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fishmech posted:He never really planned things out. In On Writing he said the only book he actually planned out was Insomnia. Wow, really? It seems just as 'seat-of-his-pants' as his usual stuff.
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Jun 1, 2009 17:42
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egon_beeblebrox posted:Wow, really? It seems just as 'seat-of-his-pants' as his usual stuff. And that's the reason he gave in On Writing (or maybe at an interview later) why he stopped trying to plan books. Also Cujo was completely written during an extended drug-fueled bender and he has no recollection of wrtiting any of it.
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Jun 2, 2009 05:23
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No wonder a good third of Cujo is completely godawful crap (although the other two thirds makes up for it).
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Jun 3, 2009 02:28
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Volume posted:gently caress you! I just read through 5 pages to make sure that I could be the first to post this book! But christ is that book horrible. It just drags on and on with out any real sense of suspense or intrigue. And when it's all done you just feel so dissapointed by the anti-climatic ending. The only good parts at all are the bit about the guy that the "author/protagonist" writes about. I'd read the gently caress out of an Alexis(?) Machine book. Why do so many King books have an "author/protagonist"? I understand the maxim, "Write what you know", but come on. Recursive fucked around with this message at 00:55 on Jun 4, 2009 |
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Jun 3, 2009 07:37
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Man, Dreamcatcher was good in my opinion. I also realize no one else agrees with me on that. The reason I liked it was (and my memory is hazy so I might have these details wrong) because... a. these guys ended up having to go through this horrible ordeal in a place (the cabin) that was really special to at least some of them. I can't imagine dealing with that kind of poo poo in a place you used to go to as a child. b. this place that was so special to them as children was warped in the process by being covered in that rust. c. how the two groups of friends never saw all of each other alive together after they split up (two to go get beer and two staying in the cabin) was pretty rough. Now there has been a lot of ire directed at the idea of a poo poo weasel...but cmon, the thought of something with razor sharp teeth gestating in your colon is horrifying as hell! Moreso than a haunted camera at least. Either way, I enjoyed it, I realize most people didn't-maybe I was too young when I read it, but having 3 other really close friends at the time, it really struck a chord with me to see them split up like that. As for short stories, The Mist is excellent, as is TLW...my only complaint being that it drags a little at the end (although that kind of works for it because the walk wouldn't seem very long if the story wrapped up nice and quickly). The Running Man was amazing...seeing that filmed in a fashion true to the book would be great and Graduation Afternoon was cool for a quick look at a hosed up afternoon.
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Jun 3, 2009 17:56
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Man you people are one fun happening bunch. I myself never liked thinner. Still I cant believe the level of hate going on in this thread. Its alot of fun to read.
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Jun 4, 2009 09:23
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Hey man don't go off on all of us haha, I was nothing but sunshine...and according to TBB it takes a lot of sunshine to say you liked Dreamcatcher.
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Jun 4, 2009 10:00
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Foppish posted:Man, Dreamcatcher was good in my opinion. I also realize no one else agrees with me on that. I wouldn't have said that it was "good," per se, but I also didn't hate it (or Cell, for that matter), and thought that it had some good moments. So you're not totally alone here. The movie was so astonishingly ridiculous that I couldn't help but enjoy it, even though I also hated it. (edit: I also agree that "Graduation Afternoon" created a heck of a striking image in just a few pages. It definitely stuck with me.)
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Jun 4, 2009 15:22
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I didnt mind dreamcatcher the book either but the movie was such a loving travesty I covered my eyes for the last thirty minutes and just said "no no no no no" at the floor of the theater.
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Jun 4, 2009 19:22
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Foppish posted:Hey man don't go off on all of us haha, I was nothing but sunshine...and according to TBB it takes a lot of sunshine to say you liked Dreamcatcher. I too actually liked Dreamcather the book. The movie doesn't exist. I guess I don't go into his books looking for some uber deep philosophical bullshit like a certain author this forum loves that I think is a douche. Best part of Dreramcatcher was the disturbing descriptions of poo poo weasels. I do kind of wish his wife had not talked him out of changing the title.
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Jun 5, 2009 08:07
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cycowolf posted:I too actually liked Dreamcather the book. The movie doesn't exist. I guess I don't go into his books looking for some uber deep philosophical bullshit like a certain author this forum loves that I think is a douche. Best part of Dreramcatcher was the disturbing descriptions of poo poo weasels. I do kind of wish his wife had not talked him out of changing the title. Uh, I don't think anyone reads Stephen King looking for "deep philosophical bullshit." I don't think it's too much to ask that a book or story be at least competently written or that a plot be cohesive. Don't get all butthurt just because you're of the minority opinion on that book.
