Anyone want to talk Stephen King?

[expectantsteelerfan]

The mention of The Stand in the Pandemic thread has me wondering what you all think of Stephen King?  Anyone else a die-hard fan? Any King virgins?  Who hates him?  Who has a closet favorite book of his even though you say you hate him?

I am a life-long Stephen King fan, and as a former English teacher I always told my students that while it was important to read things to make you think, consider different point of views, learn about other cultures etc, sometimes it's also just as important to get lost in a good story that you can't put down, and King often does that for me.  I started with Carrie when I was in 6th grade and read the ENTIRE 'juvenile fiction horror' section of our local library one summer and then asked the librarian what else I should read and she led me to the King section.  I've since read pretty much everything he's written (still have his most recent short story collection in my que), and I've gone back and re-read some of the books I haven't read since I was a kid.  Some of them hold up (Dolores Claiborne), some of them don't, and his Dark Tower series is my favorite thing I've ever read.

I get why so many people hate him though.  His stories are formulaic, he relies on the same tricks in so many of them, and his endings are often huge let-downs after major build-up.  But I love him for his characters.  He writes them better than anyone I've ever read so that they come alive, are memorable, and I miss them when I'm done with so many of his books.  But even then, he does fall back on and overuse some tropes, sometimes by literally bringing old characters into new books, but I can't help but forgive him by being sucked in by nostalgia when it does it so charmingly.  

[pixy0stix]

I stopped reading him religiously around the time of Desperation/The Regulators. I've heard his new stuff is back to his old, much better storyteller, self. I think he just went way too far down the Dark Tower road and couldn't find himself for a while. I think he really excels at short stories, and wish he'd write more. His longer books he just loses his way and can't figure out how to end them.

[jenda33]

I'm so glad you posted a Stephen King thread. I am definitely a nice fan. 11/22/63 if my favorite book of all time!! Love it. Everyone should read it.
My intro to Stephen King was that book, which made me love his character building abilities. Next I read Christine - which I also loved. I enjoyed The Shining although it was terrifying and I still at times nervously look at my bathtub while peeing in the dark... lol I also enjoyed The Stand but it took me 2 attempts to get into it. I loved It as well but never saw the movie as a child. I actually read the book first. I also really liked Revival - it was relatable to me with my strong religious upbringing. Although the ending gets weird, it is interesting.
There are very few I haven't loved. Please sell me on Dark Tower because it was all I could do to finish The Gunslinger and haven't had the desire to move forward in the series.

[scribellesam]

I’m hit or miss with him. I loved The Stand, 11/22/63, and The Shining. I find his more vividly gross imagery to be off putting to the point that I can’t read most of his writing because it’s viscerally upsetting and gives me nightmares.

[mrspez07]

I admire his writing abilities and his loyal following. I have just read a few less-horror type books of his (Under the Dome, just recently; and 11/22/63 right after I gave birth to DS2 6 years ago). I’m not sure I really have the interest in the other stuff. I may re-read 11/22/63 and I even recommended it to my dad (who cringed when he saw me reading UTD). I do really like the winding way he develops the characters. I’m still missing the Under the dome ones and it’s been over a week.
I’m UTD, there were a few spots of really odd and inconsistent narration. Like the rest of the book was observing and included peoples conversations and thoughts and then over half way through the book he did a few spots of “flyover” summary that was looking in on various scenes that were happening at once. It was like they were written by someone else. That has been about the only inconsistency I’ve seen from what I’ve read.

[pixy0stix]

Oct 9, 2018 22:04:07 GMT -5 jenda33 said:

 I loved It as well but never saw the movie as a child. I actually read the book first.

Clarification, it was a mini-series not a movie. Recently it was made into a movie. 

I think IT might be my favorite book simply because everyone is so damn scared of Pennywise.

[jenda33]

Oct 9, 2018 22:23:19 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Clarification, it was a mini-series not a movie. Recently it was made into a movie. 
[/quote]

You are absolutely right! I stand corrected.

