|
Oh poo poo i completely forgot about Bazaar downloading now 
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 02:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 07:41 |
|
|
Man honestly The Dune is honestly the only story that's doing it for me so far. A Death is good and Ur is okay but I'd read them both before. Transistor Rhythm posted:Five stories in and every single one has taken unnecessary jabs at fat people. Never change, Steve! Go to the gym chernobyl kinsman fucked around with this message at 05:23 on Nov 8, 2015 |
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 02:37
|
|
|
Yeah, this is by far my least favorite King collection. A Death and The Dune are the only ones that I really liked. The others range from OK to completely forgettable.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 02:53
|
|
|
Is there anything beyond wishful thinking that had you folks expecting this one was going to be more Skeleton Crew and Night Shift and less Everything's Eventual and Just After Sunset? This has been a trend for his collections so none of you should be in the least bit surprised.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 04:16
|
|
|
Ornamented Death posted:Is there anything beyond wishful thinking that had you folks expecting this one was going to be more Skeleton Crew and Night Shift and less Everything's Eventual and Just After Sunset? This has been a trend for his collections so none of you should be in the least bit surprised. Full Dark No Stars was pretty dece, but that was a while back.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 05:17
|
|
|
syscall girl posted:Full Dark No Stars was pretty dece, but that was a while back. Full Dark is a novella four pack rather than a short story collection. I don't think he's ever done a bad novella pack.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 05:34
|
|
|
Premium Harmony is just a weird story coming from a guy worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Like, distasteful almost. There's a scene in one of these short stories where a girl in her 20's who works for a Buzzfeed clone describes the distance between New York and Florida as something like "as far as an AM radio signal will travel, at least at night" and I cringed so hard. People in that age demo definitely spend a lot of time thinking about AM radio. Someone should count how many times King has written about m-80s in short stories and novels. Has to be dozens. This is definitely one of his worst collections, but there's a couple of decent stories, so worth it I guess.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 09:23
|
|
|
I actually really liked Everything's Eventual Just started on Mile 81 - Kind of disappointed. The atmosphere King was setting up in that abandoned Burger King laid a lot of good dread that the Car that Eats People didnt live up to for me. I thought initially with the description of the car itd be more of a Jeepers Creepers big bad. Not sure why thatd have worked better for me though lol
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 18:45
|
|
|
Well, I went and bought the new one anyway because I usually like the short story volumes, even though reviews in the thread are saying it's bad. Is it "Everything's Eventual" levels of bad?
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 19:44
|
|
|
It's very rare for me to say this, but I'm about 1/3 of the way thru "Ur" and I think exactly one story (The Dune) actually left an impression on me. "Bad Little Kid" was kinda... hate to say this... dumb, and entirely predictable. To be completely honest, I have buyer's remorse. I'm looking for work and could have used that $15.xx on something else.
|
|
#
?
Nov 8, 2015 22:40
|
|
|
Dr. Faustus posted:It's very rare for me to say this, but I'm about 1/3 of the way thru "Ur" and I think exactly one story (The Dune) actually left an impression on me. "Bad Little Kid" was kinda... hate to say this... dumb, and entirely predictable. Amazon gives Kindle refunds if you ask and don't abuse it - provided you bought the kindle version. I've felt the need a time or two, figured I'd mention it. Edit, I'm almost halfway through Bazaar, and it strikes me as easily his weakest collection of short stories. Just After Sunset and Everything's Eventual are derided compared to Skeleton Crew or Night Shift, but both those later collections have a few real winners in the mix like N. and 1408. I haven't found the cherry center in this Whitman's Sampler yet... May not be here. Aquarium Gravel fucked around with this message at 05:45 on Nov 9, 2015 |
