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Revival was a pretty good book, though I don't know if I'd rank it among my favorite King novels. But the ending is something that will stick with me for quite a while. I'll be doing some mundane task, like washing dishes at home, and I'll think about the ending and just think: "Well, gently caress." I could've seriously done without the last chapter, though. King really needs to stop spelling everything out for his readers.
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Jan 23, 2015 15:02
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joepinetree posted:I am glad I didn't give up on the dark tower after the first book, because the drawing of the three is pretty great. I don't know at which point it becomes a mess, but this one is right up there with anything else King has written. Drawing of the Three is great. The Waste Lands may be the most fun I've had reading King book and is my personal favorite. Wolves is when it starts going downhill (especially since I haven't read Salems Lot so didn't care much about the Callahan backstory at time). The last few are still a fun ride and if you go in pretty much with viewpoint that anything can happen and rules are made up as they go sometimes - it's an enjoyable time. Dark Tower as a whole is quite an experience to read and definitely not worth just giving up in the middle and not completing.
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Jan 23, 2015 16:55
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And if anybody bitches about the ending, I'm gonna bugfuck on 'em. It was planned far in advance and was right on the nose. He has the horn now, which among other things implies he's progressed to the point where he won't let Jake drop, which is where his current cycle begins to fail, not coincidentally in the earliest action of DT1.
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Jan 23, 2015 17:01
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It wasn't the true ending people hated IIRC, it was right before when Roland got to the tower, only to face a crimson king who just threw sneetches at him or whatever while making a pitiful "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" sound. After he got into the tower, I at least thought it was fine.
Victorkm fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Jan 23, 2015 |
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Jan 23, 2015 17:49
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Victorkm posted:It wasn't the true ending people hated IIRC, it was right before when Roland got to the tower, only to face a crimson king who just through sneetches at him or whatever while making a pitiful "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" sound. After he got into the tower, I at least thought it was fine. This for sure. I really enjoyed the true ending, but that was such an anti climactic boss fight .
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Jan 23, 2015 17:57
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Revival's been on my shelf since Christmas and now you guys have me psyched for it. I remembered I had a paperback of Lisey's Story laying around that I never read so I re-started that instead.
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Jan 23, 2015 18:36
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Victorkm posted:It wasn't the true ending people hated IIRC, it was right before when Roland got to the tower, only to face a crimson king who just through sneetches at him or whatever while making a pitiful "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" sound. After he got into the tower, I at least thought it was fine. Well that is a completely correct opinion. Someone should have sat King down as he was writing the end, and made him re-read Insomnia so he'd remember what his readers were expecting.
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Jan 23, 2015 19:19
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I just finished The Talisman and thought it was rad. Should I read Black House right here and now or is it no good?
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Jan 23, 2015 23:13
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The Human Cow posted:I just finished The Talisman and thought it was rad. Should I read Black House right here and now or is it no good? It's way different. I liked the Talisman a lot more. The first chapter of Black House, which is like 100 pages long, is pretty crappy though. It's one of those long, omniscient-type passages where the viewpoint is carried on the wind and visits lots of places and people. It's basically worldbuilding, but it's boring. 
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Jan 23, 2015 23:35
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Seconding the first 100 pages of Black House being pretty poo poo, but I am apparently one of the few people who really liked the rest of that book. It's been a while though.
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Jan 24, 2015 04:23
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Damo posted:Seconding the first 100 pages of Black House being pretty poo poo, but I am apparently one of the few people who really liked the rest of that book. It's been a while though. I liked the book but it's nowhere nearly as good as the Talisman, to me.
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Jan 24, 2015 04:25
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oh for sure
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Jan 24, 2015 07:35
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franco posted:Yeah, it is me. I am the SK thread pariah because I LOVED The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon AND Gerald's Game. Both had me gripped. Am I broken, thread? Yes.
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Jan 24, 2015 07:38
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Damo posted:Seconding the first 100 pages of Black House being pretty poo poo, but I am apparently one of the few people who really liked the rest of that book. It's been a while though. This book, like The Talisman, was a collaboration with Peter Straub. This is a thread about King, so maybe you haven't read Straub except for The Talisman. Older Straub works are chilling and amazing, and every bit as good as old King. One device he uses is the device in Black House where he explains the geography of the work and also introduces characters and he does it in a very personal "author to reader" way. King does it, too; but this sequence is pure Straub. That doesn't make it bad. It makes it boring to SK fans but normal to Straub fans. It's not poo poo, it just isn't en media res. Have a little patience, for fucks' sake. Personally, I think King gave Straub the intro because he knew he was going to spend the next whole novel taking away the original narrative, and Straub's naunce; and replacing it with Dark Tower poo poo and loving over The Talisman forever, by stealing a great collaboration and turning it into another King mythos (Dark Tower) book when it started out as a much better collaboration that touched us all. Don't like Straub? How about you read Shadowland, or Floating Dragon? Do you have more patience? Then read the Blue Rose books, or Julia, or Mr. X, or Ghost Story, or? making GBS threads on the first pages of Black House is like comparing the novel to a Christopher Cross song and making Straub sing echoes.
