Baka-nin posted:In addition to all the others listed there's The Colorado Kid maybe I've always felt that for that book, he stopped writing once he reached a point where he would have had to introduce supernatural elements to continue the story.
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# ? Jan 5, 2017 15:04 |
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# ? May 31, 2024 22:32 |
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A Typical Goon posted:I've been reading a ton of King's short stories and you missed a few, some quite good. The Woman in the Room is super spoopy but The Last Rung on the Ladder does a decent job of being the weakest story in a long collection I think it did it for me because I've been around barns in my childhood and looking up to the rafters is nightmare fuel. Like I've literally had nightmares about piles of hay as an adult.
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# ? Jan 5, 2017 19:11 |
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Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:Horrible spoilers: you are. I've read them all and know that the third book goes into supernatural stuff, I'm saying that book 1 and 2 do not have supernatural stuff in them. A Typical Goon posted:I've been reading a ton of King's short stories and you missed a few, some quite good. I agree that EE is a really good collection of short stories, but I'd say that I enjoyed The Death of Jack Hamilton and All That You Love Will Be Carried Away quite a lot, more so than Autopsy Room 4, in fact. All that you love was such a good read in that it perfectly conveyed how depressed the dude was. It was darkly humorous. How can you not like a short story where the main character collects profane graffiti? Here I sit, Cheeks a-flexin' giving birth to another Texan And the Death of Jack was similar in that it got across just how bleak everything was for Dillinger and co. Eh, maybe I have poor taste in SK short stories. I'll be honest that I like those kinds of stories, stuff like A Good Marriage, All That You Love, and Batman & Robin, more than I like Survivor Type.
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# ? Jan 6, 2017 01:56 |
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The most freaked out I've ever been by a short story is in Home Delivery when the astronauts are screaming about the worms in their brains. I'm not fully certain that it'd freak me out as much on a second read through but it sure gave me the heebie jeebies the first time. Nightmares and Dreamscapes is full of some twisted and gruesome poo poo even by the standards of Stephen King.
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# ? Jan 6, 2017 03:18 |
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Karmine posted:The most freaked out I've ever been by a short story is in Home Delivery when the astronauts are screaming about the worms in their brains. I know I've read all of N&D before but I have no memory of that one. I enjoyed it for its King-ly qualities, but (small aside) I've just finished all six (main) books of The Expanse series. Man, they sure did scratch my itch for some fun sci-fi. There's some pretty gruesome stuff that happens on Eros in Leviathan Wakes, in particular, that hit that kinda body-horror monsters-from-space note, so it didn't grab me too hard. Still, it was a fun little diversion before I go finish A Head Full of Ghosts, which I am enjoying but won't be able to judge for sure until I read the ending (in less than an hour.) I'll come back with my verdict on that one tomorrow. If you're in the US and in the path of this nasty weather, I hope you've got good books, and good electricity to read them by in the coming cold days. I'll be enjoying it from work.
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# ? Jan 6, 2017 07:13 |
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Karmine posted:The most freaked out I've ever been by a short story is in Home Delivery when the astronauts are screaming about the worms in their brains. I may have noted this before, but one of the only King stories to truly freak me out and keep me awake (out of fright) was The Moving Finger. To this day I can't tell you why it affected me like that.
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# ? Jan 6, 2017 19:59 |
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A Typical Goon posted:I've been reading a ton of King's short stories and you missed a few, some quite good. skeleton crew is easily his best work
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# ? Jan 6, 2017 20:08 |
JohnnyCanuck posted:I may have noted this before, but one of the only King stories to truly freak me out and keep me awake (out of fright) was The Moving Finger. To this day I can't tell you why it affected me like that. You and me both, buddy. It's one of the few King stories that genuinely hit that fear button.
