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Oh my. I just finished 11/22/93 and it was fantastic. I stayed up until 5am because I couldn't put it down. I haven't done that in ages.
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Jul 4, 2012 18:29
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ConfusedUs posted:Oh my. I just finished 11/22/93 and it was fantastic. I stayed up until 5am because I couldn't put it down. I haven't done that in ages.
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Jul 4, 2012 19:52
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crankdatbatman posted:Misery is next, about twenty pages in and, after reading Night Shift, I feel like it should be coming to an end in the next thirty pages or so, but it's not. I just got finished re-reading Misery, as it happens.Haven't touched it in maybe ten years, pulled it down off the shelf as a bathroom book, ended up blowing through it in about a day. Whatever criticisms you can level against King (and there're a lot, no argument), the man can write people so vividly--so truthfully, shames and neuroses and all--that you come to think of them as people, not as characters, and Paul is one of the best he's ever written.
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Jul 4, 2012 20:11
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Semprini posted:Is this where the one where he goes back in time to prevent the death of Anthony Burgess? Just kidding, I loved Pontypool.
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Jul 5, 2012 01:09
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Drimble Wedge posted:Forgive me if it's been mentioned, but James Smythe over at The Guardian is rereading and reviewing all of King's works in order of publication (this link is for Carrie). Here are his other reviews so far: Salem's Lot The Shining Rage
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Jul 5, 2012 16:44
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jackpot posted:This is pretty cool; a lot of these books haven't been reviewed in years, it's neat to get a fresh take on them. Oh sweet. Thanks for the reminder. He had posted that it was going to be two weeks before he did number 3, and I had forgotten in the meantime. Now I have two to catch up on. 
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Jul 5, 2012 17:34
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Farbtoner posted:He craves unfiltered Lucky Strikes so badly that he has to clench his fists until crescent-shaped marks are dug into his palms. Ayuh. Probated? Looks like Farbtoner has been getting up to didoes.
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Jul 5, 2012 22:22
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Farbtoner posted:He craves unfiltered Lucky Strikes so badly that he has to clench his fists until crescent-shaped marks are dug into his palms. Ayuh.
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Jul 6, 2012 16:58
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jackpot posted:I was so disappointed when I visited my wife's family in New Hampshire for the first time, I didn't hear a single person say "ayuh." Maybe I've got to go all the way north into Maine. Gotta go so far up Maine way you climb out of King's mouth, causing him to make an "ayuh" sound.
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Jul 6, 2012 18:44
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jackpot posted:I was so disappointed when I visited my wife's family in New Hampshire for the first time, Hopefully your wife never reads this...
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Jul 6, 2012 20:51
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:Can we please stop arguing about Dean Koontz and start talking about something we (hopefully) all have in common: a shared loathing of John Saul See, the reason I love Saul is that his writing is SO bad, it makes the worst of King look like it was divinely inspired. I mean, If you're ugly just have uglier friends and suddenly you're a beautyqueen.
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Jul 6, 2012 23:25
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Ornamented Death posted:Hopefully your wife never reads this...
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Jul 9, 2012 18:13
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3Romeo posted:I just got finished re-reading Misery, as it happens.Haven't touched it in maybe ten years, pulled it down off the shelf as a bathroom book, ended up blowing through it in about a day. Misery is fantastic, definitely one of my favorites (nothing beats The Long Walk for me). The best thing about it - and this isn't a knock on it in any way - is that, if you want, you can skip over about a third of the book and finish a rereading in a couple of hours, depending on which story you're interested in reading. Annie Wilkes could very possibly be my favorite book/movie villain of all time, too. King is great at getting inside the heads of his characters (unless they're young women, then it can get kind of painful to read at times). I think Paul is one of his best characters because so much of him was autobiographical; you should check out On Writing if you haven't already, it goes into the writing process of Misery a little.
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Jul 9, 2012 18:48
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I finally started on 11/22 yesterday and it's an enjoyable read. I'm about halfway through. Call me strange but reading this makes me think that he's really had fun writing this one. Granted, I haven't read Under the Dome yet, but I would be willing to say that he had more fun writing 11/22 than any other post-accident novel. I hope the second half doesn't let me down. He's also still obsessed with cigarettes, but I'm very confused because it's almost like there's a tone shift with them as a plot device. He sounds happy to not smoke anymore now. I don't trust a man who has no upper lip.  Also- glasspack mufflers (wtf are those anyway), Hearst shifters. Necessary elements in any King vehicle. Hardee har. 
