# The Stephen King Thread



## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Leslie and imallbs got me thinking about Herr King ....

I don't know if it's a matter of my age or maybe his age but once upon a time in high school and college I enjoyed reading things like _Carrie, The Stand, 'Salem's Lot, The Shining_ .... some of it scared the crap out of me and some I've read numerous times ... somewhere in the mid-80's I started skipping books. Some of this stuff I really enjoyed (_It_ is still one of the scariest things I've ever read) Others, (_Needful Things, The Tommyknockers_) left me flat. The last new thing I read by King was _Delores Clairborne_.

At some point, I felt like he wasn't really trying anymore - that I'd already read something ... I still sometimes go back and re-read some of his earlier works, but I don't have much desire to read anything written after the early 90's ....

So, how about you? Love him? Hate Him? Groupie? Tell me all your thoughts of King and his body of work ....


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I wasn't a fan of his "monster" books (ie., _It_), but I haven't attempted that one since high school, so maybe I'll give it another go one day. I do like how he writes about people, by putting them in a situation and just letting them degenerate. My favorites are the ones with no supernatural elements, just horrifying people, like _Misery_ and _Delores Claiborne_, although I also enjoy stuff like _The Dome_ where something supernatural sets things in motion. Actually, now that I think about it, his short stories are my very favorite.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

There was a rather active Stephen King thread here a long while back. . . I'll say what I said then.  I'm not into horror and really scary stuff, so am not inclined to read his books for that reason.  However, I did try, one time, to red a Stephen King book that I acquired some how -- book of the month or something.  Couldn't get past the 3rd chapter.  I mean, the scary stuff hadn't even started yet, I just couldn't figure out what was going on and why I should care about the people.

So, the local thrift store got a new 'bestseller' to sell for $3.   And I was cured of worrying that I was missing something great. . . .

Now:  you fans will want to know what the book was -- I don't even remember, not one of the super well known ones they made into movies is about all I can tell you, 'cause if it had been one of those the title probably would have stuck with me -- and, you'd probably say it wasn't one of his 'best efforts'.  Oh well.  I guess he's got plenty of folks who buy his books. . . .doesn't need li'l ol' me. 

Duma Key just popped into my head. . . .but I'm not even sure that's right. . . . .


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

My very first Stephen King book I read was The Stand. When I finished, I hated it. I mean -hated- it. I was only 18, and doggedly finished it just because I felt I should. I wasn't scared, there were a bajillion characters, it took forever to read, the ending was just strange, etc.

I then read Eye of the Dragon based on a recommendation of a friend and because it was a fantasy book. It was so vastly different than the Hack n Slash fantasy I was reading at the time that again I finished it out of pure determination (and a begrudging desire to at least know how it ended).

A year later I read Misery after watching parts of it on TV. It had some very good sections, but overall I still was not impressed. I swore to never read a Stephen King book again.

A year later my parents bought me a set of the first four books of the Dark Tower series for Christmas. Feeling obligated, I started the series. I finished the four books in about two weeks. About the same time my creative writing professor suggested we read On Writing by King, so I went out and bought that too. After that, I was hooked. I've pretty much devoured about everything he's written, I re-read the Stand, and I've sought out all his collections of short stories. He's just so determined to tell you a good story, no matter what, that I appreciate the devotion to his craft and the willingness to entertain so shamelessly.

To anyone that might be a bit curious of King but hesitant to jump into one of the much longer novels, his short stories are easily the best way to get introduced to his writing style and imagination. Everything's Eventual is probably my favorite.

David Dalglish

*edit*

Ack! This was my 666th post. How is that appropriate for a Stephen King thread?


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I have two shelves of Steve's books, I've been reading him since the seventies. Strangely, I haven't read "Carrie" yet. I thought "Under the Dome" was a return to form for him, perhaps because he started it a long time ago.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

I read everything he wrote until Gerald's Game, which I couldn't get into. But the glow was already fading anyway. I got older and lost interest in the supernatural. Now I'm intimidated by the sheer length of his books. I still think he's a great storyteller. And I thoroughly enjoyed On Writing. 
L.J.


