Stephen King- God of horror

[The Thing]

Hey dudes and dudettes. Just wondering, what's everyone's fav Stephen King book? I think they're too big and only read the smaller ones so mine's Misery or Carrie. Both brilliant horror.:D

[noctuary]

God of horror? No, I think not. I can think of a dozen authors who outclass King right off the top of my head.

But, in keeping with the spirit of the thread, my fave King book is It.

[alkytrio666]

Edgar Allan Poe- The God of Horror

Stephen King- Runner up.

I do love Mr. King. His best book is The Shining. I also quite enjoyed Dreamcatcher.

[evil_deadman]

Stephen King is not what i'd call my favorite author (that title would go to Clive Barker or H.P.Lovecraft.)altho he is right up there for damn sure,..and from a marketing aspect,he is practically a God of horror ,hands down,but there are so many other authors whose style is is creepier and sometimes even more imaginitive.,this is the case with 2 more authors i am reading more and more of,Robert R. McCammon and Bently Little.

As for my favorite King book ,i like his short stories best,and my favorite of those is "Skeleton Crew" and my favorite story from that is "The Mist" (DAMN WHEN THEY GONNA FINALLY MAKE A MOVIE OF THIS?.LOL:p ) as for full lengh novels "Desperation" (which by the way is on TV tonite(got me sorta occupied even as i type..lol).i liked pretty good as well as The Regulators (maybe they shoulda had a companion movie as the did with the novels?..just a thought..lol:rolleyes: . anyway my very favorite King novel would have to be "The Stand"!

[Miss Olivia]

My favorite King book is The Stand for it's sheer scope, but the story that scared me the most is Pet Sematary....the whole thing about the wendigo and the dead kid....makes me shudder...

[scaryminda15]

he is the god of horror because he is so awesome.

[urgeok]

r l stein = the god of horror for kids

stephen king = the god of horror for people who have yet to discover better authors.

[alkytrio666]

Originally posted by Miss Olivia
My favorite King book is The Stand for it's sheer scope, but the story that scared me the most is Pet Sematary....the whole thing about the wendigo and the dead kid....makes me shudder...

For me it was the whole memories of the sick sister thing.

[jedicow]

for me it's 'salems lot hands down. i also enjoyed the stand, needful things and IT immensely.


on a side note...

evil_deadman...which bentley little books have you read? i have recently discovered hima dn have read the association, the mailman and the walking. what do you recommend? i have about 10 more of his books.

[evil_deadman]

Definatively "The Collection.the stories are a bit bizarre,but fun as hell to read..also The Revelation.
The House
The Ignored
The Store
as well as the ones you've mentioned..especially ..The Mailman and The Walking .Lots of "The"in his titles..lol,but hell i dont care..i just like his style

[scaredsilly]

how can you love horror and not love stephen king. i'm 24 now and i've loved him since i was about 9. first book ever read geralds game. first movie that blew me away needful things. if you don't like him then obviously you just don't get him and that's cool not everyone is the same.

favorite book: all he ever made and every 1 i ever read. :)

[alkytrio666]

Originally posted by scaredsilly
how can you love horror and not love stephen king. i'm 24 now and i've loved him since i was about 9. first book ever read geralds game. first movie that blew me away needful things. if you don't like him then obviously you just don't get him and that's cool not everyone is the same.

favorite book: all he ever made and every 1 i ever read. :)

Horror, in all its mediums, is all based on personal opinions. You can't knock someone for not liking Stephen King, it just means he's not their style. Good for you for finding a notch in King's works, and I agree he's a great writer. But not everyone will think so, and that doesn't mean they don't love horror.

[noctuary]

Originally posted by scaredsilly
how can you love horror and not love stephen king. i'm 24 now and i've loved him since i was about 9. first book ever read geralds game. first movie that blew me away needful things. if you don't like him then obviously you just don't get him and that's cool not everyone is the same.

favorite book: all he ever made and every 1 i ever read. :)
God, I can't stand this attitude. "If you don't like it, that means you just don't understand it." I mean, Stephen King is not J.G. Ballard. His work is not that hard to "get." Some people just don't like him, end of story. I think some of his stuff is good, maybe even great. But he's far from the best.

[empressofdirt]

Originally posted by alkytrio666
For me it was the whole memories of the sick sister thing.

That's what really got me, too. It was horrible.


And my favorite Stephen King book is Bag of Bones. Brilliant.

[AUSTIN316426808]

That's like saying 'Mickey Rourke- God of good decisions'.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by AUSTIN316426808
That's like saying 'Mickey Rourke- God of good decisions'.

aint that the sad truth

(and i'm a big rourke fan)

[The_Return]

Ive read some of his stuff...not bad, I enjoy it, but far from "the God of horror"

[Angra]

Originally posted by noctuary
God of horror? No, I think not. I can think of a dozen authors who outclass King right off the top of my head.



