The Stephen King Thread

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

3 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

Updated rankings having finished Dark Tower 1 & 2, Salem's Lot, Billy Summers, Misery, and 11/22/63 in the last couple of years.

 

1.) IT

2.) The Institute

3.) 11/22/63

4.) Joyland

5.) The Outsider

6.) Finder's Keepers

7.) Needful Things

8.) Salem's Lot

9.) Misery

10.) Mr Mercedes

11.) 1922

12.) End of Watch

13.) Dart Tower I: The Gunslinger

14.) Billy Summers

15.) Revival 

16.) Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three

17.) Elevation

Rankings of course set to change daily based upon mood. 

 

about 10% done with The Shining, need to finish The Stand and Fairy Tale at some point but not sure when I'll get back to them. I'm not going back to Dark Tower until I've read a lot more of his earlier works.

Gunslinger was cool but imo drawing of the three was phenomenal.  

[SimonBolivar 10957]

35 minutes ago, Coach pop a bitch said:

Gunslinger was cool but imo drawing of the three was phenomenal.  

I liked the way it weaved NYC in with the story, but I wasn't feeling it for some reason. I think the infection and two minds part played a bit long for me personally, but I can see people loving it. Also I hadn't read much of his early stuff when I was reading it so I decided to stop the series and catch-up before too many reoccurring characters showed up.

Edited December 29, 2023 by SimonBolivar

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

31 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

I liked the way it weaved NYC in with the story, but I wasn't feeling it for some reason. I think the infection and two minds part played a bit long for me personally, but I can see people loving it.

I loved drawing of the three as soon as the lobstrosities came into play.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

17 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Just started Thinner.  Not very far yet, but seems OK? so far.  Guess I'm just used to loving King books from the jump.  

Without spoilers, is this one a like/dislike of King?

I think it's a pretty ripping yarn myself.  It is, underneath, an examination of Americans' or more broadly, humans', intense desire to level blame when something bad happens.

That said, it is not one I have re-read.  Probably need to.  My big re-reads include Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary, Christine, Needful Things, Carrie, among others.

[Elmer_Fudd 22198]

Thanks for the replies.  I'm further along today and it's definitely picked up and enjoying it more.

[South Austin 52448]

On 12/29/2023 at 4:06 PM, TwiceHorn said:

That said, it is not one I have re-read.  Probably need to.  My big re-reads include Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary, Christine, Needful Things, Carrie, among others.

Interesting side discussion on re-reads.

Mine have been Pet Sematary, It, Rose Madder, Desperation, and Duma Key. I’d definitely give Salem’s Lot another read. I’ve always wanted to give Insomnia a re-read. I like that book more than most, but it’s also a slow grind.

[dcbc 14465]

On 12/31/2023 at 8:28 AM, South Austin said:

Interesting side discussion on re-reads.

Mine have been Pet Sematary, It, Rose Madder, Desperation, and Duma Key. I’d definitely give Salem’s Lot another read. I’ve always wanted to give Insomnia a re-read. I like that book more than most, but it’s also a slow grind.

I couldn't get through a third of the Insomnia audiobook unfortunately.

 

Finished Billy Summers recently.  Really enjoyed it.  Relistened to On Writing, which I recommend highly.

 

Now I'm giving a relisten to Under the Dome before I jump back into It -> 11/22/63.

[LCHorn 2612]

5 minutes ago, dcbc said:

I couldn't get through a third of the Insomnia audiobook unfortunately.

 

Finished Billy Summers recently.  Really enjoyed it.  Relistened to On Writing, which I recommend highly.

 

Now I'm giving a relisten to Under the Dome before I jump back into It -> 11/22/63.

So the Kingcast guys just had Matt Fraction on to discuss Wolves of the Calla and they pointed out something I hadn’t really considered-his writing differs a great deal pre-and post accident.  It sounds like you prefer the latter.

[dcbc 14465]

9 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

So the Kingcast guys just had Matt Fraction on to discuss Wolves of the Calla and they pointed out something I hadn’t really considered-his writing differs a great deal pre-and post accident.  It sounds like you prefer the latter.