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2015 02:19
|
|
|
BiggerBoat posted:Well, I went and bought the new one anyway because I usually like the short story volumes, even though reviews in the thread are saying it's bad. Is it "Everything's Eventual" levels of bad? Everything's Eventual is much better.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2015 03:00
|
|
|
I had no idea Everything's Eventual had such a bad reputation. Maybe i should re read it
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2015 06:44
|
|
|
the_american_dream posted:I had no idea Everything's Eventual had such a bad reputation. Maybe i should re read it It's good.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2015 07:16
|
|
|
Aquarium Gravel posted:Amazon gives Kindle refunds if you ask and don't abuse it - provided you bought the kindle version. I've felt the need a time or two, figured I'd mention it. It is with a somewhat heavy heart that I successfully returned the book for a refund. I won't see the refund for 3-5 business days, when I do I will buy a different Kindle book. I thought about the Mr. Mercedes sequel but this thread has already talked me out of that (although I thought Revival was pretty good.) I have no problem throwing S.K. my money, and if I really felt like finishing "Ur" and plowing on, I'd just keep it. I'll wait for it to drop in price, whenever that may be. Reading is one of the things that's helping me deal with my circumstances, and I look forward to trying out something else. In the meantime I have the 40th Anniversary Edition of The Exorcist to read. I haven't read the original since around 1986, so it should be a great second trip considering all the years that have passed and the changes in my view of the world and of religion, as well as the other topics addressed in the novel. I stalled out on The Mongoliad a long time ago, I can pick that back up as well. There's plenty of King that I haven't read in awhile that I certainly wouldn't mind checking out again. I found it weird in the note at the beginning where King mentions that he was "devouring all the Cormack McCarthy he could get his hands on" when he was writing Rose Madder? Very few people around here like that novel and I'm not sure I do, either; but now I'm curious. Since I have read most of McCarthy's bibliography at least once at this point, I wonder if I would notice any stylistic similarities were I to re-read it? The problem is: To find out, I'd have to re-read it. Anyone have any thoughts on that?
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2015 07:23
|
|
|
I'd say re-read Rose Madder. I liked it a lot, and thought the story and characters were solid. Sure, it's really weird at parts, but it works in the story. I think if any King book warrants a second shot, Rose Madder is it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 9, 2015 16:54
|
|
|
I liked Rose Madder and Dolores Claiborne, so what do I know. I don't know that King has any future in poetry, but I did like the feverish 'Bone Church'. It probably helps that I got the audiobook, and the performance can sell the prose to you in a way that words on a page might not.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2015 09:17
|
|
|
Last night, while working on a crochet project, I listened to the audiobook of Drunken Fireworks. It was basically 80 minutes of nonstop kingisms. Don't do it goons.
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2015 13:20
|
|
|
I finally got a new kindle so I figured I'd get caught up on my King. Revival lasted me all of about ten hours before I was done. Holy poo poo, that book was [i]dark[i]. King's talent for characters really sold it, since I ended up really caring what happens to them. Should I go with Finders Keepers or the Bazaar of Bad Dreams next?
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2015 15:45
|
|
|
I read The Man In The Black Suit that's a cool creepy story
|
|
#
?
Nov 10, 2015 16:38
|
|
|
I re-read Revival. Middle aged man banging young hot negress, but it's okay guys because her mom totally approves. Guys? Guys? Tabitha?
|
|
|
#
?
Nov 11, 2015 01:00
|
|
|
So, I've been thinking about starting the Dark Tower series, but I've heard that those books are really tied into a lot of other Stephen King books, and I've never read anything else he's ever written. Do the Dark Tower books stand on their own, or are there other specific books I should read first to get the most out of the series?