So who are your dirty dozen?




"It" - would also have to be my favorite. One of the best books i´ve ever read actually.

"Salems lot" - was also good, but the movie was a lot scarier.

"The dead zone" - Good, even though it had a sad ending.. Sniff..

"Dreamcatcher" - First half: Good, fun and disgusting/ second half: Long...

"The girl who loved Tom Gordon" - Zzzzzzz....

[noctuary]

Originally posted by Angra
So who are your dirty dozen?
Alright, here we go...

Thomas Ligotti
Clive Barker
Peter Straub
Brian McNaughton
Kathe Koja
Caitlin R. Kiernan
Simon Clark
Bentley Little
Tim Lebbon
Robert Aickman
Harlan Ellison
H.P. Lovecraft

[Angra]

Originally posted by noctuary
Alright, here we go...

Thomas Ligotti
Clive Barker
Peter Straub
Brian McNaughton
Kathe Koja
Caitlin R. Kiernan
Simon Clark
Bentley Little
Tim Lebbon
Robert Aickman
Harlan Ellison
H.P. Lovecraft


I knew it.

It´s all authors who´s either dead a 100 years ago or who´s never been translated.

Great, thanks.:rolleyes:

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Angra
I knew it.

It´s all authors who´s either dead a 100 years ago or who´s never been translated.

Great, thanks.:rolleyes:

his fault you live in the wrong part of the world at the wrong time ?

:cool:

[Spaceman Spiff]

Still being somewhat new to the genre, I haven't read a lot of horror novels, per se, but in the last year or so, I've worked through a decent mix of contemporary and classic horror.

The only King novel I've read so far is 'Salem's Lot, which I liked well enough, but it didn't stick to my ribs as much as, for instance, the book I'm reading now, which is Peter Straub's Ghost Story.

That said, I've seen plenty of interviews with Stephen King, and I like him quite a bit as a person, and I do look forward to the next novel of his I'll read (probably Carrie).

Somehow, he manages to be an author who is praised beyond his abilities by some, while others dismiss him unfairly.

[noctuary]

Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff
Still being somewhat new to the genre, I haven't read a lot of horror novels, per se, but in the last year or so, I've worked through a decent mix of contemporary and classic horror.

The only King novel I've read so far is 'Salem's Lot, which I liked well enough, but it didn't stick to my ribs as much as, for instance, the book I'm reading now, which is Peter Straub's Ghost Story.

That said, I've seen plenty of interviews with Stephen King, and I like him quite a bit as a person, and I do look forward to the next novel of his I'll read (probably Carrie).

Somehow, he manages to be an author who is praised beyond his abilities by some, while others dismiss him unfairly.
Good choice there. Ghost Story is far superior to anything King has ever written.

[Spaceman Spiff]

The cover of the book mentions a couple of novels he co-wrote with King. The Talisman and another I can't remember off the top of my head.

How are those?

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff
The cover of the book mentions a couple of novels he co-wrote with King. The Talisman and another I can't remember off the top of my head.

How are those?

black house is the other.

in my oipinion they are both terrible

[Spaceman Spiff]

Did you like Ghost Story?

I'm enjoying Straub's prose. I discovered him around Halloween, when I read one of his short stories in October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451458958/qid=1149694890/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6859973-6808868?s=books&v=glance&n=283155). When I saw a small number of his novels at the store, Ghost Story seemed pretty promising.

[urgeok]

i read ghost story when it first came out - shadowland before that ..
i read most of his earlier novels back in the day.

i enjoyed ghost story then .. dont know how i'd feel about it now.

[hammerfan]

I enjoyed The Talisman, but thought Black House was a bunch of rubbish.

[noctuary]

Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff
Did you like Ghost Story?

I'm enjoying Straub's prose. I discovered him around Halloween, when I read one of his short stories in October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451458958/qid=1149694890/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6859973-6808868?s=books&v=glance&n=283155). When I saw a small number of his novels at the store, Ghost Story seemed pretty promising.
If you do like Ghost Story, I'd suggest reading If You Could See Me Now and Julia next. Unfortunately, Straub's work has seen a decline in recent years, and I don't think anything he's written lately has been up to the standard of his earlier work.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by hammerfan
I enjoyed The Talisman, but thought Black House was a bunch of rubbish.

black house has the distinction of being the only book i ever started and then abandoned (so far)

smarmy and self serving piece of crap

[Spaceman Spiff]

Originally posted by noctuary
If you do like Ghost Story, I'd suggest reading If You Could See Me Now and Julia next. Unfortunately, Straub's work has seen a decline in recent years, and I don't think anything he's written lately has been up to the standard of his earlier work.