I don't know that I'd say that.  While I think 11.22.63 is his best, I rank IT a very close second with The Shining and The Stand in the 3 and 4 spots respectively.  Big fan of Pet Semetary and Different Seasons as well.  I'm just circling back around to some of the more recent things lately.

[South Austin 52448]

16 hours ago, dcbc said:

I couldn't get through a third of the Insomnia audiobook unfortunately.

Before I read Insomnia, someone somewhere advised that the first 100 pages or so are a slogfest, but then it picks up and gets really good. I thought they were right, but also understand that the book might not be the cup of tea for the average King fan.

[dcbc 14465]

9 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Before I read Insomnia, someone somewhere advised that the first 100 pages or so are a slogfest, but then it picks up and gets really good. I thought they were right, but also understand that the book might not be the cup of tea for the average King fan.

I may try it again at some point.  I can't remember exactly how far through I got, but it was several hours worth of listening.

[Elmer_Fudd 22198]

Got the Langoliers today, anyone read it?  I remember watching the mini-series as a kid and seeing the reveal of the Langoliers looking like cgi meatballs with razor teeth.

[NorthLoop 14180]

It's a shame that so many of his books got made into cheesy made for TV movies with shitty production value. 

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

4 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

It's a shame that so many of his books got made into cheesy made for TV movies with shitty production value. 

One I did enjoy was the outsider. 

[TwiceHorn 31438]

On 1/8/2024 at 2:59 PM, LCHorn said:

So the Kingcast guys just had Matt Fraction on to discuss Wolves of the Calla and they pointed out something I hadn’t really considered-his writing differs a great deal pre-and post accident.  It sounds like you prefer the latter.

Also a bit pre- and post-sobriety, which is about 1990.

[South Austin 52448]

19 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Got the Langoliers today, anyone read it?  I remember watching the mini-series as a kid and seeing the reveal of the Langoliers looking like cgi meatballs with razor teeth.

Did you get that as a stand-alone or as part of Four Past Midnight? I read the novella as part of the latter a long time ago and remember enjoying it. Never saw the TV series.

13 hours ago, Coach pop a bitch said:

One I did enjoy was the outsider. 

Yeah, that was damn good, and a great novel. 

[Elmer_Fudd 22198]

3 hours ago, South Austin said:

Did you get that as a stand-alone or as part of Four Past Midnight? I read the novella as part of the latter a long time ago and remember enjoying it. Never saw the TV series.

Stand-alone.  Got it at B&N.

 

[LCHorn 2612]

For those of you Dark Tower fans, who is a realistic option today (I.e., 1970’s Eastwood isn’t an option) to cast as Roland in the Flanagan Amazon adaptation?

 

[Mikey4 2476]

Finished Fairy Tale yesterday and loved it. King is the GOAT storyteller, and I like how he merges themes found in so many classic fantasy novels. Here are some of the themes and the books of which they reminded me:

Spoiler

Finding a portal to another world in an old shed - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or 11/22/63 (technically our world, but same idea)

Bloodsport among captives in deep maleen - Hunger Games

The journey to the deep well and gogmagog - IT (traveling deep underground to confront the creature from another dimension)

And the whole crusading through a foreign land meeting friends and fighting foes reminded me a bit of Tolkien.

Great book, would recommend.

[rage-a-holic 4374]

On 1/22/2024 at 11:14 AM, LCHorn said:

For those of you Dark Tower fans, who is a realistic option today (I.e., 1970’s Eastwood isn’t an option) to cast as Roland in the Flanagan Amazon adaptation?

 

Scott

[Mikey4 2476]

Finished Green Mile. I liked it, though it took way too long to get into the story. 

Started Salems Lot over the weekend. Enjoying it so far.

Edited February 19 by Mikey4

[South Austin 52448]

Green Mile is one of those King books I’ve never had any desire to read for some reason. Loved the film.

The Salem’s Lot movie freaked me out as a kid, and I loved the book when I read it in my early 20s. I might need to give it another read.

[NorthLoop 14180]

Started The Gunslinger. So far it reads quite differently than his other books, however I believe he started this one when he was very young. 

[MrX 727]

On 1/22/2024 at 10:14 AM, LCHorn said:

For those of you Dark Tower fans, who is a realistic option today (I.e., 1970’s Eastwood isn’t an option) to cast as Roland in the Flanagan Amazon adaptation?

