Stephen King

[Dan]

Any of you guys a fan of Danielle Steel?

[Thumpalumpacus]

No, what makes you ask?

[Dan]

Just felt like throwing in a non sequitur. Kinda kills it since it aroused curiosity instead of smart-assery.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I was just being polite. I'll stop feigning interest if it'll make you happy.

[Dan]

Wow, sensitive much, Thump? Lighten up, champ!

[Malikon]

Thump is a master at not using purple.

[C Squared]

I've read more King then any of the other authors I enjoy combined. Some of Koontz stuff is really damn good.Anne Rice has intrigued me with some of the Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches, the Mummy. There have been a few of Robert R McCammon's books I've enjoyed, various others as well, but I think I read everything by King I could get my hands on up to the time he "quit". Hoping that going back to the Dark Tower series will get me reading again in general and catch up on some of his later work. There have been a few mentioned here that I'll start looking into.

[DPhillips]

Love most of his work, especially "The Shining", "IT", and the Gunslinger series. To me, his most disturbing (and best work) is "Gerald's Game". That is logical, reasonable, so horrible and so obtuse all at the same time. Definitely takes a warped mind to come with that, though could happen to almost anyone...

[Malikon]

Originally Posted by C Squared

I've read more King then any of the other authors I enjoy combined. Some of Koontz stuff is really damn good.Anne Rice has intrigued me with some of the Vampire Chronicles and Mayfair Witches, the Mummy. There have been a few of Robert R McCammon's books I've enjoyed, various others as well, but I think I read everything by King I could get my hands on up to the time he "quit". Hoping that going back to the Dark Tower series will get me reading again in general and catch up on some of his later work. There have been a few mentioned here that I'll start looking into.

Koontz has some really, really interesting stories,...for about 7/8's of the book.

His endings are awful,....terrible!!!

[Thumpalumpacus]

Originally Posted by Dan

Wow, sensitive much, Thump? Lighten up, champ!

Wait, you took me seriously? That simply won't do.

[TheWelder]

Originally Posted by Malikon

He was the first person I ever saw phonetically write out accents. So you could 'hear' them in your head when you read.

"A'ya, ..dead is bettah!"

..type stuff.

I've always found this interesting as well - his characters say 'ayuh' a lot in books set in Maine and the New England area. As a kid I never really understood what this meant when I read it, but then I eventually figured out that he was spelling out accents.

My fiance's family is from the east coast and her father currently lives in upstate Vermont - we went to visit him a few years ago and I heard one of the locals say 'ayuh' and I practically fell over laughing.

[Kashmir]

Originally Posted by TheWelder

If you guys are into classic King horror you should check out Full Dark, No Stars if you haven't already. It contains four novellas - and some of the scariest material I've read of his since the 'Salem's Lot. For people who like to claim that he lost his edge when he had his accident I tell them to read that one. Some seriously scary stuff.

Loved it! Four of the better novellas I've ever read.

[Phoenix59]

The Stand has always been my favorite of King's works, even more so when they released the uncut version.

I will say that I like almost everything he's written, but several of my favorites have already been mentioned... Full Dark, No Stars. the Dark Tower series -- some of the middle books are hard to get through but when you finish book 7, the payoff is worth it. IT.

I keep a PDF copy of On Writing on my computer's desktop for instant reference.

[dazzypig]

Originally Posted by Leumas

I'm a big Stephen King fan. Just started the Dark Tower series yesterday. A lot of his work has religious themes running through it. It would be tough to pull off a lot of the "good and evil" and higher, or at least other-worldly elements he uses without crossing paths with the themes of the many religions of the world.

That is a great line though!

Spooky man... I just ran through The Gunslinger yesterday (Except my yesterday was your today, yesterday).

[dazzypig]

Originally Posted by Malikon

Koontz has some really, really interesting stories,...for about 7/8's of the book.

His endings are awful,....terrible!!!

I've read a couple of good Koontz books that were okay -and many that I was glad I only borrowed- but feel his name shouldn't be mentioned in comparison to King.

[The_Penguin]

Originally Posted by C Squared

Just restarted the Dark Tower series. Got through book 4 and then he "quit" writing :/ Since he actually finished the series I decided to start over and finish it.

Great storyteller, IT and Talisman are my top 2, with the Dark Half and Insomnia tied at 3

Talisman and IT were damn good, but you forgot "The Stand" one of his best. (IMHO)

[rcole_sooner]

I enjoyed the Bachman Books and some other short story collections (I don't remember the name). But I always like short stories vs full novels, as I just loose interest. Then again I read the whole Dark Tower series ... sigh.