That is unfortunate. One of the exciting things about Ghost Story for me has been knowing that he's got a decent-sized body of work. In the past year, it's the only modern horror novel I've read that's really grabbed me (before this, I read F. Paul Wilson's Midnight Mass, which had an interesting premise, but sort of fell apart in the execution, in my opinion). I'll check out your suggestions.

As for King, should I bother with Carrie, then? I really liked the movie, but that might be due to De Palma more than King.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff
That is unfortunate. One of the exciting things about Ghost Story for me has been knowing that he's got a decent-sized body of work. In the past year, it's the only modern horror novel I've read that's really grabbed me (before this, I read F. Paul Wilson's Midnight Mass, which had an interesting premise, but sort of fell apart in the execution, in my opinion). I'll check out your suggestions.

As for King, should I bother with Carrie, then? I really liked the movie, but that might be due to De Palma more than King.

probably the only 2 king books worth reading are carrie and salems lot (particularily salems lot)

once you read those two - you've read everything he's written.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Ah, okay. Thanks for the advice. Those are the two that seem to appeal to me the most.

I guess there was a subconscious reason for that. ;)

I have a friend who swears by the Dark Tower series, but when I read the dust jackets, my spider-sense tingles. :p

[noctuary]

Originally posted by Spaceman Spiff
I have a friend who swears by the Dark Tower series, but when I read the dust jackets, my spider-sense tingles. :p
Same here... I know a lot of people that love the books and have recommended them to me, but something about the series just kinda turns me off. I'm not really sure why. I guess fantasy by Stephen King is just not a very appealing idea to me.

[scaredsilly]

Insomnia was a confusing book to me. i had to read it twice to understand atleast some of it.

[evilreign]

Actually the dark tower is just like his horror novels but they are in a series and have fantasy aspects to it.

It would have to be my favorite King novel.

As far as king of horror goes he is not it. I have no idea why people keep bringing up clive barker though, most of his stuff is fantasy with a little horror in it. only a few of his books are horror.
As king of horror I would have to give the nod to h.p. lovecraft or richard matheson. I am legend is still the best book ever in my opinion.

[urgeok]

clive barkers books of blood (his best works) are pure horror

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally posted by urgeok
probably the only 2 king books worth reading are carrie and salems lot (particularily salems lot)

once you read those two - you've read everything he's written.

no love for the Dark Half? I thought that was pure gold.

and yep Books Of Blood are amazing.

[noctuary]

Originally posted by Elvis_Christ
no love for the Dark Half? I thought that was pure gold.

and yep Books Of Blood are amazing.
I thought The Dark Half was good too. Not very many people seem to like it though. As for Clive Barker, I like to pretend that everything after Books of Blood and The Hellbound Heart never happened.

[evilreign]

Originally posted by urgeok
clive barkers books of blood (his best works) are pure horror

I need to read those. I started reading one of his fantasy works and it was total crap, didnt get past page 20.

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally posted by noctuary
I thought The Dark Half was good too. Not very many people seem to like it though. As for Clive Barker, I like to pretend that everything after Books of Blood and The Hellbound Heart never happened.

I don't see why. I think the Dark Half is his best book. As for Barker thats pretty much all I've read of him apart from Cabal.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Elvis_Christ
no love for the Dark Half? I thought that was pure gold.


nah ... you have to understand 0 because of my age - i read each book as it came out .. i was so sick of his ass by the time i read the stand that i hated pretty much everything since... i just dont like his style ..

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally posted by urgeok
nah ... you have to understand 0 because of my age - i read each book as it came out .. i was so sick of his ass by the time i read the stand that i hated pretty much everything since... i just dont like his style ..

I never got thru the Stand I started it and just got bored with it. King was the first author I got into (well after S.E Hinton) as a kid so I've got a soft spot for him even tho I haven't bothered reading anything he's put out in the last 10 or 11 years (apart from starting Desperation which didn't seem to bad but I left my copy on a bus I think :) maybe someone else got a kick outta it).

[evilreign]

Originally posted by Elvis_Christ
I never got thru the Stand I started it and just got bored with it. King was the first author I got into (well after S.E Hinton) as a kid so I've got a soft spot for him even tho I haven't bothered reading anything he's put out in the last 10 or 11 years (apart from starting Desperation which didn't seem to bad but I left my copy on a bus I think :) maybe someone else got a kick outta it).

You should read his newest book cell. Its really good, not like some of the junk he has put out lately.

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally posted by evilreign
You should read his newest book cell. Its really good, not like some of the junk he has put out lately.