 

I think Viggo could do it. 

[TwiceHorn 31438]

On 2/20/2024 at 4:36 AM, South Austin said:

Green Mile is one of those King books I’ve never had any desire to read for some reason. Loved the film.

The Salem’s Lot movie freaked me out as a kid, and I loved the book when I read it in my early 20s. I might need to give it another read.

You should. While the film is very faithful, it has so many great SK characters it is a very worthwhile read. 

And, it's got this quote, among many King quotes I love: We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long. 

Up there with:

I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

And

The soil of a man's heart is stonier, Louis. A man grows what he can, and he tends it. 'Cause what you buy, is what you own. And what you own... always comes home to you.

[South Austin 52448]

23 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

You should. While the film is very faithful, it has so many great SK characters it is a very worthwhile read. 

And, it's got this quote, among many King quotes I love: We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long. 

Up there with:

I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?

And

The soil of a man's heart is stonier, Louis. A man grows what he can, and he tends it. 'Cause what you buy, is what you own. And what you own... always comes home to you.

All good ones, but this is by far my favorite Stephen King quote, and maybe my favorite of all books all time, the intro to The Body. It’s stayed with me since high school.

“The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them -- words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.“

Edited March 17 by South Austin

[TwiceHorn 31438]

49 minutes ago, South Austin said:

All good ones, but this is by far my favorite Stephen King quote, and maybe my favorite of all books all time, the intro to The Body. It’s stayed with me since high school.

“The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them -- words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.“

The Body is pure gold. Really one of the better things anyone has written in the last century or so. 

[South Austin 52448]

2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

The Body is pure gold. Really one of the better things anyone has written in the last century or so. 

And talk about a fucking incredible film adaptation – actors, location, soundtrack, and one of the best film narrations of all time by Richard Dreyfuss.

[dcbc 14465]

There are lots of great SK quotes.  Here is my favorite, from my favorite book:

 

“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.”
― Stephen King, 11/22/63

[NorthLoop 14180]

Reading The Drawing of the Three and really enjoying it

[Elmer_Fudd 22198]

8 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

Reading The Drawing of the Three and really enjoying it

Oh yeah I loved that one.  

[SimonBolivar 10957]

Good podcast on Stephen King from NYT Book Review this week.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/05/books/review/podcast-stephen-king-50-years.html

[NorthLoop 14180]

So Dark Tower question - should I read The Wind Through the Keyhole in between 4 & 5? Or read it last since it came out last? 

[dcbc 14465]

I just finished the IT audiobook for who knows how many times.  Chapter 6 of the Epilogue is some of King's best work.  Just beautifully written.

[dcbc 14465]

4 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

So Dark Tower question - should I read The Wind Through the Keyhole in between 4 & 5? Or read it last since it came out last? 

I still haven't read it.  It's just a couple of side stories from what I understand.  If it's been a while since you read Salem's Lot, it might be a better tie-in at that point in the series.

[LCHorn 2612]

On 4/6/2024 at 4:32 PM, SimonBolivar said:

Good podcast on Stephen King from NYT Book Review this week.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/05/books/review/podcast-stephen-king-50-years.html

Thanks for sharing this; I love the Damon Lindelof anecdotes.  

[rage-a-holic 4374]

On 4/11/2024 at 11:21 AM, NorthLoop said:

So Dark Tower question - should I read The Wind Through the Keyhole in between 4 & 5? Or read it last since it came out last? 

I would. You won't be lost without it, but I wish it had been released before I read the entire series.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

On 4/6/2024 at 4:32 PM, SimonBolivar said:

Good podcast on Stephen King from NYT Book Review this week.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/05/books/review/podcast-stephen-king-50-years.html

I listened to this yesterday while I was driving, thanks.  Was a great interview.

 

[SimonBolivar 10957]

I decided to fill in all my missing King by reading in publication order and quickly added Carrie and Rage which were both good. I'm trying to decide now if I want to read all the short stories or just stick to the novels then circle back to the short stories later. I'm guessing that would hurt my Dark Tower books 3 through whatever I haven't read yet.

