Hey, just out of curiosity, what did y’all think of Lisey’s Story?
I hated it, and I’ve never hated anything King has written before; I even enjoyed The Tommyknockers and loved the ending of The Dark Tower.
I feel like I missed something, so if someone in here enjoyed it, I’d be interested to hear differing opinions.
I couldn’t stand the main characters way of talking. I actually lost the book and never bothered to look for it.
Here you go, storyteller: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=394200&highlight=lisey's
Because sometimes I’m 31 going on 4. Sorry.
It was all right, but like Blaze, not something I’m probably going to read again.
I’m just chiming in to say what other folks said about King really being a master of the short story. I really wish he’d write more of them. “The Ballad of the Flexible Bullet” was really good, but my all-time favorite short story ever is “Survivor Type.” Man, what a great story. Probably as great as ladyfingers.
Amazing. I first heard this was coming, but trapped in Development Hell, literally over 10 years ago. Never thought it would see the light of day.
One SK short story that really gave me the willies was Jerusalem’s Lot. (Note: NOT the novel, 'Salem’s Lot!) It can be found in the collection Night Shift.
I loved Cell and I thought Haunted was a great big pile of meh (especially “Guts”). A few of the other short stories in Haunted were good, but the linking story was awful.
ShelliBean, I understand your obsessive need to finish the series. Here are my suggestions. First, realize that nothing will ever compare to the utterly unique, otherworldly, poetic awesomeness of the original book. I still like to go back and read just that, every once in a while.
Second, realize that book 5 doesn’t move things forward much, but if you go in with the right attitude, it’s kind of a cool story.
Third, prepare for King to work out some of his own issues in a very obvious way in 6 & 7, and be ready for a serious decline in quality.
Finally, when you get toward the end of the last book, IIRC, you come to what could be the end of the series, and King even has a note saying that you could stop reading there. Do yourself a favor, and stop reading there, for a few weeks at least (I know ferdamnsure I couldn’t have just skipped that last bit). Treat that ending as the end, and see what you think. Then once that has percolated through your brain, you can read the last, extra chapter. (And then, if you’re like me, do everything possible to erase all memory of it.)
Oh dear god I have to finish this now. OK. Looks like a trip to the library across town it is.
Oh, and Justin? Them’s fightin’ words, son.
one was at a political function where he was shilling for a candidate and the other was in a bar in Orono.
I first read Salem’s Lot while in the eighth grade, I had trouble sleeping for weeks because I was certain Hubie Marsden was hanging in my closet. Until recently I read everything he wrote and loved it, though recently I’ve chilled on his work. I’m not sure if it’s because he’s running down or I’ve just read too much of his work and am no longer surprised by his stuff. But for a good twenty-five years he scared the bejebbus out me and I loved it every step of the way.
Because the last 20 pages made me seriously consider homicide? I mean really I finished that book and thew it across the room and started cursing for about a half hour.
DAMN YOU SAI KING!! DAMN YOUR VERY BONES, DO YA KEENIT!
Nah, if NajaNivea can get past the riddle spouting evil monorail in The Waste Lands, he or she can make it through the rest. “Blaine the Train”? “Blaine the Train is a pain”? Honestly… I mean… just …honestly, man. Words fail me. That, for me, was one of the lower parts of the series.
I also want to take a second to defend From a Buick 8. What some people don’t like about it is that it has no explanation for events. But that’s exactly what I liked about it, and it was the very point of the book. There are things in existence that can not be explained, and are outside human understanding. The car isn’t evil, it’s not even a car at all. It’s a time/spatial phenomena that we can’t wrap our little simian brains around, and therefore, it’s probably better if the cops keep it hidden in the back of the impound lot so no idiot accidentally rips a whole in the universe by monkeying with the thing. Sometimes weird shit can’t be understood at it’s better to leave it good and well alone. I like that theme.
Oh, and on a related note George A. Romero of Night of the Living Dead and Monkey Shines fame is directing the film version of From a Buick 8 set to be released in 2009. He previously directed one of the better film adaptations of Kings work (which, unfortunately, isn’t saying much) in 1993’s The Dark Half
You’re not alone on the Tommyknockers, I also liked it.
One book I do seem to be alone on is “From a Buick Eight”. I seem to be the only person who liked it. People, it wasn’t about a demon car from another dimension. it was about how, when we’re young, we look forward to solving all of lifes mysteries but, as we get older we begin to realize that we will die with many, if not most, of them unsolved. It was obvious to me that it was written by a man who knows that he is at the tail end of his life.
It may also have been King’s admission of his difficulties in ending stories. The fact that, when you write about the things he writes about, no explanation of the horror can live up to the reader’s imagination, so maybe it’s just better to leave it unexplained.
I thought it was okay, but good god, his editors must be hella intimidated by him these days, or else they know they can put out a printed roll of toilet paper “by Stephen King” and it will be a best seller. There was a good book in there under a lot of twee and annoyance.
Not for nothing, but at least he managed to tap into your emotions. Getting you to set it down and say “meh” isn’t really what you want after 8 books either. You cared how it ended.
Unlike me with Tales of Alvin Maker, I was so sick of the damn series by the end I didn’t give a crap how it ended, just that I’d make it through the last book and not have to think about it ever again. (and now I just discovered that Card is writing yet another book for the thing… dammit all!)
Humm, apparently my faves aren’t anyone elses - I loved Thinner - it totally creeped me out. Ditto for Cujo. Also in my top five are Gerald’s Game (I mean, TALK about a creepy book), Carrie (although it’s gotten a bit of love in here) and Firestarter although I agree that the ending of Firestarter wasn’t all that satisfying.
I just went and saw 1408 on Saturday night. Keeping in mind that I’m a HUGE fraidy-cat, at one point I was so scared I thought I was going to start to cry. Literally. Heh. I’m such a girl.