[bex]

I am a fan, but I haven't read a book of his in a long time (no 11/22/63). I think one year for xmas one of my brothers gave me Wizard and Glass, which I think is part of the Dark Tower series? But I hadn't read any of the series so I just never got to it and I feel like that was when I stopped.

Anyway, I did use to love him. Maybe I should try again. Dolores Claiborne....that book to me was one of those where it wasn't "scary" but I was definitely looking over my shoulder constantly while reading it and it has stayed with me for decades.

Besides DC, the Shining and Salem's Lot are probably my favorites. I never read It or the Stand.

[snshne322]

I've probably only read a half dozen or so. I really enjoyed 11/22/63. The rest of I've enjoyed, but still have moments of head tilting.

[ufcasey]

I've only read two - The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and his newest release I just finished yesterday, The Outsider. The Outsider was interesting because it read like a really interesting police procedural murder mystery. There were clues, witness interviews, etc. And then all of a sudden it became something completely different and I didn't like it as much. And then it had a really rushed ending. So I can't say I loved it. I think I need to read some of the older books instead to get a better feel for whether or not I truly will like his writing.

[sassypants]

I'm a King fan from way back. My first was Firestarter and I still love both the book and the movie. The Stand is a close second for me. Like pixy0stix, I stopped around the mid-90s when his storytelling was off, but I picked him up again with Under the Dome at the insistence of a student of mine, and I'm glad I did. I love his early stuff, though. I was reading SK in late elementary school. I'm weird that way.

[dragon's breath]

I started reading SK when I was around 11 or 12. I really enjoy his books, though I have not read all of them (I haven't read the Dark Tower series). Until hell year at work (fighting sexual harassment and discrimination issues), my mind used to be "on" 24/7, and it was hard to not think constantly. So, I usually read books that would "rot my brain", just to give myself an escape from thinking. I love to get lost in a book, and SK books really allow me to do that.

I don't have a favorite, there are just too many good ones to pick from.

[charlatti]

I’ve read a few and have enjoyed them, but they haven’t made me want to read everything else he’s written. I don’t really love extra long books and so many of his are huge enough to make me take a pass. I do admire his ability to write as much as he has — the sheer quantity of words is impressive.

[rainbowchip]

I've read 5 SK books. I really loved 11/22/63. I want to read more of his books but they are so long!

jenda33 I didn't like the Gunslinger either. But I read the second book in the Dark Tower series and that one was a lot better IMO. I haven't picked up the 3rd book yet though.

[krystee]

I have loved many of his: 11/22/63, Salem's Lot, The Stand, It, and more that I can't think of right now. His writing guide, On Writing, is good too!

[hurricanedrunk]

I started reading King in middle school sometime and love his writing. I think I've read most of his books, many more than once but my memory kind of sucks. So many favorites but the ones that stand out are The Stand, The Dark Tower Series, The Shining, Bag of Bones,the recent Mr Mercedes series and 11/22/63. I love how a lot of characters from The Dark Tower overlap and show up in other stories. There used to be a website that had a diagram. This is making me want to go back and re read! He could write about pretty much anything and I would lap it up.

[hurricanedrunk]

Oct 9, 2018 22:04:07 GMT -5 jenda33 said:

Please sell me on Dark Tower because it was all I could do to finish The Gunslinger and haven't had the desire to move forward in the series.

To me the Gunslinger is like the classic book that everyone talks up and gets studied in school etc but you don't understand why when you read it. The subsequent books after it get much much better. I think my favorite is Wolves of the Calla #5 and Gunslinger my least. I was reading it as they came out so the later books for me had an added element of excitement to them, similar to when HP books would come out.

ETA- Also I love the illustrations, I think it's the art nerd in me but they are top notch and so fun to come across as you are reading.

[Nonny]

The first King book I read was Carrie, and I was like, 7 or 8.  The little snippets he threw in that were supposed to be from The Reader's Digest really freaked me the hell out because I knew The Reader's Digest was a real publication (we subscribed to that after all!) so it added this level of authenticity to the story that my little kid brain couldn't separate fact from fiction, and I thought Carrie was a true story. LOL!  I was a dumb kid.

