Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I can understand someone feeling a bit uncomfortable reading Misery. King has quite a way with descriptions and there are times when you really *feel* what that poor guy in the story is going through. Ouch!
Misery is an intense read but it is totally King to me. I'm in no real hurry to read it again but I'm glad that I did read it and it's certainly one that I'll never forget. Loved the movie version, too.
I enjoyed the book for what it was. It was intense and often mentally painful to read.
I didn't enjoy the movie as much because I enjoy the more graphic details in the book. I guess I like the 'gory' in SK's books.
The one SK book I have read only once (and will never read again) is Gerald's Game. Just hated the whole book. Talk about one setting.
I liked Misery and Geralds Game. I remember never being more thirsty in my life, while reading Geralds Game. I like those books much better than It and most of his other books. I don't like the "monster" type books.
I assume the thread title is just exaggerated for attention? If not, I have a few books to show you, lol.
Any ways, I always find it interesting how varied King fans/readers are over his books when you ask what you think his best and worst books are.
I'd consider Misery a great Stephen King book, not one of his best but def more up towards the top.
It was originally going to be a Bachman book but his cover got blown.
I loved the Bachman books. I had no idea that he had planned to put Misery out under Bachman, too. That's interesting and kind of funny that he got "found out" - sneaky devil.
You are so right about the variability of SK fans. No we do not all like the same things. I love King's earlier works. Love them. I was not a big fan of Cycle of the Werewolf or The Dark Tower (yet, I know people who think those are the best of King. Huh?). IT and Tommyknockers were kind of so-so to me, but good enough. I enjoyed all of his short stories and I liked The Dark Half.... but from Gerald's Game on.....no. I'm just not a fan of his more recent work and I have really tried to like it.
Every once in a while, I'll hear a person say that they actually prefer his more recent books to his earlier stories. That always floors me.
I loved the Bachman books. I had no idea that he had planned to put Misery out under Bachman, too. That's interesting and kind of funny that he got "found out" - sneaky devil.
You are so right about the variability of SK fans. No we do not all like the same things. I love King's earlier works. Love them. I was not a big fan of Cycle of the Werewolf or The Dark Tower (yet, I know people who think those are the best of King. Huh?). IT and Tommyknockers were kind of so-so to me, but good enough. I enjoyed all of his short stories and I liked The Dark Half.... but from Gerald's Game on.....no. I'm just not a fan of his more recent work and I have really tried to like it.
Every once in a while, I'll hear a person say that they actually prefer his more recent books to his earlier stories. That always floors me.
Yep, I am a SK collector and fan and consequently have several friends who are also huge SK fans and collectors, all of whom have opinions that I regard highly. One thinks IT sucks, one swears that King will never write a better book than Hearts in Atlantis. One swears by Insomnia even though King himself says he blew that book.
There are definite phases of SK's work. I can't say that I dislike his newer stuff because that would be too broad but I will say my favorite King is the 70s-mid 80s King.
Under the Dome and 11/22/63 are supposed to be very,very, good. But I haven't read them yet.
I also like his new books because I can actually understand the references he makes to cars, music, TV stars, etc. hhahahaa =p
Under the Dome and 11/22/63 are supposed to be very,very, good. But I haven't read them yet.
I loved 11/22/63. One of his best in years. I could not get into UtD. I tried twice and gave up both times.
At one of his apperances, someone asked King what his least favorite of his own works was. He said Gerald's Game, which I've never read.
Misery works as a thriller, and Annie Wilks is one of his great villains. But the book will never make my favorites list simply because I didn't find the protagonist all that likeable.
I loved 11/22/63. One of his best in years. I could not get into UtD. I tried twice and gave up both times.
At one of his apperances, someone asked King what his least favorite of his own works was. He said Gerald's Game, which I've never read.
Misery works as a thriller, and Annie Wilks is one of his great villains. But the book will never make my favorites list simply because I didn't find the protagonist all that likeable.
I am glad to hear that even SK disliked Gerald's Game! This book was just a bad story gone wrong from start to finish.
I loved 11/22/63 and will read it again and again. (I devour time-travel books.)
Under the Dome is another I will not ever read again. I just hated it. I had these same thoughts when I was a young child; somehow they just don't feel the same now that I am in my 50s.
I totally agree with your lines about Misery. I spent a lot of time wanting to smack Annie across the room.
Dreamcatcher is (and forever will be) one of my all time favorites. I remember I almost died from lack of oxygen from laughing so hard over the term "***** Weasels" - my son rescued me with his inhaler. (He had to know what was so funny and then he made me share the rest of the book as I went along.)
I like the fact that we all like and dislike different books, it keeps the conversations interesting.
Well, if we're just talking about Stephen King books, I think he's written a lot of stinkers. I was okay with Misery. Under the Dome was too awful to finish. His book on JFK was pretty good. I am still not sure how I feel about the ending.
I loved The Dark Tower series (I thought it was/is his best work) until it turned out to be all about him which was, I think, starting on the second to last book in the series. That really spoiled it for me. I can't help but think that if he hadn't had that accident, the book would have ended differently. I don't think King meant to go in the direction he went. I am greatly tempted to sue the driver of the car that hit King on the basis of him having ruined that series for me.
I think I will read the series again, but I will definitely not read the last one or two books that ruined it for me.
Misery was one of his books I only read once. There were a couple others, especially when they started to become formulaic around Cujo, which was another one I only read once.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
