Archive through September 24, 2002
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TV ClubHouse: archive: Library - Miscellaneous thru May 2003: Doesn't anyone here read Stephen King?: Archive through September 24, 2002

Kep421

Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 09:33 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I first read King's book "The Stand" way back in the seventies, before he became known as a "horror" writer. I chose it from my book club selections because it was the fattest book available and I wanted something that would last all summer. It has remained my favorite of all his books to date.

The book was really three books combined and I believe it is one of his best works. I fell in love with his writing style, it just flowed and at times it didn't feel like I was reading at all. I also love the way he "sees" people and is able to let me "see" them too.

I know his reputation for horror stories, but I don't think they are his best works. One of his best short stories is about a brother coming to terms with the suicide of his sister. It was titled "The Last Rung on the Ladder" and there wasn't a whisper of the supernatural thoughout the entire story.

Two other novellas that don't have any ghosts, goblins, aliens or rabid dogs are "Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Body". They are excellent stories about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy his horror stories too, my favorites being "The Firestarter" and "The Dead Zone", but I think he is much more than just a horror writer....

What do you think?

Willi

Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 10:28 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Kep,

I have never read a Stephen King book. Is "The Stand" a horror book? I am a wimp. I cannot read horror books or watch horror films. They bother me too much & I have nightmares.

I know how talented he must be, though, and I would look into reading a non-horror book by him. Which one(s)would you recommend?

Max

Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 10:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I've read most of what Stephen King has written. I've been a big fan since way back in the early days. The Stand is my favorite, too. I've read that several times.

Kep, have you read The Gunslinger series? There are several books in the series so far and much more to come of the story if he ever writes it. It's a fantasy/science fiction story and extremely different than anything else he's written.

Of the movies they've made of his work, I think the horror ones are the worst because you really need your imagination to make the stories work best, not to have some filmmaker's version pass before your eyes. I really like "Shawshank Redemption" (they shortened the title for the movie) and the story "The Body" became the movie "Stand By Me."

Did you read "The Green Mile"? It was good as both a movie and the book -- the movie is very true to the book. "Misery" is the same. When I first read that book, I thought it almost read like a screen play. They changed a few details for the movie, but mostly they were true to the book.

I just bought "Dreamcatchers". Don't know when I'll have time to read it -- I've got a stack of books waiting to be read!

Willi, Some of King's books are more mystery/scary than they are horror. 'The Stand' is actually sort of futuristic/scary/sci-fi. The true horror stuff is around, though. Check out descriptions of some of his work on Amazon and you can probably make your own conclusions. After all, one person's 'scary' is another's 'horror'! :)

Kep421

Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 11:23 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh man, have you opened yourself up to something really great!!!!

The Stand is more along the line of science fiction with a little supernatural thrown in. In the first part of the book (which is really a book in itself) you get to meet all the characters, and believe me there are many. Each chapter deals with a different person who later becomes an intricate part of the story. There's Fran, the young girl from Maine who is unmarried and pregnant. She lives with her dad and has an admirer named Harold. There's a guy who runs a gas station in Texas (I think it's Texas)whose name escapes me at the moment (Stu?), and a rock musician named Larry who lives the fast life in California. There's Nick a young deaf mute drifter and a host of others too numerous to mention. Interwoven amongst these stories are references to a "super flu" type bug that was mistakenly released by the government that has begun to decimate the population. You are also introduced to a mysterious figure, known only as "the walking dude". He's the supernatural part... But the most memorable character is a minor one, someone known as Trashcan Man. He is someone who was badly burned as a child and had to endure quite a bit of abuse while growing up. Even though he is a minor character, Trashie is a major key to the entire story and has quite an impact at the end.

The second and third parts of the book relate the polarization of the hundreds of survivors and how some migrate to the "good" side while others are drawn to the "dark" side. Now as far out as the story may seem, the people he creates makes it feel so real and that's what really makes the book.

The story is really about the conflict in everyone that comes into play when choosing between doing what you know is right and doing what everyone else thinks is right.