But my favorite King novel is hands down The Eyes of the Dragon.  It was apparently his attempt a YA (before YA was really a thing) but it's just a really good story.  Plus Flagg features prominently, and he's kind of a thread throughout all of King's works, so it interesting to me to see this "backstory" for him and then seem him keep turning up in other books.  Two other characters from this book also show up as a tiny little blip in The Dark Tower series (like they get one, maybe two, kind of throw away sentences).

King's character development blows my mind away too.  That's actually the reason why I had such a hard time when I read my first (and so far only) book by his son (Joe Hill's The Fireman) because they have a similar kind of rambling writing style, and Hill used some of the same faux soda brands King uses, but the characters were just flat shells in comparison to the people his dad creates.  

But yeah, his endings are iffy.  I feel like I can better understand a lot of them now that I've worked my way through the entirety of The Dark Tower, but asking people to read your 9 book magnum opus that only got finished in 2004 to get a better sense of your endings is too much.  I can understand people who don't like him because of that, because there are definitely certain writing styles that infuriate me, and certainly if IT had been the first book of is that I'd ever read, I'd also be like, "WTF did I just read 1000 pages for to get to that as the ending?!"

[expectantsteelerfan]

Oct 9, 2018 22:04:07 GMT -5 jenda33 said:

I'm so glad you posted a Stephen King thread. I am definitely a nice fan. 11/22/63 if my favorite book of all time!! Love it. Everyone should read it.
My intro to Stephen King was that book, which made me love his character building abilities. Next I read Christine - which I also loved. I enjoyed The Shining although it was terrifying and I still at times nervously look at my bathtub while peeing in the dark... lol I also enjoyed The Stand but it took me 2 attempts to get into it. I loved It as well but never saw the movie as a child. I actually read the book first. I also really liked Revival - it was relatable to me with my strong religious upbringing. Although the ending gets weird, it is interesting.
There are very few I haven't loved. Please sell me on Dark Tower because it was all I could do to finish The Gunslinger and haven't had the desire to move forward in the series.

You ABSOLUTELY need to read at least The Drawing of Three before giving up on the Dark Tower series.  I recently re-read the whole thing straight through, and my impression of The Gunslinger was that it was just kinda a prologue to the series, and it's not until you meet the other characters that it really gets good (which is why the movie was SACRILEGE if you ask me). 

[expectantsteelerfan]

I wish Goodreads was around when I started reading SK. My memory is crap also, and I only have the vaguest recollections of most of them and what they were about or if they were actually any good. I know I liked a lot of his older ones like Firestarter, Cujo, Salem's Lot, Gerald's Game, Rose Madder, etc. and parts of them have managed to make such an impression on me they've stayed with me for decades. I found some of them, ones like Desperation, Regulators, The Tommyknockers TOO out there, and I think I liked some of his lesser known/discussed ones like Lisey's Story and Duma Key but can't remember them at all. I loved all his short stories. I didn't really like the Mr. Mercedes trilogy at all.

[sassypants]

How many of you have read Joyland? I really enjoyed that one but it's not as common in discussions.

[MrsAxilla]

I’ve read just about all of his books. Right now I’m reading Six Scary Stories, which is collection he selected himself. It’s great. They’re like contemporary grown-up horror stories that seem relevant somehow. I know that’s a terrible description - lol. One story is set in a North Korea-style dictatorship, but it could also definitely be Trumps America in ten years. There’s one like Toy Story goes mad. I don’t read much horror anymore so I don’t really know, but these stories feel fresh to me.

[expectantsteelerfan]

Oct 11, 2018 19:38:50 GMT -5 sassypants said:

How many of you have read Joyland? I really enjoyed that one but it's not as common in discussions.

That is by far my favorite of his 'newer' books.  I definitely recommend it to anyone who doesn't have time to read one of his bricks since it's so short!

