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The Stephen King Thread

dcbc

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South Austin

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On 7/2/2022 at 7:03 PM, dcbc said:

This bit from the book just floored me:

 

“For a moment everything was clear, and when that happens you see that the world is barely there at all. Don't we all secretly know this? It's a perfectly balanced mechanism of shouts and echoes pretending to be wheels and cogs, a dreamclock chiming beneath a mystery-glass we call life. Behind it? Below it and around it? Chaos, storms. Men with hammers, men with knives, men with guns. Women who twist what they cannot dominate and belittle what they cannot understand. A universe of horror and loss surrounding a single lighted stage where mortals dance in defiance of the dark.”

King had a lot of passages like that in his novels that can hit me right in the gut. He’s a magnificent story-teller, but many people don’t realize that he’s also a great writer with a gift for prose.

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dcbc

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On 7/4/2022 at 9:09 AM, South Austin said:

King had a lot of passages like that in his novels that can hit me right in the gut. He’s a magnificent story-teller, but many people don’t realize that he’s also a great writer with a gift for prose.

For me, reading that bit was like staring at a painting.  I went back and read it over and over.  When he hits that groove, there aren't many contemporaries that do it better.  And when he is doing the par for the course stuff, it's still pretty damned enjoyable to read.

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Vegas64

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It's about 22 years old now, but the great mighty algorithm this morning served up the story Stephen King wrote in The New Yorker about getting back to writing after being hit by a car. He recounts the accident in great, vivid detail and it's a must read for SK fans:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/06/19/on-impact

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dcbc

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On 7/6/2022 at 10:49 PM, Vegas64 said:

It's about 22 years old now, but the great mighty algorithm this morning served up the story Stephen King wrote in The New Yorker about getting back to writing after being hit by a car. He recounts the accident in great, vivid detail and it's a must read for SK fans:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/06/19/on-impact

I haven't read the linked article yet, but he also goes into detail about it in On Writing.

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TwiceHorn

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On 7/6/2022 at 10:49 PM, Vegas64 said:

It's about 22 years old now, but the great mighty algorithm this morning served up the story Stephen King wrote in The New Yorker about getting back to writing after being hit by a car. He recounts the accident in great, vivid detail and it's a must read for SK fans:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/06/19/on-impact

Quote

He and Bullet had left the campground where they were staying, he later tells an investigator, because he wanted “some of those Marzes bars they have up to the store.” When I hear this detail some weeks later, it occurs to me that I have nearly been killed by a character out of one of my own novels. It’s almost funny.

Classic King.

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dcbc

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After a short hiatus from SK, I decided to give The Gunslinger (audiobook) another go.  I'm happy to report that I've made it farther than I did last time (almost 1/3 of the way now) and feel like I'll make it through this time.  There's a blog that ranks everything he's written and currently has Gunslinger as #1, which, unless this thing has a shapeshifting clown, haunted hotel, plague, or time traveling, assassination preventing school teacher in it at some point, I shall declare to be ludicrous.  Nonetheless, I persist.

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SimonBolivar

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6 minutes ago, dcbc said:

 There's a blog that ranks everything he's written and currently has Gunslinger as #1, which, unless this thing has a shapeshifting clown, haunted hotel, plague, or time traveling, assassination preventing school teacher in it at some point, I shall declare to be ludicrous.  

Yeah it's fine, but nowhere near #1 even if you read the rest of the series.

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dcbc

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6 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

Yeah it's fine, but nowhere near #1 even if you read the rest of the series.

Yeah, I'm going to see how I feel at the end of it before deciding if I'm going to go on a Dark Tower run.  I'm really not much for Fantasy type stories, but I'm giving it a go to see what all the fuss is about. 

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Austinvines

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Yeah, I'm going to see how I feel at the end of it before deciding if I'm going to go on a Dark Tower run.  I'm really not much for Fantasy type stories, but I'm giving it a go to see what all the fuss is about. 

The next two (Drawing and Waste Lands) are excellent and I loved Wizard and Glass. King’s voice got really muddled for me in the last two books, but I’m glad I finished the series.
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The Dude

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1 hour ago, dcbc said:

Yeah, I'm going to see how I feel at the end of it before deciding if I'm going to go on a Dark Tower run.  I'm really not much for Fantasy type stories, but I'm giving it a go to see what all the fuss is about. 

