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Those kind of let me down. I liked them all until the last one. It seemed like he was trying to find an ending.
That was my initial reaction to the final volume of the Dark Tower series, but, upon further reading (I've read the series several times now) the ending seems to be the only way it could have ended. It also (kind of) explains Roland's age and the fact that he feels as if he's been chasing the man in black for thousands of years.
Obviously Stephen King is my literary God, idol, favorite boogeyman whatever you call. Our paths collided when I first bought by chance the excellent Skeleton Crew fifteen years ago and since then I have been crazily in love with the man. I do not live in the USA but I plan to visit there just to see and give my thanks to Mr King for all the joy and great memorable moments in my life
Just looking at favourites of others it is interesting how broad the range of favourite books is. I see the Stand and Dark Tower series are universally liked, but I see someone who thinks Rose Madder very good and has read it three times!!! For me, how I wished Norman would quickly find Rose and chop her into sticks so that the book would be over! It was an agony to finish that book.
Also Cell and Lisey's Story didn't click for me.
I terrificly love his output from 1974 until 1991, the year in which Needful Things was published, which was the first book that I think didn't live up to King standards.
IT is my favorite novel ever, closely followed by the Shining, Salem's Lot, Pet Semetary, Christine and Talisman. No one writes horror like him and will probably not write in future. This set of books will continue to haunt me all my life.
His 1990s output is certainly very good only let down against the astonishing standards the King himself has set. Any other writer, say Dean Koontz or James Patterson, would do anything to have them published under their names.
Happily King is on some kind of renaissance since Duma Key, which is his best book, say, errm since Dreamcatcher (one of the most hilarious books by the Grandmaster). Under the Dome was magnificiently orchestrated, Just After Sunset was a great bunch of stories up there with Nightmares and Dreamscapes, and Full Dark No Stars is excellent.
Thank God I grew up reading King and he is still writing. Otherwise the world would be so boring, so bleak
And for the Dark Tower: I am not a crazy fan and yet to read the last three books but Wizard and Glass is a superior achievement, it is the only book that made me cry (when Susan was burnt to ashes )
Last edited by Cenk Armagan; 11-17-2010 at 06:54 PM..
Cell scared the daylights out of me. Even tonight when I was checking the front porch for a UPS package, I thought of the "President of Harvard" lurking in his red sweatshirt in the front yard.
I am liking his latest Full Dark, No Stars. I'm finishing the first story and it is about a third of the 300+ pages. Great character development.
When I read King's book I always end up feeling like I know most of the characters personally. He's a master of drawing me in with his characters.
For some reason, i have never read a stephen king book. Sounds crazy since I read alot. What would be the best book to start with? can't wait for the suggestions!!thanks.
I liked Cell, and as Ketabcha said, it does stay with you, as did Gerald's Game; Lisey's Story - meh, not so much. Unlike, it seems, a majority of his readers on here, I DID enjoy Insomnia immensely, I'm not quite sure why other SK fans don't seem to like it.
I really liked Insomnia too, it was different but really engrossing. High on my list as well is - The Stand, The Shining, Talisman, It, Rose Madder, Under the Dome, Salem's Lot, and The Green Mile. Some that I didn't care for, were - The Tommyknockers, Gerald's Game, From A Buick 8, Lisey's Story (the only one I didn't finish...).
The Tommyknockers, Gerald's Game, From A Buick 8, Lisey's Story (the only one I didn't finish...).
I started the Tommyknockers once and never could get into it.
From A Buick 8 would've made a great 250-300 page novel. But I think it was something like 180,000 pages long. Or at least it felt like it.
Lisey's Story was definitely a bit of a slog toward the begining, and it never did really develop into a nail-biting page turner, but I still liked it. It wouldn't number among my favorites, but it's worth a read.
What's the one he wrote with Peter Straub? The Talisman? I tried reading that one and just couldn't get into it. Too weird.
I started the Tommyknockers once and never could get into it.
From A Buick 8 would've made a great 250-300 page novel. But I think it was something like 180,000 pages long. Or at least it felt like it.
Lisey's Story was definitely a bit of a slog toward the begining, and it never did really develop into a nail-biting page turner, but I still liked it. It wouldn't number among my favorites, but it's worth a read.
What's the one he wrote with Peter Straub? The Talisman? I tried reading that one and just couldn't get into it. Too weird.
I think SK and Straub also collaborated on The Black House which I've still to finish someday. I can't remember why but I know because it's on my shelves with a bookmark halfway LOL
After familiarizing myself with King, I try to stay away from anything published by him after about 95. Bag of Bones was an exception, however. I love that book. The biggest problem with King latey is that nobody edits him anymore, therefore his books are often bloated with needless words that often times destroy his own momentum.
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