There is really nothing very spine chilling about the story, there are no hauntings or savage mutilations, but some scenes are a little graphic when it comes to the sickness part. I would never want you to have nightmares, but if you think you can handle this, this book is definately worth the time.

But if you can't then you can still read King at his best. Try Different Seasons and read the two short novella's I listed above. I don't know if you've ever seen the movies "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Stand By Me". Those movies are based on the stories listed above.

Do you like suspense novels? If so, you might like Firestarter. Its about two people who take part in an experiment while in college during the sixties. They don't know it, but the experiment changed them a little and was backed by a secret government organization. They marry and have a child who it turns out can start fires just by being angry. The book starts with the father on the run with his daughter trying to evade government officials who want the kid to use as a secret weapon. Sound silly? Not when your reading the book. The relationship and bond between father and daughter is very real and the people they encounter while on the run make the book fascinating...

Delores Claiborne is another good book, about the shattered relationship between a mother and daughter. Nothing supernatural, just a good "who-done-it" and "why-did-they-do-it"...

I just finished reading "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" and it was really good for one of his newer books. A little girl becomes lost in the Maine woods and her only connection to the outside world is her transistor radio where she listens to baseball games...

Definately stay away from "It", "The Shining", "Salem's Lot" and "Carrie". I didn't care for "Gerald's Game" or "Needful Things".

Let me know how it goes!!!!

Kep421

Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 11:32 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Aw Max, another King Fan!!! Excellent!

Yes, I did try to read the Gunslinger/Dark Tower series, but I could never really get into them.

Loved the Green Mile, but Misery was a little too intense for me...Book and Movie!!!! Cujo was another favorite, both the book and the movie scared the beejeezus out of me. I loved "It", but I didn't get the ending. (I guess I didn't get "it", huh?)

I still think King's earlier work far outdistances his newer books. But, I think I will always love the way he views people....

Willi

Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 11:39 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I do enjoy a good thriller and suspense.

Juju2bigdog

Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 02:49 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
The Body was a good story for those who want to try a little Stephen King without too much scary stuff. I seem to recall this is a short story. Story was better than the movie. Movie was not bad. Was this one of the ones he wrote under an alias, Bachman or something like that? I seem to recall reading it as one of about four stories in a book.

Okay, just looked it up. King wrote Running Man and a couple others under the Richard Backman alias. Running Man was pretty interesting, particularly in light of today's reality tv.

Kep421

Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 03:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
"The Body" is in the book titled Different Seasons, which is a collection of novellas. I believe it also has "The Langoliers", "Apt Pupil" and "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption".

I also read the Richard Bachman books "The Running Man" and "Thinner", both of which were made into movies.

Another story I liked was "The Talisman" which King wrote with Peter Straub. I hear they have done another collaboration, but I haven't checked out the book yet. Anyone know anything about it or has read it?

I am currently about to start "Desperation". Has anyone read that yet???

I remember reading a story about a dragon that King wrote specifically for his daughter. Can't remember the name though.

Sammmy

Monday, December 24, 2001 - 12:47 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well, let me add my two cents. I like King's storywriting. He's a great storyteller. One of the best if not the best I've ever encountered, but I am a wimp with creepy supernatural stuff. I loved The Body and Shawshank Redemption short stories. I read them in the Different Seasons book and was tickled to death when they were made into movies. Some of the hateful, evil characters in his stories really bother me, though, and I just as soon not read about them. The movie Apt Pupil was based on one of the short stories from Different Seasons, and I did not like that short story. Too much hate. I don't like having those mental images in my mind, and of course, now they are there in my mind for life. So that is why I shy away from his books. I loved the movie Green Mile, and I read the first half of The Stand. I have heard wonderful things about it. It is my brother's favorite book, but, once again, the hateful characters did such horrible things to people that I just couldn't keep reading it. I guess I'm a wimp. I find the daily newspaper to be as frightening at times (seriously). Nonetheless, I still think King is a master storyteller. I just need more dream friendly reading.