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# ? Jan 6, 2017 20:25 |
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ConfusedUs posted:You and me both, buddy. It's one of the few King stories that genuinely hit that fear button. It's because it has Alex Trebek. He'd chastise you for not hitting that signalling device correctly and then things would go directly to Canadian heck
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# ? Jan 6, 2017 20:34 |
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Finished A Head Full of Ghosts. What can I say? I mean, I enjoyed it enough. In the plus column it was tightly-written, decently-paced, and presented quite the mystery. Leaned heavily on the unreliable narrator (If I am using the term correctly.) I enjoyed the self-awareness of all the possession tropes and name-dropping movies and books. I liked the way the adult was honest about trying to interpret her own memories from age eight. I enjoyed the book's voice, the way it was sometimes playful and clever, and the honest earnestness and slight deceipts of a young child. On the other hand: Holy poo poo what a total lack of answers. Kindle said I had 34 minutes left to go when I hit page advance and the book was over. Kindle was including the excerpt from another book in the reading time left. I literally said out loud, "Oh poo poo no!" What a loving tease. I'm not saying it's bad, but I can't remember many books that so deliberately left you with almost no solid facts or answers to go by, just several possibilities, all of them plausible. The only ending I can think of that worked at me more was "What did The Judge do to The Man at the end of Blood Meridian?" Some explanations are more plausible than others, but considering the whole thing is based on the recollections of an 8 year old, rwally any of them could be. The poison: Did Marjorie get it herself intending to kill everyone but Merry? Did Dad get it to polish the pewter cross, or to kill everyone (if the latter, would he have let Marge get her hands on it?) How did Marge defeat Merry's security (probably easily, because how truly vigiliant is an 8 y.o.?) Apart from being very smart, Marjorie just seems to be a troubled kid acting out, but that's some acting out. Tricking Merry into poisoning her own family? hosed. Up. I was buying her, "I did all this because I wanted to expose Dad" routine all the way up until she got Merry to poison the sauce and then Marge joined right in. Murder-suicide in the opposite direction, and for what? So it was a good book, but the ending was so open-ended you could drive a truck through it. Merry's final confession was certainly horrifying enough.
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# ? Jan 6, 2017 22:29 |
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Since you guys usually like other horror besides just King, here you go: Only The Dead Know Burbank by Bradford Tatum is $1 on Kindle SYNOPSIS posted:With Lon Cheney and Boris Karloff among its characters, this sweeping and stylish love letter to the golden age of horror cinema tells the wonderful, tragic story of Maddy Ulm. It takes readers through her rise from the complicated shadows of Berlin’s first experiments with expressionist cinema to the glamorous deserts of Hollywood. For Maddy has a secret. A secret that has given her incredible insight into the soul of horror. A secret that has a terrible price as well. This book has been $10 only, so this may be an accident. Jump on it while you can.
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# ? Jan 9, 2017 14:58 |
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Dr. Faustus posted:Finished A Head Full of Ghosts. What can I say? I mean, I enjoyed it enough. In the plus column it was tightly-written, decently-paced, and presented quite the mystery. Leaned heavily on the unreliable narrator (If I am using the term correctly.) I enjoyed the self-awareness of all the possession tropes and name-dropping movies and books. I liked the way the adult was honest about trying to interpret her own memories from age eight. I enjoyed the book's voice, the way it was sometimes playful and clever, and the honest earnestness and slight deceipts of a young child. ...........Am I misreading or are you saying you didn't think Marge was possesed at all?
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# ? Jan 9, 2017 19:58 |
the_american_dream posted:...........Am I misreading or are you saying you didn't think Marge was possesed at all? One of the more common interpretations of the ending is that Marjorie wasn't possessed, Merry was. I'm not sure if that's where Dr. Faustus was going, but it's a common one.
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# ? Jan 9, 2017 20:09 |
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I think that the author has said that the ambiguous ending is a feature, not a bug.