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Jul 11, 2012 03:05
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when worlds collide posted:I finally started on 11/22 yesterday and it's an enjoyable read. I'm about halfway through. Call me strange but reading this makes me think that he's really had fun writing this one. Granted, I haven't read Under the Dome yet, but I would be willing to say that he had more fun writing 11/22 than any other post-accident novel. Glasspacks (sometimes called cherrybombs) are what rednecks put on their trucks/camaros to make them sound "badass, yup". They are basically just straight open exhausts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWu6r6sTcFg
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Jul 11, 2012 03:18
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Jealous Cow posted:Glasspacks (sometimes called cherrybombs) are what rednecks put on their trucks/camaros to make them sound "badass, yup". They are basically just straight open exhausts. Oh sweet, thank you. I figured it was something like that. At least I know what a chainfall is. I do hate that noise, although you don't hear it much anymore. Also I need to correct myself, in my haste I called his cigarette obsession a plot device, which is incorrect. More of a plot affectation. I woulda just edited the post but you quoted me, so. 
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Jul 11, 2012 03:31
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Speaking of King characters, would you consider the Henry character in Black House to be a Mary-Sue? He seems too perfect to be anything but a character.
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Jul 11, 2012 14:57
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Canuckistan posted:Speaking of King characters, would you consider the Henry character in Black House to be a Mary-Sue? He seems too perfect to be anything but a character. To me "Mary Sue" (despite whatever the internet says) still carries connotations of an authorial self-insert, so I wouldn't apply exactly that label. Unless King or Straub fantasize about being blind voice artist. That said he is incredibly unbelievable as a human being. Back when Black House first came out, I remember a few readers on the SK mailing list I subscribed to (yes really) who claimed they were actually creeped out by Henry's nearly supernatural talent/omnicompotence. Personally, I was just expecting him to be revealed as, like, a literal angel in disguise or something.
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Jul 11, 2012 15:40
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H.P. Shivcraft posted:That said he is incredibly unbelievable as a human being. That whole book is full of unbelievable characters, which is part of its charm, I think. Besides Henry, you have a biker gang who brews their own beer and talks post-modern philosophy, a geriatric villain so absurdly horrifying he loops back around to funny, and a protagonist that might as well be named Timothy Olyphant. I really love the hell out of that book because almost every part of it--from the narration to the plot--is a really volatile mix between King's philosophies and Straub's odd experimentation. The characters are a similar blend and, while they aren't exactly realistic, they're certainly interesting.
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Jul 12, 2012 03:44
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Black House is an odd book for me. It has the best and worst of both King and Straub in it, with some very interesting characters and generally good writing. What gets me every time is the setting. The small town is loosely based on one that Straub knows from his time in Wisconsin, and it matches the town I'm from almost perfectly. The hill, the trailers and run down housing at the bottom by the river, the nursing home and school at the top, and the winding back road where the main character lives. The problem is, I lived more or less exactly where he does. Straub's old family cabin/summer home thing is just down the street.
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Jul 12, 2012 15:47
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I just finished The Long Walk for the first time. Great book. But the ending confused me. I re read it twice and I don't get it. Did Stebbins really die? Or did Garraty die and that bit at the end with the dark figure was a 'light at the end of the tunnel' kind of scene? This book kept me up way too late tonight so maybe I'm just tired and missing the obvious here.
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Jul 13, 2012 11:16
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ConfusedUs posted:Did Stebbins really die? Or did Garraty die and that bit at the end with the dark figure was a 'light at the end of the tunnel' kind of scene? Probably and maybe. Or he just went crazy. Either could fit the ending.
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Jul 13, 2012 11:24
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My own feeling on the Long Walk's ending is that The main character is neither dying nor going actually crazy. He's merely exhausted and is about to drop to the pavement as he falls asleep, so he's kinda sorta hallucinating like you get sometimes when sleep-deprived. He'll end up taken to a hospital after the end of the book and end up relatively fine.
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Jul 13, 2012 16:22
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My own take on The Long Walk was that Stebbins died, but because Garraty was exhausted/delirious when the people surrounded him to celebrate, he died right there from the sheer exhaustion, and that was the light at the end
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Jul 13, 2012 17:35
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That drat Satyr posted:My own take on The Long Walk was that Stebbins died, but because Garraty was exhausted/delirious when the people surrounded him to celebrate, he died right there from the sheer exhaustion, and that was the light at the end Didn't Maine have some kind of Long Walk curse up til that point? Didn't the last winner go crazy, too?
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Jul 13, 2012 19:23
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Been reading a lot of King, looking for suggestions on where to go next. What I've read so far: The Stand: Started here. Enjoyed it at the time, wouldn't go back to it now. Too long, too rapetacular. The Shining: Holy poo poo, loved it. One of my favorite books ever, definitely my favorite King offering. Couldn't put it down. Carrie: Could really feel King's nervousness as a new published writer shine through. A lot of the gore and shock felt like King trying desperately to keep the reader from realizing that the story was actually very simple. Not bad, though. Salem's Lot: Generally liked it, didn't grab me as much as his other works. IT: Liked it a ton overall, more or less totally skipped over certain already-discussed-to-death passages. Dark Tower: There's a really good four-or-five-book series in here, stretched out to seven books. Favorite parts were Drawing of the Three and Roland's backstory. Eyes of the Dragon: Go back to writing horror, King, fantasy does not suit you. 11/22/63: Fantastic. The only one that came really close to The Shining in terms of enjoyment. Reluctant to read The Long Walk, it sounds too grim for me to really enjoy. What big winners am I missing out on that this list suggests?
