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Post by andydecker on Jan 31, 2019 21:51:30 GMT
I was starting to read books in their original English at the time and King was relatively easy. That's quite a big complement, when you think about it. I bet a lot of authors would like to be told that. You know, you are right.
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Post by jamesdoig on Feb 1, 2019 21:03:28 GMT
I still read him, but mainly rereads - like this last year in the edition I bought decades ago, though this one is pretty battered (even the drop of blood has gone): I don't think I've read a new novel since Bag of Bones, but I'm not averse to trying them. I do pick up his short story collections, though - this one from the junk shop last week and I'm half way through. I prefer the earlier stories though - they pack a punch, while these are generally magical realism of a sentimental sort: Haven't yet tried his crime books, but I'll get around to it eventually:
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Post by mattofthespurs on Feb 2, 2019 8:33:20 GMT
I enjoyed both of those crime novels.
His recent short story collections have been patchy but there are some nasty tales in there. Big Driver springs to mind.
And King announced yesterday that his new novel 'The Institute' will be out on the 10th of September.
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Post by cromagnonman on Feb 2, 2019 14:00:30 GMT
61. Sigh!
You see the problem I have is that I see something like FROM A BUICK 8 and I think to myself: "Oh, a haunted car story, he hasn't done one of them before, has he." Or DOCTOR SLEEP, a pointless belated sequel when he's never really been in the business of writing sequels before. Or 11-22-63, surely the very epitome of a hackneyed idea which anyone else would be derided for even considering. And it all contributes to the impression - rightly or wrongly - of someone who exhausted his supply of originality decades ago but is compelled to publish anyway. I can understand the compulsion to write but why not go back to using pseudonyms if he feels so strongly about what he's writing. Otherwise he's clearly just riding the coat tails of his own reputation. And that's just a teensy bit sad.
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Post by mattofthespurs on Feb 2, 2019 15:09:33 GMT
To be honest Doctor Sleep was fantastic and 11-22-63 was simply wonderful. In my favourite top 10 SK novels. And I find it somewhat refreshing that King is starting to end his books and a high rather than every poor character dying a horrible death. I think that means that both he and I are starting to get old.
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Post by andydecker on Feb 2, 2019 20:51:05 GMT
I also avoided Dr.Sleep. I just didn't want to read a sequel to Shining. It was perfect as it was. And frankly, when I read the short description about Danny becoming a alcoholic like his father I just had to groan. Really?
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Post by mcannon on Feb 3, 2019 0:04:30 GMT
I also avoided Dr.Sleep. I just didn't want to read a sequel to Shining. It was perfect as it was. And frankly, when I read the short description about Danny becoming a alcoholic like his father I just had to groan. Really? Just to toss in my 2 cents' worth (though I suppose it's 5 cents' worth, as that now Australia's smallest coin)....... I've read a fair slab of King's work, though not all or even most of his work from the last 20-25 years. I read his first few "Dark Tower" stories in F&SF around 1978-79, and then "Salem's Lot" in a single 13 hour session while stranded in an airport transit lounge on Christmas Eve 1980 ( a most memorable experience....). After that I read pretty much all his writings for the next decade or so. However, I've read his work comparatively infrequently in the last 20-25 years. Back in the mid '90s I came to the conclusion that he was producing novels that were just too long and flabby, which could have benefited by being drastically cut. However a few years back I picked up a couple of his more recent novels and quite enjoyed them - while most were still fairly lengthy they seemed a lot tighter than his mid-period works. Late last year I spent a month reading his entire "Dark Tower" series, and liked it a lot - though after that, I suspect it may be be a year or two before i read anything more by him! I read "Dr Sleep" not long after it was published and very much enjoyed it. For me it worked well both as a stand-alone story and as a continuation of sorts from "The Shining". I also read his 2014 novel "Revival" and thought it was one of the best horror novels I'd read in some time. I don't think I've read any of King's subsequent novels as yet , but that's mostly because he's so damn prolific and there's so many other writers to read. Oh, and I've always liked his short stories - given the usual length of his novels, he's surprisingly effective at delivering short, sharp shocks. Mark
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Post by ramseycampbell on Feb 6, 2019 10:21:36 GMT
I thought 11/22/63 was magnificent, and I had a decidedly uneasy night after finishing Revival. If I didn't quite have nightmares, I certainly found the tale waiting for me in the dark whenever I awoke.