[fruitloops]

Oct 9, 2018 21:08:02 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I stopped reading him religiously around the time of Desperation/The Regulators. I've heard his new stuff is back to his old, much better storyteller, self. I think he just went way too far down the Dark Tower road and couldn't find himself for a while. I think he really excels at short stories, and wish he'd write more. His longer books he just loses his way and can't figure out how to end them.

Agreed. I'm a huge old school King fan, but 11/22/63 is probably one of the best books I've ever read. He is kind of getting back to his good storytelling with Dr. Sleep and the Mr. Mercedes trilogy. I haven't read Revival but I heard it was good if very unsettling.

His endings really are the worst part, with a few exceptions. However, I love his characters and how he brings them to life and writes them as real, flawed people. His books helped me realize that not everything you read has to "mean something", that it's fun, even though there usually is an overarching lesson or theme.

[fruitloops]

I also really love how a lot of his stories interconnect and overlap, especially his Castle Rock stories.

[aurora]

Oct 10, 2018 6:08:49 GMT -5 bex said:

I am a fan, but I haven't read a book of his in a long time (no 11/22/63). I think one year for xmas one of my brothers gave me Wizard and Glass, which I think is part of the Dark Tower series? But I hadn't read any of the series so I just never got to it and I feel like that was when I stopped.
...

I'm super late to this thread, but Wizard and Glass is awesome. By far my favorite of the Dark Tower books. But yeah, it would be weird to pick up if you haven't read the others.

[aurora]

Oct 13, 2018 23:12:14 GMT -5 fruitloops said:

Oct 9, 2018 21:08:02 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I stopped reading him religiously around the time of Desperation/The Regulators. I've heard his new stuff is back to his old, much better storyteller, self. I think he just went way too far down the Dark Tower road and couldn't find himself for a while. I think he really excels at short stories, and wish he'd write more. His longer books he just loses his way and can't figure out how to end them.

Agreed. I'm a huge old school King fan, but 11/22/63 is probably one of the best books I've ever read. He is kind of getting back to his good storytelling with Dr. Sleep and the Mr. Mercedes trilogy. I haven't read Revival but I heard it was good if very unsettling.

His endings really are the worst part, with a few exceptions. However, I love his characters and how he brings them to life and writes them as real, flawed people. His books helped me realize that not everything you read has to "mean something", that it's fun, even though there usually is an overarching lesson or theme.

I agree on Mr. Mercedes - great trilogy. Extremely compelling characters, and not a stupid ending like many of his books.

I also loved the Eyes of the Dragon.

[gibbinator]

Another fan here. I can't remember what his first book I read was, it might have been IT (go big or go home lol), but I was hooked. I read basically everything he'd ever written by the time I was done high school.

I love the psychological thrillers more than outright horror (but I love those ones too). Misery is one of my favorites, along with the Dead Zone. Gerald's Game is another one. I feel like he really shines when the book is focused on people more than action or explanations of phenomena. He ends psych books better.

And there have definitely been some aggravating endings (I'm looking at you Under the Dome) but more often than not I manage to come away with a positive impression of the book as a whole anyway. His best endings are the cliff hangers imo...probably because he leaves it to the readers imagination rather than wrapping it up weirdly.

I LOVE the Dark Tower series. I actually started with the Drawing of the Three the first time I read through the books, which I'm glad about because when I finally got a copy of the Gunslinger I could appreciate it more because I was already invested in the saga. Dh got me the final 3 books when they were finally published and they were an awesome end to the saga.

I'm a few chapters into Revival now, and so far so good.

[susiebw]

I've read so many of his books. I love all the old classics that I read when I was probably too young to read them (It, the Stand, Salem's Lot, Carrie, the Dark Half, etc), but I also love a lot of his more recent books - the Mr. Mercedes series was so good. 11/22/63 was brilliant. UTD was phenomenal until the weird ending. Revival was great.

Like others have said, his character development is what draws me in. His books are often miles longer than they need to be, but I completely forgive that because his characters and stories are so much richer for it.