Gail

Monday, December 24, 2001 - 02:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
The Stand is my all time most favorite book and Stephen King is my favorite author - I have The Stand unabridged on tape (courtesy of www.booksontape.com) and I listen to it about once a year. I also have the mini-series both on vhs and dvd and watch it about twice a year. The first book of his I read was Firestarter, then the Stand and then the Shining and Dead Zone. I love the Dead Zone alot. I don't read as much these days - though, I listen to books on tape while I am driving. I just got The Green Mile on tape and am planning on listening to it in a couple of weeks.

I finally got the Talisman on tape over a month ago along with Black House which he co-wrote with Peter Straub. I love the Talisman but am finding Black House difficult to listen to. I make it a practice to not listen to books on tape that I have not already read the book to (or seen a movie of) because it is hard for me to concentrate and follow along.

Cablejockey

Friday, December 28, 2001 - 05:00 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I too love reading Stephen King. Hearts of Atlantis is one I read recently and enjoyed. He is an author who has something for everyone but gets dismissed by so-called serious readers and critics.

Awareinva

Tuesday, January 15, 2002 - 12:28 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I have read a lot of books in my life- I have a library that rivals some small towns - and Stephen King is the one author that scares the bejezzus out of me.

Man, "Pet Semetary", and all time biggest scare- "It". A few of the others scared me, but with both of these I couldn't stop reading- finished sometime in the wee hours of the morning and then- COULDN'T SLEEP! For several days after reading "It".

I also loved the Different Seasons book- these were good stories without being too scary. I agree that any movie made from Stephen King novels didn't do the books justice (except maybe "The Shining" that one did scare me). Someone said above, you really need to use your imagination when reading King. That's what leads to the really good scary experience- you bring what scares you most into the story with your mind.

For those who haven't tried him, Stephen King is a great read!

Seamonkey

Wednesday, May 01, 2002 - 04:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm a big fan.. have read almost all of his books and really loved the relatively recent book he wrote about writing.. and some of his own history.

And.. try TABITHA KING.. I love all of her books!!!

Wargod

Wednesday, May 01, 2002 - 04:25 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
How on Earth have I missed a whole thread devoted to Stephen King???? Pet Semetary was his first book I read, and I was pretty young at the time. Scared me half to death, but I loved every minute of it. After that I read everything of his I could get my hands on. "It" is still my all time favorite of his. I read Hearts in Atlantis about 6 months ago and enjoyed that too. His writing style is great, and while I love horror (the scarier, the better), I also enjoy his writing that isn't horror.

Whoami

Wednesday, May 22, 2002 - 05:37 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
OK, desparate here. Check out my "Robert R McCammon" thread. Nobody has responded to it. If you like King, McCammon is well worth a try!

Cablejockey

Wednesday, May 29, 2002 - 12:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm reading "Everything's Eventual" by S. King. It's a collection of short stories he has written over the years with an explanation of why he wrote the story at the end of each. Very enjoyable.

Gail

Sunday, June 16, 2002 - 06:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
For all you STephen King fans - right now - starting on USA network is the pilot for the Dead Zone series. It is on at 8 pm Mountain time and then being repeated again at 9 pm.

Squaredsc

Wednesday, August 28, 2002 - 06:24 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
i love stephen king. the 1st book of his i read was salem's lot. loved it. when i was reading pet cemetary(sp) i was a teenager and had to stop in the middle 'cause i had nightmares. but i eventually finished it. one of my favorites is the tommyknockers.

i also loved christine, carrie, different seasons, i really loved the langoliers(sp). i tried reading the gunslinger series, really liked the first one, but the second one was too slow and i never finished(i am ashamed of that).

i also loved his tv movie, rose red. i have the book but haven't read it yet. some of my co-workers have given me a ton of books and i am slowly working my way through them, one gave me a shopping bag full of different mysteries. im in heaven.

Duncan

Friday, August 30, 2002 - 06:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Salem's Lot was the first King book I read, and it scared the tar out of me. I have been a fan of his ever since. :) I kinda cooled when I started reading Dolores Claiborne because I couldn't get into it, and am currently trying to get through Black House.

