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Aatrek posted:I hope I'm not the only one who skips over the middle 400 pages of "Wizard and Glass". I hope you are, that book is amazing and easily the best Dark Tower book.
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May 17, 2013 23:39
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ganthony posted:Just a thanks to the folks that mentioned NOS4A2. I've been really impressed with Joe Hill, and while his style is fairly different from his dad's...that was one damned good spooky novel. Kind of surprised at all of the references to It, though. I don't recall any references to his father's novels in Heart Shaped Box. I missed any references to It...maybe because I blocked that entire book from my memory? I do like the fact that one of the characters in NOS4A2 was listening to Frobisher's Cloud Atlas Suite.(David Mitchell reference)
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May 18, 2013 00:28
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Pheeets posted:I missed any references to It...maybe because I blocked that entire book from my memory? Yeah, apparently Joe's stuff exists in his dad's world. Derry is mentioned, as is Pennywise, though not in dialogue or anything.
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May 18, 2013 02:48
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ganthony posted:Yeah, apparently Joe's stuff exists in his dad's world. Derry is mentioned, as is Pennywise, though not in dialogue or anything. I don't know if I would go so far as to say his stuff exists in his dad's world; I searched the book on my Kindle and the only reference to Derry or Pennywise was in one sentence: "In Maine, around the Lewiston/Auburn/Derry area, there was a place called Pennywise Circus." That's what I would call a "tip of the hat", kind of how having Frobisher's Cloud Atlas Suite (which doesn't exist outside the book "Cloud Atlas") playing in a scene doesn't make it David Mitchell's world either. Pheeets fucked around with this message at 03:01 on May 18, 2013 |
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May 18, 2013 02:58
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Yeah. Might've been overstating it. I suppose it'd be more accurate to say that Stephen's fictional city also exists in Joe's story. Though True Knot is actively mentioned by the antagonist, in dialogue...and that apparently is what Danny Torrance is working against in the Shining sequel, Dr. Sleep....so there appears to be some overlap.
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May 18, 2013 03:24
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ganthony posted:Yeah. Might've been overstating it. I suppose it'd be more accurate to say that Stephen's fictional city also exists in Joe's story. Overlap, or as I pretentiously call it, "points of convergence"  There was some other reference in there but I can't seem to remember it at the moment. I'm only a little over 1/3 done, so I'll watch out for that True Knot reference. Am I the only one that's sort of expecting to be dissapointed by "Dr. Sleep" as a sequel to "The Shining"? (Although I'm buying it anyway).
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May 18, 2013 03:38
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Pheeets posted:
Nope.
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May 18, 2013 04:00
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I'm absolutely expecting to be disappointed. I think King is really getting his mojo back, but...the descriptions of Dr. Sleep aren't getting me excited...and the Shining is amazing. I don't see how a sequel does it justice.
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May 18, 2013 04:07
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Pheeets posted:
Off the top of my head, a character in NOS4A2 says "My life for you!" and the Cloud Atlas thing is being listened to "Mr. de Zoet."
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May 18, 2013 04:24
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Ithaqua posted:I hope you are, that book is amazing and easily the best Dark Tower book. It's pretty good but I think The Wastelands is the best of the bunch.
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May 18, 2013 05:42
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Ornamented Death posted:"If you don't enjoy this book in exactly the way I do, you don't deserve to read it." If you can't see that, then why are you reading a Straub/King collaboration to begin with? It's a common setup for Straub and he does it well. Also, asserting that the intro lacks content, I'm pretty sure you don't know what content is. It's nothing but.  Take it or leave it. I stand by every word. P.S. - Read some Straub already.
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May 18, 2013 06:58
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DirtyRobot posted:Off the top of my head, a character in NOS4A2 says "My life for you!" and the Cloud Atlas thing is being listened to "Mr. de Zoet." Here's a sentence with a few references: quote:There is the Night Road, and the train tracks to Orphanhenge, and the doors to Mid-World, and the old trail to the Tree House of the Mind, (snipped to remove possible spoiler-y stuff) Mid-World is a DT reference, and the Tree House of the Mind is from "Horns". I can't place the Night Road one, but it's on the tip of my tongue, and Orphanhenge doesn't ring a bell - anybody? Also, NOS4A2 is amazing. Owen King's "Double Feature" is also really good, but it's a lot more John Irving than Stephen King.