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## pidgeon92 (Oct 27, 2008)

I was a big fan of him when I was a teenager and in my twenties. He's very hit-or-miss now. I haven't read the Dark Tower series, but my husband has and he really enjoyed them. The last book of his that I really enjoyed was Bag of Bones. I picked up his most recent set of short stories, but haven't read them yet.

I read his son's book Heart Shaped Box, and didn't like it at all. It was very formulaic, and could have been written by his father. I also read the short story anthology 20th Century Ghosts. Of the 15 stories, I found three that were worth reading.


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## AlexJouJou (May 16, 2010)

Hmm. I just re bought The Stand. IIRC I read it as a teen in the late 70's or early 80's and I really liked it. I think I read a couple more becuase he was the "it" author growing up and some teacher or another assigned something. Must not have liked it because I don't remember it. 

I generally do not like horror. Far as I knew much of his stuff is horror (other than The Stand). Maybe I'll have to look at some of it. That new huge one looked interesting to me (sort of like The Stand). Any suggestions if I want to look at a couple (no horror and no short stories please). What's this Dark Tower one? I'll go search the older thread if I can find it as well.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

The Dark Tower is seven or eight books (I'm too lazy to look it up) that combine westerns, science fiction, fantasy, and towards the end, Steve himself becomes a character. It's not horror, but has horror elements.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I was never really interested in the Dark Tower series. I think that's when I first started skipping books. I'm not a big horror fan - but even with movies I love a good psycho-horror so things like _Misery_ really appealed to me. I think, in part, that's what I liked about The Shining, It and _Carrie_ - they played with common fears and insecurities instead of just creating a Freddy Krueger monster to chop up over-sexed teens.

The books that I liked I still like and I can't really say why I haven't been interested in trying more .... looking at his bibliography, I'm now about 700 books behind and I don't think I'm that interested in catching up.


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

It sounds like many of you, I hit King when I was younger. First book of his that I read was "Salem's Lot" and followed by "The Stand."  Both I thought were excellent.  Have followed him over the years.  Went to his book reading here in town for "Lisey's Story" several years ago.  That was a fun night with a fun crowd -- people packing books and talking across the aisles and comparing stories.  King could have stood up on stage and made armpit farting noises and not said a word and he still would have rocked the house.  

I don't follow him as voraciously as I did when I was younger.  But every couple of years I start poking around to see what he has put out. "Gerald's Game" was the only book of King's that I remember setting aside and not finishing.  And I love looking for the clues and references he places to his other books in his novels.  I have to set back and relax and not try to rush his books -- you have to enjoy the journey.


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## Tripp (May 28, 2009)

I loved The Stand.  No one seems to mention it but my other King favorite is The Green Mile.  I am hit or miss on Stephen King, but when it is hit, I really enjoy it.


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

Time changes us all including Mr. King!  I just re-read the first two books of The Gunslinger series now that all editions are available on the Kindle.  Mr. King writes a forward in these updated versions about his impressions of his own writing.  He was young when he began the series and sees his own work with older, wiser, more experienced eyes.  It's worth reading his forward, if not the books again.

As with anything that is around for years and years, we can tend to tire of it.  I put Stephen King aside for years.  I just got tired of those type of books.  I got tired of Robert Ludlum, Dean Koontz, Nelson DeMille, Ken Follet, even Anne Rice!  I do this with music too... just sometimes needing a break from an artist.  It doesn't mean I stopped liking them, I just needed a change.


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## planet_janet (Feb 23, 2010)

I was a huge Stephen King fan when I was younger (early teens-early 20s).  I loved books such as Carrie, Cujo, Pet Semetary (which to this day, I would read and re-read), The Shining, It, Skeleton Crew, Different Seasons, and Night Shift, to name a few.  I stopped reading his work in the mid 90s.  I guess I just lost interest in his newer offerings.  That being said, I do want to read Under the Dome (but not at the current e-book price   ).


