jealousies and feuds etc in Needful Things. Gard’s fighting his own insanity in The Tommyknockers, that sort of thing.
Part of it may be tied to some of King’s habits; he said in On Writing that he can’t really recall writing Cujo because of the drugs and booze he was doing at the time. Now, the copyright date on my copy of that book is 1981, which probably means he wrote it in either '80 or '81. He says he quit drinking and drugging in 1988 or so, so anything Misery or earlier was written at least partly under the influence. Kicking a long-term habit like that is going to change your worldview, change you; in an author, that means how and what you write will alter as well.
Then there was that accident - Dreamcatcher was written during recovery from that, as well as Riding the Bullet and what’s so far been published of The Plant. Once again, life changing events change the tone of writing.
Of course, there’s also the fact that people change as they grow older - and that, if he were still writing what he was when he was just starting out, he’d now be getting hammered for being a one-trick pony instead of being hammered for doing something new 
And now, I just have to say something, if you’ll excuse me for a moment…
[frustrated howl]
I wanna know when the next Dark Tower is book coming out!
[/frustrated howl]
I’m completely addicted to that series now - I thought the first book was pretty slow, but kept going and I’m glad I did; I like the apocalyptic feel of them. The world itself is fascinating, and so are the characters, Roland especially.
Really liked the Green Mile and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. Haven’t been able to get into anything past 1999. Re-read The Stand every couple of years.
[hijack, in answer of my own frustrated howl about "When is the next Dark Tower book coming out]
I’ve just checked in at the official website. On this page here, SK says he’s going to make a concerted effort to finish the series. We’ll probably see three books published at around the same time…but that time is going to be at least two years off.
:agonised scream:
But, all is not lost - he’s written the prologue and it’s available at a link from that site so us DT fans can get at least a small hit.
[/hijack]
Is The Stephen King Universe (or whatever it’s called) in bookstores now? Like maybe a Barnes and Noble book store? I’m going there tomorrow…
Yeah, the SK Universe thing is available; I checked amazon. It’s at amazon.com for only around sixteen dollars. Thanks for mentioning it, AP- I have to get this puppy. I’m obsessed with all the miniscule details of his…well, universe- the movies, the made for TV movies, the individual towns, the characters. Ahh.
Speaking of new books, has anyone got LT’s Theory of Pets? It’s only available as an audiotape or audio CD, and as I really hate listening to books on tape (I have to read them), do you guys know if it’s available as just a regular book? Sigh. It’s nice that SK is trying to get a jump start on the internet and all this new technology, but you know, publishing books will never, IMHO, get old.
Zoggie, that story was one of the Six Stories published by Philtrum Press a year or so ago. Extremely rare. I didn’t even know it existed until the price became astronomical. A friend on a horror message board says the audio is great though, and he doesn’t like audio either. I’m gonna try it out.
I’m sensing a trend here… (profound conclusion on the way)
I think that most readers tend to like his “before” or his “after” (or his earlier/later) phase better. More straight-up horror in the beginning, more psychological work in his later stuff. I much prefer his earlier work. I thought I might actually die of boredom and frustration reading Gerald’s Game.
However,
This is interesting. If you’ve ever read any of Peter Straub’s short stories, he has one from several years back (can’t remember the name of that book–Houses Without Doors, maybe?) in which he describes a series of molestations that took place in a movie theater. First person perspective, very intense and troubling stuff.
His newer book (which I *also *have forgotten the name of, sorry, will check later if anyone needs it) has a very similar story (Bunny is Good Bread) and it is dedicated to Stephen King. So, methinks that moggy is right on the money here.
Sorry for the hijack, just thought this was an interesting aside.
~karol
I went and got the Stephen King Universe book and it’s awesome! I never realized that in Cujo, the Trentons moved into Frank Dodd’s old house. Where does it say that? Or is it assumed because Tad hears (or imagines) Dodd talking to him from his closet? Oooh…that would be scarry to sleep in the room that used to be Frank’s bedroom.
I’ve been reading King for a long while and have found him to be dreadfully inconsistant. I thought 'Salem’s Lot, The Shining and the Dead Zone were among his best. I also liked Needful Things, and The (edited version) Stand quite a lot. But thought Cujo and Pet Semetary were utter crap. The Dark Half and It started out well then turned a corner somewhere into hackdom. And while The Body and Shawshank Redemtion were good stories, the other half of Different Seasons also falls into the crap catagory. The same holds true for Four Past Midnight.
Except for the Green Mile, which I found to be only so-so, I don’t think I’ve bothered to read anything he’s done for about 5 years. He just doesn’t do it for me anymore.
This is probably due to the release of his new boodk with Peter Straub, can’t think of the title, but I was thinking about reading King again. I grew up reading his stuff, started with Night Shift, and for me, his stories always feel like going home. very comfortable, even if scary.
I agree that his writing has changed in the past 20 years, I’d be horrified if it didn’t. Of the newer stuff, I liked Insomnia the best so far. I’ve always loved how he keeps character and place continuity in his stories, whether it’s taking place in Derry, or if Ace Merrill will show up somewhere.
I’ve alwasy been a fan of the longer stories so I when I think of his “older vs. newer” stuff, the Dark Tower series is completely separate. I can’t get enough of that series, but the other books have waned, or at least changed directions. Regulators and Desperation were chilling, Bag of Bones was okay, I enjoyed Gerald’s Game, Rose Madder, and Delores Claiborne, but they didn’t move me like It or Salems Lot. I do think it’d be nice to see another short story compilation. Those are great.