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Jan 24, 2015 09:28
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mdemone posted:Well that is a completely correct opinion. Someone should have sat King down as he was writing the end, and made him re-read Insomnia so he'd remember what his readers were expecting. Yeah man Dark Tower would've been much better if Roland had had to poke the eye of an old-lady-catfish hybrid. SO TERRIFYING! EDIT: The start of Black House is poo poo but the middle and end are also poo poo so it's okay. Disgusting Coward fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Jan 25, 2015 |
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Jan 24, 2015 18:05
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I like Straub and have read most of the books listed and I still think the first 100 pages of Black House are dreadfully boring.
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Jan 24, 2015 19:33
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Ornamented Death posted:I like Straub and have read most of the books listed and I still think the first 100 pages of Black House are dreadfully boring. I'm not going to diss anyone for not liking the intro to Black House, but as soon as I read the first paragraph I recognized this as a Straub device; and I just enjoyed it as such. It's a lot of exposition to set up a large cast, and I see nothing wrong with it. It's just a different style. Personally I was much more put off by the fact that the rest of the story turned into another wank over the Dark Tower.
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Jan 24, 2015 19:55
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Ornamented Death posted:I like Straub and have read most of the books listed and I still think the first 100 pages of Black House are dreadfully boring. I haven't read much Straub but Black House was a chore to read. The really jarring thing about it was how easy it was to tell who wrote what and I didn't think the styles meshed well at all. It was reading an exquisite corpse. Dr. Faustus posted:Ugh. Again, I feel compelled to explain. So how do feel about Peter Straub?
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Jan 24, 2015 20:02
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Speaking of other authors, anyone with recommendations for recent horror books? I enjoyed Cutter's The Troop someone mentioned a few months ago here, and like the first 2/3s of Cronin's The Passage (but was seriously annoyed by the twelve).
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Jan 24, 2015 20:04
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BiggerBoat posted:So how do feel about Peter Straub? Floating Dragon, on the other hand, was his (successful) attempt to just throw everything in a pot and blow it up (to paraphrase his own description) and wow was it nuts. So, in answer to you sarcastic "question," I feel that his older stuff is atmospheric and tame until it's suddenly very visceral and shocking, as in Shadowland when the main character, who is just a young boy, gets loving crucified by the evil old magician who knows he's outclassed by a mere child. That's just one example. Still, I can't defend his newer work, and won't try.
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Jan 24, 2015 20:41
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Dr. Faustus posted:Straub I've tried to read "Ghost Story" and "The Talisman" on a few occasions but found myself bored to death with and drowning in the over-wrought language. Reading Straub reminded me of the few times I've tried to read "Frankenstein", where I know I'm supposed to like it but just can't get into it.
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Jan 24, 2015 21:06
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BiggerBoat posted:I've tried to read "Ghost Story" and "The Talisman" on a few occasions but found myself bored to death with and drowning in the over-wrought language. Reading Straub reminded me of the few times I've tried to read "Frankenstein", where I know I'm supposed to like it but just can't get into it. I would never compare Black House to a PS/SK novel except to note that the intro to Black House is straight out of the Blue Rose books, (Mystery, I think it was.) As I just said, I don't look down on people because they like this style or that style. It's just that Black House had a Straub intro (that so many of you hate with a passion) but I think Black House suffers way more for being a DT novel that Straub had to help write. I think that's cruel (or profitable?) based on actual Straub novels. Both guys write much better than Koontz. Can we agree on that, at least?
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Jan 24, 2015 22:32
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joepinetree posted:Speaking of other authors, anyone with recommendations for recent horror books? I enjoyed Cutter's The Troop someone mentioned a few months ago here, and like the first 2/3s of Cronin's The Passage (but was seriously annoyed by the twelve). I read Strings by Allison Dickson, and it was surprisingly good for an unknown author. Not perfect, but a lot of fun.
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Jan 24, 2015 22:44
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Dr. Faustus posted:Both guys write much better than Koontz. Can we agree on that, at least? That's kind of low-hanging fruit. Though to be honest I do have a soft spot for the Odd Thomas books.
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Jan 25, 2015 03:04
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BiggerBoat posted:I've tried to read "Ghost Story" and "The Talisman" on a few occasions but found myself bored to death with and drowning in the over-wrought language. Reading Straub reminded me of the few times I've tried to read "Frankenstein", where I know I'm supposed to like it but just can't get into it. I still have never gotten around to reading Black House. I will eventually. I've heard so many mixed things; but I need to read it and make up my own mind. It's just that The Talisman was a book that I discovered at a library book sale like 20 years ago. And already being a King fan, I grabbed it and delved into it. I've read it several times over the years and it still holds up. It's loving good. e: "SEND OUT YOUR PASSENGER!" loving scary as hell. UncleMonkey fucked around with this message at 03:12 on Jan 25, 2015 |
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Jan 25, 2015 03:08
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You are defending Straub a lot versus people that like Stephen King more, in the Stephen King thread. Also, finally read Revival. I actually liked it a lot, thanks for the recommendation, thread.