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May 18, 2013 13:21
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juliuspringle posted:So what you're saying is Stephen King murdered his son and wore him as a skin suit while writing NOS4A2? I picked up Wind Through a Keyhole from the library the other day, flipped through it and said meh and haven't touched it since. My knowledge of the "later" books is killing my ability to actually read it. The Wind through the Keyhole was actually pretty good as a stand alone dark fairytale. I really enjoyed it -- much more than Wizard and Glass, actually.
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May 18, 2013 15:11
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Dr. Faustus posted:I never said "exactly." I said, "Have the patience to take in the intro, it's worth it. If you lack that patience, then don't read." Yeah I actually enjoyed the intro but maybe I was just expecting something terrible after so many negative comments about it.
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May 18, 2013 15:39
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April posted:
It's a reference to the future: A/V Club posted:AVC: The Inscape map in the book features a reference to Pennywise from It, and the Treehouse Of The Mind from your novel Horns, but “Orphanhenge” wasn’t familiar from past fiction. Is that an upcoming story?
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May 18, 2013 15:49
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April posted:Here's a sentence with a few references: I think the Night Road thing is from Heart Shaped Box. They talk a lot of taking the "Night Road." I think HSB was the most Kingy of Joe Hill's book so far, but I mostly enjoyed it.
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May 18, 2013 16:40
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Welp, I ended up just writing a long blog post about NOS4A2 (general spoilers, though) because I really liked some of the things it was thinking about. I'll link it here because we're talking about the novel, and because the post talks about Stephen King a bit right at the end.
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May 18, 2013 17:31
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ganthony posted:Just a thanks to the folks that mentioned NOS4A2. I've been really impressed with Joe Hill, and while his style is fairly different from his dad's...that was one damned good spooky novel. Kind of surprised at all of the references to It, though. I don't recall any references to his father's novels in Heart Shaped Box. It's the first time Hill has directly referenced his father's stuff. I think he justified it by saying that it seemed so overtly 'King' in a lot of ways that he just thought he should go for it now that he's distanced himself enough from his father's work. He would never have done it with a first novel (And his brother hasn't either) but he felt comfortable just having fun with it now.
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May 19, 2013 12:42
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Edwardian posted:The Wind through the Keyhole was actually pretty good as a stand alone dark fairytale. I really enjoyed it -- much more than Wizard and Glass, actually. Yeah it really was a nice little couple of tales. It really doesn't go in the Dark Tower story proper, Jake/Eddie etc are only in it for like 20 pages. I liked both the other stories, but I could read entire books of young Roland's adventures in mid-world.
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May 20, 2013 05:50
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I finally worked my way through this thread and it gave me a serious itch to reread a whole bunch of King. I haven't read him much over the last 20 years, although I devoured every King book I could get in junior high. Funnily enough, it was Insomnia that broke the streak for me. I got it for Christmas the year it came out and just couldn't get through it, much to my family's disappointment. It was actually the third King I couldn't finish, after The Tommyknockers and Pet Sematary. Pet Sematary was great, but it was too good and too frightening, if that makes any sense. It was just too soul-crushing to finish. I got to where Gage gets hit by the truck, knew where it was going to go, and just had to give up. The Tommyknockers was... I don't know. I just remember all my friends raving about the gadgets and being irritated that the book never seemed to start, so I quit somewhere around the 50 page mark. Since then, the only "new" books of his I've read are Bag of Bones and On Writing. I actually generally enjoyed Bag of Bones, even if Noonan is kind of a creep to Mattie, and On Writing is great, but all the negativity around Black House's "camera" parts and the last three Dark Tower books kept me from trying anything. I reread It, The Shining, and Danse Macabre last year on my Kindle and had a great time, so now I've gone back to Carrie and I'm rereading his books from the start. I'll probably do them in batches. Carrie was a pretty easy read, although depressing as gently caress. One amusing thing: King started his "such-and-such-a-character is going to die" in his first published novel, as on page 52 of the book club version the library had, we're solemnly told that Carrie's mother is the only possible witness to the climactic events, "and she, of course, is dead."  I also found Full Dark, No Stars in the bargain bin at the grocery store earlier tonight, so hopefully that one's good. Is it a good pick for someone who generally enjoys King's short stories and novellas? It was only $6 for a hardcover so I'm not out much if it isn't.