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 05:55
|
|
|
Laocius posted:So, I've been thinking about starting the Dark Tower series, but I've heard that those books are really tied into a lot of other Stephen King books, and I've never read anything else he's ever written. Do the Dark Tower books stand on their own, or are there other specific books I should read first to get the most out of the series? It's in a way that, when you read the other books, you'll go "hey wait a minute I recognize that" rather than the dark tower books being required reading. I'd recommend reading Salem's lot before any of the dark tower books though, and you probably wouldn't want to read insomnia til you're like halfway through the dark tower. Salem's lot because there's a character who winds up in later dark tower books, and insomnia because it really does tie into the ongoing dark tower story. Also don't skip books 5 to 7 like a lot of people do, read them.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 06:06
|
|
|
And read the little sisters of eyluria or whatever.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 06:08
|
|
|
Laocius posted:So, I've been thinking about starting the Dark Tower series, but I've heard that those books are really tied into a lot of other Stephen King books, and I've never read anything else he's ever written. Do the Dark Tower books stand on their own, or are there other specific books I should read first to get the most out of the series? You are right: much of King's work after The Dark Tower series got rolling contains at least a character or a plot-point or is tied to The Dark Tower series in one way or another. Several (more than several, really) even hinge on it, though read by themselves they're still decent (or bad, or great) stories even though you won't recognize the references. That is why my advice (which will not be the same as other King fans' advice) is to start The Dark Tower series first. This way, each new King novel you pick up that has DT references in them, you'll have a chance to spot them and maybe enjoy them. The caveat is that once you hit a certain point (for some it's Wizard and Glass, for others it's Wolves of The Calla, and for still more it's just the final battle and/or what follows in the final novel), it's possible you may give up on The Dark Tower series completely (or wish you had.) I'm not 100% sold on how things went after book 5, but I am a solid fan of books 1-4. I am even ok with the meta-fictional aspects of the later books. Let's just say I take my King like I take my Star Trek: When it's good, it can be great; but when it's bad, it can be awful (looking at you, Dreamcatcher.) Now, when my friend at work read The Gunslinger and wanted to continue the series I think I did him a favor. I convinced him to hold off and read the pre-DT stuff first. Especially Salem's Lot and The Shining. Several other King works, too. I wanted him to see King at its old-school best before he got to books 4-7. I think he was well-served by that advice. On the other hand, if you want to tackle DT, and you think you might read something with DT references in them, you'll be edified by having consumed the whole series, first. I'm a huge Neal Stephenson geek. I read The Cryptonomicon and I loved it. Then I read The Baroque Cycle (eight books in three volumes) that created a gigantic backstory for The Cryptonomicon and later on, when I went to re-visit those books, I started with the backstory and it was fresh in my mind when I re-read The Cryptonomicon, which was immensely enjoyable for me as I finally made connections that hadn't quite taken when I read them in the reverse order. I feel that the DT can be seen similarly. That said, there's just so much great stuff that isn't really connected, at least when it was published, e.g. It, The Stand, the non-horror or non-supernatural stuff, the short stories and novellas, etc., etc. It's difficult to make any kind of list when an author is so prolific for so long. I hope, whatever you decide to do, that you have a good time and hopefully some raised hairs on your arms. Dr. Faustus fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Nov 17, 2015 |
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 06:20
|
|
|
The gunslinger's initial feelings for Eddie had wavered between caution and contempt for what Roland saw as his weakness of character. Respect had come more slowly. It had begun in Balazar's office, when Eddie had faught naked. Very few men Roland had known could have done that.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 06:32
|
|
|
Everything I've read about Dark Tower on these forums has convinced me it was a smart move to never start reading that series. Regarding the connections/references: I read just about every Stephen King book available when I was a teenager, because I was getting into horror and the words "Stephen King" on the front cover of a book or movie kind of functioned as a short hand for "horror". I hadn't read many of them before I noticed there were constant references to other King books. I think the first time I really noticed was when I realized that Sheriff Pangborne in Needful things was the same person as in The Dark Half (I think there also was a reference in there to the events from TDH and that King's self insert from that book didn't do so well anymore). I found it kind of funny with these hints that events from other books were "true" and happened in the same universe as long as it was just kept as simple easter eggs for fans. Did King start to include these references to his own work after he used them in the Dark Tower series, or has he always done them? I kind of think it makes them less fun if they're just there to support the Dark Tower multiverse or whatever it's called.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 09:32
|
|
|
Wizard and glass' central story is pretty self contained and one of the best things King has ever written.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 14:36
|
|
|
Is there a reason first time King readers seem to always want to flock to the Dark Tower series? Is it the goon/current trend in fantasy novels or do people assume that's King's magnum opus (it's not)? I've never read them but have read enough King and enough about King to consider myself A Person Who Likes King, and it seems peculiar to me that people want to dive into a 7/8 book series for an author they've never read before. In other news, I started Skeleton Crew this week and am sucked back into King. Nearing the end of the Mist right now and am really surprised how much I enjoy it. Is SC considered King's best collection of short stories, or is that Night Shift? I've read both NS and Everything's Eventual and definitely enjoyed NS better. I know favorites like The Jaunt and Survivor Type are in SC (why I picked it up), but how are the rest of the stories?
