HtownAg92 said:

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I haven't seen Desperation mentioned.

This thread just reminds me that I have read a TON of Stephen King over the years, starting with the classics (Christine, Carrie, Cujo, Salem's Lot, IT) back in high school and never stopping. Back when books were a thing and prior to a move, I probably had 30 SK hard backs in my library and would pick one up for a reread often.

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I still do....not all hardback though. My originals from late 70s and early 80s were mostly paperback. prime location on my shelves. but admittedly some of the more recent ones I have are e books.

Also notice the Green Mile collection at bottom right - it was released serially over a 6 month period as 6 paperback volumes each with a subtitle. It was only released as a complete paperback book the next year and only years later as a hardback book. Mine are the original 6 volumes from 1996.

Lots of stuff did not make my most recent move - but the SK collection did.

I enjoyed Desperation... If you read it, you kinda have to read The Regulators since the gimmick was same characters/settings, different stories. Just know it isn't very good.

Zombie Jon Snow said:

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HtownAg92 said:

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I haven't seen Desperation mentioned.

This thread just reminds me that I have read a TON of Stephen King over the years, starting with the classics (Christine, Carrie, Cujo, Salem's Lot, IT) back in high school and never stopping. Back when books were a thing and prior to a move, I probably had 30 SK hard backs in my library and would pick one up for a reread often.

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I still do....not all hardback though. My originals from late 70s and early 80s were mostly paperback. prime location on my shelves. but admittedly some of the more recent ones I have are e books.

Also notice the Green Mile collection at bottom right - it was released serially over a 6 month period as 6 paperback volumes each with a subtitle. It was only released as a complete paperback book the next year and only years later as a hardback book. Mine are the original 6 volumes from 1996.

Lots of stuff did not make my most recent move - but the SK collection did.

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Damn, and I thought I had a pretty good collection. Nice work. Is that a Cemetery Dance copy of IT I see?

No that's an original 1986 publication but it's missing the sleeve.

Thanks for this thread. I've been thinking about trying to get into the King universe lately, but honestly, the size of some of the books intimidates me. I'm a pretty slow reader, and I don't have a lot of free time, so those thousand page books will probably take me a couple of months. I forgot about his short stories though. Those are probably where I will start (after I finish this awful James Patterson book).

Funny you bring up James Patterson. There's apparently some animosity between the two, with King calling Patterson a "terrible writer" at one point and Patterson writing a book titled "The Murder of Stephen King" which he later canceled.

I actually came to that conclusion myself after reading one of Patterson's books. I actually read a few paragraphs to my wife while laughing about how bad the book was. I probably didn't pick a good one to start with, but I haven't read another since.

rynning said:

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Funny you bring up James Patterson. There's apparently some animosity between the two, with King calling Patterson a "terrible writer" at one point and Patterson writing a book titled "The Murder of Stephen King" which he later canceled.

I actually came to that conclusion myself after reading one of Patterson's books. I actually read a few paragraphs to my wife while laughing about how bad the book was. I probably didn't pick a good one to start with, but I haven't read another since.

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I have a problem with how he releases a book every month with his name in huge letters and the actual writer in the smallest font size right underneath.

Not to mention every single writer he has on his staff has to write in his style. Which is 1-2 page chapters. I use to like it but now I think it's annoying.

Also, I went to half price books today and picked up Salem's Lot and The Dead Zone. I love Stephen King but only have read a handful of his books. I read "The Stand" and "IT" years ago but haven't read much further then that.

rynning said:

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Funny you bring up James Patterson. There's apparently some animosity between the two, with King calling Patterson a "terrible writer" at one point

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Well, this is my first Patterson book ("The President is Missing"), and I must say that I agree with King. This is one of the worst books I've read in a long time. I think my 4th grader can write a better story. I would just trash the book, but I'm a bit OCD on finishing a book once I've started. Funny though, when I'm reading a terrible book I actually find myself reading more, because I want to finish the book asap so I can start something better.

CoolaidWade said:

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Not to mention every single writer he has on his staff has to write in his style. Which is 1-2 page chapters. I use to like it but now I think it's annoying.

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And each chapter has to end in a cliff hanger.

Chapter 1:
I sat down for breakfast, and then the phone rang. I answer the phone. It was the last person I expect to ever call me in the morning.

Chapter 2:
My mom was on the phone. She was just calling to say hello. I talked to her for five minutes, and at the end of the conversation, she said, "I think today is going to be a good day." She had no idea how wrong she was.

Anyhow, I didn't mean to derail the thread. Sorry about that.

Quote:

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Funny though, when I'm reading a terrible book I actually find myself reading more, because I want to finish the book asap so I can start something better.

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Haha I do that too. Like eating my spinach.

Suddenly very glad I never bothered to read a Patterson... looked like schlock anyway. Anyone that publishes THAT much is just vomiting "literature".

For Patterson I count 97 solo novels and 35 co-author novels.....in 25 years. that's more than 5 books per year.

King by comparison has 45 novels plus 7 as Bachman and 4 co-authored and 10 collections of short stories in 44 years. About 1.5 per year.

Rose Madder was awesome

bluefire, are you still writing?

The Tommyknockers gave me nightmares when I read it. I was 12 at the time, but that book will forever be engrained into my memory as scary as f***.

I am! Coincidentally enough, trying to get something ready to publish (first time in forever). Thanks for asking/remembering

Keep to it.

I might be rembering this incorrectly, but I think King even bags on Tommyknockers in "On Writing".

You might be able to find some Rock Bottom Remainders music on YouTube. Give it a try.