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Post by franklinmarsh on Feb 7, 2019 12:36:28 GMT
A Pretentious Hack writes –
Stephen King – is he still relevant? Was he ever? In the grand scheme of things probably not, put for a short while back in (cliché alert!) “the good old days” he certainly was – not just because his books were horror and best sellers, but also because they were being filmed by name (or at least genre) directors. Carrie was a big film back then. It introduced me to Brian DePalma as well as King and it was rereleased bigging up John Travolta’s small role as Saturday Night Fever had been a smash. Book followed film in my universe and was an original novel and an interesting comparison. Salem’s Lot scared millions via the telly (and was by Tobe Hooper of Texas Chainsaw fame!) – I didn’t catch it until the video boom (and then in truncated form) but did enjoy the novel – genuinely scarey, and one that gets better with every reread although the urbane Kurt Barlow of King isn’t as memorable as the Nosferatu freak out of Reggie Nalder. The 2014 update is worth a glance but can’t hold a candle to book or ’77 version (Rob Lowe is no David Soul). The Shining! Ultra scarey book (and I worshipped Stanley Kubrick so the film was a given). Two very different entities, both marvellous. I’ve no reason to attempt either Dr Sleep or the other filmed attempt. The Stand (in shortened form) is a book I genuinely love and would not be without. I was obsessed with Las Vegas as a youngster (thanks to Diamonds Are Forever on the big screen aged 10 and Hunter S Thompson a bit later, so King using it as a mecca for evil played into my hands). I’ve never been one for buying a book on its hardback release, but made an exception for the full-length version, only to find 198- had become 199-, and Disco has become Rap - so it hit the dustbin. Although I charity shopped a paperback much later I’ve never been able to bring myself to have another go. The Dead Zone – the books are getting bigger but still doing the business – and David Cronenberg’s stripped down film version lures me out to the cinema. Amusingly modern commentators saw some Trump in Greg Stillson. Both good. Firestarter – not one I’d rate particularly but reread it recently and flew threw the 400 odd pages at lightning speed. Can’t hack the film though. Cujo – this is where it all really began to go wrong. A book I hated as I read it. The film was tosh. A thing that really got to me was brand names. Kids didn’t wear shoes, they wore Keds. Christine wasn’t that engaging and was bigger than ever (John Carpenter’s film wasn’t all that neither), Pet Semetary was a return to form (and The Ramones – who I believe Kingy always liked – provided the theme tune for the film – which Fred Gwynne appeared in). I even revisited it when me mother-in-law was sent the audiobook by her impaired vision society so that we could discuss how frightening it was. By now we’re getting into Fantasy (Pfff!) territory with The Dark Tower, The Talisman, The Eyes Of The Dragon – I can’t be doing with this. Richard Bachman is revealed – Thinner is good, and The Running Man surprisingly not a cartoon like the Arnie/Paul Michael Glaser picture. I recently reacquired this because I need to check out Rage which I missed at the time, and has subsequently been removed because of high school shootings – good job it was a best seller. Misery (film and book) isn’t bad, but we seem to moving further away from the magic. Perhaps I’m too old for this? The Tommyknockers? You’re having a laugh! It, The Dark Half and Needful Things bring the noise back – particularly the middle one, the first two thirds of which are fantastic. George A Romero’s film’s preety good too, and casting Tim Curry as Pennywise in the TV version of It was a masterstroke. The endings of both those novels seemed dreadful at the time, but perhaps I should go back (I have copies of them). Didn’t see the film version of NT but enjoyed the book. Haven’t bothered with the rest apart from Joyland, Mr Mercedes and Revival – all very good indeed. Did start 11/22/63 but couldn’t continue.
