|
RoeCocoa posted:Yeah, not a lot of people like "The Breathing Method." I was still fairly young the last time I read it; maybe I'd have a different opinion if I read it again. I like all of his Victorian stories so I might be biased but I thought it was good. Not a good re-read though.
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2013 05:10
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 11:25 |
|
|
nate fisher posted:I agree 100%. The book hosed up my young mind back in the 80's. It's been probably a decade since I read it, so I might be mis-remembering, but in The Shining, there's a scene where Danny is hallucinating/foreseeing his father chasing him with the croquet mallet. There's blood & hair on the thing, and Jack keeps hitting the walls with it, and it goes BOOM every time. I read that for the first time when I was about 13, and it's one of very, very few times a book made me want to sleep with the light on.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2013 13:43
|
|
|
Tojai posted:Perhaps scary isn't the right word, but I was highly disturbed by the dog POV segments in Gerald's Game. I always knew that dumping pets in the woods to "set them free" was an rear end in a top hat thing to do, but King fleshing out what the dog was going through made me feel sick.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 04:38
|
|
|
nate fisher posted:I agree 100%. The book hosed up my young mind back in the 80's. Definitely the part when the young undertaker first buries and then digs back up the corpse of the boy as the sun sets in Salem's Lot. The warped, hypnotic internal monologue in the undertakers head during that scene perfectly captured the essence of nightmare logic.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 06:25
|
|
|
ConfusedUs posted:Pet Sematary is easily King's scariest work, and unlike most of his others, the parts that are scary change as your life changes. I keep posting about it, but I've read the book five or six times, several years apart, and every time I find something else that fills me with dread. I've enjoyed everything I read by King (and I've still got a lot to read) except for the Dark Tower series which I just couldn't get into, but they never seem as scary to me as they do to others. Many parts are exciting and often creepy, but never really scary. Pet Sematary is the exception, though. I couldn't put it down, but I felt miserable (in a sort of good way) all the way through. I'd never seen the film, so I went in totally blind, and right from the start there's this sense of doom clouding everything. The fact that pretty much from the start it's obvious what's going to happen, his kid getting hit by the truck, being resurrected and turning evil, only serves to make it all that much worse. For me, the most dreadful aspect of the story is that from an outsider's perspective the protagonist's action are really goddamn stupid and he should know better (like in oh, so many stories) but at the same time you can totally understand why he's doing it and you know that, if it were you in his position, you might well do the same things. There's many great scenes in the book which are completely hosed up when you take the time to reflect on it, but completely believable when you take into account the progression of the story and the state of mind of the characters. It was only after having read the book that I got Southpark reference in that one episode.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 13:31
|
|
|
Mr.48 posted:Definitely the part when the young undertaker first buries and then digs back up the corpse of the boy as the sun sets in Salem's Lot. Been so long since I read the book I forgot about that. Yes that was Mike and Danny Glick. I hate the name Glick because of that book.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2013 17:33
|
|
|
After finishing 11/22/63 i have a big question. Derry is Dallas. Derry literally has a monster living under it that feeds off of negative emotions and sometimes eats people. I have not read The Dark Tower series but apparently the same sort of monster exists there as well. As George is rushing to stop the assassination with Sadie, she looks up at the book depository and says something like "oh god it's horrible". So, what was happening here? Either George is misinterpreting the damage to reality, the monster is a metaphor, or Dallas really is a monster in the same sense as Derry?
