Favourite Stephen King?

[agent of change]

I just read 11/22/63 or whatever, the time travel one. It was alright, straight King, too wordy, too many side plots designed to tug the heart strings. But enjoyable enough to finish and see what happened.

[VOLVO)))]

His son is a beast, too. Joe Hill. Check out "horns"  if you haven't. Also, he did a bunch of graphic novels, most notably "locke and key."

[agent of change]

Just started Under the Dome. Made it about a chapter or two in, got bored. Snoozefest.

[RalphSnart_2]

I went through a heavy Stephen King period in community college. Got burned out on him but it's kind of like a brother thing, or an old buddy, you can always reconnect and find the ways you got along so well.

"It" might have been my favorite single book. There were a couple of those "don't do it Steve" parts that could have killed it for me, but overall it's such an emotional epic I can't really complain.

Dark Tower books were great but almost too much in a lot of ways.

Always loved the short stories..."1408" was perfect. And all the old ones I read as a kid before I really got into the novels..."Battleground", "Trucks", "Beachworld", "The Jaunt".

[Danny G]

****DARK TOWER SPOILER ALERT****

















I'm still on the fence about him writing himself into the Dark Tower books. At first it was subtle (references to a character watching The Shining) which was genius.

Then he tied in his accident (getting hit by a truck) into the plot and characters. Very interesting move.

Then some of the characters actually meet him (and he portrays himself unfavorably). Bold move.

Then it starts getting a little silly (the three Stephen Kings in the last book, him doing the characters a solid by leaving them a note of warning). Not sure how I feel about that. Almost felt like a cop out.



However, the way the book series actually ends (Roland making it to the top of the Dark Tower, only to then start back over at the beginning of the series, only this time he has the lost Horn of Eld), that actually blew my mind a little.

I need to revisit the later books and see how i feel about them

[VOLVO)))]

I still cry like a baby when I reach the end. I usually just start over, sometimes I take a break. I, too, thought writing himself in was horse  shit for the most part, but I think it was what made Roland realize that his journey now had a whole new level of meaning. Not just revenge, but proof he was more than a story.

[Danny G]

Very interesting take.

[stooge]

this is tough
kinda impossible
i am a huge fan and been reading since i was a teenager in the 70s
remember liking all the early stuff
esp. the stand, shining and pet cemetary
and most of all all the bachmann books
never read any of the dark tower fans as i hate all things fantasy
maybe i´ll give those a try one day
i guess i should because everybody is praising them
also i like most of his newer stuff esp. duma key
and dr sleep under the dome was not bad either
awesome short storys too like dolan´s cadillac  or langoliers or that about a man stranded on a island who slowly eats himself

[agent of change]

I didn't really like the Dark Tower books. I stopped around the second or third one, when a giant bear with a satellite dish implanted in its head made its entrance. Nah.

But I really like a lot of his other stuff. Just finished "Mr. Mercedes" and it was okay. Okay enough to finish it.

Really cool Rolling Stone interview with him. Apparently, some of his books like Tommyknockers and Dreamcatcher sucked because he was on drugs.

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/stephen-king-the-rolling-stone-interview-20141031?page=6

[alfie]

I thought this thread had the Stephen King plot like diagram in it? Was telling my nephew about it yesterday, he has just started the Dark Tower. Better look elsewhere.

[agent of change]

Just started "Lisey's Story" and put it down after a few chapters. Kinda boring.

[Sleazy Cortez]

Only read a few. Pet Sematary and The Eyes of the Dragon were badass. Just finished The Mist and am waiting on the Bachman Books in the mail now, and I am quite stoked.
Reading the older ones only as I come across them in cheap used paperback form with 70s to 80s cover art, cuz I wanna read them feeling like the person did when they came out, knowumsayin?

[agent of change]

Bachman Books is one of my favorites. There's a rawness to his early stuff that I really like, before he started creating his own cliches. Four til Midnight was also pretty good.

[agent of change]

Tried to start Lisey's Story again. Failed. Just didn't care. Started to read The Talisman again, failed. His stuff was so much better when I was so much younger. His son Joe Hill has kept me interested. I'm curious to read some of King's really early shit again and see if there's still resonance.

[frobbert]

Never liked The Talisman or Lisey's Story. Too first one's too weepy and sentimental, the second one is in desperate need of an editor. In the end it's his short stories and his roll-up-your-sleeves horror stuff that stands the test of time best I think.

[zach]

I havent read a lot of his stuff since the mid 90's. I did read the Kennedy book and liked that. I was a huge fan when I was in middle school and high school. Read "IT" several times over, and it stands as my nostalgic favorite book of all time. Still haven't read Dark Tower series and I want to.

[juan11]

Do I have to read The Stand again?  It's been so many years, all I remember is it starts off strong and kinda goes off the rails, which I kinda think is one of his things. Exhibit B: IT

Did anyone say Cujo?

[Jor el]

   

[Lumpy]

Do I have to read The Stand again? 

No, you do not. It's like 1000 pages and by the time it starts getting corny and dumb, you only have 200 pages left, forcing you to continue. "Never Again".

[renfield]

I've never read a Stephen King book before. I don't know why. Probably because I'm not really into horror. Which book of his would you recommend to someone who hasn't read any of his stuff?

In my opinion King is an astounding writer. You can pretty much pick something with a concept that appeals to you and it's likely to be really well written, although his plots often fall apart or never really existed in the first place.

Salem's Lot and The Dead Zone are quite beloved. Dead Zone has my favorite film adaptation of all his books, by Cronenberg.  The Stand is a unique trashy apocalypse/fantasy epic, although people hate the conclusion. Eyes of the Dragon is straight sword and sorcery fantasy, it's not considered one of his best but I liked it. I haven't read a lot of his staples like Misery, Carrie, and The Shining.

IT is different than you would think from the movie or the miniseries. It's a cocaine addled mess of a book; the battle against Pennywise is basically a loose framing device for King to jump backwards and forwards in time and do scene after scene of balls out horror, some of which involve the main characters but many of which are just records dating back hundreds of years demonstrating how this evil force has always been terrorizing this town. It's a hugely self indulgent affair but it's also sort of King at his most primal and unhinged. You will likely want to skim over the infamous preteen gangbang if you give this one a go.

Pet Sematary and Cujo are both unbelievably grim, nihilistic, blackhearted works, especially Cujo which doesn't have the faintest glimmer of redemption or hope. I read several of his books before Cujo but nothing prepared me for how bleak that shit was. Unlike say IT (which to be fair has like 1000x the body county and gore factor of Cujo), there's no cosmic evil to rise up and fight against, no coming together of downtrodden misfits for a greater purpose. It's just hateful, banal people grinding towards an inexorable doom. That poor fucking dog man, he just wanted to be a good dog and never wanted to hurt anybody. Fuck.

[renfield]

I'm enjoying TALISMAN tremendously. The villains in it are such utter sacks of shit, it's quite breathtaking. Haven't seen such memorable baddies since I was reading those Ice and Fire books.

[juan11]

I read that Cujo post after I asked the question.

I probably couldn't read that again, as my older, softer self. Bigly bummer.

[RAGER]

Up until 10 years ago I'd read everything he'd written. Some a few times over. Then I Just stopped reading books. Not sure why but I think it was escapism back then (relationship).   

You wanna read some grim shit?  Try Roadwork or The Long Walk. Both short stories thankfully.

[renfield]

The Jaunt is pretty fucked

https://gist.github.com/Schemetrical/6184daf83843bcab9402

[RAGER]

I know I read that but I can't remember it.