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ConfusedUs posted:Detta was supposed to be a caricature of a deep south negro. And even after the two personalities merged to make Susannah, Detta was still there, fo sho. I thought her deep south aspect was portrayed more as a grotesque than a caricature. And I don't like it when an author chooses vernacular dialogue for just one character, making all others "normal" by default. I mean he could have given Eddie's speech a stereotypical New York flavor, but in his world all white people are either "plain" or "Maine". And I find it curious that in many books of his, the vernacular is mostly reserved for black characters. Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, but his blind spot in this area detracts from the story. I know he's gotten better, especially with the Magical Negro thing, but I kind of wish he had erased the corny speech on re-write, the way he erased all those adjectives. Ah jes' don' like it, ah reckon.
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Aug 2, 2012 21:11
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Related to Stephen King being unintentionally kind of weirdly racist, I'm reading Dead Zone right now, and just got past a brief scene with throwaway character Ngo. One asian character in the whole book and he speaks in broken English and makes mystical-sounding references to imaginary games called Laughing Tiger.
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Aug 2, 2012 22:15
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Pheeets posted:I thought her deep south aspect was portrayed more as a grotesque than a caricature. And I don't like it when an author chooses vernacular dialogue for just one character, making all others "normal" by default. I mean he could have given Eddie's speech a stereotypical New York flavor, but in his world all white people are either "plain" or "Maine". I can see this. And I don't really disagree, although I think King gets vernacular better than most authors in most cases. But any way you look at it, Detta's deep south negro dialogue was 100% intentional.
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Aug 2, 2012 23:34
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ConfusedUs posted:I can see this. And I don't really disagree, although I think King gets vernacular better than most authors in most cases. I agree, it was clearly intentional, he wanted the two personalities to be diametrically opposed to each other, at least as far as possible with the aspects of two black women in one body. There were just a couple points that didn't ring true, and really grated my nerves, especially when Detta displayed what I thought of as false bravado. Then again there were plenty of weird things to shudder at in every book of the series. For example, I could not picture Roland dancing at the Reap festival, his dancing, the Reap song all seemed so stiff and contrived to me. But I forgave a lot for the sheer pleasure of immersing myself in a what? 2500 page opus? I just finished The Wind Through the Keyhole, which King says is Tower book 4.5 that comes between Wizard and Glass and the Wolves of Calla. I really liked it.
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Aug 3, 2012 00:19
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Pheeets posted:I just finished The Wind Through the Keyhole, which King says is Tower book 4.5 that comes between Wizard and Glass and the Wolves of Calla. I really liked it. TWTTK is probably King's best post-accident book. Hey, speaking of Dark Tower stuff! Cinema Blend posted:Back when Ron Howard's adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower was set up over at Universal, the top actor that kept being mentioned in connection with the character Roland Deschain was Javier Bardem. But while rumors constantly suggested that the Oscar winner was on the verge of a deal, it was also said that Bardem simply wanted the part and no contract had been signed. Emphasis mine. I never had a big issue with Bardem, but I would've preferred Viggo Mortensen or Hugh Jackman at the time. I never even considered Crowe, but I am totally down with it if that's what happens.
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Aug 3, 2012 08:31
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Pheeets posted:I agree, it was clearly intentional, he wanted the two personalities to be diametrically opposed to each other, at least as far as possible with the aspects of two black women in one body. There were just a couple points that didn't ring true, and really grated my nerves, especially when Detta displayed what I thought of as false bravado. I always just assumed that since she was not in fact a southern black woman the only thing her crazy rear end could resort to was a lame impression of one. I mean, just because 'Detta thinks she's one thing doesn't mean she actually has any actual experiences to draw from, it all has to come from somewhere inside Odetta who as far as I can remember grew up in/around New York. I mean I could have some psychosis that lead me to believe I was an islamic terrorist but I wouldn't just all the sudden know Arabic.
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Aug 3, 2012 09:31
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I thought it was clearly explained that Detta was making a biased impression of what media and Odetta's actual experience was of a cliche southern black women with 'attitude' was. It was clearly not just a representation of a southern black character, but what was perceived by bigots as being, almost as an anti-character in detta's mind in that she was street wise and the predator, not the victim.
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Aug 3, 2012 10:58
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I actually just finished 'Desperation', and want to read 'Regulators' since they're parallel. I didn't mind the book, I only rolled my eyes sometimes at how King is just not great at writing children.
