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Y Kant Ozma Post posted:I still haven't read any dark tower books. I am familiar enough with it to get some of the references in other books, but- it just doesn't appeal to me. Oh you really should, 1,2 and 3 are fantastic stories, but as has been discussed here and everywhere (and in the thread the guy above linked) things kinda go downhill after. There are great moments still but the whole ... well I wont spoil, id still read em though. Its like King was trying to do a Tolkien, the ongoing tale starts to require the story to have the sort of depth Tolkien spent years making but King isnt that guy, he works better when things are not explained, just ghost stories not a science of the universe.
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Apr 2, 2012 22:05
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I understand and respect the fact the first two to four books are pretty good, but I just can't see myself investing into a multi-part work knowing that the conclusion is going to be bad. Some people don't have that mentality, but I unfortunately do. I just finished the Running Man, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I was surprised that a not unimportant section of the book takes place in Maine, and even more specifically Derry. Did King leave a lot of hints in his Bachman books that he was actually King? Are there anymore like this? What is a good Stephen King novel that has absolutely nothing to do with Maine? The Shining even starts in Maine, right? Not that the fact all the stories involve Maine is a bad thing, I'm just curious.
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Apr 2, 2012 23:09
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crankdatbatman posted:I understand and respect the fact the first two to four books are pretty good, but I just can't see myself investing into a multi-part work knowing that the conclusion is going to be bad. Some people don't have that mentality, but I unfortunately do. There are all sorts of little hints in The Long Walk and Thinner caused him to be found out (plus there's a line in there to the effect of "something out of a Stephen King novel"). Christine takes place in Pennsylvania.
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Apr 3, 2012 00:01
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crankdatbatman posted:I understand and respect the fact the first two to four books are pretty good, but I just can't see myself investing into a multi-part work knowing that the conclusion is going to be bad. Some people don't have that mentality, but I unfortunately do. Eh, I'm investing in Game of Thrones and there's just no way that will end well or at least satisfy me. I will certainly give Dark Tower a try, though.
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Apr 3, 2012 00:57
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RC and Moon Pie posted:There are all sorts of little hints in The Long Walk and Thinner caused him to be found out (plus there's a line in there to the effect of "something out of a Stephen King novel"). As does 'From a Buick 8'. Which I'm sure we're all painfully aware.
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Apr 3, 2012 01:48
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gently caress the haters, From a Buick 8 is a fun book.
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Apr 3, 2012 02:05
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Ornamented Death posted:gently caress the haters, From a Buick 8 is a fun book. No hey, don't get me wrong. I liked that book a lot. It's actually one of the few that I kept, I got rid of Lisey's Story and a few others (which bit me in the rear end because I'm going back and re-reading everything now, hence having to repurchase a bunch of them). I thought it was a fun story. I was referencing the whole Pennsylvania State Trooper business and how often he mentioned Pennsylvania specifically in that novel. His research as well, didn't he go and grill some real state troopers when he was writing it? I thought I had read that in the forward or Constant Reader note.
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Apr 3, 2012 03:05
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Ornamented Death posted:gently caress the haters, From a Buick 8 is a fun book. As fun as wisdom tooth extraction. I had to force myself to finish it. To each his own, of course, but I just wasn't impressed. (The first 75% of) Cell was better.
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Apr 3, 2012 03:19
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Mister Kingdom posted:As fun as wisdom tooth extraction. I had to force myself to finish it. To each his own, of course, but I just wasn't impressed. (The first 75% of) Cell was better. I'm actually just re-reading Cell again right now. I tried Gerald's Game, but I put it down after 130+/- pages (which I never usually do to a book). Anyway, Cell is a hair's breadth past the line where I won't put it down, but I'm finding that I'm sighing a lot as I read it, because it's got some really bad parts. I preferred Buick 8, but tastes are subjective and all that. 
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Apr 3, 2012 03:25
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Gerald's Game was probably the only King book I started and then just didn't finish; I don't even remember why, something just really turned me off early on and I totally lost interest. And this comes from a guy who read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, so you know I've got a pretty high threshold for poo poo.
