I forgot how he wrote himself in
god I hated that
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 2 May 2012 22:37 (twelve years ago) link
re: Bag of Bones being more "literary" than his previous stuff -- the book is nominally about a house/town that's haunted by a malevolent spirit, but the first 3/4ths of the book is surprisingly realist, for king. the main character is a lolwriter who's dealing with the loss of his wife and unborn child, his feelings for a new woman, his grief and writer's block, etc. the last quarter of the book eventually does go full-on thriller, but until that point the paranormal stuff is handled with a pretty light touch.
bear in mind i haven't read it in forever, so these are my remembered opinions from when i stanned for it in high school.
― supreme sundae (reddening), Wednesday, 2 May 2012 22:46 (twelve years ago) link
All the shit with Cuthbert and his "lookout" in Wizard & Glass is serious LOLz.
― i love the large auns pictures! (Phil D.), Wednesday, 2 May 2012 22:49 (twelve years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.
― System, Thursday, 3 May 2012 00:01 (twelve years ago) link
I have read zero of these books, though I think I read everything up through The Dark Half. The only post 1990 books I've read are the Dark Tower series (mixed bag) and On Writing (the best of his I've read). I'm going to use the results of this as a guide to the last 20-odd years of King.
― EZ Snappin, Thursday, 3 May 2012 00:08 (twelve years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Friday, 4 May 2012 00:01 (twelve years ago) link
weird
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 4 May 2012 00:02 (twelve years ago) link
well that isn't helpful at all!
― Number None, Friday, 4 May 2012 00:02 (twelve years ago) link
On Writing (the best of his I've read).
I actually don't like On Writing as much as I like Danse Macabre, but they're both up there for me.
I don't feel like Tom Gordon getting 3 votes over a whole cluster that got two votes is any indicator that I should start with Tom Gordon. I'm most intrigued by ideas behind Under the Dome, the Regulators, and Cell though, so maybe I'll start with one of them.
― how's life, Friday, 4 May 2012 12:28 (twelve years ago) link
I mean, if two people each agree they don't totally blow...
― how's life, Friday, 4 May 2012 12:41 (twelve years ago) link
More than one person out there thinks Dolores Claiborne doesn't totally blow. Don't know how that one ended up so underrated.
― jungleous butterflies strange birds (Eric H.), Friday, 4 May 2012 12:43 (twelve years ago) link
tom gordon was only ok for me, but i enjoyed the pulpiness of the regulators.
― underleg aeroboots i have smithed (darraghmac), Friday, 4 May 2012 12:56 (twelve years ago) link
Cell has a virtuoso first act but never really figures out what to do afterwards.
Ahhhhhh, worried about this. I'm about halfway through the book at this point (when they get ready to leave the boarding school) and it hasn't faltered a step for me so far. Very vivid and well-paced.
Regulators was really good too. Although it was almost too brief (I guess there's more to learn about Tak in the companion novel) the ending and epilogue are satisfying.
― coat news for people who love boat shoes (how's life), Thursday, 12 July 2012 00:27 (eleven years ago) link
The main problem with later SK novels is the way WTF is so often replaced by smh.
ā bit.ly sno cone maker (Jon Lewis)
bears repeating
― deems irreverent (darraghmac), Thursday, 12 July 2012 00:32 (eleven years ago) link
Ahhhhhh, worried about this.
You should be. King can't write an ending that isn't utter shit.
― an inevitable disappointment (James Morrison), Thursday, 12 July 2012 00:35 (eleven years ago) link
I really, really liked the second act of Cell, btw. Haven't explored any of these since last summer though.
― how's life, Wednesday, 10 July 2013 17:16 (ten years ago) link
Wait, I started on 11/22/63, but only made it a couple of chapters in.
― how's life, Wednesday, 10 July 2013 17:17 (ten years ago) link
Cell was fine. I dunno that I'd go back and reread it but it was enjoyable enough.
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 10 July 2013 17:43 (ten years ago) link
I'm about 200 pages into Dreamcatcher, and it's the first King book I'm tempted to just give up on. I don't care about any of the main characters, or their life-changing childhood friendship with Duddits, the aliens plot is taking waaaaaay too long to kick into gear, and all of the farting/belching stuff is just ridiculous rather than scary.