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Jun 5, 2009 16:01
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Dreamcatcher would be alright without the magical retard and the alien in the guy's head poo poo.Tuxedo Catfish posted:Which leaves, what, a slightly bittersweet story about The military trying to contain a crash site with greys and alien fungus. Nuke Goes KABOOM fucked around with this message at 19:07 on Jun 5, 2009 |
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Jun 5, 2009 17:40
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ShawnWilkesBooth posted:Dreamcatcher would be alright without the magical retard and the alien in the guy's head poo poo. Which leaves, what, a slightly bittersweet story about EDIT: I fail at reading comprehension, "alien in the guy's head poo poo" != "alien in the guy's poo poo."
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Jun 5, 2009 19:06
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I can't believe only one post in this topic mentions The Colorado Kid. Dry, boring, forgettable. I read it about a year ago and honestly can't remember a single thing about it, other than wanting to put it down many times while reading it. I was also extremely dissapointed in From a Buick 8 and Bag of Bones. I have read every single regularly published Stephen King book (none of that online only of Kindle crap) and I can't honestly remember all of them well enough to pick a definitive worst. I was dissapointed Just After Sunset as well. A few stories were top notch, the rest instantly forgettable. Oh well, not every short story collection can be full of amazing stories. While certainly not a contender for worst King book, it didn't live up to my expectations his previous short story collections had set. I have to agree with many of you though - The Long Walk is probably my favorite King work. I've read it at least four or five times, and somehow it's fresh and exciting every time. It has stuck in my memory and resonated with me more than almost any other story I've read. His shorter novellas/short stories are really where he shines.
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Jun 5, 2009 21:31
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ShawnWilkesBooth posted:Dreamcatcher would be alright without the magical retard and the alien in the guy's head poo poo. Guy hiding in his filing cabinet room in his mind was pretty tedious. Magical retard #12 is awful. Overall, I thought the book had lots of good parts. Friends in a hunting cabin experience creepy poo poo. A few monsters, the crazy fanatical "alien coverup" wing of the military trying to stop the spread of an infection as well as silence the witnesses... The idea that the critters arrive and live in a symbiotic relationship inside the hosts in most cases, but this time they are incompatable, was pretty good I thought. The spreading crud on the people is pretty drat close to the red vines of War Of The World, but I'll let that go (and it was creepy and scary). Magical 'tard and guy hiding in his head in his office??? Nah, that blows.
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Jun 6, 2009 21:54
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Stentorian Longing posted:Uh, I don't think anyone reads Stephen King looking for "deep philosophical bullshit." I don't think it's too much to ask that a book or story be at least competently written or that a plot be cohesive. Don't get all butthurt just because you're of the minority opinion on that book. Got some sad news my friend. I could care less that people don't like it. Doesn't matter to me. I have never and will never feel bad about liking something that others don't. I'm not the one that's butthurt as you say. I do find it funny that so many people read his stuff that obviously don't like it even going into it. I think the joke might be on them. Hell there are books by him that I don't like either. Besides Thinner I cant stand Rose Madder, Tom Gordon, Lisey's Story and so many others. I'm not angry at the man. Sometimes his stories are good and other times not. He is a author, it happens. It just doesn't seem to mortally offend me that he writes crap, the way it does others. I'm thinking you might be the one that's "butthurt", so sorry you wasted time reading something you didn't have too. I always try to keep one thing in mind when I reads his stuff, at least its not Dean Koontz. To keep this thread on topic. Ive been reading Just after Sunset and its just kind of flat. Until now I thought Everything Eventual was his worst short story collection but I think this one is worse and I'm not even done yet. I'm having trouble just getting through it. I get bored with a story and end up setting it down for huge chunks of time. cycowolf fucked around with this message at 10:57 on Jun 7, 2009 |
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Jun 7, 2009 10:42
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I agree on Sunset. Pretty flat. The worst has to be Lisey's story though. Way too many flashbacks. I'm 250 pages in and in real world time, all she has done so far is move a box a few feet over and check her mail. The rest is flashbacks of her husband almost dying, flashbacks of the time they were dating, more death flashbacks, flashbacks of meeting her sistet for coffee, etc.
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Jun 7, 2009 16:48
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northerain posted:I agree on Sunset. Pretty flat. Exactly why I hated that book. I read it and can't remember jack poo poo about it. Its just gone from my head.