I might just do that if it ends up cheap. I'd like to buy more books but there so expensive!

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Elvis_Christ
I never got thru the Stand I started it and just got bored with it. King was the first author I got into (well after S.E Hinton) as a kid so I've got a soft spot for him even tho I haven't bothered reading anything he's put out in the last 10 or 11 years (apart from starting Desperation which didn't seem to bad but I left my copy on a bus I think :) maybe someone else got a kick outta it).

when i started hating King ... i discovered Graham Greene ..
once you discover that level of literary brilliance, there's no going back to the others.


s.e. hinton was good reading too..

[Despare]

Needful Things, Thinner, and The Regulators are a few I really enjoyed, of course there are more but these don't have any love yet so...
I liked King a lot and while he isn't the best writer he is a great storyteller. What I don't like is people who hate an author simply because of how popular they are and I'm not saying anybody here dislikes King because of that I just hate to see it.
King does seem to be losing his edge but you never know what he could come up with. Last I heard people think he wrote the Gary Troupe book which is supposed to be a great little mystery novel.
Tastes vary though, for instance I'd rather read any King novel than Old Man and the Sea and the latter, no matter what the King book, is probably the better written piece.

[evil_deadman]

Dont get me wrong..I LOVE Kings fiction..well.I havent read a lot of his more recent books, altho i may get Cell.The way i think of it..what would horror be without Stephen King?..Would even half as many people today be reading horror if not for him?..he kind of in a way made horror a household name..and i dont see anyone in particular as a "god of horror".i'd say one of the older masters like Lovecraft,but,i understand some people may not be able to get in to his works..or at least some of them, altho.when you do..its worth it..believe me..but...in my opinion a lot of writers should just get more recognition..and i never said Clive Barker was a god of horror..just that he is an awesome writer..OF HORROR..sadly..his latest works are fantasy and i just dont get into that at all myself..but when Clives writing horror..even King himself said."He's better than me now".which..i dont know about that..but when he's writing horror..he is hard to beat. and i would also just like to see Robert R McCammon and Bently Little get the respect and admiration they deserve too!

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Despare
Tastes vary though, for instance I'd rather read any King novel than Old Man and the Sea and the latter, no matter what the King book, is probably the better written piece.


i'd definately be the one reading Old Man and the Sea :D

[Despare]

Originally posted by urgeok
i'd definately be the one reading Old Man and the Sea :D

How long can you drag a metaphor out for? That book bothers me to this day. Hemingway is a master but I really didn't like that one.

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Despare
How long can you drag a metaphor out for? That book bothers me to this day. Hemingway is a master but I really didn't like that one.

well its almost a novelette to begin with ..

i remember it being one of the first books that changed the way i looked at literature (catcher in the rye, one flew over the cuckoos, the pearl, and the pigman were the others ..

i thought it was compelling .. i was too young to appreciate the 'man against nature' metaphor (something that is still pretty timely...)

a book like this - that well written - speaks to me in ways that king has no hope to.

[Despare]

Originally posted by urgeok
a book like this - that well written - speaks to me in ways that king has no hope to.

You're right, King has no chance of writing a book that speaks in volumes but he does tell a good story. Funny you mention Catcher in the Rye because I read that in the same week as Old Man... maybe that's why I wasn't impressed. Catcher was such a brilliant book, I'd like to read it yet again sometime. Anyway the only reason I mentioned that book in context with King's is that I read Old Man, Catcher, Needful Things, and Animal Farm back to back and somtimes overlapping and really the only one I didn't enjoy was Old Man. To each his own. :)

[urgeok]

Originally posted by Despare
You're right, King has no chance of writing a book that speaks in volumes but he does tell a good story. Funny you mention Catcher in the Rye because I read that in the same week as Old Man... maybe that's why I wasn't impressed. Catcher was such a brilliant book, I'd like to read it yet again sometime. Anyway the only reason I mentioned that book in context with King's is that I read Old Man, Catcher, Needful Things, and Animal Farm back to back and somtimes overlapping and really the only one I didn't enjoy was Old Man. To each his own. :)

i find King to be a crafty story teller ... more than a good one ..

i'm just tired of his tricks ..(jumping back and forth in time, feeding you a little bit.. making you plod on for the next tidbit ...)

probably any one of his books i would have liked ok (well, maybe a few anyway - some are just terrible) .. if i hadnt read any others ...but after reading the majority of them as they were released like i did at one point .. it just became the same thing over and over again ..

I lost all respect for the guy and it began to taint how i saw the ones i kind of did like in the beginning.


what can i say .. my tastes changed

[Violent Messiah]

Originally posted by noctuary
Good choice there. Ghost Story is far superior to anything King has ever written.