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Aug 3, 2012 12:26
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Toriori posted:I actually just finished 'Desperation', and want to read 'Regulators' since they're parallel. I didn't mind the book, I only rolled my eyes sometimes at how King is just not great at writing children. No, you don't. I thought I did despite the warnings. I got about halfway through and my brain vapor locked and I had to stop.
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Aug 3, 2012 12:33
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Awwww...I liked The Regulators.
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Aug 3, 2012 13:00
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Vorgen posted:So why did you get angry at Memoirs of a Geisha? As someone with actual scholarly knowledge of Japanese history and culture, I utterly despise this book and will angrily denounce it at every opportunity. The author obviously has a sexual fascination with kept women, and the whole thing is just riddled with anachronisms, inaccuracies both cultural and historical, a nice heaping helping of racism and exoticism, and pervasive sexism that is no less irritating for being totally unsurprising. It is a horrible piece of poo poo only suitable as a masturbatory aid for guys who fetishize Asian women and fantasize about owning a quasi-voluntary sex slave.
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Aug 3, 2012 20:14
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Toriori posted:I actually just finished 'Desperation', and want to read 'Regulators' since they're parallel. I didn't mind the book, I only rolled my eyes sometimes at how King is just not great at writing children. I would advise against reading that book.
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Aug 3, 2012 20:33
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Really, really enjoying Pet Sematary. This may be the first King book that has given me the legit creeps, and I'm not even close to where the poo poo hits the fan. How is the movie? I recall seeing parts of it as a kid, thinking it was just another hokey 80's film. However, everyone I know who's seen it seemed to have been genuinely freaked out by it.
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Aug 3, 2012 22:40
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crankdatbatman posted:Really, really enjoying Pet Sematary. This may be the first King book that has given me the legit creeps, and I'm not even close to where the poo poo hits the fan. I couldn't watch the movie after the scene with the dead college student. I was done right there. But because of this thread I started re-reading Pet Sematary last night, but had to stop after a few pages because I know drat well what's coming. Reading it now in the afternoon is good, hopefully I'll finish before dark or at least have enough lamps to light my whole house up. Easily the scariest King book. About the Regulators - it's related to Desperation in that some of the characters have the same names, but are different personalities in each. I found Desperation to be a lot better than The Regulators because Regulators is very graphic with some real nasty grossness, and doesn'r make as much sense as Desperation. It's not one I would willingly read again, as I did with Desperarion.
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Aug 3, 2012 23:51
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oldpainless posted:I would advise against reading that book. crankdatbatman Do not watch the movie. Oh my God it is so bad. So bad it ruined the book for me. It was easily the creepiest book to me but the movie has not only aged terribly but is just poorly made to the point where it isn't even funny-bad. That's just my opinion though. 54 40 or fuck fucked around with this message at 00:43 on Aug 4, 2012 |
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Aug 4, 2012 00:38
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Pet Sematary isn't just genuinely frightening, it's really loving sad. The desperation in the Father is pretty wrenching and you totally understand why he decides he better do something that he knows he shouldn't do. The movie is pretty decent. Not quite the impact of the book of course, but it's got some very effective scenes that can still give me the shivers a bit. also, Herman Munster saying "Sometimes...Dead is bettah."
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Aug 4, 2012 04:27
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There are not many people who prefer The Regulators to Desperation, but I'm one of them. Just don't try to take The Regulators seriously. It's a very weird book that revels in its weirdness. It never settles for strange when it can do utterly bizarre instead. Wrap that up with the typical Bachman nihilism and you have a book that's disturbing...but only if you don't try to take it seriously.
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Aug 4, 2012 05:04
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The Guardian are rereading every novel by King and are up to The Stand Interesting reading. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/aug/03/rereading-stephen-king-the-stand
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Aug 4, 2012 13:08
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ZoDiAC_ posted:The Guardian are rereading every novel by King and are up to The Stand That's a really good review. Nothing really insightful in it, but the author makes a personal point that kind of hits home with me: "It started me thinking that I really wanted to write a novel, not just play with stories." I've been through all kinds of workshops and writing courses (undergraduate and graduate both), and while some of them taught me how to write a little better, none of them actually made me want to write. They were about form and theory instead of, you know, the joy of getting lost in the work, and every year or so I reread The Stand to help purge all that academic (and paralyzing) bullshit and remind myself to write for fun.