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 05:49
|
|
|
bad day posted:After finishing 11/22/63 i have a big question. A running theme in King's works is that there are places that are evil. Sometimes he tries to justify that with monsters like Pennywise or Dark Tower reality-bending, but there are also places like the Micmac burial ground in Pet Sematary and the Overlook Hotel that are just plain wrong; some characters attribute it to being a native american burial ground but usually they come to the conclusion that it's just always been a place of dark power and the natives were just the earliest ones to be ensnared by it. I figure that Dallas, and especially the book depository, were places like this. Though, fitting enough for a book about time travel, there almost seems to be a paradox at work where the place is innately evil because it's where the president is killed, but its evilness is also was subconsciously attracted Oswald.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 06:16
|
|
|
Yeah. Man. As a Dallasite he made my city seem so *terrible.* Its actually quite nice! Almost 50 years without a Presidential assassination! *waves tiny flag*
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 13:20
|
|
|
In the afterword for 11/22/63, he talks a bit about how he portrayed Dallas and he's quite unapologetic about it. Basically says something along the lines that he wasn't too hard on the city and if anything he was too easy. I've only been twice but it didn't seem so bad v v
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 15:16
|
|
|
Having only been there once I would say there is a pretty big disconnect between the downtown area where the assassination took place and the rest of the city. For a major metropolitan area its pretty desolate and depressing. The rest of the city is actually quite nice though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 15:58
|
|
|
...of SCIENCE! posted:I figure that Dallas, and especially the book depository, were places like this. Though, fitting enough for a book about time travel, there almost seems to be a paradox at work where the place is innately evil because it's where the president is killed, but its evilness is also was subconsciously attracted Oswald. In Kings world(s) time seems to be cyclical, which brings up a question I've been wanting an answer for. Is it supposed to be clear in the Dark Tower Series that the Old Ones are basically the equivalent of us(modern man)? Its clearly stated that events repeat themselves, so as I understood it this means that the "real" world will eventually fall into ruin and decay just like Mid-World did, leading to the rise of Arthur Eld, the fall of Gilead, and eventually a gunslinger beginning a quest. All of the details might be different because its not the exact same world(no Roland or Gilead, instead their "twinners"), but the series seems to suggest that our world will pretty much follow the established pattern. My problem is I always confuse the "world moving on" with the Prim receding and the rise of Arthur Eld which I think occured at drastically different times. It just confuses me the more I think about it. Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 19:38 on Jul 31, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 19:33
|
|
|
Basebf555 posted:In Kings world(s) time seems to be cyclical, which brings up a question I've been wanting an answer for. I think in old editions of The Gunslinger it was all but explicit that Mid-World was a post-apocalyptic Earth, but King didn't want it that way. So the Old Ones are *basically* us, but then not really. I forget where I read that. Probably some introduction or preface.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 19:49
|
|
|
Basebf555 posted:In Kings world(s) time seems to be cyclical, which brings up a question I've been wanting an answer for. I think it's pretty obvious that the old ones were at least some form of "us". Off the top of my head, I remember that outside of Tull you could hear people singing "Hey Jude", there were remnants of "strange" technologoy in places even though society was very primitive, and I think they encountered a highway sign somewhere. I tend to think "moving on" is a euphemism for some kind of nuclear catastrophe, especially in light of the "muties" and the wastelands. The series seems postapocayptic, especially in Lud (I think that was the name of the city where Tick-tick man lived), which is a theme that King seems to enjoy exploring. Pheeets fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Jul 31, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 19:58
|
|
|
Well, spoilers for later books in the series: Hey, Jude players a very slightly more important thematic role later on, and [I think Susannah] notes that Roland's version of the song is slightly different from hers. Lud at one point is explicitly compared to a New York that has moved on.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 20:03
|
|
|
Fun article about the King family: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/magazine/stephen-kings-family-business.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=2&pagewanted=all&
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 20:19
|
|
|
I think that 1408 was probably King's scariest story. I can't actually remember why I think this because I haven't read it in many years but for some reason I found that story to be particularly effective at creating a tense atmosphere. His most disturbing piece of writing is definitely the aforementioned Patrick Danville chapter from IT. Honour mention for Survivor Type however. I love that story so much because normally you can horrify and gross out people by merely explaining the premise. DirtyRobot posted:Well, spoilers for later books in the series: There are also explicit, and in my opinion extremely unfortunate, references to Harry Potter and Dr. Doom later in the series. So Midworld clearly has very deep connections to our reality, including sharing the same pop culture iconography.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 20:21