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Jun 7, 2009 19:04
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He has a new short story in the latest issue of Esquire. It isn't very good, though.
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Jun 7, 2009 20:58
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I loved the first 4 dark towers (although I was pretty young when I read them, going back they weren't as good as I remembered but still no where near as bad as the rest) and I kinda liked 5 before I got to the end because I thought the build-up was really good. Then I got to the part where all of a sudden men in Dr. Doom masks come attacking the town with loving lightsabers and Quidditch balls. I wanna be mad at King for the last two books, which continued to be absolutely horrible, but I really have no one to blame but myself for continuing to read after the ending of 5.
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Jun 7, 2009 21:23
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northerain posted:I agree on Sunset. Pretty flat. I wanted to throw the book at the wall after the 150th or so use of the word "smucking".
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Jun 7, 2009 22:56
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Honestly, I think King has some serious problems after that car accident. Since the accident, he wrote: 1. Lisey's Story, about a writer's wife dealing with his death. 2. Duma Key, about a guy (painter) who was in a serious car accident. 3. Himself, getting saved by Roland in Dark Tower 4. Worked the accident into ''Kingdom Hospital'', the TV series. A writer gets hit by a car (a pickup with a dog in it).
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Jun 7, 2009 23:12
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I think he just needs to become a drug addict again.
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Jun 7, 2009 23:14
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Someone needs to do a Misery on him, and while he's incapacitated, get him hooked on painkillers. Voila, the old King is back.
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Jun 8, 2009 00:08
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fishmech posted:I'm pretty sure that line showed up in Drawing of The Three or Waste Lands, easily predating 9/11. poo poo, I could have sworn that was during the part where he works in his van accident self-insertion. Gonna have to bust out the book when I get home.
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Jun 8, 2009 03:16
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northerain posted:
Wasn't that in the original Dutch series he adapted? There's a lot of stereotypical King-isms in that show were in the original Dutch.
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Jun 8, 2009 04:15
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fishmech posted:Wasn't that in the original Dutch series he adapted? There's a lot of stereotypical King-isms in that show were in the original Dutch. I doubt it was so detailed. The guy was hit by a pickup (same as King), because the driver's dog was bothering him (same as King). Could be though, I never watched the Dutch one (isn't that series Danish?).
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Jun 8, 2009 04:28
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The original Danish miniseries is called Riget (by Lars von Trier, no less), and it's really good. So I guess if you thought Kingdom Hospital sucked, check it out.
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Jun 8, 2009 05:05
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fishmech posted:Wasn't that in the original Dutch series he adapted? There's a lot of stereotypical King-isms in that show were in the original Dutch. No, it wasn't. Although there is a vehicle accident in the series, but hardly the same circumstances.
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Jun 8, 2009 10:57
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cycowolf posted:Got some sad news my friend. I could care less that people don't like it. Doesn't matter to me. I have never and will never feel bad about liking something that others don't. I'm not the one that's butthurt as you say. I do find it funny that so many people read his stuff that obviously don't like it even going into it. I think the joke might be on them.  No one else is mortally offended here, MY FRIEND. People just happen to dislike some of his books, as you do yourself. What exactly is the issue?As for his new story in Esquire, "Morality," it's not terrible but it feels rushed, and like there are big chunks of backstory missing, stuff that would help the characters' actions make more sense.
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Jun 8, 2009 15:00
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Dr. Mulholland posted:I wanted to throw the book at the wall after the 150th or so use of the word "smucking". I usually don't have too much of a problem with things like that (for instance, "frak" in BSG didn't bother me, and I actually liked all the linguistic stuff in the Dark Tower books), but "smucking" was goddamn infuriating from the get-go and never grew tolerable. Lisey's Story really needed some editing, because there was some decent stuff there - the second half was a lot more interesting than the first, I thought, and more people would have actually gotten there if someone had taken the red (blue?) pen to the first half in a big way.
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Jun 8, 2009 18:01
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Stentorian Longing posted:
I have no idea. I made a post saying I liked Dreamcatcher. You took that and responded that I was butthurt. If your looking for a reason I made that whole passage, look no farther then yourself. I just made a comment on thinking that maybe people expect too much from a author like him and it seemed to make you very angry. I was actually surprised when I saw your response about how you expect a competent cohesive plot in every book. In all, I think your taking this whole thread a little too serious. In other news I have completely given up on Just After Sunset. I hate not finishing a book but there are other things I actually want to read. cycowolf fucked around with this message at 05:38 on Jun 9, 2009 |
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Jun 9, 2009 05:24
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cycowolf posted:In other news I have completely given up on Just After Sunset. I hate not finishing a book but there are other things I actually want to read. If I recall correctly Just After Sunset's standouts (in my opinion) were N, A Tight Spot, Graduation Afternoon and possibly The Things They Left Behind (not great but nice). N was the most interesting story to me, and Graduation Afternoon was so quick and vivid that I think it'd be stupid to skip it (like passing on taking a look at an interesting photograph because you don't have the time). While GA isn't some earthshattering revelation in the world of King, it's length-entertainment ratio is pretty good.