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# ? Jan 9, 2017 22:18 |
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the_american_dream posted:...........Am I misreading or are you saying you didn't think Marge was possesed at all? Ornamented Death posted:One of the more common interpretations of the ending is that Marjorie wasn't possessed, Merry was. I'm not sure if that's where Dr. Faustus was going, but it's a common one. withak posted:I think that the author has said that the ambiguous ending is a feature, not a bug. Margie never even did anything during the exorcism that was supernatural. The restraints? They probably were never applied to her. The mechanism in the nightstand drawer that made it open and shut really with a constant period really pissed her off (I'm not doing that!) The violence she used against the father was maybe less harrowing than the violence she visited upon herself during the masturbation event, or the leap from the stairs. The vomiting thing was weird, but also explainable. Who knows what she ate to set that off? Everything is too ambiguous! As far as Merry being possessed, I'm not able to think of any text to suggest it. The only thing I can think of to allow for it is simply in the fact that the story is being related by the older woman, who admits she can't fully trust her own memories or motivations at all times during the possession period. To the author's point, I believe it's deliberately written this way as stated. I think it is truly ambiguous because it's not hard to think of non-supernatural explanations for the events recounted by older Merry. It's still a really good book because of the truly horrific reveal a the end that Margie actually had the poison (Was it really from the basement or did she acquire it herself?), the way she made the case that the father was going to do them all in (although he seemed fine at dinner, even with his poison suddenly missing), no one was suspicious about the tainted sauce, even saying nothing as they died, and the absolutely stunning way Marjorie joined into the murder-suicide with a smile, leaving Merry an orphan without even her beloved big sister, who just mind-hosed her but good. It's an unexpected level of inhumanity, but could just as easily be the result of mental illness as anything supernatural. It was heart-breaking. I was horrified as Merry recounted putting the poison in the sauce herself, and the reasons she believed it would be ok. It keeps the book solidly in the realm of horror while undercutting (just about?) every case for demonic possession with solid doubts and alternative possibilities. The biggest one being that the POV of the story is always young Merry's. We never get a peek from inside mom or dad or Marge's head. Good book. Total blue balls at the ending, though.
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# ? Jan 9, 2017 23:56 |
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I guess the part of Marge masturbating until bleeding, defecating, and vomiting at the same time seems a bit too far for even the most rebellious teen and Merry not even recognizing what she was doing as masturbation or knowing what that act even was as an 8 year old doesn't really work for me on the unreliable narrator front But like i said earlier i skimmed the blog chapters just out of disinterest so if that's explained away there im just an idiot the_american_dream fucked around with this message at 00:38 on Jan 10, 2017 |
# ? Jan 10, 2017 00:34 |
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the_american_dream posted:I guess the part of Marge masturbating until bleeding, defecating, and vomiting at the same time seems a bit too far for even the most rebellious teen and Merry not even recognizing what she was doing as masturbation or knowing what that act even was as an 8 year old doesn't really work for me on the unreliable narrator front I hope you folks don't mind the little derail, I'm running out of steam, myself. Just wanted to thank the thread for the recommendation and share my surprise at how the whole thing turned out.
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# ? Jan 10, 2017 01:16 |
Dr. Faustus posted:As far as Merry being possessed, I'm not able to think of any text to suggest it. The only thing I can think of to allow for it is simply in the fact that the story is being related by the older woman, who admits she can't fully trust her own memories or motivations at all times during the possession period. The biggest hint is that, whenever the reporter meets with Merry, she comments about how it suddenly gets cold. This is a pretty common trope in all the movies and books Merry referenced in her blog, though as far as I can remember, it's one thing she never actually mentions herself. It may or may not have been mentioned as happening during Merry's version of what happened to Marjorie and her family (it's been over a year since I read the book, so I can't remember), but even if it was...the common thread is Merry.
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# ? Jan 10, 2017 02:25 |
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Dr. Faustus posted:I do recall Merry saying, I didn't even know what she was doing to herself (and here is the unreliable narrator addition) or maybe I kinda did know and just don't remember now. Ah i see. That's fair and interesting
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# ? Jan 10, 2017 02:45 |
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Ornamented Death posted:The biggest hint is that, whenever the reporter meets with Merry, she comments about how it suddenly gets cold. This is a pretty common trope in all the movies and books Merry referenced in her blog, though as far as I can remember, it's one thing she never actually mentions herself. It may or may not have been mentioned as happening during Merry's version of what happened to Marjorie and her family (it's been over a year since I read the book, so I can't remember), but even if it was...the common thread is Merry.