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 16:20
|
|
|
facebook jihad posted:
Skeleton Crew is definitely my favorite, though both Night Shift and Nightmares and Dreamscapes are both excellent as well. SC has the highest highs out of any of his collections, no question.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 17:25
|
|
|
Skeleton Crew is the better collection. Night Shift is great, but the lows are really not good. I just re-read it for my book club, and it was a lot of people's first time reading King. It's an interesting collection, because everything was written before he was 25, so he's trying to figure out a voice and just seeing what works. That said, despite some flat stories ("Jerusalem's Lot", "I Am The Doorway"...), it still is great overall.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 18:53
|
|
|
facebook jihad posted:Is there a reason first time King readers seem to always want to flock to the Dark Tower series? I can't speak for anyone else, but I was intrigued mainly because it seemed like a really ambitious project, and stuff like that usually interests me even when it fails (which it sounds like the Dark Tower kind of did). I also heard that it gets weird and meta after a while, which sounded interesting. As far as which other connected books I should read, it sounds like I should only bother reading the ones that are supposed to be good/sound interesting. I've been told The Stand, It, and 'Salem's Lot have fairly important connections and are also good books on their own merits, so I'll probably at least try to read them before I finish the Dark Tower.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 18:54
|
|
|
the dark tower is definitely king's magnum opus. it includes half his books and implies the other half. all of his books have a lot in common and the dark tower unifies even the most obscure stories (the raft - maybe a thinny? the jaunt - todash space? carrie white - breaker? mrs todds shortcut, desperation, eyes of the dragon, night flyer.) 11/22/63 in its entirety is an extended reference to the dark tower. and it does get metafictional towards the end, which works extremely well and is very fitting given all of the above
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 20:25
|
|
|
I hope this does not happen. I just don't buy MM as the Man in Black.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 23:48
|
|
|
I just picked up Rose Madder for a buck and was pondering whether or not to read it, I couldn't remember if I liked it or not. Thanks to this thread I'm going to give it a try. About Kindle refunds - If you return it within a week they'll refund your money. I've done this a couple dozen times, not abusing it, it's just that so often the short sample doesn't give enough of an idea of how horrible the book is, so I just return it if it totally sucks. Mostly with cheap self-published $1.99 books though. And I make up for it by buying full-priced books several times a year by established authors that I really want to read. Hopefully Amazon won't shut me off for my multiple piddly refunds.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2015 00:29
|
|
kjetting posted:Everything I've read about Dark Tower on these forums has convinced me it was a smart move to never start reading that series. He's always done them, basically. It's not that uncommon-having a set of names to draw upon is a good way to keep a consistent feeling. They're also usually back-dated. The Flagg of The Stand, in either edition, is a very different character from the one in the Dark Tower books proper.
|
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2015 01:55
|
|
|
A lot of his books take place in the same places. The Dead Zone, The Dark Half, Needful Things, and I think Cujo are all set in Castle Rock, Maine. Also the Stand By Me story whose name I can't remember off the top of my head. And it gets name-dropped in a whole list of other books.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2015 02:41
|
|
|
Franchescanado posted:That said, despite some flat stories ("Jerusalem's Lot", "I Am The Doorway"...), it still is great overall. I Am The Doorway is phenomenal, what the gently caress
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2015 02:46
|
|
|
How did I miss that? I love I am the Doorway. The eyes in the fingers, the way the panicking alien calls lightning from the clouds because they're the only thing in this strange world it understands, it all really worked for me.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2015 03:07
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 28, 2024 07:41 |
|
|
Ein cooler Typ posted:I finished The Wind Through The Keyhole From what I remember, the wind was just a motif, standing in for "story" blowing here and there and changing itself and others as it passes by. If you reread it again you'll notice a LOT of references to the wind and its essential nature. Also, there is a lot of imagery about locks and keys and keyholes in all 3 stories, which have important roles in the stories, so the title just sort of ties those motifs in a bow. And the middle story was literally called "The Wind Through The Keyhole", obviously. And Tim's dad's partner, I think, was just a covetous loser/drunk who ended up killing his best friend over some coin. And obviously he wanted the wife. Fairly straightforward, unless I'm forgetting something.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2015 07:12
|
|