Thanks for all the recs, guys. I've now read The Body, The Shining, and Salem's Lot, and I'm currently reading 11/22/63. I'm completely hooked. I got carried away on Amazon after reading the shining and bought the Stand, Carrie, Misery, Needful Things, Different Seasons, The Green Mile, The Dead Zone, The Talismn, Doctor Sleep, Pet Sematary. Should keep me busy for the next couple months.

I'd read Skeleton Crew or one of his other short story books.

I like to read Patterson books if I'm flying somewhere, they are fast reads but they are all the same....smart detective vs super villain...love interest in peril...family member in peril....detective figures out who the villain...

Last one I read turned out to be about a mythical Amazon like company that controlled its employees lives....it was terrible...so bad there was another novel included that was actually better.

I didn't see the Dark Tower mentioned.
Definitely one to avoid... wow that was a mess after the promising first one in the series.

LisaMarie said:

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Skeleton Crew short stories are great too. The Jaunt, The Raft, The Mist, Survivor Type...all great stories.

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This. The Mist is still one of my favorite stories.

Not a big fan and I've only read a few King novels (The Stand, Misery, Running Man, Thinner, It, the Mist, and Cujo).

That said, I'd put The Stand in the top 10 best novels I've read in my lifetime.

The Mists is good. I think I chucked it across the room when I read the ending and had to ice my rocks down.

91_Aggie said:

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I didn't see the Dark Tower mentioned.
Definitely one to avoid... wow that was a mess after the promising first one in the series.

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I'm rereading them and still think they are great. I thought Drawing of the Three was my favorite, but this time I'm liking Wizard and Glass the most. Age and experience might have something to do with that.

Also, I recently discovered that my first edition hard cover Wizard and Glass might actually be worth "something." Only 40k copies were printed.

Drawing of the Three is my favorite King book, period. Wizard and Glass and The Wastelands are excellent as well.

Personally, I rank the books in that series:
2,4,3

1,4.5,5
7





6

Song of Susannah (6) is not a good book.

I agree with your rankings for the most part, but I also think ones enjoyment of 5/6/7 depends somewhat upon if they've read Salem's Lot. A lot of King's "intertwining" of characters throughout his universe is forced or insignificant -- but the Father Callahan connection was very well done.

Desperation is one of my favorite fiction books ever. Amazing read.

MW03 said:

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Drawing of the Three is my favorite King book, period. Wizard and Glass and The Wastelands are excellent as well.

Personally, I rank the books in that series:
2,4,3

1,4.5,5
7





6

Song of Susannah (6) is not a good book.

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I started the series again, but stopped after book 5. Finishing the series a second time isn't worth the pain of reading book 6 again.

Justin2010 said:

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Desperation is one of my favorite fiction books ever. Amazing read.

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Wow, really? I thought it was one of his worst

Presley OBannons Sword said:

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Justin2010 said:

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Desperation is one of my favorite fiction books ever. Amazing read.

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Wow, really? I thought it was one of his worst

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Two be fair, I've read maybe a half dozen King books and only liked a couple. And I'm pretty religious, and liked the strong religious message.

I just finished my first Stephen King book, It. The first 90% of the book was among the best books I've ever read. He does a great job of building nostalgia, and reminded me of my childhood even though I grew up in the 1980s and not the 1950s (as an aside, I wonder if kids now days would get the same nostalgia since they are rarely given the opportunity to roam the neighborhood, or go play in the woods alone).

The sex scene at the end was really weird, and didn't fit in the book at all. I can't believe even when the book came out in the 1980s that the scene was considered appropriate. I could definitely see this scene ruining the entire book for some people. Anyways, I really enjoyed the book except for that scene (even though I didn't find it super scary).

AustinAg2K said:

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I just finished my first Stephen King book, It. The first 90% of the book was among the best books I've ever read. He does a great job of building nostalgia, and reminded me of my childhood even though I grew up in the 1980s and not the 1950s (as an aside, I wonder if kids now days would get the same nostalgia since they are rarely given the opportunity to roam the neighborhood, or go play in the woods alone).

The sex scene at the end was really weird, and didn't fit in the book at all. I can't believe even when the book came out in the 1980s that the scene was considered appropriate. I could definitely see this scene ruining the entire book for some people. Anyways, I really enjoyed the book except for that scene (even though I didn't find it super scary).

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My guess is that your assessment above will apply to every King book you read. My mom and I have had a running joke for years about his books - 400 pages of awesome for the reasons you described above, then the last 10 pages are just silly awful.

Also, I've noticed another habit of his that's started to annoy me more & more - characters talking to one another in a manner that people just don't do. I don't know if he's changed his style or what, but I don't remember having problems with the dialogues back in the 80's when I read Pet Semetary, Christine, etc.
All of a sudden, I find myself rolling my eyes constantly. People in what should be emotionally charged situations cracking one-liners, or repeating some clich that King's decided must permeate the entire book, etc.

Was an avid reader of King and have read almost all of his books up until about 10 years ago. I think I moved on after I finished The Dark Tower since that was his magnum opus. Since then I've only read "On Writing" which I highly recommend if you are a fan of his and especially his earlier works and "Cell". Don't remember much about the latter other than it was a take on the zombie fad if I recall correctly.

A lot of his post-cocaine fueled writing (which explains the sex scene in "IT") just hasn't been that great. I think you see this in the stark difference in quality between the first 3-4 books in DT and the last 3-4. Getting hit by a car in real life and almost dying changed him as well.

And he does have a penchant for not ending books well. Even "The Stand" which is considered his best stand-alone novel (although it's tied to DT) had the deus ex machina moment to end it.