Do yourself a favor and read at least the Drawing. It’s completely  different and a great book. Lots of people don’t like Gunslinger 

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dcbc

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4 minutes ago, The Dude said:

Do yourself a favor and read at least the Drawing. It’s completely  different and a great book. Lots of people don’t like Gunslinger 

That's what I hear.  Is Drawing of the 3  the second book?  It probably doesn't help (for this first book) that I don't really like Westerns generally, with a few notable exceptions.

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Doc Sam Beckett

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On 9/5/2022 at 7:13 PM, SimonBolivar said:

Fairy Tale drops tomorrow. I have a 12 page paper on the historiography of the American Revolution due on Sunday...bullshit.

 

I'm barely into it, but I'm hooked already. It's gonna be fun, this is the my favorite King. 

 

1 hour ago, dcbc said:

Yeah, I'm going to see how I feel at the end of it before deciding if I'm going to go on a Dark Tower run.  I'm really not much for Fantasy type stories, but I'm giving it a go to see what all the fuss is about. 

 

The Dark Tower series is one of my favorites, and I don't think I ever actually read The Gunslinger. I started on book two, which was really good....Waste Lands is a little better, and Wizard and Glass is chef's kiss. The rest are also really good. 

 

27 minutes ago, Austinvines said:


The next two (Drawing and Waste Lands) are excellent and I loved Wizard and Glass. King’s voice got really muddled for me in the last two books, but I’m glad I finished the series.

Yeah, Wizard and Glass actually got me good enough that I picked up some of the graphic novels. 

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NeverMarryAStripper

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I finished up Fairy Tale last week.  It's excellent and very vintage King in the storytelling and somewhat reminiscent of The Eyes of the Dragon.  It also has a great canine major character that makes it get a little dusty while you're reading it

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Doc Sam Beckett

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On 9/16/2022 at 8:00 AM, Elmer_Fudd said:

So how was it without giving away spoilers?  Crazy, wtf King moments?

 

On 9/25/2022 at 5:43 PM, futureman said:

I, too, am interested.  I have read some pretty glowing reviews but have yet to talk to anyone that has read it.

Yeah, you guys have probably read it by now, but real life delayed my reading of Fairy Tale. Agree with @NeverMarryAStripper, it was fantastic. I enjoyed Billy Summers, but it's been awhile since King came out with one of his long winding yarns that I don't want to end, but this was one of them. Definitely recommend. 

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dcbc

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I just finished Fairy Tale (audiobook).  It was pretty good or better than good.  I dug it.  Mostly because, thankfully,

the dog didn't die

.  That would have hurt.

 

Onto the third DT book - Wastelands.  It's gotten a bit better since the Gunslinger.  I don't find myself blown away though.

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SimonBolivar

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42 minutes ago, NeverMarryAStripper said:

He doesn't seem to be slowing down.  He's got a new one coming out this year featuring Holly Gibney

I've read all of the Bill Hodges trilogy and the Outsider liking all four, but I'd rather read something other than another Holly story.

 

 

 

...who am I kidding, I'll read it.

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NorthLoop

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Knocked out Fairy Tale in about 10 days which is pretty good for me. Loved it. 

Started The Institute and picked up Tommyknockers. I know the latter isn't considered one of his better books and it's long as fuck, but I've always wanted to read it.

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South Austin

South Austin 51411

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17 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

Knocked out Fairy Tale in about 10 days which is pretty good for me. Loved it. 

Started The Institute and picked up Tommyknockers. I know the latter isn't considered one of his better books and it's long as fuck, but I've always wanted to read it.

I enjoyed the shit out of Tommyknockers.

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Elmer_Fudd

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On 6/24/2023 at 10:32 PM, NorthLoop said:

Knocked out Fairy Tale in about 10 days which is pretty good for me. Loved it. 

Started The Institute and picked up Tommyknockers. I know the latter isn't considered one of his better books and it's long as fuck, but I've always wanted to read it.

Yeah I've had Tommyknockers on my shelf waiting to be read for a while.  Got it on ebay a couple years ago, 1st edition Hardcover in shrink-wrap for like $15, was kinda' shocked.