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Jun 9, 2009 16:26
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cycowolf posted:I have no idea. I made a post saying I liked Dreamcatcher. You took that and responded that I was butthurt. If your looking for a reason I made that whole passage, look no farther then yourself. I just made a comment on thinking that maybe people expect too much from a author like him and it seemed to make you very angry. I was actually surprised when I saw your response about how you expect a competent cohesive plot in every book. In all, I think your taking this whole thread a little too serious. I think your reading comprehension skills are a little lacking, but whatever. Also, yeah I guess it's super weird of me to expect a competent, cohesive plot. Who needs stuff like that in a book??  Foppish posted:If I recall correctly Just After Sunset's standouts (in my opinion) were N, A Tight Spot, Graduation Afternoon and possibly The Things They Left Behind (not great but nice). N was the most interesting story to me, and Graduation Afternoon was so quick and vivid that I think it'd be stupid to skip it (like passing on taking a look at an interesting photograph because you don't have the time). While GA isn't some earthshattering revelation in the world of King, it's length-entertainment ratio is pretty good. I didn't care for N, but the others you listed were pretty good. A Tight Spot is the best in the book in my opinion. In terms of variety and quality, I think Everything's Eventual is one of his best collections. Lots of great stuff in there, particularly The Man In The Black Suit, That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French, The Road Virus Heads North and Lunch At The Gotham Cafe. Schweig und tanze fucked around with this message at 17:02 on Jun 9, 2009 |
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Jun 9, 2009 16:58
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I read it years ago, but just I randomly found a copy of Dreamcatcher on my mom's bookshelf (she likes King, but I can't imagine her reading that one), and it's pretty loving ridiculous. I finished Duma Key last week, and liked it very much, except for the hints he dropped like, "I never saw [such and such person] again." He did it multiple times. Lame, King.
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Jun 9, 2009 17:04
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Stentorian Longing posted:Everything's Eventual My reccolecion of EE is pretty fuzzy but I just remember not liking the story about the kid who writes letter that kill people and I hated the Gotham Cafe story after I heard the audio book version with King making that Eeeeee! sound...the book version was really good though. Who knows, you've got me interested in rereading it, maybe I'll like it better this time, I did read it at a rough time in my life so that could be why I didn't like it. I can't recall particular stories I liked but I DO remember falling in love with Skeleton Crew and Graveyard Shift back in high school.
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Jun 9, 2009 19:10
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Foppish posted:My reccolecion of EE is pretty fuzzy but I just remember not liking the story about the kid who writes letter that kill people and I hated the Gotham Cafe story after I heard the audio book version with King making that Eeeeee! sound...the book version was really good though. Yeah the title story was only so-so and I can imagine an audio version of Lunch at the Gotham Cafe would be seriously grating, but I like the sense of "oh gently caress what am I gonna do??" he created in the story and the way the whole day just went all to hell for no particular reason. I liked Everything's Eventual because it has ghost stories, creepy stories, wtf stories, and some horror. It doesn't adhere to any one genre. Skeleton Crew and Graveyard Shift were both great but it's been a long time since I read either; I need to revisit them I think.
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Jun 9, 2009 20:18
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I liked a lot the Gotham Cafe story a lot more after a similar case took place in Greece. A guy killed his gf's dog and her, because he hated the dog. Then he took her head for a walk. He was a waiter too.
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Jun 9, 2009 21:54
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Wondering if its ok to ask since this is a thread for his worst books. What is your favorite book by him? I'm curious as to the difference from one to the other. Also wondering if most people prefer the older stuff. I want to say my favorite is still The Stand but I am not so sure about that. Might have to really think about it.
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Jun 9, 2009 22:50
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cycowolf posted:Wondering if its ok to ask since this is a thread for his worst books. What is your favorite book by him? I'm curious as to the difference from one to the other. Also wondering if most people prefer the older stuff. I think my favorite is ''The Talisman'', with ''The Stand'' a close second and ''It'' a distant third.
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Jun 9, 2009 23:45
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