Really?

I mean...Really ?!?!? :confused:

Anyways...My favorite King stuff would have to be The Dark Tower series, the uncut version of The Stand and Salem's Lot.His story telling style can be hit or miss sometimes, but he has a way with characters and dialouge that manages to keep my attention. What can I say? People more screwed up then me just captivate me. :D

I could never hate King...Now Anne Rice, on the other hand, that's a different story. ;)

[glamur]

i like his The Tommyknokers and Dreamcatcher....
i think hi is GOOD! dut some of his novels and stories r boring....
____________________
loving Helga U.
http://www.everica.com

[noctuary]

Originally posted by Violent Messiah
Really?

I mean...Really ?!?!? :confused:
Yes, really. Straub's command of language and characterization is definitely in a higher class than King's. His style is very baroque and gothic (in the classic sense) and much less action-oriented than King's, but the payoff is much more satisfying, in my opinion. In Ghost Story, there are no real heroes, no black and white battle between good and evil. All the characters, even (perhaps especially) the protagonists are deeply flawed, and there is no happy ending. In any case, try it out. Straub's work may not be to your taste, but I thing that everyone should read this book, at the very least.

Oh, and I totally agree about Anne Rice. Wretched hack.

[mufc_lad]

I liked Desperation. Dreamcatcher wasn't bad either.

[Zero]

king peaked with IT and has been slowly going down hill ever since. . . he should just retire

[cyqe]

I'm like you Urgeok, I read Carrie and Salems Lot in grade school and then read each new book as it came out.
I love SK and I've read and still own everything that he has ever written just because I'm that faithful reader he talks about. He's a masterful storyteller but I have never been horrified while reading one of his books.
The closest I ever came was The Long Walk one of the Bauchman books. If you guys haven't read that, you should, it's very inventive.
All of the books he has written since he got hit by the van have pretty much sucked in my opinion. Cell would be the best of the post accident books but it starts out great and then sinks into a bunch of crap. It seems like he quit writing his books for readers and started writing them to be made into movies.
The only time I have been scared while reading a book and had to put it down and come back later was when I was reading The Exorcist. I hadn't seen the movie yet and there was a scene in that book that was the most terrifying thing I had ever imagined.
When I finally worked up the nerve to see the movie that scene wasn't even in it and I'll have to admit I was a little disappointed.

[evilreign]

Originally posted by cyqe
I'm like you Urgeok, I read Carrie and Salems Lot in grade school and then read each new book as it came out.
I love SK and I've read and still own everything that he has ever written just because I'm that faithful reader he talks about. He's a masterful storyteller but I have never been horrified while reading one of his books.
The closest I ever came was The Long Walk one of the Bauchman books. If you guys haven't read that, you should, it's very inventive.
All of the books he has written since he got hit by the van have pretty much sucked in my opinion. Cell would be the best of the post accident books but it starts out great and then sinks into a bunch of crap. It seems like he quit writing his books for readers and started writing them to be made into movies.
The only time I have been scared while reading a book and had to put it down and come back later was when I was reading The Exorcist. I hadn't seen the movie yet and there was a scene in that book that was the most terrifying thing I had ever imagined.
When I finally worked up the nerve to see the movie that scene wasn't even in it and I'll have to admit I was a little disappointed.

There is probably a reason the scene wasn't in the movie. Oh and what is the scene that you are alluding to.

[tachii]

having grown up on king how could i not love him. first films ever watched were Pet Sematary and Misery (don't remember the order in which they were released).

books:
pet sematary
the stand
cujo
carrie

[cyqe]

Just like Urgeok, I'm old enough that I've been reading Stephen's books as they came out,starting with Carrie when I was 10 years old. I have never seen Stephen King as a horror writer. Nothing that he writes scares me. He is, however, a master storyteller. I've read everything that he has written and have kept all of his books, just because I am that constant reader he is always talking about.
I was never bored until he got hit by the van and then suddenly his stories started to suck. It was as if everything that he wrote was a screenplay for a movie. His characters became shallow and his writing was more action orientated.
I will always read each book as it comes out because I am that faithful but I will always miss the real stories.

[spookychild]

I love Stephen King's writting but I wouldn't call him a God
It is my favorit Stpehen King book. I've read it more times than I care to count.

[Fresh]

Originally posted by scaredsilly
how can you love horror and not love stephen king. i'm 24 now and i've loved him since i was about 9. :)

The fact that you loved him at the tender age of nine sort of explains why his horror is not regarded as scary by so many.;)

[evilreign]

yeah, he rights good stories, but I cant say I have ever been scared by one.