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Jul 13, 2012 20:14
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ProfessorProf posted:The Long Walk is probably the best Bachman book (imo), and it's King being a very tight writer, which is significant given most of his body of work. I'd recommend it, though it is a bit grim. Looking at your current list, I'd say you've covered what I would consider essential, except maybe... Pet Sematary? But if you think TLW sounds grim, then hoo-boy. You might also wanna try the novella collection Different Seasons, or some of the other short story collections (Night Shift would be a good one, if you wanna stick with earlier King).
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Jul 13, 2012 20:25
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jackpot posted:Yeah, this. Stebbins died and Garraty won, but he didn't know because he'd gone crazy/delirious. Personally I think he goes into his mad sprint and just keels over dead; that's a much better ending than "Garraty starts running, then wakes up in a hospital feeling fine then he and Jan get married." If I remember the book right, all previous winners ended up with some kind of PTSD type stuff going on after winning the Walk. Not strictly crazy but stuff can set them off and all and they don't seem particularly happy.
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Jul 13, 2012 21:00
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ProfessorProf posted:The Stand: Started here. Enjoyed it at the time, wouldn't go back to it now. Too long, too rapetacular. Oh, and Trashcan Man. Don't know how I forgot that one, jesus.
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Jul 13, 2012 21:21
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jackpot posted:Who got raped, besides Nadine? I feel like there was some during the Captain Tripps sequence in the first third of the book? It's been a while, who knows. The whole thing with Trashcan Man and The Kid was seriously weird. Maybe I'll pick up one of his short story collections next time I'm looking for something to read.
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Jul 13, 2012 22:18
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In my opinion, you can not go wrong with his short story/novella collections. Aside from maybe the Shining and one or two others, they're his best. I was only underwhelmed with one of them, and it was still worthwhile to read.
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Jul 13, 2012 22:25
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ProfessorProf posted:I feel like there was some during the Captain Tripps sequence in the first third of the book? It's been a while, who knows. The whole thing with Trashcan Man and The Kid was seriously weird. You believe that happy crappy?
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Jul 14, 2012 00:15
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There was also some random spinster who was convinced the streets were crawling with rape gangs, she got her fathers pistol with some old rear end rounds, and killed herself when it blew up in her face.
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Jul 14, 2012 00:23
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ProfessorProf posted:
The Long Walk is right up there with The Shining as one of his best. It's grim, but it's not graphic (except for the incident involving Olson). Perhaps: - Needful Things - Delores Claiborne could go either way. I absolutely loved his style in this one, but I know of others who hate it. - Misery - Different Seasons novellas. It's the one with [Rita Hayworth and] The Shawshank Redemption.
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Jul 14, 2012 02:19
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Geralds game!
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Jul 15, 2012 02:33
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Victorkm posted:Geralds game! What? No. Seconding the recommendation of the novellas, His writing tends to improve a lot when he's trying to keep the page count down. Most of the stuff set in Castle Rock is good. Not his best work usually, but worth reading. Other than that... Misery, Pet Sematary, Bag of Bones, Duma Key, Firestarter (but I think I'm in minority in liking that one.) and The Green Mile. In that general order. Stroth fucked around with this message at 04:36 on Jul 15, 2012 |
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Jul 15, 2012 04:34
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Stroth posted:What? No. Yeah don't read Geralds game. All it has is the rapey stuff.
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Jul 15, 2012 04:50
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I think Pet Sematary is King's scariest book. Some of his shorts are scarier, but something about Pet Sematary terrifies the poo poo out of me.
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Jul 15, 2012 04:56
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That drat Satyr posted:My own take on The Long Walk was that Stebbins died, but because Garraty was exhausted/delirious when the people surrounded him to celebrate, he died right there from the sheer exhaustion, and that was the light at the end A bit late, but the ending had me thing for a while after I'd read it. I took it as Garraty's life basically becoming the Long Walk. Although the event was over, he had become so used to the thought of death coming at any instant and the torture of the walk that his mind could not adjust to the concept of this horrible event being over, so he just kept moving along--now imagining fictitious rivals to compete against. In essence, severe PTSD. In my reading, I picked up analogies of the suffering of daily life, ranging from trivial daily desires, sexual, and more important things such as the awaiting major life events, so an ending based on PTSD would make sense. Also, if I remember, a lot of the past winners seemed to die themselves shortly after winning. Or they would have severe mental trauma. Regardless, it didn't sound like the prize really was worth the suffering they took. facebook jihad fucked around with this message at 15:02 on Jul 15, 2012 |
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Jul 15, 2012 15:00
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I loved Insomnia and The Mist. I think I was in the process of reading some of The Dark Tower and once I finished Insomnia I was all  .
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Jul 15, 2012 16:44
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