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dcbc

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Texas Wahoo

Texas Wahoo 3389

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Does anyone have any recommendations for next steps for someone that is new to King's books?  I just finished IT and loved it.  The first 1/4 of it took me over a year to read because of work, etc., but I could not put it down for last 900 or so pages.

I am thinking Pet Cemetery next, as I have heard it is good and I have not yet seen any movies based on it (unlike the Shining or Carrie, for instance).  I also don't think I have another 1000+ pager in my right now, so I will probably hold off on the Stand.  I picked up Lisey's Story at a garage sale last year, so I may just read that one because I already have it.  Thoughts?

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Texas St. Armadillos

Texas St. Armadillos 1381

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49 minutes ago, Texas Wahoo said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for next steps for someone that is new to King's books?  I just finished IT and loved it.  The first 1/4 of it took me over a year to read because of work, etc., but I could not put it down for last 900 or so pages.

I am thinking Pet Cemetery next, as I have heard it is good and I have not yet seen any movies based on it (unlike the Shining or Carrie, for instance).  I also don't think I have another 1000+ pager in my right now, so I will probably hold off on the Stand.  I picked up Lisey's Story at a garage sale last year, so I may just read that one because I already have it.  Thoughts?

Short Stories collection would be my recommendation.  Or even the Novellas.

Four Past Midnight

Everything's Eventual

Full Dark, No Stars

Just After Sunset

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

Skeleton Crew

Night Shift

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

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South Austin

South Austin 52431

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3 hours ago, Texas Wahoo said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for next steps for someone that is new to King's books?  I just finished IT and loved it.  The first 1/4 of it took me over a year to read because of work, etc., but I could not put it down for last 900 or so pages.

I am thinking Pet Cemetery next, as I have heard it is good and I have not yet seen any movies based on it (unlike the Shining or Carrie, for instance).  I also don't think I have another 1000+ pager in my right now, so I will probably hold off on the Stand.  I picked up Lisey's Story at a garage sale last year, so I may just read that one because I already have it.  Thoughts?

Pet Semetery is a great next read. You’ll love it.

Lisey’s Storey is good, but . . . weird. Lots of better King stories to read before that one.  Like ‘Salem’s Lot, Desperation, Christine, Duma Key, Bag of Bones, . . . .

The short story collection recommendation is a good one.

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31431

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I enjoyed the "latter day King" like Lisey's Story, Bag of Bones, and Duma Key.  But that was after gaining an appreciation for King's writing more generally, and that was on the "slasher" stuff.

The Shining is pretty good, even though you kind of know the story.  Doctor Sleep is a nice follow-up.

The Dead Zone is a good one.

Like most book/movie combos, there's more to the book.  Shawshank and Green Mile are a couple of exceptions, as their screenplays are really faithful to the books as is Stand By Me (The Body).  There's an element of humor in a lot of King's writing that gets lost in the movies.

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dcbc

dcbc 14464

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On 7/26/2019 at 3:05 PM, Texas Wahoo said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for next steps for someone that is new to King's books?  I just finished IT and loved it.  The first 1/4 of it took me over a year to read because of work, etc., but I could not put it down for last 900 or so pages.

I am thinking Pet Cemetery next, as I have heard it is good and I have not yet seen any movies based on it (unlike the Shining or Carrie, for instance).  I also don't think I have another 1000+ pager in my right now, so I will probably hold off on the Stand.  I picked up Lisey's Story at a garage sale last year, so I may just read that one because I already have it.  Thoughts?

11.22.63.  It's long, but not as long as IT.  But you will cruise through it.  And there is a portion of the book set in Derry in 1958, just after the events depicted in IT.

It's my, perhaps, not so popular opinion that these two books are neck and neck for King's best.  I'm just finishing the audiobook of IT for the second time after reading the book originally only a few years ago.  I absolutely love Derry as a setting. 

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Continental Op

Continental Op 3934

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On 7/26/2019 at 3:05 PM, Texas Wahoo said:

Does anyone have any recommendations for next steps for someone that is new to King's books?  I just finished IT and loved it.  The first 1/4 of it took me over a year to read because of work, etc., but I could not put it down for last 900 or so pages.