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SimonBolivar

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On 6/24/2023 at 10:32 PM, NorthLoop said:

Knocked out Fairy Tale in about 10 days which is pretty good for me. Loved it. 

Started The Institute and picked up Tommyknockers. I know the latter isn't considered one of his better books and it's long as fuck, but I've always wanted to read it.

Let me know what you think about The Institute. I'm a big fan of that one and want a sequel. 

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South Austin

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5 hours ago, Hank Scorpio said:

Got a long plane flight, any recs for a newish King novel? I’ve read all the classics but haven’t read a new one since 11/22/63. 

If it’s been that long, I’d recommend Dr. Sleep (unless you’ve seen the movie). Or pick up Mr. Mercedes and start that trilogy.

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iodeac

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Just started The Stand journey.  Loving it. I don't know what took me so long
This is probably my favorite SK book. I love post-apocalyptic settings and the other day I was trying to remember how many times I've read it. I would say 4 or 5.
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NorthLoop

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On 6/28/2023 at 9:01 PM, SimonBolivar said:

Let me know what you think about The Institute. I'm a big fan of that one and want a sequel. 

 

7 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

I really liked it. Pretty edge of your seat most of the way through. 

Also I don't see there being a sequel. Maybe a different story that intertwines a little bit, but that would be it. 

Spoiler

If they have these hit squads at their disposal, why the fuck did they need the kids in the first place?

 

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South Austin

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Burned through about half of Billy Summers on the way back from Chicago on Tuesday.  It'll take longer to get through the second half without huge chunks of time like that, but so far I'm really liking it.  I've enjoyed King's occasional breaks from the supernatural, like the first two books of the Mr. Mercedes trilogy.

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NorthLoop

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On 6/25/2023 at 4:08 PM, South Austin said:

I enjoyed the shit out of Tommyknockers.

About 200 pages in and it's dragging a little - but I've read enough King to know that a lot of his books are like this. This is typically the point where things start to ramp up. 

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South Austin

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10 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

About 200 pages in and it's dragging a little - but I've read enough King to know that a lot of his books are like this. This is typically the point where things start to ramp up. 

I think that’s right. I recall Insomnia was like that, and it’s one of my favorites. A real crawl for about 100-150 pages, but then takes off.

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South Austin

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Finished Billy Summers last night. Really liked it. Sad ending, but throughout the book I didn’t think there was going to be happy one no matter how it turned out.

Interesting tie to The Overlook in the Colorado scenes, and I thought that and the picture in the summer house might come into play more. But good that King left it minimal, just for the usual tie back to an earlier work and a bit of a spook, and still not veering back into the supernatural.

I think I’ll pick up Fairy Tale next based on comments in this thread.

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LCHorn

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On 6/25/2023 at 3:47 PM, futureman said:

I grabbed Night Shift from HPB the other day.  Anyone have any particular favorites other than Quitters Inc?

I love Night Shift even more if you understand the context under which the short stories were written-exploitive, EC comic style short stories written for porno mags by a part-time freelancer looking for any extra cash possible.  
 

Not my favorite but Gray Matter refers to a haunting image that’s not really a spoiler that I’ll share and has stuck with me-in the story a bunch of regulars at a bar are recounting spooky tales; one of them describes a postman who, on his delivery route, passed one of those large storm drain pipes, the kind large for a man to crawl into.  Covering the pipe was a spider man and cocooned in the web were several kittens.  He never saw the spider.  

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LCHorn

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2 hours ago, LCHorn said:

I love Night Shift even more if you understand the context under which the short stories were written-exploitive, EC comic style short stories written for porno mags by a part-time freelancer looking for any extra cash possible.  
 

Not my favorite but Gray Matter refers to a haunting image that’s not really a spoiler that I’ll share and has stuck with me-in the story a bunch of regulars at a bar are recounting spooky tales; one of them describes a postman who, on his delivery route, passed one of those large storm drain pipes, the kind large for a man to crawl into.  Covering the pipe was a spider man and cocooned in the web were several kittens.  He never saw the spider.  

Ugh, that’s what I get for typing on my phone.  
 

“Covering the pipe was a spider WEB and cocooned within it were several kittens.”

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