The short story/novella collections (or at least Night Shift and Skeleton Crew) are worth a pop – not least for the Kingmania fever when filmmakers were falling over themselves to film virtually anything what he wrote. Different Seasons has Apt Pupil (euw!), and Four Past Midnight has The Langoliers (stop laughing) and the one that was filmed as Secret Window. There’s always Creepshow and Maximum Overdrive as well. You have to applaud his longetivity at least.
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Post by andydecker on Feb 7, 2019 17:26:55 GMT
They updated The Stand? Ugh!!! I never knew. I also bought the longer HC after the first paperback, but never got far. Back then (in the good old days *g) editors were doing still their work, and most cuts of King made the novels better. I got stuck early. (Still like the TV adaption, though. Blue Oyster Cult at the beginning was a stroke of genius.)
I am with you at most of the novels. I prefer the novella Ballad of the flexible bullet to The Dark Half; writers writing about writers I have come to hate. Still like Ballad for nostalgic reasons.
Christine I frankly never understood the hype, and always thought Pet Cematery one of the most overrated book in King's History. Both movies were weak, though. Misery I am on the fence; I liked that he tried something different and thought the idea of the manuscript in the novel rather clever - another writer as hero; never realized how often King did this. But his insights into the rules of pulp fiction were quite observant.
Tommyknockers I never finished, same goes for Needful Things. Too much of the same for me. Still NT left an impression, the episode of Rick&Morty where they spoofed this was a riot.
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Post by fritzmaitland on Sept 25, 2019 12:00:18 GMT
I’ve no reason to attempt either Dr Sleep Well, that pretentious hack Marshy might not have a reason to read Dr Sleep, but when someone at work told me that a film version is coming out, and then a copy waved at me from the hospital second-hand bookstall, I thought I might as well. By Jove, 75 pages in and it's moving like an express train and is damn' good to boot.
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Post by mattofthespurs on Sept 27, 2019 7:29:33 GMT
I saw the trailer for 'Doctor Sleep'. It was shown, and introduced on screen by King himself. Euan McGregor stars as Danny. Looked ok. Just finished 'The Institute' which I thought was good fun.
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Post by fritzmaitland on Oct 7, 2019 11:25:21 GMT
I’ve no reason to attempt either Dr Sleep Well, that pretentious hack Marshy might not have a reason to read Dr Sleep, but when someone at work told me that a film version is coming out, and then a copy waved at me from the hospital second-hand bookstall, I thought I might as well. By Jove, 75 pages in and it's moving like an express train and is damn' good to boot. Crikey. Just about to start Part 4 (nearly 420 pages in!) and it's still absorbing and thrilling. Building up to a big showdown (and there have already been two mini-showdowns). This is good stuff. He's still got it - in abundance.
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Post by sabenaravna on Jan 17, 2020 21:47:38 GMT
When I read Carrie many many moons ago, it made enormous impact to me. Children and teenagers were realistic, so was mob mentality, bullying was no sugar coated, not treated harmless or victim's own fault - it is difficult to understand nowadays. After that - let's just say that Salem's Lot had genuinely eerie moments. Sadly, there was already too too much sleazy, scummy human characters boring, disgusting and irritating me out of my skull. And that's my problem with King, Koontz and many other big names. I just don't "get' them. Shrugh. The fact that I enjoyed 1979 TV version more than the book tells you something.
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Post by andydecker on Jan 18, 2020 9:42:45 GMT
Sadly, there was already too too much sleazy, scummy human characters boring, disgusting and irritating me out of my skull. But that is one of the strength of horror fiction. To be able to conjure terrible characters and show the corruption which is under the surface. For instance a Guy N.Smith novel without disgusting characters would just be a waste of time. But Carrie is still a remarkable novel.
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