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Aug 4, 2012 19:10
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In somewhat related news, this interesting and brief article on The Awl takes a look at King's early days, and his critical interaction/reaction at the beginning of his career.quote:Doubleday bought [Carrie] for $2,500, the equivalent of just under $14,000 today. People in the publishing world loved the novel, and by the time Doubleday was looking to sell paperback rights the price was at $400,000, of which $200,000 went directly into the pockets of the agent-less Mr. King. For those keeping track, that means King cleared what is about a million today on the paperback of his very first novel.
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Aug 4, 2012 19:15
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I recently re-read The Stand and was reminded of how much I love the first 300 pages. Granted, it's getting a little dated but I still think it's a reasonably accurate depiction of what would happen in that situation. I also realized that, for whatever reason, I enjoy reading this "doomsday" type of fiction. To that end, does anyone have any recommendations--I've already read Swan Song (which scared the poo poo out of me, especially the K-Mart scene), On the Beach, and Alas Babylon. Any others that are must reads?
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Aug 6, 2012 00:04
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King, along with Dave Barry and The Rock Bottom Remainders are going to be on The Late Late Show tomorrow night.
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Aug 6, 2012 00:54
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Victory Yodel posted:I recently re-read The Stand and was reminded of how much I love the first 300 pages. Granted, it's getting a little dated but I still think it's a reasonably accurate depiction of what would happen in that situation. I also realized that, for whatever reason, I enjoy reading this "doomsday" type of fiction. The first third of World War Z is about the spread of zombies and the eventual downfall of about 90% of society because of it. If you're not burnt out on zombies, it's a good read with the themes you want. I'm sure the big Sci-fi/Fantasy thread can give you more recommendations.
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Aug 6, 2012 01:19
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ConfusedUs posted:The first third of World War Z is about the spread of zombies and the eventual downfall of about 90% of society because of it. If you're not burnt out on zombies, it's a good read with the themes you want. World War Z is great for anyone who loves the first 2/3rds of The Stand.
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Aug 6, 2012 01:25
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Victory Yodel posted:I recently re-read The Stand and was reminded of how much I love the first 300 pages. Granted, it's getting a little dated but I still think it's a reasonably accurate depiction of what would happen in that situation. I also realized that, for whatever reason, I enjoy reading this "doomsday" type of fiction. I love those kinds of books too. Recently, Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood was satisfying enough. Also Cloud Atlas by David Mitchel is set in 6 time periods, 4 of them (if i remember correctly) set in post-apocalypse time. edit: thinking about it, it was I think 3 parts of the Mitchell book that were post-apocalypse, but the whole book was excellent. Pheeets fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Aug 6, 2012 |
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Aug 6, 2012 01:28
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Jealous Cow posted:World War Z is great for anyone who loves the first 2/3rds of The Stand. Warning that World War Z skips over perhaps the most interesting part (the part between "a few cases to SHITLOAD of zombies"), probably because it's impossible to write given the parameters of how the zombies work in that. I had a list of apocalyptic books that do actually write the fun mid section somewhere; I'll have to find it.
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Aug 6, 2012 21:10
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Darko posted:Warning that World War Z skips over perhaps the most interesting part (the part between "a few cases to SHITLOAD of zombies"), probably because it's impossible to write given the parameters of how the zombies work in that. I had a list of apocalyptic books that do actually write the fun mid section somewhere; I'll have to find it. Please do! I love the "it's all going wrong" parts.
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Aug 6, 2012 21:48
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Victory Yodel posted:I also realized that, for whatever reason, I enjoy reading this "doomsday" type of fiction. quote:It is a post-apocalyptic tale of a journey of a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed most of civilization and, in the intervening years, almost all life on Earth. Grim, I tell you. For a more "fun" end of the world (compared to The Road pretty much anything is fun), try The Passage, by Justin Cronin. Secret government lab accidentally unleashes a new species of super-beings that for all intents and purposes are immortal vampires. The book takes place over something like 100 years, so you get to see the initial breakout then also see how later generations have dealt with their new world. I didn't love this book, but I really liked the idea of it; some of his characters are a little too comic-book-y for my taste, and there were action scenes so retarded and over the top they felt like they'd been written explicitly for the inevitable movie (this was confirmed when I read somewhere that in fact he did sell the movie rights before he'd even finished writing the novel). But honestly, as annoying as parts of it were I think it's a great story, and it gets bonus points for being the first in a trilogy (assuming the following two stories are good). If you read World War Z and like it, go ahead and give Robopocalypse (by Daniel H. Wilson) a try. The dialog will make you want to blow your brains out (it's really bad), but it's basically WWZ with robots (seriously, it's even written through diaries and letters, just like WWZ), and it's at least good enough that Spielberg is set to direct the movie. I groaned through the entire damned book, but it got decent reviews so you might like it.