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## scottnicholson (Jan 31, 2010)

I've read almost all of the early stuff but lost steam around the Bag of Bones era. I tried the Cell but I didn't care about the characters, which was my main attraction to his work. Still, he is one of the best living American writers. Misery and The Shining are among my favorite books, and of course he was influential to my own writing.

Scott


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

Stephen King is by far my favorite author.  Shawshank Redemption has always been my favorite, and of course it was published in a book of his short stories.  I agree with others, he seems to do better with his short stories than anything else.  But I love all of his books, they are about the only books I've bought in hardback version over the years.  I even belong to The Stephen King Fan Club.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

Shawshank Redemption is a great story (and an even great movie).

I'm not a huge King fan, even though I love suspense.  I think THE STAND is superb -- even now.  Really like 'SALEM'S LOT, MISERY, IT (except for the dumb ending -- but most of it is really suspenseful), to name a few.  Most of his stuff, though, leaves me cold.  I thought THE CELL was very, very bad.

I hate King's dependence on stupid song lyrics to move his story forward and his crude language, and the childish and, often, repetitive dialogue.  He is not a gifted writer; he can be a good storyteller, though.

There is a difference.

Having said that, I've taken a try on UNDER THE DOME, but have not yet read it.

You know, crude language doesn't always bother me... it depends upon the context in which it is used.  If used in a cop story, it makes sense.  But with King, I often get the feeling he is just lazy.

Just my opinion.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

And I, Leslie, who gets mentioned in the first post of this thread...

Who lives in Maine, home of Mr. Stephen King...

Who has driven by his home in Bangor...

Who has actually met him at his daughter's restaurant and we shook hands (his daughter has since closed the restaurant, much to my dismay...it was terrific)...

I don't read Stephen King books. I read _Carrie_ and hated it and read the first few chapters of _Cujo_--I only read that because it was given to me as a gift but it didn't take me long to realize it was not my cup of tea. And that was it. I'll give an author a try or two but if I don't like his/her style of writing, I am not going to keep torturing myself to find out if I do like his/her style of writing--I have discovered that while authors might write different stories, they way they write doesn't change. So SK is off my list, despite how many times people tell me that I should read _The Dome_ or _The Stand_ or whatever. First impressions count and Mr. King blew it.

L


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

I've purchased every book he has written, most of them in HB.  Personally, I like his earlier works better than the more recent stuff he's put out.  I do love the Dark Tower series.  I love his short stories.  Since Gerald's Game, I've been kind of "meh" about the novels that he has put out, but I still faithfully read them, since I don't put them in the horrible category.  I did enjoy Duma Key, The Regulators (which totally freaked me out) and Desperation, as some of his "later" works.

But yeah, I guess I can be considered a King addict.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Dear Leslie:

Of course you know I'm a fierce Stephen King reader. My editor, Peg of the Red Pencil read _It_, hated _IT_ and refused to read King again. So, I played a little trick. I gave her _The Gunslinger _ and told her that she needed to read it, beginning to end and I'd have another gift for her. She did, and of course the gift was the other six books of _The Dark Tower _ series. Her opinion of King has been modified. She's nearing the end of _The Waste Lands _ and going strong. Of course, most people don't realize that King has different writing styles in various genres - I shouldn't call them writing style, but approaches. And such works as _The Dark Tower _ and _Different Seasons_ (superbly written) were not directed at his fan base. That being said . . .

Pick up _The Gunslinger_ and "Do not shoot with your hand." 

Ed Patterson


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

ive read just about everything he has put out..except for Insomnia..any opinions on that one?


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Like some other readers here, Stephen King was my favorite author in my teens and twenties, but he started veering off (or maybe I started wondering away) somewhere around the publication of _It_; _Needful Things_ pretty much killed my interest. I still read his books now and then, but the pure joy is gone. The last three books of the Dark Tower are bad, bad, bad. And not the hip kind of _bad_ either.