[The_Penguin]

I've always loved King's style. He can describe anything, and put any accent into print. Ayuh.

I love the way only he could describe the feeling of a good kick to the nads, the way he did in "Christine".

[rjshare]

Originally Posted by Malikon

Koontz has some really, really interesting stories,...for about 7/8's of the book.

His endings are awful,....terrible!!!

funny cos that is exactly what i think of stephen king! he seems to hit on a good idea for a plot and then run out of steam with it before the end. once he has backed himself into a corner he just throws some ridiculous chit in from leftfield so as to contrive an ending.

misery was a classic but for me it all went downhill after. he should have kept away from supernatural stuff imo.

[KSG_Standard]

The Stand...Is King's Magnum opus IMO. I've read most of his books, and enjoyed them...but The Stand is my favorite.

[skingy]

Originally Posted by rcole_sooner

I enjoyed the Bachman Books and some other short story collections (I don't remember the name). But I always like short stories vs full novels, as I just loose interest. Then again I read the whole Dark Tower series ... sigh.

have you read Different Seasons, by King? i bet you saw at least 2 of the movie adaptations. 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption', 'Apt Pupil', 'The Body', and 'The Breathing Method'. all excellent, and fast reads.

[Lampens]

Wind through the keyhole is the name of his latest. it takes place between books 4 and 5of the dark tower but is more of a sidestep. Can't believe none of you haven't read it. it's been out in the US since April.

[Howard2k]

I read a bunch of Koontz and I like his stuff too, when there's no new King to read. We had a charity book sale at work actually and I picked up a few Koontz books.

Some of his books I really liked. I remember the first couple I read I loved, but then I foud that too many of his books seemed to share the same plot points and concepts.

Given the choice between new King and new Koontz, I'd always choose King.

I never got started on the Dark Tower track, I probably should at some point.

[Machine Man]

Steven King shot John Lennon. (True story!)


The truth about John Lennon's murder. By Steve Lightfoot

[Kashmir]

Originally Posted by Machine Man

Steven King shot John Lennon. (True story!)


http://www.lennonmurdertruth.com/]The

You can find anything on Al Gore's Internets.

[Hamtone]

I have met SK on many occasions. Before his accident I lived near the diner where he got hit. He used to be in there all the time. Very pleasant man but a bit odd. He would sit at the counter and bs with everyone and no one gave shit about him other than he was a summer time local so he was just one of the boys at this place. For the life of me I cant remember the name of the place but it was good. Its located right in waterford maine

I loved "the gunslinger" I heard about 11-22 but havent made the time to read it.

[dazzypig]

Originally Posted by Hamtone

I loved "the gunslinger" I heard about 11-22 but havent made the time to read it.

Note to people who haven't read 11-22 yet, not really a spoiler but still...

I must've read maybe 30 or so of his books now, books of short stories and novels, a whole range of his work, but after about half of 11-22 I just couldn't read it any more. I didn't feel as though the protagonist had been well defined at all. I didn't know him well enough to give a shit about what happened to him and the whole 'looking back' just reeked of a nostalgic Friends episode which seemed too cheap for King. I think he also used some of the techniques he frowns upon in his 'On Writing' book without seeming to give any thought to it.
One of the first times I've ever been even remotely disappointed by a Stephen King story.

I don't profess to know a huge amount about writing, other than that I read a lot, but I think I know Stephen King writing pretty well and, to me, that wasn't one of his best.

Still, 1 in 30 or whatever it is, is a pretty good average so I'm gonna keep reading 'em

EDIT: Hamtone, I would think it'd be pretty cool to meet him, never even noticed the Portland in your location before.

[Malikon]

Originally Posted by Lampens

Wind through the keyhole is the name of his latest. it takes place between books 4 and 5of the dark tower but is more of a sidestep. Can't believe none of you haven't read it. it's been out in the US since April.

I iz waiting for cheap used paperbacks.

[FennRx]

Originally Posted by Malikon

He was the first person I ever saw phonetically write out accents. So you could 'hear' them in your head when you read.

"A'ya, ..dead is bettah!"

..type stuff.

mark twain called. he says to read a real book.


funny how his "accent" is considered racists by selected morons.

[Malikon]

I read King when I was 7, I didn't read Twain until I was in my teens.

So,..King was the first one I read that did that.