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Aug 6, 2012 23:58
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jackpot posted:Grim, I tell you. Then I decided I just don't know an English word that truly conveys how utterly <whatever> that novel was. I bet the Russians have a word for it, or maybe the Germans. It is not for the faint of heart.
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Aug 7, 2012 03:58
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Dr. Faustus posted:I read The Road once, and when I tried to explain why it affected me the way it did, the words "bleak," and "grim" came to mind. According to my brother, "Biblical".
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Aug 7, 2012 04:02
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Victory Yodel posted:Swan Song (which scared the poo poo out of me, especially the K-Mart scene) This is by Robert McGammon right? I really loved his book Boys Life growing up. Is Swan Song as good?
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Aug 7, 2012 12:29
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Victorkm posted:This is by Robert McGammon right? I really loved his book Boys Life growing up. Is Swan Song as good? I read Swan Song on one of my random E-Book downloads, and got through it all. It was entertaining enough to finish, at least - though I wouldn't call it "good."
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Aug 7, 2012 15:42
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"Lucifer's Hammer" is a good "everything's hosed" book, as well. A bit dated, but still an awesome read.
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Aug 7, 2012 16:26
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Victorkm posted:This is by Robert McGammon right? I really loved his book Boys Life growing up. Is Swan Song as good? I haven't read Boys Life so I can't say how Swan Song directly compares. I do think it's worth reading. This is one of the only books that I stopped reading because I was so disturbed by it. I didn't pick it up again for over a year. For that alone I have to give it a recommendation. I don't think his writing is easy or "fun" to read. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's Ulysses; it's more that his writing doesn't "flow" all that well. It's not smooth. On the other hand, I feel that he did a good job with his characters--by the middle of the book I was fully invested in what happened to them.
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Aug 7, 2012 16:49
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Swan Song is a bit retarded, but worth reading once if you dig the StandEdwardian posted:"Lucifer's Hammer" is a good "everything's hosed" book, as well. A bit dated, but still an awesome read. ...with a rather awesome section through the middle where you get to take italicized journeys to calamity worldwide 
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Aug 7, 2012 18:00
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I'll add that Boys Life is pretty decent if you dig Stand By Me.
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Aug 7, 2012 18:16
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Edwardian posted:"Lucifer's Hammer" is a good "everything's hosed" book, as well. A bit dated, but still an awesome read. All of Niven's (and Pournelle I guess) stuff is a bit dated (unless you count Halo as a Ringworld tribute) but it's pretty awesome nonetheless. Has there ever been a TBB Niven thread?
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Aug 7, 2012 23:59
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I've been on a King reading kick thanks to this thread but I thought I'd twist it up a bit this time. I'm going through the book then the movie in turn. Are there any good pairings? I've started with Misery and working my way through Pet Sematary then The Shining is next and maybe if I get injured and get laid off for a month I can work through The Stand and the tv series. I know there's got to be some other good ones but obviously there's bad pairings to stay away from (Dreamcatcher).
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Aug 8, 2012 15:50
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Most King movie adaptions are bad or worse. Example: Tommyknockers, Dreamcatcher, The Running Man* A few are all right. Example: IT, Pet Sematary, The Stand in its various incarnations Good ones are rare. Example: The Green Mile, The Shining And only one is amazing: The Shawshank Redemption *The Running Man is SO SO BAD but it's still fun if you're the kind of guy that likes bad 80s corny Arnold sci-fi action flicks.
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Aug 8, 2012 15:56
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Victorkm posted:This is by Robert McGammon right? I really loved his book Boys Life growing up. Is Swan Song as good? I listened to the audiobook and thought it was pretty much poo poo. The only situation where I felt compelled to go and write a bad review on Audible. It's all right for entertainment, but if you pay attention at all, you'll constantly get slapped in the face by the fact that it was written in the 80's by a super-conservative sheltered dude who loves black and white morality. The whole thing felt like a cheesy young adult novel (in an immature way), with added rape, despair, and gruesomeness. Locus fucked around with this message at 16:30 on Aug 8, 2012 |
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Aug 8, 2012 16:27
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