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May 20, 2013 07:34
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Febreeze posted:Yeah it really was a nice little couple of tales. It really doesn't go in the Dark Tower story proper, Jake/Eddie etc are only in it for like 20 pages. I liked both the other stories, but I could read entire books of young Roland's adventures in mid-world. Just finished wizard & glass, do you guys recommend wind through the keyhole next or wolves of calla? Despite all the farts, I really enjoyed the adventures of young Roland and wouldn't mind reading another book of him telling his ka-tet another story of his past. I'm reading another book in the interim (Devil in the White City) so I have a bit of time before making the decision, just wanted to get a few king-goons opinion on the matter. ruddiger fucked around with this message at 22:48 on May 20, 2013 |
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May 20, 2013 21:36
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ganthony posted:I'm absolutely expecting to be disappointed. I think King is really getting his mojo back, but...the descriptions of Dr. Sleep aren't getting me excited...and the Shining is amazing. I don't see how a sequel does it justice. I agree with this completely. Under the Dome felt like it had energy, at least, and then 11/22/63 was just great and Wind through the Keyhole was completely readable. All signs were good. And now... I just have no idea how this isn't going to kill the momentum. onefish fucked around with this message at 21:51 on May 20, 2013 |
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May 20, 2013 21:38
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Doctor Sleep isn't his next book. Joyland, a 1970s amusement park murder mystery, is coming out in a few weeks. But it's only in paperback.  ruddiger posted:Just finished wizard & glass, do you guys recommend wind through the keyhole next or wolves of calla?
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May 20, 2013 22:01
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Humongous Pear posted:The Tommyknockers was... I don't know. I just remember all my friends raving about the gadgets and being irritated that the book never seemed to start, so I quit somewhere around the 50 page mark. I've read the Tommyknockers 3 times now and I still can't figure out how I feel about it. There are some really cool parts to it and some really creepy things but the whole story just...I can't describe it. Something about that book confuses me. I feel like I should like it but I don't. The part where the kid sends his little brother into an alternate dimension was amazing though
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May 21, 2013 06:10
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I really enjoy the Tommy Knockers and have read it multiple times. Someone else said this earlier in the thread, but it really hits all of King's strengths and steers clear of his weaknesses. + Small town with a plethora of characters + Some kind of supernatural (or in this case extraterrestrial) threat + "Slow burn" story, lots of build up to an awesome pay off + no "Magic retard" character + no abrupt "what?!" ending Sure it's a slow start, but the beginning of the book is pretty critical to the development of Gard and Bobbi as characters. Once they get together we get to see the fire start, and then watch it burn and burn and burn.
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May 21, 2013 06:54
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Yeah, I'm thinking I just need to stick with the book more next time. King loves taking his time with the setups, but that makes it better when everything goes wrong. On to Salem's Lot now, and man, this is still a great book. I'm going to reread The Shining next, and I can't wait. It's one of my Top 5 King novels. I've been to the Stanley Hotel a couple of times, although I've never stayed overnight. It's too expensive in tourist season.
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May 21, 2013 13:36
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One thing I'll never forget about the Tommyknockers is when evil alien monster Bobbi eats her sister with a betentacled vagina
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May 21, 2013 23:17
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Ithaqua posted:One thing I'll never forget about the Tommyknockers is when evil alien monster Bobbi eats her sister with a betentacled vagina Wow, so many things my brain blocked out, "That Scene" in IT, the loofah handy in Pet Semetary and tentacle vagina in Tommyknockers. Anything I missed?
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May 21, 2013 23:34
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Ithaqua posted:One thing I'll never forget about the Tommyknockers is when evil alien monster Bobbi eats her sister with a betentacled vagina I had forgotten this...I remember the sister died in the shed, right? But I guess my brain blocked that out how that happened, too. One thing I do remember is the book going on about the sister's giant vibrator. That was a little...I'd say problematic. Or maybe skeezy.
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May 22, 2013 11:40
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UltimoDragonQuest posted:Doctor Sleep isn't his next book. Joyland, a 1970s amusement park murder mystery, is coming out in a few weeks. I'm doing a reread of the Dark Tower series, and, actually, the fifth book is pretty good. I hated it when it came out because I was in "the story needs to progress" mode, and they made very little forward motion, but it's a pretty well written book, and the most "cinematic" of the stories (given that it's Magnificent Seven, that's pretty obvious). On the flip side, the 6th book is worse than I remember, and I don't think I can continue reading it.