|
|
|
Helsing posted:There are also explicit, and in my opinion extremely unfortunate, references to Harry Potter and Dr. Doom later in the series. So Midworld clearly has very deep connections to our reality, including sharing the same pop culture iconography. But weren't these due to the break down of the lining between worlds or whatever, from the work of the breakers (and they weren't necessarily things that had always been there)? It was the same with the Wizard of Oz references. And all of it was a play on intertextuality and the fact that the series became a story about stories.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 20:28
|
|
|
DirtyRobot posted:But weren't these due to the break down of the lining between worlds or whatever, from the work of the breakers (and they weren't necessarily things that had always been there)? It was the same with the Wizard of Oz references. And all of it was a play on intertextuality and the fact that the series became a story about stories. Thats where it becomes confusing for me. The Crimson King has been loving around between the worlds for so long that its hard to tell which stuff is left over from "before" and what is the result of his meddlings. Some of it is from already established fictional worlds, but then other stuff seems to be from the "real" world. I'm just trying to imagine one consistently repeating cycle and I can't really figure out how it would work once people start hopping worlds and loving with the program.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 20:36
|
|
|
Basebf555 posted:I'm just trying to imagine one consistently repeating cycle Good luck with that. If there's anything you can NOT expect from King, it's constistency.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 21:22
|
|
|
DirtyRobot posted:Well, spoilers for later books in the series: At some point, probably in Wizard and Glass, they come across a make or model of car that pretty explicitly does not exist in our universe so as to make clear they are in a similar but different world.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 23:27
|
|
|
It's a Takoma Spirit!
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 23:28
|
|
|
syscall girl posted:At some point, probably in Wizard and Glass, they come across a make or model of car that pretty explicitly does not exist in our universe so as to make clear they are in a similar but different world. Do they ever come across such a car in the keystone world?
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 23:36
|
|
|
ConfusedUs posted:It's a Takoma Spirit! I think that if they ever get around to making The Dark Tower series, they should have a Ford Ka in the background.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 23:46
|
|
|
So, I read through I think the first book of the Dark Tower series, until a bit after the underground railroad section, and while I loved the fantasy-background bits, I just got bored with the main narrative, mostly because it just bored me. Is it worth pushing through, or is it more of the same, or is it something I just have to find out for myself? I mean, I've read Insomnia -which had a Dark Tower reference, and I'm sure I missed a couple of others- and I liked it, but is it worth investing the time or should I wait until I don't have anything better on hand and just try it out?
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2013 23:54
|
|
|
Its a takuro spirit.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 00:00
|
|
|
Needful things is full of Kingisms, like "And that was the last time Polly ever saw Nettie alive" and brain tumors. Currently watching the movie (and reading more of the book from time to time) and this may be the worst adaptation of any of his books I've seen.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 00:03
|
|
|
The newish Salems Lot miniseries is worse. I liked the Needful Things adaption even though it had most of the book cut from it. It's not the best movie but at least they tried to stay true to the book, the salems lot miniseries is just a mess.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 00:12
|
|
|
Taeke posted:So, I read through I think the first book of the Dark Tower series, until a bit after the underground railroad section, and while I loved the fantasy-background bits, I just got bored with the main narrative, mostly because it just bored me. Is it worth pushing through, or is it more of the same, or is it something I just have to find out for myself? I mean, I've read Insomnia -which had a Dark Tower reference, and I'm sure I missed a couple of others- and I liked it, but is it worth investing the time or should I wait until I don't have anything better on hand and just try it out? It took SK twelve years to write the first Dark Tower book, and I think the way it drags has a lot to do with that. The next two have better pacing and generally more interesting stuff in them. I haven't gotten around to the rest of the series.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 00:12
|
|
|
