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So is this SL version textually the same as the illustrated version in trade hb/pb? I knew about that version but I thought "deleted scenes" might refer to extra material not in the illustrated edition. I was debating getting the cheapest version - yes, to actually read it - but if I can get the same text for very little 2nd hand then I'll probably go that route. The extras look good and all that but I really wanted something that sheds more light on the story/text/etc rather than artwork. E: In investment terms though, the special edition really doesn't compare this copy of Carrie on Abebooks: Item Description: New English Library. PAPERBACK. Book Condition: Good. 0450054756 Used book. Previously owned and is blemished. Cover rubbed w/ corner and binding wear. Interior page markings (highlighting/writing) and owner's name. An inventory sticker on the back and a used sticker on the spine. Textblock has a marking. Bookseller Inventory # 0450054756 Price: £ 32,259.47 Josef K. Sourdust fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Jan 28, 2015 |
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Jan 28, 2015 20:31
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BiggerBoat posted:What would you guys say is King's most underrated book? Based on this thread, I'd say Cujo, Gerald's Game and Rose Madder. I think underrated is going to be down to personal taste, just like favorite. My issues with Gerald's Game go deeper than the story itself. But I liked Rose Madder a lot, and I don't see it on many people's reading list. I think in general King's career can be broken into the three chunks: High, Sober, Post accident. I think the Sober phase gets the least respect. Josef K. Sourdust posted:So is this SL version textually the same as the illustrated version in trade hb/pb? I knew about that version but I thought "deleted scenes" might refer to extra material not in the illustrated edition. I was debating getting the cheapest version - yes, to actually read it - but if I can get the same text for very little 2nd hand then I'll probably go that route. The extras look good and all that but I really wanted something that sheds more light on the story/text/etc rather than artwork. Yes it's the same text content. Possibly new art. All the descriptions of the text, including the intro by king and barker, are in the illustrated edition.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:41
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rypakal posted:Yes it's the same text content. Possibly new art. All the descriptions of the text, including the intro by king and barker, are in the illustrated edition. Ah, ok, thanks for that. I saw the extra texts by others and I quite fancied reading the internal memos.... but not at the cost of $95.... I'll pass on this one. Shame though, looks nice. Secondhand copies of Carrie from this line are on sale for just about cost price. The real money is for signed 1st editions. BTW, any bibliophile collectors itt? E: Incidentally, that goof above aside, the highest price on Abebooks for SK is a signed HB 1st ed. Carrie and then comes the DT series (all signed) for £17k. Some are in shrinkwraps but signed. How does that happen? Did SK used to sign books at the publishers and they used to send them out in wraps? Strange... http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1188774474&searchurl=x%3D0%26y%3D0%26sortby%3D1%26kn%3Dstephen+king+stephen+king Josef K. Sourdust fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Jan 28, 2015 |
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Jan 28, 2015 20:45
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Talmonis posted:I've never felt the desire to read Rose Madder, though I thought Cujo was fantastic. What would you recommend about it? Rose Madder? I thought it was a nice balance between "realistic, grounded, believable, scary King" (Delores Clairborne, Cujo, The Body, etc.)and "weird, other-wordly, supernatural King" (The Shining, IT, Duma Key, Deperation, etc.). It's been a while since I've read it but the first two thirds of it least I seem to recall being quite gripping in a very simple way. The big bully/wife beater/possible killer is going to kill me and I have to run except I have no where to run. He has nothing else to do besides hurt me and I have nothing else I want to than escape. Eventually, King arguably takes it too far into the supernatural element and Rose runs into the painting and gets chased by the minotaur and poo poo like that but at that point it didn't bother me. A lot of people don't seem to like it but I did.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:55
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One of my long-term projects is to acquire first trade editions of each Dark Tower hardcover. Working my way backward and all I need are the first two. The Wizard and Glass 1st-trade is sweet & I got it for a steal since my local used bookshop didn't realize its value.