[Miss Olivia]

I have. Pet Sematary scared the hell out of me, maybe because I read the book before I ever saw the movie. The passages about the Wendigo and the swamp, and the constellations that were wrong all really freaked me out. I usually get really wrapped up in the books I read, though. I have a really active imagination, and when I read things, I usually dream about them at night.

[evilreign]

Well true I haven't read PEt semetary which they say is his scariest book.

[Miss Olivia]

It's definitely worth it.

[evilreign]

without any spoilers, what is a general overview of the plot?

[Miss Olivia]

Here's the overview from the front of the book:

The Creeds. An ideal family. Physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son. Close, loving, wonderfully alive. When they found the old house and enchanting grounds in rural Maine, it seemed to good to be true. It was. For the truth itself was bloodchilling--something more horrifying than death itself, and hideously more powerful...


If you have a family, this book is harder to read. I can honestly say, though, that there are passages that made every hair on my body stand on end, and my skin raise into goosebumps. It involves raising the dead, and evil spirits, and things that go bump in the night. This is King's scariest book by far, in my opinion. And I've read every book of his that was written before 1998 or so. That's around the time I read Insomnia and hated it to the point where I stopped bothering.

[evilreign]

Hey thanks, I am definately going to picl up a copy.

[Miss Olivia]

:)

[Bee-otch]

Dark Tower novels... mind blowing.

[Miss Olivia]

Not to get off subject, but is your avatar from Blade Runner?

[Bee-otch]

Yeah, it's Blade Runner :)
Haven't resized my Phantasm pics yet.

Good call Miss... I'm impressed. ;)

[Miss Olivia]

I really like the one you have now, but Phantasm rocks too.
Long live the Tall Man.:cool:

[The_Return]

Hmm...I wasnt a big fan of Pet Sematary.

Anyone who's read his books knows that King likes to get sidetracked and ramble on, and I found that this was his worst for that. Entire chapters with absolutly no purpose whatsoever.

[Miss Olivia]

Really? I thought the story was pretty tight. He seemed to have the rambling to a minimum in this one.

[The_Return]

Originally posted by Miss Olivia
Really? I thought the story was pretty tight. He seemed to have the rambling to a minimum in this one.

One part in particular that I found exceedingly overlong was when Dad was teaching Gage to fly a kite. It did serve a bit of a purpose, I suppose, but I went on way longer than it needed to/should have IMO.

[Miss Olivia]

Yeah, once you read the book, those scenes become twice as cruel. After I had my son, I couldn't bring myself to read it anymore. But I can understand where you're coming from. I think it's his way of really making it hurt when what happens happens.

[The_Return]

Perhaps I should read it again when I have kids.

[Miss Olivia]

It'll make you cringe.

[Bee-otch]

I really liked the book.
Not as good as others, but hey what is? ;)

[Unaboner3000]

For a quasi-sci-fi futuristic twist, find a copy of King's THE LONG WALK (originally published under the psuedonymn Richard Bachman). It's not too long but it is one of those books that you will NEVER forget. A very disturbing kind of book. I have recommended it to several people and have never had anyone that thought it was less than great.

Of course, THE STAND is often recommended as the best King book. It is a fabulous book and certainly worth the read. Some people get turned off by such a large book though.

[dw_horrorfan]

i picked up an omnibus containing the 4 shorts King wrote as Bachman. Of the 4, Rage and The Long Walk were quite distrubing. Suppose mainly it involved the mindset of twisted kids. Running man & roadwork i've read before .. not that good on a second read.

A better option would be to get Desperation / Regulators and read it back to back. One was released under the Bachman name and the other as King. It's like 2 sides of a coin. 2 perspectives to a story involving the same cast. Quite cool

[virose_pt]

The only book that I read from King was Carry. It is a good book, but it's not a scary book.

I want to read The Stand, The Shinning and Salem's Lot, though.

[dw_horrorfan]

Carrie was King's 1st book in '74. For a debut, it was good. Shining was better. Did not think much of Salems lot tho.
If u wanna read The Stand try getting the "The Stand, the Complete And Uncut Edition". At 1000+ pages, its a bloody long read .. but remains one of his best.

Its true that not all King's book are great tho. His newer ones are mellower and tend to drag with lengthy dialogs. Books that put me to sleep were Dolores Clairborn, Gerald's Game, From a Buick 8 and the new one - Colorado Kid.

Re-reading the Talisman now, before i move on to the sequel Black House which i just bought.

[noctuary]

I may be the only one that actually liked From a Buick 8. Unlike all of King's other books, this one was much less concerned with plot and "good vs. evil". It touched on humanity's basic terror of the unknown and unknowable, which I think is the most effective form of literary horror. No one I've talked to about this book has seemed to have the same sort of reaction to it as I did. Pity.