[NorthLoop 14180]

21 hours ago, SimonBolivar said:

I decided to fill in all my missing King by reading in publication order and quickly added Carrie and Rage which were both good. I'm trying to decide now if I want to read all the short stories or just stick to the novels then circle back to the short stories later. I'm guessing that would hurt my Dark Tower books 3 through whatever I haven't read yet.

The only short story book I've read is If It Bleeds, but one of those stories is basically the 5th Holly Gibney chapter so you probably wanna read it. It's pretty good too. 

[MrX 727]

Read the short stories. IMO, it is King’s best medium. 

[South Austin 52448]

17 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

The only short story book I've read is If It Bleeds, but one of those stories is basically the 5th Holly Gibney chapter so you probably wanna read it. It's pretty good too. 

And that was a really good one.  Probably could be its own HBO mini-series.

17 hours ago, MrX said:

Read the short stories. IMO, it is King’s best medium. 

I won't go that far.  There are a few misses among the many hits in his short story collections.  But I've read most of them, and they're great.  I do prefer his novels, though.

[dcbc 14465]

On 5/24/2024 at 8:14 AM, South Austin said:

And that was a really good one.  Probably could be its own HBO mini-series.

I won't go that far.  There are a few misses among the many hits in his short story collections.  But I've read most of them, and they're great.  I do prefer his novels, though.

I'm in the middle of the Skeleton Crew audio book.  Some of it is brilliant and some of it is so-so.  Mostly good though.

[South Austin 52448]

On 6/2/2024 at 8:36 PM, dcbc said:

I'm in the middle of the Skeleton Crew audio book.  Some of it is brilliant and some of it is so-so.  Mostly good though.

Yeah, I recall that Skeleton Crew was not as good as his other short story collections.  I liked The Mist.  Survivor Type was cool.  The Raft was good and was in Creepshow II.  I don't remember much else.  I read it in middle school or high school.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

27 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Yeah, I recall that Skeleton Crew was not as good as his other short story collections.  I liked The Mist.  Survivor Type was cool.  The Raft was good and was in Creepshow II.  I don't remember much else.  I read it in middle school or high school.

Dude, The Jaunt. Word Processor of the Gods.

Worth re-reading.

Edited June 4 by TwiceHorn

[LCHorn 2612]

On 6/2/2024 at 8:36 PM, dcbc said:

I'm in the middle of the Skeleton Crew audio book.  Some of it is brilliant and some of it is so-so.  Mostly good though.

I think it’s important to remember the medium in which those early short stories were published-they were all in skin mags, to break up the monotony of nude photos or otherwise provide a veneer of sophistication to someone who just finished some self-gratification.
 

They are punchy, provocative, by turns gross and pulpy, and all of that is intentional.  

9 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

The Jaunt.

Aka, the scariest, most efficient story King has ever written.  

[TwiceHorn 31438]

22 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

I think it’s important to remember the medium in which those early short stories were published-they were all in skin mags, to break up the monotony of nude photos or otherwise provide a veneer of sophistication to someone who just finished some self-gratification.
 

They are punchy, provocative, by turns gross and pulpy, and all of that is intentional.  

Aka, the scariest, most efficient story King has ever written.  

Longer than you think, Dad! 

[dcbc 14465]

9 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Dude, The Jaunt. Word Processor of the Gods.

Worth re-reading.

Yeah.  These slipped my mind, but The Jaunt was so much packed into so few pages. 

[Travo 15]

I’ve never read any SK, but have read this whole thread. I do not consider myself to be a big fan or horror, but I like drama and classic works. Also, I’m remembering that my first books read as a child were from the Goosebumps series, which I assume was influenced by SK. I’m perhaps in an enviable position for a newb as I have not seen the movie adaptations, or if I have, it’s been at least ten years, so it’ll all be pretty fresh and untainted. I want to read at least 3-5 of his books, so below is the loose plan.

I think I’m going to start with IT then 11/22/63 and slot in Carrie either after or before these two. I might try to squeeze in the Duma Key audiobook since I’m curious to hear John Slattery’s narration (generally prefer to read than listen). I also have Pet Sematary and Different Seasons slotted high on the list. My general reading list is extensive so this will probably take a while.

[NorthLoop 14180]

It and 11/22 are both pretty long so keep that in mind