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## Tracey (Mar 18, 2010)

I have read nearly everything that King has done and I still love him.

UTD, for me, was him back at his best, except I hated the ending, I thought it was rushed and I thought it was a bit silly.



> ive read just about everything he has put out..except for Insomnia..any opinions on that one?


I really liked this book, the only thing was that I found myself doing exactly what the character in the book did until I finished the book


Spoiler



(ie. having Insomnia and waking up earlier and earlier everyday)


 _(just in case this spoils the story a bit)_. It was really frustrating. I know of one other person that this happened to as well. I would say give it a go though if you like King.


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

Fuzzy Dunlop said:


> ive read just about everything he has put out..except for Insomnia..any opinions on that one?


 I enjoyed it. It has a subplot of a lovely romance, which was unexpected and delightful, IMO.

I'm a SK fan. I've read almost everything, I think Duma Key is the only one I haven't. My first was Firestarter and I was hooked.
The Stand is one of my all time favourite books, I have read it 14 times ( I used to take it on holiday and re-read it every year, lol)

Other favourites are The Talisman ( not so much Black House, the sequel) and The Shining ( this book literally gave me nightmares)

The Dark Tower series is awesome, I plan to re-read it soon. I recently read UTD ( on my Kindle  ) and loved it! I agree with Tracey a little though, the ending seemed a little rushed and didn't feel "complete".


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## Trilby (Jul 26, 2009)

I really got into reading when I was about 13yrs old and *Carrie* was what got me going. Once King became popular and the movies started, I just watched the movies instead of reading the books. His books like The Stand didn't interest me,...but *The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon*, that was Awesome! I couldn't put the book down and even read while in a car driving down I-91 in Vermont. lol


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

Insomnia was one of the few books by King that I did not like. But I do recommend it to people with Insomnia.

Ed Patterson


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## OliverCrommer (May 17, 2010)

As an author, I think he is excellent. He can really write, and although I am not a fan of horror, I can appreciate his good writing style. It's simple, and doesn't talk down to the reader.

However, I was unable to get through any of his novels. That being said, I've read his short stories, and he's a master of the craft.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

L.J. Sellers said:
 

> I read everything he wrote until Gerald's Game, which I couldn't get into. But the glow was already fading anyway. I got older and lost interest in the supernatural. Now I'm intimidated by the sheer length of his books. I still think he's a great storyteller. And I thoroughly enjoyed On Writing.
> L.J.


_On Writing_ is one of my favorite books about the craft of writing. King really ties together how his personal life affected his writing and vice versa, and it's fascinating.

Other than that, _Different Seasons _ and _Misery_ are my faves. _Different Seasons_ inspired two great movies _Stand by Me _ and _The Shawshank Redemption _ (I've not seen the movie version of "Apt Pupil," so I won't comment on that). As a writer, the premise of _Misery_ intrigues me, the Scherazade plot and the story within the story aspect that again, shows how life affects writing.

Novel wise, I far prefer his earlier stuff to his later stuff. Not sure why exactly--the characters in the earlier novels appeal more to me, I think.


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

I think he is one of the best scary story and mystery writers out there


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

Am I the only put off by the repetitive baby-type language in his books?  Or the repetitive song lyrics?  

I like King, as I said in a previous post on this thread, but I find the two devices mentioned above annoying.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I'm really not into the horror genre to begin with, so that was strike one against him. I've tried maybe 3, possibly 4 of his novels and never finished one of them. I think the other two strikes tended to be characters I didn't care about and a writing style I generally found non-involving for my tastes. I did finish is book _On Writing_, but I cheated by skipping over a majority of the autobiographical stuff.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

NogDog said:


> I'm really not into the horror genre to begin with, so that was strike one against him. I've tried maybe 3, possibly 4 of his novels and never finished one of them. I think the other two strikes tended to be characters I didn't care about and a writing style I generally found non-involving for my tastes. I did finish is book _On Writing_, but I cheated by skipping over a majority of the autobiographical stuff.