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May 22, 2013 14:54
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Darko posted:I'm doing a reread of the Dark Tower series, and, actually, the fifth book is pretty good. I have such a love-hate relationship with Dark Tower because each book is so different. I loved the "feel" of The Wastelands the most. It built upon the intriguing themes of The Gunslinger. Drawing of the Three was either really good or really annoying (Eddie was mostly good and Detta was mostly annoying, a trend that continues throughout the series). I wanted the story to move on with Wizard and Glass. I spend half the book, every time, wanting to get back to the present, despite young Roland's awesome story. I hate Song of Susannah, liked Wolves of the Calla, and either love or hate The Dark Tower, depending on which part I'm remembering at any given moment.
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May 22, 2013 16:11
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I don't think The Dark Tower comics have been discussed here much. Has anyone read them? From the wiki they seem to have some good story lines.
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May 22, 2013 18:27
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Canuckistan posted:I don't think The Dark Tower comics have been discussed here much. Has anyone read them? From the wiki they seem to have some good story lines. Ehhhh I read them up to volume 6 I believe, the next one was the comic version of The Little Sisters of Eluria. They have some good bits, like I think the Fall of Gilead was cool enough, and the adaptation of the Wizard and glass story in volume 1 was nice, but after that it's either filler or retarded. I personally don't like Jae Lee's art that much (lot of people do, I'm just kinda turned off by it, but it's not bad) so the art wasn't anything special, but it was nice to see some things. They got the characters fairly right but the story execution is kinda lame. They also tack on this female gunslinger character who is Cort's Niece and she's generic female wanna be a man character #857. The fall of Gilead is worth reading, the first one is worth reading, the jericho hill one was poo poo but explained some things. The first 5 are okay (2-3 are filler stories really) if you have the money, but i'd just try and find them in a bookstore and read them in the isles. The 6th volume, which starts after Jerico hill, is complete rear end. vvv Glorified fan fiction is a good description of it. Febreeze fucked around with this message at 19:22 on May 23, 2013 |
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May 22, 2013 23:44
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Canuckistan posted:I don't think The Dark Tower comics have been discussed here much. Has anyone read them? From the wiki they seem to have some good story lines. If you keep in mind that they are, by and large, just glorified fan fiction, they aren't bad. The individual issues have a lot of background information that I don't believe is collected in the hardcovers or trades, but again it's not written by King and, should he ever revisit the story, will probably be as binding as anything in the Star Wars EU is to Lucasarts/Disney. My recommendation would be to try to pick up each arc in single issues for cheap on eBay. If you're patient you can probably get them for ten bucks each.
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May 23, 2013 00:47
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Strange Matter posted:Please tell me you are exaggerating and that part doesn't occur outside of IT. I could have sworn that he does that in one other book, but that other guy said no. There's some other weird sexual poo poo involving children though. Library Police is a pretty bizarre story.
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May 23, 2013 16:12
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Said it before, but Tommyknockers was strangely exhausting for me, maybe because of how sick and hosed up everyone was by the end (haven't re-read it in years but might give it another go soon). As for the Dark Tower trilogy, I hated the Susannah character all the way through. I never figured out why Eddie fell so deeply in love with her other than the bond of shared experiences.
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May 23, 2013 20:41
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Drimble Wedge posted:As for the Dark Tower trilogy, I hated the Susannah character all the way through. I never figured out why Eddie fell so deeply in love with her other than the bond of shared experiences. Ka
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May 23, 2013 22:37
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Kaka, more like.
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May 23, 2013 22:49
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Drimble Wedge posted:As for the Dark Tower trilogy, I hated the Susannah character all the way through. I never figured out why Eddie fell so deeply in love with her other than the bond of shared experiences. I couldn't stand her in the wastelands but once she became Susannah, I couldn't help but picture Wash and Zoe in firefly in my mind as her and Eddie and it made me relate to the characters and their relationship a bit more.
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May 24, 2013 00:09
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little munchkin posted:I could have sworn that he does that in one other book, but that other guy said no. There's some other weird sexual poo poo involving children though. Library Police is a pretty bizarre story. There's a pedo in the Shining, if I recall correctly, and he tries to go after Danny. But sex doesn't actually occur.
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May 24, 2013 00:43
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