[dw_horrorfan]

Not putting down Buick 8 completely. It does have excellent characterization & some of the dialogue being amongst the best i've read. A lot of that also recurs in Colorado Kid. The people in them actually feel alive. But having written so many stories, think King's moving away from plots and moving on to more "human" stories. The plot itself and its endings seem to be secondary.

There was also no "pace" in them. Something lacking in King books since his accident i.e. Dreamcatcher & Girl who loved Tom Gordon. Like flipping thru an album looking at pictures arranged in random order, from past and present. He may be a more mature writer with a greater flair of the language. But of his recent titles, i've only truly enjoyed Bag of Bones.

On blue days, when dark clouds cover the sun, i still find myself reaching out for the old King books on my shelf.

[Suspiria 666]

Dreamcatcher

[dw_horrorfan]

noctuary ..... if u really liked From a Buick 8, u'll LOVE colorado kid. More of the same stuff with more fleshed out characters.

Waiting for my copy of the Cell and teh upcoming Lisey's Story to see where he goes next. ;)

[noctuary]

Originally posted by dw_horrorfan
noctuary ..... if u really liked From a Buick 8, u'll LOVE colorado kid. More of the same stuff with more fleshed out characters.

Waiting for my copy of the Cell and teh upcoming Lisey's Story to see where he goes next. ;)
Is this out now? I ask because I've never heard of it. I'll definitely have to check it out though.

[dw_horrorfan]

Colorado Kid was released mid 2005 as part of a paperback Hard Case Crime's 2nd year series ... King was one the writers involved.

Link http://www.stephenking.com/colorado_kid_press_release/

Found a copy at a local bookshop and bought it for a lark coz it was cheap (its pretty thin, <200pgs) and a pretty quick read. Its in a similar vein as Buick 8, as it involves a bizzare mystery, but to say anything more would be to spoil it.

But i gotta warn u tho, u'll either love it / hate it. There's no middle ground here ... even King says so at the end of it.

The Cell is only out on hardcover here, no paperback yet. And Lisey's Story is only out in October.

[top-gunner]

i love every king book ive read....ive read about 15 or 16....my faves r It, Salem's Lot, and Desperation...im reading The Regulators rite now...been on page 170 for at least a week now lol....its good so far

[dw_horrorfan]

Desperation / Regulators still is one of my favorite King combos. I like his darker, more twisted tales. Loved The Dark Half, Pet Semetary, Shining, TommyKnockers, The Stand & It and of course the other Bachman books.

However, his short story collections are also top-notch in my books

[Roderick Usher]

King's best work, by far is ON WRITING

it is a memoir, but only of his writing life. Fascinating and inciteflu. The way he recounts his accident with the drunk driver is a harrowing, heart-felt and funny as snything he's ever written.

an absolute MUST for any aspiring (or working) writer:D

[virose_pt]

Originally posted by Roderick Usher
King's best work, by far is ON WRITING

it is a memoir, but only of his writing life. Fascinating and inciteflu. The way he recounts his accident with the drunk driver is a harrowing, heart-felt and funny as snything he's ever written.

an absolute MUST for any aspiring (or working) writer:D

Yes, it's a great book, just finished it for the second time recently.

Very interesting stuff for all the wannabe writers.

[dw_horrorfan]

Havent read "on writing" yet, but i did read King's earlier insight .. Dance Macarbe. Was actually quite engrossing seeing his point of view regarding books and movies on horror.

Also his take on the origins of most horror genres & themes seeding from the mindset of civilization during a particular era .. ie. the depression, the hippie-daze, technology & the cold war.

Not only a good read of the man behind the story but a also a good read in general. Funny at times too.

[psycho_butthead]

Originally posted by The Thing
Hey dudes and dudettes. Just wondering, what's everyone's fav Stephen King book? I think they're too big and only read the smaller ones so mine's Misery or Carrie. Both brilliant horror.:D I love the shining. no stephen king book is to big if you're a true fan.

[EvilPeronel]

My vote is for 'It', I've read it every year since I was fourteen. There are so many layers to this story, and the perspective of all of the 'losers' as children and adults is great. I particularly love the inserts from Mike's diary, where he discusses the history of Derry. Some of the stories he tells are the creepiest I've heard.

I agree that 'The Long Walk' is one of his best short stories. I find his 'Night Shift' collection to be the scariest of the short story sets i.e. Graveyard Shift, The Boogeyman, Sometimes They Come Back, Children of the Corn etc.

My favourite of his short stories was 'The Ledge'. Not a horror really, but it's interesting to be inside this mans head for the few minutes he is outside walking the ledge.