I read _On Writing_ and while there were some interesting bits, I found it to be a vanity piece by Mr. King about how fabulous a writer Mr. King is ... I think that's what put me off of reading anything new by him.


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## Sassafrazzled (Mar 14, 2010)

Chloista said:


> Am I the only put off by the repetitive baby-type language in his books? Or the repetitive song lyrics?


I'm not a big fan of his writing style either. I've always thought that some of his books would probably have worked better as graphic novels.
That being said, I think he has a real gift for storytelling.


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

Chloista said:


> Am I the only put off by the repetitive baby-type language in his books? Or the repetitive song lyrics?
> 
> I like King, as I said in a previous post on this thread, but I find the two devices mentioned above annoying.


Not really, because I enjoy his stories. One thing that does annoy a little ( sometimes a lot) is his habit of telegraphing that a character is going to die " _Jimmy sipped his coffee, not knowing it was the last thing he would ever drink"_


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

Help. I'm having brain freeze. I really liked the one about the guy who knew what was going to happen before it did, and can't remember the title! I'm sorry. It will come to me. But until it does, I like the Stand, too. Don't like his later works.


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

vickir said:


> Help. I'm having brain freeze. I really liked the one about the guy who knew what was going to happen before it did, and can't remember the title! I'm sorry. It will come to me. But until it does, I like the Stand, too. Don't like his later works.


The Dead Zone?


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

Thank you, DNA girl. It was the Dead Zone. My fav of King's books.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I love the Dead Zone - and even the original Walken film (not the TV show).

Ed Patterson


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

The original Walken film is worth seeing at least once, if you've never seen it.  I love the part where he wakes up in the institution.


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## bookoffers (Mar 2, 2010)

Stephen King Books:

SkeleSkeleton Crew
Skin The Skin Trade
StandStand Captain Trips First Slipcased Edition
StandThe Stand
StormStorm of the Century
Two DThe Two Dead Girls
UmneyUmney's Last Case
UnderUnder the Dome
WasteThe Waste Lands
WizarWizard and Glass


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## Taborcarn (Dec 15, 2009)

purplepen79 said:


> The original Walken film is worth seeing at least once, if you've never seen it. I love the part where he wakes up in the institution.


I loved the parody sketches he did of The Dead Zone when he hosted Saturday Night Live right after the movie came out. They're on the best of Christoper Walken DVD, which I recently watched on Netflix.


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## L.J. Sellers novelist (Feb 28, 2010)

I watched The Dead Zone again just the other night. It's still great great! But I'm a Christopher Walken fan.


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## Chloista (Jun 27, 2009)

L.J. Sellers said:


> I watched The Dead Zone again just the other night. It's still great great! But I'm a Christopher Walken fan.


LOVE Christopher Walken -- esp. in "Prophecy."

For those of you familiar with Preston/Child's series about Special Agent Pendergast, I've always thought Christopher Walken would have made a great Pendergast had any of the books been made into a movie when Walken was a bit younger. Walken has the thin, guant, pallid and blonde look that Pendergast is described as having. I think he would have made a great Pendergast.

Oops! Went off-topic! Sorry!


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I liked Walken singing a duet with John travolta (in drag) in Hairspray.  

Ed Patterson


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

L.J. Sellers said:


> I watched The Dead Zone again just the other night. It's still great great! But I'm a Christopher Walken fan.


Speaking of Mr. Walken.... I just saw him in A Behanding in Spokane. Wow.... he was awesome. It was so cool seeing him perform live.


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

One of my favorite Christopher Walken roles is the crazy exterminator in _Mouse Hunt_ .


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

. and the nutty father in _Blast from the Past_. 

Ed Patterson


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## traceya (Apr 26, 2010)

Hi,
Interesting thread.