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Jan 28, 2015 20:55
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Josef K. Sourdust posted:Ah, ok, thanks for that. I saw the extra texts by others and I quite fancied reading the internal memos.... but not at the cost of $95.... I'm a collector. In regards to the shrink wrap question, the way signed/limited books work is that the publisher sends a box full of signature sheets to the author. They're signed and sent back, THEN the book is bound. In most cases the number is added in as the book is shipping, to help accommodate specific requests and damaged copies, but some publishers (such as Grant) have them printed on.
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Jan 28, 2015 21:28
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What do you guys think of The Dark Half and/or Bag of Bones? I think they both have their problems but I still really enjoyed them.
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Jan 28, 2015 23:02
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If you can find a copy I suggest going through Bare Bones: Conversations on Terror With Stephen King, it's from 1988 and is a collection of interviews , Stephen's such a good interview subject. I also just finished Revival and I ended up really enjoyed it even though it felt like nothing was really happening at all throughout it, larges chunks came off as "I just want to talk about my guitar hobby". Revival ending related It is always bugs, always. In that Bare Bones book several of the interviews even have Stephen going on about how that is his biggest fear, bugs. "Biting into a big hoagie and it's nothing but bugs".
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Jan 28, 2015 23:04
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Dr. Faustus posted:What do you guys think of The Dark Half and/or Bag of Bones? I think they both have their problems but I still really enjoyed them. Dark Half was OK but I saw the movie first so anything was a step up from that. Plus, it felt like a rehash of Secret Garden, Secret Window.
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Jan 28, 2015 23:05
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Ornamented Death posted:I'm a collector.  yes, of course! Stupid me. I have worked with publishers and yes, it's common for authors to sign loose sheets and for them to be bound into the books at the printers. It's a lot more practical than posting a stack of books to an author.BiggerBoat posted:Dark Half was OK but I saw the movie first so anything was a step up from that. Plus, it felt like a rehash of Secret Garden, Secret Window. Except DH was published before Secret Garden. I think they were written that way round. I'm not saying, however, "You stole my story and right's right and fair's fair...." Bag of Bones is a pretty memorable book. The ending's daft but hey. Didn't like DH very much but I think I might like it more if I re-read it.
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Jan 28, 2015 23:30
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Question: if Dean Koontz is so bad, why do you guys bother reading him? I've never read a single book because all the opinions I've heard are that he's rather poo poo. Most underrated book for me would be Delores Claiborne. Overrated would be the Stand. Revival ending: absolutely loved it and thought it was one of the scariest things he's done in years. The denouement made it even worse. I think I loved it for just how out of nowhere it was, even though bits and pieces of it were coming up every now and then. Kind of like 11/22/63
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Jan 29, 2015 00:37
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BiggerBoat posted:What would you guys say is King's most underrated book? Based on this thread, I'd say Cujo, Gerald's Game and Rose Madder. I really admire, of all things, The Tommyknockers. But it's a hard book to like, which I why I think it's underrated. Gard is a poo poo of a human being for most of the story--especially in those opening chapters, which are painful to read. A majority of the people in Haven Village are pretty bad before they start Becoming and almost strictly hideous afterwards. This is a book where fire-spewing parasols and predatory vending machines figure into the climax. It really shouldn't work, and in more than few ways, it doesn't. But parts of it, they're some of the best stuff King ever wrote. Hilly's chapter, when he's trying to become a magician, is a marvel. So is the way King plays with narrative time during the episode with Bent and Jingles. Ev Hillman, who starts off as a completely incidental character (a grandpa who takes dinner too often with the family, and who takes credit for a birthday present he forgot) ends up becoming not just a driving force in the middle of the novel, but a completely believable one. And I know that King's known for his horror and his suspense, but there's only really ever been three scenes he's written that scared the living Christ out of me. Two of those are in Misery (when Annie comes back and Paul has the dope in his lap, and when Annie cuts off his foot); the third one is Gard forgetting the padlock in his pocket when he goes into Bobby's shed. Misery was terrifying because it seemed so real, but to pull off the same trick when a book involves aliens and flying vacuums and fusion water heaters? It's flat-out amazing. And I don't know if I can call it over-rated or not, but I really didn't like 11/22/63. Edit: I forgot a 4th thing of King's that terrified me. Inside 217. Asbury fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Jan 29, 2015 |
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Jan 29, 2015 02:38
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About that shed, don't forget the poor dog 
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Jan 29, 2015 02:44
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I also really like the Tommyknockers.