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Apr 3, 2012 17:19
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I've never stopped reading a King book before I was finished, but damned if Lisey's Story didn't almost break my streak. I loving hate that book. Smucking bad gooky. 
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Apr 4, 2012 02:29
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spixxor posted:I've never stopped reading a King book before I was finished, but damned if Lisey's Story didn't almost break my streak. I loving hate that book. I sometimes wonder if that one was actually written by Tabitha.
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Apr 4, 2012 02:38
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I think the only King book I've actually put down in disgust and had to force myself to finish was Colorado Kid. Once I was done and I understood what he was trying to say, I appreciated it, but I'll never read that thing again. It's just too painful to know it's entirely a waste of time. I read Gerald's Game when I was 11 or 12. Reading King at that age hosed me up good, I'm sure. 
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Apr 4, 2012 03:18
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The only King book I've started and never finished was The Dead Zone. However, I don't know if that's a statement about the quality of the book or the fact I was a young teenager when I tried to read it. I should probably pick it up again one of these days...
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Apr 4, 2012 03:20
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Ornamented Death posted:The only King book I've started and never finished was The Dead Zone. However, I don't know if that's a statement about the quality of the book or the fact I was a young teenager when I tried to read it. I should probably pick it up again one of these days... Yes. Yes you should. I think I posted my little story about how I remembered when Cujo came out, but was utterly disinterested in a rabid dog story because I was way too young to appreciate the concept and how scary it could be, wrapped in the right circumstances? Take it from me and read Dead Zone. If you still don't find it worthy of finishing, much less finding it engrossing, I would be extremely surprised. There are many King lemons, but I can't think of many people who would consider that one of them. You'd be doing yourself a favor. I read Cujo not too long ago and really enjoyed it. A lot more than Gerald's Game or Cell, I tell you what.
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Apr 4, 2012 03:26
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jackpot posted:Gerald's Game was probably the only King book I started and then just didn't finish; I don't even remember why, something just really turned me off early on and I totally lost interest. And this comes from a guy who read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, so you know I've got a pretty high threshold for poo poo. In my re-read binge, I made a stab at Gerald's Game...and stopped pretty early on. It's not just that it gets boring, it's also that some of it is just hard for me to read without squirming a lot.
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Apr 4, 2012 03:42
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Ozma you should definitely give DT a try. At least read to book 4. Stop there. I wasn't interested in the premise either, then I ran out of King stuff to read, and tried it. I found the first book to be semi interesting but largely dull, but the second book really finds the series voice. I've read essentially everything King's written. Many of them at least twice. I remember most of them, enjoy most of them, but there are some books I will never read again. I remember absolutely nothing about Delores Claibourne. I thought Cell was a fun book until They blow up the football field Then it gets so impossibly stupid. I actually loved From a Buick 8. But the one book that almost broke me was Lisey's story. My god, what a boring, pointless book. It took me 6 months to reach halfway, and I forced myself to finish it in an airport. The only interesting plot elements it had were practically lifted from Rose Madder, and those were the weakest parts of Rose Madder, and Rose Madder still did it better. I will ignore some of my King Library, but I threw that book out. gently caress Lisey's Story. Booya Moon my rear end.
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Apr 4, 2012 04:53
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Has anyone read Blockade Billy? I don't think I've heard a single thing about it in this thread; but it sounds kind of interesting, and I might give it a read. Any thoughts?
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Apr 5, 2012 15:21
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Ornamented Death posted:The only King book I've started and never finished was The Dead Zone. However, I don't know if that's a statement about the quality of the book or the fact I was a young teenager when I tried to read it. I should probably pick it up again one of these days... Also, gently caress the haters (I don't even know if there are any, I just wanted to say it), Firestarter rules. When the psychiatrist and Cap are having a conversation about her potential, after seeing that she can melt cinder blocks, that poo poo's awesome. "...the power to someday crack the very planet in two like a china plate." Y Kant Ozma Post posted:In my re-read binge, I made a stab at Gerald's Game...and stopped pretty early on. It's not just that it gets boring, it's also that some of it is just hard for me to read without squirming a lot.