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Jan 25, 2015 10:57
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Speaking of Revival: The record company guy has an experience/vision in the revival tent, where he sees everybody as giant ants. Since the end of the book shows that when we die, we get transported to the "ant-realm" to live in never-ending servitude, and the preacher guy's whole schtick is to bring his wife and son back from the dead, to rescue them from this realm, why are the ants present in the tent? Do they just like to watch their coming subjects live their little lives?
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Jan 25, 2015 11:52
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Dr. Faustus posted:Personally, I think King gave Straub the intro because he knew he was going to spend the next whole novel taking away the original narrative, and Straub's naunce; and replacing it with Dark Tower poo poo and loving over The Talisman forever, by stealing a great collaboration and turning it into another King mythos (Dark Tower) book when it started out as a much better collaboration that touched us all.
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Jan 25, 2015 18:50
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GreyPowerVan posted:You are defending Straub a lot versus people that like Stephen King more, in the Stephen King thread. I hope I didn't lose you anywhere, as it's very straight-forward and germane to the topic. janklow posted:i would have to say it doesn't get more accurate than this.
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Jan 25, 2015 19:29
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Dean Koontz is hilarious. Where's the Koontzthread?
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Jan 25, 2015 19:50
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corn in the bible posted:Dean Koontz is hilarious. Where's the Koontzthread? Pretty sure it would just be this: http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/terrible
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Jan 25, 2015 21:19
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April posted:Pretty sure it would just be this: That and a bunch of adorable pictures of dogs.
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Jan 25, 2015 21:27
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Dr. Faustus posted:Peter Straub is relevant to the thread because, and I don't mean to shock you here, Peter Straub co-wrote both The Talisman and Black House with Stephen King. When those books are discussed in the Stephen King thread, and the omniscient narrator talks to you in the beginning, that is a Straub device that you find in his works and it's clearly a Straub contribution. A Straub contribution to a book he co-authored with Stephen King. Thanks, friend. You seemed to have missed the point where anything you just said was relevant. You do not need to be well-versed in someone's works to say you dislike a particular part of them. In fact, most works of fiction are written for enjoyment.
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Jan 25, 2015 21:34
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corn in the bible posted:Dean Koontz is hilarious. Where's the Koontzthread? Imagine a dog saving your life, forever.
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Jan 25, 2015 21:37
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Jazerus posted:Imagine a dog saving your life, forever. Also you woo a woman by having a Magic Dog. And woo another woman by being a creepy space-stalker Nazi.
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Jan 25, 2015 21:38
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Look I just want to read Ride the Storm because my 16-year-old self wants to know how that story ends.
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Jan 25, 2015 21:42
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GreyPowerVan posted:Thanks, friend. You seemed to have missed the point where anything you just said was relevant. You do not need to be well-versed in someone's works to say you dislike a particular part of them. In fact, most works of fiction are written for enjoyment.
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Jan 25, 2015 21:59
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Dr. Faustus posted:Sorry, friend. I didn't mean to trigger you. Dr. Faustus posted:Ugh. Again, I feel compelled to explain. Yes, you 'triggered' me into admitting the cardinal sin that I read fiction for enjoyment 
SSJ_naruto_2003 fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Jan 25, 2015 |
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Jan 25, 2015 22:01
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GreyPowerVan posted:You are defending Straub a lot versus people that like Stephen King more, in the Stephen King thread. Please accept my apology and move on with your life. GreyPowerVan posted:You do not need to be well-versed in someone's works to say you dislike a particular part of them. In fact, most works of fiction are written for enjoyment. Dr. Faustus fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Jan 25, 2015 |
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Jan 25, 2015 22:08
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Dr. Faustus posted:Have a little patience, for fucks' sake. Wow dude, talk about being condescending. I made it through reading all the poo poo you wrote in your post, so based on that I think I'm pretty patient. You can be a patient reader and still think that something is boring or bad. Like the first 100 pages of Black House. It wasn't the worst thing I ever read, but it was pretty boring. If I wasn't patient I would have never made it past it. I can understand other people liking it, of course. It just wasn't my style. Not that the rest of the book was amazing or anything in comparison. I think anyone would say The Talisman is infinitely better than Black House. My original post was just expressing how I didn't think it's complete poo poo like most people, that's all. Damo fucked around with this message at 08:31 on Jan 26, 2015 |
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Jan 26, 2015 08:27
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