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Jan 29, 2015 02:45
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BiggerBoat posted:The only book of Koontz's I like was Intensity and it was the first one I ever read by him. It suckered me into thinking he was good and I wasted time reading 3 or 4 more of his before I came to the conclusion that he sucks. facebook jihad posted:Question: if Dean Koontz is so bad, why do you guys bother reading him? I've never read a single book because all the opinions I've heard are that he's rather poo poo. Koontz? Koontz is amateur-level suck. This thread is now the John Saul appreciation station  King relevance: King mentioned how terrible he was somewhere in Danse Macabre, and Saul also tried to rip off the "chapbook" thing from The Green Mile
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Jan 29, 2015 15:13
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Rev. Bleech_ posted:Koontz? Koontz is amateur-level suck. This thread is now the John Saul appreciation station yeah but did king ever receive a mediocre adventure game adaptation that nobody bought? didnt think so 
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Jan 29, 2015 15:36
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facebook jihad posted:Question: if Dean Koontz is so bad, why do you guys bother reading him? I've never read a single book because all the opinions I've heard are that he's rather poo poo. Like I said, in my case the first book In read of his was really good (Intensity) so I read a few more before realizing he simply got lucky with that one.
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Jan 29, 2015 17:22
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Koontz is far more miss than hit, but he has some good novels. Intensity, Watchers, Lightning, and The Voice of the Night all come to mind. Decent characters and good premises. That said, he hasn't done anything worth a poo poo in maybe twenty years. Asbury fucked around with this message at 23:42 on Jan 29, 2015 |
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Jan 29, 2015 21:28
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3Romeo posted:Koontz is far more miss than hit, but he has some good novels. Intensity, Watchers, Lightning, and The Voice of the Night all come to mind. Decent characters and good premises. He also has a lot of stuff that only stands out if you read multiple books.
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Jan 30, 2015 14:42
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Despite owning the Illustration Edition (and couple of other editions) I just purchased the $95 edition of 'Salem's Lot. I feel some form of buyer's regret ($95 for a book I read more than any other book in my life), but 'Salem's Lot is such an important book to me (got me into not only King, but into reading stuff that wasn't for kids at the time). I still have regret not buying the Subterranean Press edition of The Shining, so that has pushed me towards buying it also. Josef K. Sourdust posted:$95 regular edition in slipcase (3,000 copies) The $250 and $1250 are already sold out.
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Jan 30, 2015 14:59
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corn in the bible posted:yeah but did king ever receive a mediocre adventure game adaptation that nobody bought? didnt think so http://www.mobygames.com/game/dark-half
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Jan 30, 2015 18:17
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Dr. Faustus posted:What do you guys think of The Dark Half and/or Bag of Bones? I think they both have their problems but I still really enjoyed them. The Dark Half was the only King novel where I actually felt physical revulsion while reading it. The chapters from Stark's POV made me set the book down periodically because the character's thoughts were so intensely unpleasant. Bag of Bones was okay, I'm sure it would have much more of an impact on people with children. I liked Duma Key better. Hearts in Atlantis, Bag of Bones, Lisey's Story and Duma Key all seem to have the same dreamlike tone.
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Jan 30, 2015 19:03
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nate fisher posted:Despite owning the Illustration Edition (and couple of other editions) I just purchased the $95 edition of 'Salem's Lot. I feel some form of buyer's regret ($95 for a book I read more than any other book in my life), but 'Salem's Lot is such an important book to me (got me into not only King, but into reading stuff that wasn't for kids at the time). I still have regret not buying the Subterranean Press edition of The Shining, so that has pushed me towards buying it also. I empathise 100%. SL was my first King book and I like it a lot though I don't think it is best or even the one I enjoy most. When a book becomes symbolically special like that you do want to have a special copy. I suppose maybe I am more attached to the old paperback copy I first read. Though I'll admit that if there was a special edition of The Shining or The Stand, I think I'd snap it up. How about a special edition of The Bachman Books with Rage in it, Mr King?