Anyone want to convince me to keep slogging through it?
― Snorting and all (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 3 January 2017 17:43 (seven years ago) link
I've never read it (the movie is completely ludicrous) but I've been intrigued inasmuch as it's the thing he wrote while recuperating from his accident and is reportedly a document of his state of mind at the time.
― DJ Untz Hall (Old Lunch), Tuesday, 3 January 2017 17:45 (seven years ago) link
The book not only does not get better, it gets an order of magnitude worse.
His recent police procedural trilogy starting with "Mr. Mercedes" wasn't too bad.
― Lauren Schumer Donor (Phil D.), Tuesday, 3 January 2017 17:47 (seven years ago) link
Dreamcatcher was the first one I read, around when the movie came out. Too much farting
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 3 January 2017 17:48 (seven years ago) link
Man, if this was the first King book I ever encountered I never would have read The Stand or It.
― Snorting and all (Dan Peterson), Tuesday, 3 January 2017 18:00 (seven years ago) link
ha i think the second one I read was the collection that had Secret Window or whatever in it, the rebranded movie reissue with Johnny Depp on the cover. Read The Shining and The Stand shortly after that though... finally got around to Carrie and Misery this year, gonna read It real soon....
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 3 January 2017 18:03 (seven years ago) link
The movie of Dreamcatcher is hilarious.
― rhymes with "blondie blast" (cryptosicko), Tuesday, 3 January 2017 18:10 (seven years ago) link
shit weasels
― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Tuesday, 3 January 2017 18:27 (seven years ago) link
is Doctor Sleep any good? I read a review (which was a good review) and it sounded ridiculous
― akm, Tuesday, 3 January 2017 18:29 (seven years ago) link
I didn't care much for Dr Sleep.
― sofatruck, Friday, 6 January 2017 12:19 (seven years ago) link
Dreamcatcher is terrible and yet so memorable
― his eye is on despair-o (Jon not Jon), Friday, 6 January 2017 19:07 (seven years ago) link
I liked Doctor Sleep, though it felt less like a direct sequel to a weighty novel, and more like a Dean Koontz novel. The book reads fast, and should be worth satisfying your curiosity re: the direction an adult Danny would go.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Friday, 6 January 2017 21:18 (seven years ago) link
11/22/63 is great so far (first third), Iām kind of scared how King will fuck it up in the last third.
― Greta Van Show Feets BB (milo z), Thursday, 21 March 2019 09:19 (five years ago) link
imo you may be pleasantly surprised
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 22 March 2019 05:23 (five years ago) link
has anyone who read doctor sleep also seen the movieif i think the movie is ok is it worth reading the book?answers, i need answers
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 21 July 2021 04:11 (two years ago) link
You'll get more backstory. The movie's faithful, though Dan turns out to be Abra's half-uncle as Jack Torrance fathered Abra's mom and the True Knot gets defeated differently, with Dan living at the end.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Wednesday, 21 July 2021 14:03 (two years ago) link
Cell was so fucking weird
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 21 July 2021 14:55 (two years ago) link
Dreamcatcher is terrible and yet so memorableā his eye is on despair-o (Jon not Jon), Friday, January 6, 2017 1:07 PM (four years ago) bookmarkflaglink
ā his eye is on despair-o (Jon not Jon), Friday, January 6, 2017 1:07 PM (four years ago) bookmarkflaglink
fwiw I managed to finish this book 4 years ago, and I just now had to go read the Wiki synopsis to recall what happens, so no, not memorable. But yes terrible.
― Three Rings for the Elven Bishop (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 21 July 2021 15:23 (two years ago) link
Not sure if I read this one so I read the Wiki synopsis and I'm still not sure
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Wednesday, 21 July 2021 18:27 (two years ago) link
I guess I don't even remember the movie properly because I sure don't remember this
https://s3.birthmoviesdeath.com/images/made/dreamcatcher1_600_446_81_s.jpg
Just why
― Marty J. Bilge (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 21 July 2021 18:35 (two years ago) link
shitweasels
― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Wednesday, 21 July 2021 18:42 (two years ago) link