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# ? Jan 10, 2017 02:47 |
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Dr. Faustus posted:I hope you folks don't mind the little derail, I'm running out of steam, myself. Just wanted to thank the thread for the recommendation and share my surprise at how the whole thing turned out. Just finished it last night myself, so I dig this derail. More please.
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# ? Jan 10, 2017 14:41 |
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Karmine posted:The most freaked out I've ever been by a short story is in Home Delivery when the astronauts are screaming about the worms in their brains. I've just read that short story for the first time. No doubt very creepy, but it felt slightly overshadowed by the most hilariously stereotypical Englishman I've come across in any work of fiction. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing; I rather like the idea of the Stiff Upper Lip applying in even the most extreme circumstances. I don't think it delivered the desired effect, though.
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# ? Jan 10, 2017 18:17 |
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I really liked that story even if it did break a few of the Romero rules for zombies. It is part of an anthology of stories based about the Night of the living dead movies, I spent forever trying to get a copy (pre internet) and my wife accidentally threw it away before I even got to open it.
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# ? Jan 10, 2017 19:10 |
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ConfusedUs posted:You and me both, buddy. It's one of the few King stories that genuinely hit that fear button. Little late to the party, but agreed. There's something about the desperation and the realistic details of trying to handle such a unreal situation that really gets to me.
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# ? Jan 14, 2017 10:27 |
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Ninja Bob posted:Little late to the party, but agreed. There's something about the desperation and the realistic details of trying to handle such a unreal situation that really gets to me. Hello I'm Ron Perlman. I'll be your Collie Entragian today. Please enjoy your stay.
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# ? Jan 14, 2017 10:49 |
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x98qcNZ8Fz0
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# ? Jan 14, 2017 14:12 |
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I read Cell. The general sentiment I'd gotten from this thread is "starts off good but then gets worse". Yeah I have to say I agree.
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# ? Jan 14, 2017 21:42 |
Ein cooler Typ posted:I read Cell. The general sentiment I'd gotten from this thread is "starts off good but then gets worse". Yeah I have to say I agree. King in general is like that but Cell is the ultimate example. Every chapter is tangibly worse than the last, while most King stories are good for 75% of the way and then just drop off a cliff for the last 25%, if they're going to at all.
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# ? Jan 14, 2017 22:12 |
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I watched the Cell movie (sort of, I was playing PS4 at the same time). It didn't even have the benefit of starting out good. It started as bad as the end of the book, and then got worse. Total shite but I was expecting it kinda, just had to see.
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# ? Jan 15, 2017 04:11 |
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Choose a sequel to any King book you like. In this imaginary world the sequel will be EXACTLY as good as the book it follows.
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# ? Jan 15, 2017 23:26 |
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504 posted:Choose a sequel to any King book you like. the girl who loved tom gordon
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 00:29 |
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504 posted:Choose a sequel to any King book you like. Q: is this a book we think needs a sequel or our favourite book or a trade-off?
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 00:48 |
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Gerald's Game 2: Dick Necklace Boogaloo
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 03:18 |
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Josef K. Sourdust posted:Q: is this a book we think needs a sequel or our favourite book or a trade-off? The worlds your oyster! Blade_of_tyshalle posted:Gerald's Game 2: Dick Necklace Boogaloo Except you, I'm worried what your response will be.
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 04:30 |
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504 posted:Choose a sequel to any King book you like. Its
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 05:33 |
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 06:59 |
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504 posted:Choose a sequel to any King book you like. a sequel to Dark Tower 1-4
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 18:43 |
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The Long Walk
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 19:00 |
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Misery II: Annie Rises From The Dead.
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 19:28 |
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# ? May 31, 2024 22:32 |
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RCarr posted:The Long Walk The long walk 2: Short cab ride home.
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# ? Jan 16, 2017 19:59 |