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Jan 30, 2015 19:48
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i forgot about that one. drat, horror adaptations always suck.
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Jan 30, 2015 19:52
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nate fisher posted:I still have regret not buying the Subterranean Press edition of The Shining, so that has pushed me towards buying it also. You can fix that if you want. Josef K. Sourdust posted:I empathise 100%. SL was my first King book and I like it a lot though I don't think it is best or even the one I enjoy most. When a book becomes symbolically special like that you do want to have a special copy. I suppose maybe I am more attached to the old paperback copy I first read. Though I'll admit that if there was a special edition of The Shining or The Stand, I think I'd snap it up. Both The Shining and The Stand will be part of the same set as 'Salem's Lot. Here's the original announcement. CD has not yet said whether The Stand is going to be the original or expanded version. I also wouldn't hold your breath for Rage ever showing up as a special edition. Between King's well-known dislike of special edition books, and his conscious decision to take Rage out of print, there's pretty much no chance of that happening.
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Jan 30, 2015 22:04
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I was gonna post Alan Wake, which seems loosely adapted from King.
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Jan 30, 2015 22:43
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muscles like this? posted:He also has a lot of stuff that only stands out if you read multiple books. I occasionally will pick up a Koontz book and read it and I don't know why. He's so formulaic that I started to read Odd Thomas once and got 7 pages in before I realized I had read it before. I just expect Koontz books to feel familiar. You're right that once you read several of his books you see what a terrible writer is. In another forum, people were having a discussion about what their favorite Koontz book was, and I said it was the one where the middle aged loner with a dark past teams up with a sheltered and innocent woman to defeat the seemingly unstoppable monster that is hunting them. Think I got a warning point.
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Jan 31, 2015 19:44
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I love Koontz's books in the same way I love an occasional milkshake from Sonic. There's absolutely nothing of real value in them save for the fact that they're fun to consume, even if I know I'll pay for it later. The fact that I'm lactose intolerant is what really should put that into the right context, incidentally.
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Jan 31, 2015 20:53
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One of the first and only Dean Koontz books I ever read was Ticktock. I highly recommend you click that link and read the plot summary. It's loving bananas.
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Feb 1, 2015 01:54
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If Voice of the Night is the one with Roy and the Train, then yeah, it's one of his few decent books.
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Feb 6, 2015 02:51
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Yep, that's the one. I read it when I was just the right age--the same age as the kids in the book--and couldn't put it down.
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Feb 6, 2015 13:28
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So I have never actually seen The Shining. I know it has Jack Nicholson and an axe and that's about it. I also know Mr. King didn't like the movie version. I figured I'd do him the honor of reading his original version first. It was the first book of his I've ever read and I liked it a lot. I can understand his dislike for the film. From what I understand, in the movie, it's kind of a foregone conclusion Jack is a crazy killer. In the book though I felt really bad for him. He was a genuinely good person who just happened to move to the worst place ever considering his vulnerable psyche. He was exploited by the Overlook Hotel and just as much a victim as anyone else. But now I've moved onto "It." It and The Stand seem to be widely agreed upon as his best books. I did start The Stand and made it through a good deal of it. Right up until Herold died. But it's so long and a lot of it drags and I just got distracted and wandered off. It though is pretty great. It's long too but I'm about 17 hours into it (I listen to audiobooks) and I have enjoyed every minute thus far. I'm on Beverly's second chapter with her returning to Derry and just having the memory of the voices in the drain. Any suggestions on what I should look into after this? rypakal posted:I think in general King's career can be broken into the three chunks: High, Sober, Post accident. I think the Sober phase gets the least respect. Out of curiosity, what are the timeframes for these three "phases"?