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Apr 5, 2012 16:11
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crankdatbatman posted:Has anyone read Blockade Billy? I don't think I've heard a single thing about it in this thread; but it sounds kind of interesting, and I might give it a read. Any thoughts? I read it and enjoyed it. Its only like 70 pages or something so its hard to say anything without ruining something. But you only lose like an hour or so reading the whole thing. I say go for it.
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Apr 5, 2012 17:00
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jackpot posted:Definitely give it another try, it's a great story. Dead Zone is my favorite under-appreciated King book. Firestarter is really close, but it drags like hell around the halfway mark.
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Apr 5, 2012 18:13
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jackpot posted:Yeah, I think where I got turned off was when I realized the dog was almost surely going to eat Gerald, and I was like "No, I'm just not into that right now." It felt like King was going to get gross just for gross's sake. Oh, there's an animal in this Stephen King story? OK, I won't get attached then. Something horrible is going to happen with it.
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Apr 5, 2012 18:33
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Y Kant Ozma Post posted:Oh, there's an animal in this Stephen King story? OK, I won't get attached then. Something horrible is going to happen with it.
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Apr 5, 2012 20:32
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crankdatbatman posted:Has anyone read Blockade Billy? I don't think I've heard a single thing about it in this thread; but it sounds kind of interesting, and I might give it a read. Any thoughts? It's not bad. It's definitely the perfect length - any shorter and it wouldn't have been satisfying, any longer and King would have hosed it up.
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Apr 5, 2012 22:56
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My problem with Blockade Billy is the reveal. I didn't think it fit with the rest of the story's foreshadowing.
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Apr 6, 2012 03:50
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Y Kant Ozma Post posted:Oh, there's an animal in this Stephen King story? OK, I won't get attached then. Something horrible is going to happen with it. A pet survives in...um...um...Green Mile...kinda (it got better, at least!)
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Apr 6, 2012 12:39
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Darko posted:A pet survives in...um...um...Green Mile...kinda (it got better, at least!) Kojak from The Stand got out without anything too terrible.
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Apr 6, 2012 13:05
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Stroth posted:Kojak from The Stand got out without anything too terrible.
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Apr 6, 2012 14:32
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jackpot posted:[/quote] To be fair, that mule is in pretty bad shape from the opening scene. 
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Apr 6, 2012 14:34
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Transistor Rhythm posted:
His name was TOPSY!! 
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Apr 6, 2012 14:40
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Just picked up The Talisman and The Long Walk. Which one should I read first?
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Apr 6, 2012 15:29
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Long Walk.
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Apr 6, 2012 15:32
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Jealous Cow posted:Just picked up The Talisman and The Long Walk. Which one should I read first? Without a doubt, The Long Walk. It's unanimously loved for a reason.
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Apr 6, 2012 15:33
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jackpot posted:Except for the whole "practically gutted by weasels" thing, sure. He lived didn't he? Even died peacefully of old age about ten years later if I remember correctly.
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Apr 6, 2012 15:40
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Start with The Long Walk, because after you're done with The Talisman you'll have to read its sequel, Black House (although it's the kind of sequel that doesn't require you to have read the first one to understand and enjoy it). Black House is a good book, but I was never crazy about The Talisman.
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Apr 6, 2012 15:42
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The Long Walk it is!
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Apr 6, 2012 15:53
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If you do ever get to Black House, feel free to skim or even skip the first chapter. It's 100 pages of mind-numbing tedium.
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Apr 6, 2012 16:05
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Ornamented Death posted:If you do ever get to Black House, feel free to skim or even skip the first chapter. It's 100 pages of mind-numbing tedium.
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Apr 6, 2012 16:31
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Transistor Rhythm posted:To be fair, that mule is in pretty bad shape from the opening scene. Whoa whoa whoa. Spoilers please. I had no idea there was a mule in the book. gently caress!
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Apr 6, 2012 18:43
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Speaking of which, I'm listening to The Running Man audiobook, and in the introduction about Bachman, Stephen King just... spoils the ending. It doesn't completely ruin the book itself, but still. Thanks, King. 
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Apr 6, 2012 18:49
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