[roshiq]

No doubt, he has created some extraordinay superb stories (like The Dark Half, The Green Mile etc.) but I don't know... why I didn't enjoyed his most of the endings !?!:confused:

[the_real_linda]

he's overrated but cell is really good.....i borrowed it off a friend and he agrees that it was really good......its a must read book of now cuz its so tied up in contemporary culture

[dw_horrorfan]

Overrrated? hmm, i don't think so. As a storyteller i think he does quite well in laying his work out. (The Dark Tower series & the stand is a good testament to this).

He may have a few stories below par by his own standards, but taking into account the volumes that he has, can u blame him?

When i first started reading King (think Pet Sematary) i didnt think i was reading a "horror" writer, just a good story. In so many different genres / themes, some so far from "horror" (Shawshank Redemption, Green Mile, Colorado Kid) that its strange that he's still on the mantle.

He's gone thru a killed-off psuedonym, collaborations, tv-series, big-screen, radio, screenplays, shorts, online downloads, sports columns and many many avenues to get his work out. Dont think any other writer would be as adventurous.

Just finished the Talisman again, now gonna dig into Black House.

[the_real_linda]

i never said i wasnt a fan.... i love his work but some people hold him up to be better than he is

[dw_horrorfan]

sorry for the long-winded post. tho didnt mean it to be an attack or anything, just my 2 cents worth. no need to get defensive about being fan / not.

havent got my hands on the cell yet, waiting fot it to be out on paperback here ... still waiting.

biding time now reading ellery queen paperbacks from the 60's

[_____V_____]

Am reading "From a Buick 8" right now and curiously it reminds me much of Christine...

hmm...

[maineman]

Well I'm currently reading The Book With No Name by Anonymous which is scary as hell because the plot revolves around a book with no name by an anonymous author, and everyone who reads it dies!!
I picked it up because I read on another forum that it was written by Stephen King. Don't know if that's true or not, but it's a great book all the same.

[dw_horrorfan]

Been checking online about The Book With No Name .. sounds curious. Tho i hardly think its King's doing, still wouldn't put it past him to "branch out". Will wait for further news and see.....

[scaryminda15]

so crazy. Stephen King rocks now and always, i agree Edgar Alan Poe rocked and still rocks but since he past he is a legend but can't write anymore. i miss him and i didnt even know him at all lol. but he will be terribly missed.

Go Angra speak ur mind.




Scaredsilly you rock. hey there i am scaryminda15 or Minda. nice to meet you.

[stinking_dylan]

I've read a lot of horror authors, but I keep coming back to King. At the end of the day, I find his books the most enjoyable read. Favourite is probably It.

I also love Clive Barker, but don't count him as horror so much. More dark fantasy, like Tanith Lee. I love Imajica and Abarat (more for his illustrations).

I don't think King's the god of horror, but he is certainly the closest living thing we have. Nobody has contributed as much to horror as Stephen King. Not even Lovecraft, who may have had a great imagination (and I do like his stories), but was an awful writer and pretty mush a failure in his day. His current popularity is due to August Derlith's marketing more than Lovecrafts skill.

Poe was brilliant, but I don't think he contributed as much as King currently has, which is probably more to do with modern communication and marketing.

[dw_horrorfan]

I read them all and I'd say the ones that stand out for me are the Shning, Misery and Desperation.

Managed to watch Desperation on DVD. Has to be one of the better adaptations, quite faithful to the book. However, the pace of the movie was slow. Somehow, something always gets lost in translation. The terror implied by cop Collie just did not come off on screen. Not sure how those who havent read the book will find it tho? Any comments on this

Verdict: The book's still the better read.

Also. the new Lisey's Story is out on shelves last week. Anyone get a copy yet?

[Trilby Wearin' Maniac]

I'm a King fan, I used to take the massive ones like The Stand into sixth-form college to keep me going when I was stuck there and had 5 hour gaps between lessons! I find them more entertaining than scary, with the possible exception of The Shining which creeped me out more than the film with those topiary animals, and reading more about the history of the Overlook was interesting. I also rate IT, Christine, Salem's Lot, Misery, loads of others and also all the ones set in Castle Rock eg Needful Things (which was even better imo because of the crossovers with Stand By Me/The Body).

[TWILIGHTEYES]

Im A Stephen King Fan Just Read Hes Newest Book Cell. It Was Pretty Good. But My Favs Are, It, The Shining, Pet Sematary, Short Story Of Jeruselems Lot, Ive Also Read Christine And Carrie, The Dark Half,the Eye Of The Dragon That One Was A Fantasy Base Line ,salems Lot.

[DEATHH DREAMS author]

I agree with Noctuary about King, but The Reapers Image is a masterpiece of a short tale...