I am thinking Pet Cemetery next, as I have heard it is good and I have not yet seen any movies based on it (unlike the Shining or Carrie, for instance).  I also don't think I have another 1000+ pager in my right now, so I will probably hold off on the Stand.  I picked up Lisey's Story at a garage sale last year, so I may just read that one because I already have it.  Thoughts?

Salems Lot

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smwhorn

smwhorn 482

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Just finished The Outsider.  Very good read.  Definitely worth the effort.

I first started reading King when Salem's Lot came out.  I was about 13.  That was a long damn time ago. I just keep asking myself book after book -- how the fuck does he think this shit up?

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South Austin

South Austin 52431

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19 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Looks like the Langoliers is being released as a stand alone book in November.  I remember watching the TV series of it.  May have to get this one.

Probably the best of the four novellas in Four Past Midnight. Never saw the TV series. I thought the film adaptation of Secret Window, Secret Garden was meh.

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South Austin

South Austin 52431

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9 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I quite enjoyed Lisey's Story, Bag of Bones, and Duma Key, which I consider to be King's more "mature" (perhaps?) novels.  Whatever they are, they are something of a departure from his prior work.

Agreed. Those seemed to have captured an interesting period in his life. Of the three, I thought Lisey’s story was waaay out there.

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Rudiger

Rudiger 1160

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23 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I quite enjoyed Lisey's Story, Bag of Bones, and Duma Key, which I consider to be King's more "mature" (perhaps?) novels.  Whatever they are, they are something of a departure from his prior work.

Read Salem’s Lot immediately after Bag of Bones. You can really see the maturity of his storytelling when you read the two close together. That said, when I started Bag of Bones, I wasn’t thrilled that the main character was...wait for it...a writer.

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31431

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1 hour ago, SimonBolivar said:

Just now getting into King. Finished Joyland and just started The Stand. Obviously Joyland isn't a classic King book, but it was a fun little read. The Stand feels like it's going to be great 150 pages in.

Joyland was fun.  "Wearing the fur" cracked me up.

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dcbc

dcbc 14464

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Finished the Duma Key audiobook.  It wasn't bad, but it I didn't find it to be great.  Listening to Under the Dome now.  Seems a little more character driven in the "world building" sense that I have come to love about King's writing.  Plus, I like the concept as a Simpsons fan.

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 10957

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On 10/19/2019 at 9:54 AM, SimonBolivar said:

Just now getting into King. Finished Joyland and just started The Stand. Obviously Joyland isn't a classic King book, but it was a fun little read. The Stand feels like it's going to be great 150 pages in.

Put down the The Stand just because of it's length about 250 pages in, but I'll come back to it at some point.

Finished and my ranking:

1.) Mr. Mercedes 

2.) Joyland

3.) Elevation

 

None of those are classic King novels, but they're all really different and interesting in their own way.

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austingirl

austingirl 2191

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On 10/21/2019 at 3:43 PM, Noah Fence said:

Just finished The Institute.  It was a good read, not one his bests but I enjoyed it.

I'm halfway through and liking it a lot so far.

Started the second season of Castle Rock and was inspired to read Misery, which is one I had never gotten around to. I hadn't realized it was one of the few SK books with no supernatural shit - just a really evil human. And while many of his books feature the protagonist as a writer, Paul Sheldon seems particularly on-the-nose as a character who parallels King himself. The whole thing about trying to be a "serious" writer and feeling like he's held back by the success of his popular books, and literally being held captive by his "number one fan" - great stuff. A slightly less competent writer would've mucked it up.

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dcbc

dcbc 14464

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I just finished the Under the Dome audio book.  This one seems to be really underrated.  All of the world and character building of The Stand on a smaller scale, a shorter timeline, and, frankly, with better pacing.  Up Next . . . The Dead Zone.

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31431

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1 hour ago, South Austin said:

I thought Under the Dome was great.  Wasn't there a TV adaptation?  If so, was it any good?

I watched the first season.  It started strong and toward then end of the first, went kind of wonky.  Don't recall if it was a major deviation from the book or what, but I punted.