I adored IT and THE STAND the most, I think. I also really like the Gunslinger books ( and the tie-ins to those in so many of his other books ). I refuse to watch the movie Misery because the book was creepy enough...same with The Dark Half....besides...I doubt any movie could scare me nearly as much as my imagination did when I read those.

The one that really surprised me was Bag of Bones. I think that is one of his best...even people who don't like King as a rule really enjoyed that book.

Whoami

Friday, August 30, 2002 - 08:54 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Duncan, Misery was the best book-to-movie renditions ever, IMO. You are really missing out by not watching it. Kathy Bates was absolutly FABULOUS in that role. She deserved her Oscar ten times over. I'm still impressed that the Academy gave it to an overwieght frumpy character, instead of the usual glamor gal.

As far as King goes, I loved his earlier stuff (The Stand, Salem's Lot, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, The Langoliers, The Body). Then, there was an ethical thing he did concerning Pet Cemetary that disapointed me. Finally, I remember a short story he did that was outright disgusting (not scary, just disgusting). By that time, I had found Koontz and McCammon, who are far better IMO, so I eventually lost interest in King altogether.

Duncan

Friday, August 30, 2002 - 09:25 am EditMoveDeleteIP
What 'ethical thing', Who? You confused me there. And what story did you find disgusting?

I forgot to mention Hearts in Atlantis in there....I really liked that book, too.

Whoami

Friday, August 30, 2002 - 03:52 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Duncan. Well, it was a long time ago now, and I'm over it, which is why I decided not to go into detail. But, since you asked...

I clearly remember an interview King did, where he said he absolutly would never allow Pet Cemetary be made into a movie, cause it was too gross and scary. Of course, it was made into a movie, showing he had a price. Sure, he's just like millions of other people out there, who have a price too. But, I don't know. At the time, it just sounded wrong to me. I refused to see the movie, because of it. But I still was reading his books.

I was already becoming disenchanted with him, seeing as he always brutalizes animals in his books. Yes, I know it's only fiction. And that he does this to emphasise how bad the bad guy is. But it still bothered me to read it. Since Koontz often makes the animals heros, I realized how much more I liked him, and gravitated over.

The kicker (the disgusting short story), that finally clinched it for me....ummmm...not sure how to describe this story without getting too graphic or gross. It had to do with a woman who worked at a hotel (a maid I think). She was telling the story of a famous man who often rented a room in her hotel. He's go in, and ummmm..."fool around with himself" in the bed. After he'd check out, she'd go in and take the sheets and....ummm...eat it. Later, she ended up being pregnant, and having a child who had clear characteristics that matched the famous man.

The story was just ridiculous, gross and pointless. As I said, I was already gravitating away from his stuff. That just made the decision all the easier to say that was enough.

It's not like I now swear off King altogether, and refuse to read him (although, after that short story, I was boycotting for a while). It's just that I have a nice long list of authors who I thoroughly enjoy, and there just isn't any room for King now on my list.

Nicoleme

Monday, September 23, 2002 - 07:23 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
im from King land....MAINE. he lives about 20 mintues from where i do. i remember going to basket ball tournament games in bangor and he was there. he was sitting right behind me one time, all by himself. he lives in a HUGE red house with a creepy fence that has bats on it.

Hummingbird

Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 09:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I haven't read a Stephen King novel since Pet Cemetary. That book gave me the heebies! I couldn't put it down but after I finished it, I felt creepy and wished I hadn't read it. The whole thing about the little boy getting killed and what happened afterward was just not something I need in my head. If it makes me feel bad, I don't want to read it.

Hummingbird

Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 09:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Whoami, That short story about the maid, which I have not read, is a good reason for me to continue omiting King from my reading list. Before reading Pet Cemetary and writing him off afterwards, I had read Christine and Cujo. Shakshaw, Green Mile, and Stand By Me were all good movies but I never read the books.