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Feb 6, 2015 21:25
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NikkolasKing posted:So I have never actually seen The Shining. I know it has Jack Nicholson and an axe and that's about it. I also know Mr. King didn't like the movie version. I figured I'd do him the honor of reading his original version first. It was the first book of his I've ever read and I liked it a lot. I can understand his dislike for the film. From what I understand, in the movie, it's kind of a foregone conclusion Jack is a crazy killer. In the book though I felt really bad for him. He was a genuinely good person who just happened to move to the worst place ever considering his vulnerable psyche. He was exploited by the Overlook Hotel and just as much a victim as anyone else. If you're up for any non-audiobooks, grab a copy of Pet Semetery. It's disturbing in a lot of fun ways. Under the Dome is great. As for audiobooks, I enjoyed the Tommyknockers recently. Give it a shot. But shy away from Dr. Sleep. It was boring as gently caress and seemed really poorly thought out. IMO of course.
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Feb 6, 2015 23:14
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NikkolasKing posted:Out of curiosity, what are the timeframes for these three "phases"? Audiobook recommendations: It, The Stand, The Shining, Pet Semetary, Salems Lot, Kathy Bates (?) reading Misery, Bag of Bones, Tommyknockers, Secret Window, various stories Avoid: Willem Defoe's Langoliers (fun story, terrible reading - painful accents) and the less interesting novels (though I haven't listened to those so I can't comment on the quality of the readings)
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Feb 6, 2015 23:52
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Well I only do audiobooks because I can't see very well. Luckily, King is a very famous author and pretty much everything he's done, even his nonfiction, has been put into audiobook form. Thanks for the recommendations.
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Feb 7, 2015 00:07
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Josef K. Sourdust posted:I think I would add an extra phase of Early (late 1960s up to Salems Lot 1975), High (Shining 1977 to Dark Half 1989), Sober (Needful Things 1991 to Tom Gordon 1999), accident 2000, Post Accident (Dreamcatcher/On Writing 2001 onwards). If you want hilariously bad accents, listen to King's own reading of the first three Dark Tower novels.
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Feb 7, 2015 13:55
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quote:] She looked back again and now her dead father was not wearing the witch's black dress but the clown suit with the big orange buttons. There was a 1958-style coonskin cap, the kind popularized by Fess Parker in the Disney movie about Davy Crockett, perched on its head. In one hand it held a bunch of balloons. In the other it held the leg of a child like a chicken drumstick. Written on each balloon was the legend IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE. Some people I have warned me that "It" has a bad second half and terrible ending but I think I'm about halfway through it and this has been one of the most amazing parts yet.
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Feb 7, 2015 18:48
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NikkolasKing posted:Some people I have warned me that "It" has a bad second half and terrible ending but I think I'm about halfway through it and this has been one of the most amazing parts yet. I believe those people are maybe referring to the TV movie. The book does have a bizarre climax in a lot of ways but the end of the characters' journeys is so sorrowful and melancholy that anyone who regards the "second half" as "bad" needs to take a dive into the Kenduskeag.
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Feb 7, 2015 18:55
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WattsvilleBlues posted:The book does have a bizarre climax heh
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Feb 8, 2015 20:33
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So I'm rapidly closing in on the ending and it kinda sucks I already know more or less about the Turtle. Been foreshadowed all book but I read years ago, in an article highlighting the novel's strengths and why the TV series sucked, about how it's some big cosmic entity just like It. Even read some King nerds who speculate what "It" and the Turtle are relates to his Dark Tower cosmology. But anyway I just got passed the part where Adult Bev and Bill gently caress in the hotel while poor Mike is dying. I would lay into Bill for cheating - which is something I personally detest as much a "worse" crimes - but I guess he has the excuse of God making him do all this. But if Bev recalled right, if the 11-year-old Losers all took turns loving her...I'm wondering why King isn't laid into for SEXISM SEXISM MISOGYNY as GRRM is. Or any writer really who dares has a female defined by her sexuality because clearly this means the writer hates women. Me, I'm no prude and I think the hysteria around sex in fiction is laughable. King having Bev gently caress the entire population of Derry wouldn't mean King supports little girl sex any more than him having all these people killed means he supports murder. But readers have a peculiar obsession with sex and how sex must "tell you something about the writer" while violence apparently says nothing and is just fine and dandy. NikkolasKing fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Feb 8, 2015 |
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Feb 8, 2015 20:53
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