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Viper

Viper 12097

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Listened to The Talisman and it was ok. Kind of like a proto-Dark Tower young adult novel. Now listening to the sequel The Black House and it has maybe the most explicit connections to The Dark Tower that I can remember in a novel. It's a much more typical King novel about a serial killer in a small town (though not in Maine).

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Texas St. Armadillos

Texas St. Armadillos 1381

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On 11/10/2019 at 10:56 AM, austingirl said:

I'm halfway through and liking it a lot so far.

Started the second season of Castle Rock and was inspired to read Misery, which is one I had never gotten around to. I hadn't realized it was one of the few SK books with no supernatural shit - just a really evil human. And while many of his books feature the protagonist as a writer, Paul Sheldon seems particularly on-the-nose as a character who parallels King himself. The whole thing about trying to be a "serious" writer and feeling like he's held back by the success of his popular books, and literally being held captive by his "number one fan" - great stuff. A slightly less competent writer would've mucked it up.

One of my top King books.

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austingirl

austingirl 2191

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On 12/7/2019 at 4:50 PM, dcbc said:

I just finished the Under the Dome audio book.  This one seems to be really underrated.  All of the world and character building of The Stand on a smaller scale, a shorter timeline, and, frankly, with better pacing.  Up Next . . . The Dead Zone.

 

8 hours ago, South Austin said:

I thought Under the Dome was great.  Wasn't there a TV adaptation?  If so, was it any good?

Spoiler

I like Under the Dome but didn't think he stuck the landing at the end. A bit too "deus ex machina"-ish for me. Still enjoyable though.

 

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Continental Op

Continental Op 3934

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Decided to read On Writing and feel like diving back into his stuff.  Haven't read anything of his recently but started The Outsider since HBO is doing a series.  

Have read the following:

  • Salem's Lot
  • It
  • The Stand
  • The Gunslinger
  • Eyes of the Dragon
  • Misery
  • The Dark Half

I started Drawing of the Three many many years ago in late junior high and gave up on that.  

Salem's Lot and The Stand were the standouts for me.  What should I read next?  The Institute sounds interesting.  

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smwhorn

smwhorn 482

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11 minutes ago, Continental Op said:

Decided to read On Writing and feel like diving back into his stuff.  Haven't read anything of his recently but started The Outsider since HBO is doing a series.  

Have read the following:

  • Salem's Lot
  • It
  • The Stand
  • The Gunslinger
  • Eyes of the Dragon
  • Misery
  • The Dark Half

I started Drawing of the Three many many years ago in late junior high and gave up on that.  

Salem's Lot and The Stand were the standouts for me.  What should I read next?  The Institute sounds interesting.  

Dude.  The Shining.  

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South Austin

South Austin 52431

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14 hours ago, Continental Op said:

Decided to read On Writing and feel like diving back into his stuff.  Haven't read anything of his recently but started The Outsider since HBO is doing a series.  

Have read the following:

  • Salem's Lot
  • It
  • The Stand
  • The Gunslinger
  • Eyes of the Dragon
  • Misery
  • The Dark Half

I started Drawing of the Three many many years ago in late junior high and gave up on that.  

Salem's Lot and The Stand were the standouts for me.  What should I read next?  The Institute sounds interesting.  

Pet Semetary.

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Viper

Viper 12097

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17 hours ago, Continental Op said:

Decided to read On Writing and feel like diving back into his stuff.  Haven't read anything of his recently but started The Outsider since HBO is doing a series.  

Have read the following:

  • Salem's Lot
  • It
  • The Stand
  • The Gunslinger
  • Eyes of the Dragon
  • Misery
  • The Dark Half

I started Drawing of the Three many many years ago in late junior high and gave up on that.  

Salem's Lot and The Stand were the standouts for me.  What should I read next?  The Institute sounds interesting.  

Try "One for the Road" the short story in Night Shift. It's a sequel to Salem's Lot. There's also Jerusalem's Lot in that same collection which is I guess a prequel to Salem's Lot, but doesn't have much of any connection to the it other than being set in the same town.

 

Also try to finish Drawing of the Three and then read the Wastelands.  It's considered the best of the Dark Tower Trilogy. 

Edited by Viper
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