I always think three things about Stephen King - 
1. I would hate to live inside his head given some of the stuff that comes out of it
2. I would love to have his level of followers and body of work
3. I never know whether I'm going to love the story or hate it because when I read King it's so often hit or miss, but when he does hit I find that a lot of the stuff tends to stay stuck in my head for a long, long time - I guess that's the mark of a gifted storyteller.

Cheers,
Trace


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

> I always think three things about Stephen King -
> 1. I would hate to live inside his head given some of the stuff that comes out of it
> 2. I would love to have his level of followers and body of work
> 3. I never know whether I'm going to love the story or hate it because when I read King it's so often hit or miss, but when he does hit I find that a lot of the stuff tends to stay stuck in my head for a long, long time - I guess that's the mark of a gifted storyteller.


You summed it up perfectly. I still have King flashbacks whenever I see tennis shoes hanging over telephone wires (they're here!). He makes the innocuous stick with you... and oftentimes in a sinister way. I picked up a little toad in my pumphouse last night and was holding it in my palm thinking about the evils of "giant purple frogs with teeth." And whenever someone in my family gets a cold, if it is a bad one we call it "Captain Trips."


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

Blanche said:


> .........And whenever someone in my family gets a cold, if it is a bad one we call it "Captain Trips."


....and in the back of the theater somebody sneezed! (I think that is the line, it may be "coughed"... but you know what I mean.)

A few years ago I participated in the MS Bike Ride in NYC and we got to cycle through the Lincoln Tunnel. All I could think of was that scene in The Stand when the characters escaped NYC.... of course it wasn't pitch black and filled with corpses when I passed through!


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## Tabby (Oct 7, 2009)

Tripp said:


> I loved The Stand. No one seems to mention it but my other King favorite is The Green Mile. I am hit or miss on Stephen King, but when it is hit, I really enjoy it.


Yes, The Green Mile is one that many forget. I remember how anxious I was for each installment to be published. I also loved The Stand and read it twice. Under the Dome did remind me of The Stand in many ways and was a good book, but it was not nearly as good as The Stand. That is a masterpiece! A couple of my other favorites are Gerald's Game and Misery.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Oh yeah, the Lincoln Tunnel has stayed with me since I first read "The Stand." And nothing happens. The dead don't come to life, they are just dead. But the character's imagination as he goes through makes it a very memorable scene.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I have read most of Stephen King's 60 plus novels. The one's missing from my noggin are the more recent ones. Now that all the early ones are available on the Kindle, I will probably re-read a few. I have ead the Dark Tower 3 times, and istened to it twi on audio books. Although I do not author hooror genre books, King has ben one of my principle mentors.

Edwrd C. Patterson


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## Tracey (Mar 18, 2010)

> The Green Mile is one that many forget. I remember how anxious I was for each installment to be published.


I waited for all of them to come out and then read them all in one go. There was no way I would have been able to go and read one book a month and hang until the next month.


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## sbaum4853 (May 3, 2010)

I agree with the original post -- the early stuff was great, but he's lost a lot of steam since then.

For me, these were the ones that really, really worked:
_It_ (the absolute masterpiece).
_The Stand_ 
_Carrie_ 
_The Long Walk_ (written as Bachman) 
_The Shining_


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## purplepen79 (May 6, 2010)

@Blanche
@Magenta

I couldn't agree more---you both made your points well. I know whenever I get a cold now, I always think of Captain Trips . . . and shiver just a bit. Or when I look in the gutter when I'm walking down the street, I half expect to see Pennywise down there with his balloons, and I don't even like _It_ as a novel. However, some of the scenes in _It_ are so fully realized and horrific that they stick with me, just as many of the scenes King writes stick with me. I think his legacy will last for a long time and enter into our collective subconscious, whether we as individuals like his writing or not.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

It's funny. My editor who dislikes King, but I have reading (and liking The dark Tower) is encountering all the events and characters from his other books in that work and I'm having fun relating those to her. She just came across Captain Trips in Wizard and Glass.

Ed Patterson


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