Taeke posted:So, I read through I think the first book of the Dark Tower series, until a bit after the underground railroad section, and while I loved the fantasy-background bits, I just got bored with the main narrative, mostly because it just bored me. Is it worth pushing through, or is it more of the same, or is it something I just have to find out for myself? I mean, I've read Insomnia -which had a Dark Tower reference, and I'm sure I missed a couple of others- and I liked it, but is it worth investing the time or should I wait until I don't have anything better on hand and just try it out? If you're anything like me, the reason you're getting bored with the main narrative is because there's not a whole lot in the first book to even indicate what it is. You never really know why Roland is trying to get to the Dark Tower or what the tower even is. The next two or three books fill in a lot of the lore of the world and explain the basics of what Roland's quest is all about, so I would always tell people to read the first three before giving up.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 00:46
|
|
|
Basebf555 posted:If you're anything like me, the reason you're getting bored with the main narrative is because there's not a whole lot in the first book to even indicate what it is. You never really know why Roland is trying to get to the Dark Tower or what the tower even is. The next two or three books fill in a lot of the lore of the world and explain the basics of what Roland's quest is all about, so I would always tell people to read the first three before giving up. Thanks, I guess I'll read/skim the first book and then try the next two and see where that leaves me. Like I said, I loved the whole fantasy-setting of fantasy and his whole training bit/family/history and stuff, but the whole 'present' narrative was just too... incoherent for my tastes. I'll see where it goes.  eta: I mean, I don't mind that the reason why he has to get to the Dark Tower is vague (at best), but there's absolutely no clue whatsoever. Just some bad guy that's really evil and bad for some reason, and some other characters that give you a strong sense of importance that's never rewarded at all. Sacrifice and all that? Yeah, sure, but tie it together in some way, please?
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 01:02
|
|
|
I actually prefer the revised version of The Gunslinger is only because I think it makes the story a bit more accessible to newbies. That said, the 2nd and 3rd books of the Dark Tower series are my absolutely favorites and they will really pick up the ball and run with it.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 02:51
|
|
|
Taeke posted:eta: Yup your definitely describing the main issue I had with the first book which, as you said, is still very solid overall. But keep going because the next few books get into exactly what your asking for.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 14:08
|
|
|
Is The Dark Tower worth getting into? I hear so many good things about it but also that it ultimately unravels and ends up being an unsatisfying disappointment.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 15:21
|
|
|
wordsauce posted:Is The Dark Tower worth getting into? I hear so many good things about it but also that it ultimately unravels and ends up being an unsatisfying disappointment. Yes. Go read it, then judge for yourself. Having read the series about three times now, I'm at the point where I think the ending is just about perfect, though the final two books are not as well-executed as the previous ones. The whole series also plays with the very notion of reading something "just" to get to the ending.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 15:39
|
|
|
I love the first three Dark Tower books, and they really should be read back to back. They move faster and flow better than anything later in the series. That's probably my biggest issue with the other four. The writing isn't bad, but the pacing and general plotting isn't as sharp. Also, did everyone who read NOS4A2 make sure to read the note on the typeface?
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 15:54
|
|
|
DirtyRobot posted:Yes. Go read it, then judge for yourself. I agree that the ending is great. Overall I think its so highly recommended by so many people because it just has everything. If you're a fan of sci-fi, westerns, post-apocalypse stories, love stories, or traditional fantasy, theres something in this series for you. If you like all of those things its just amazing, probably the most fun I've had reading any book series.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 15:58
|
|
|
Kind Milkman posted:
Yeah, I caught that even though it was left out of the Kindle edition because of some oversight, but you can see it in the preview of the book on Amazon by going to the back page view then paging back. Pretty clever idea, too bad it backfired for the Kindle edition.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 18:22
|
|
|
I've never read any King before, so I decided on a whim to start with Skeleton Crew. I'm maybe halfway through the whole collection so far, and am enjoying it quite a bit. However, Here There Be Tygers and The Wedding Gig are kinda baffling to me. Is there a point to them that I missed? Tygers just makes no sense, and Gig seems too...straightforward, I guess?
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 22:02
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 15, 2024 11:25 |
|
|
Zombie Samurai posted:I've never read any King before, so I decided on a whim to start with Skeleton Crew. I'm maybe halfway through the whole collection so far, and am enjoying it quite a bit. However, Here There Be Tygers and The Wedding Gig are kinda baffling to me. Is there a point to them that I missed? Tygers just makes no sense, and Gig seems too...straightforward, I guess? For what it's worth he wrote Tygers in high school. And it was his first (published?) story.
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2013 22:24
|
|