Stephen King

[Silent Runner]

I started his new one, Later, last night. It's about a child being raised by his mother who can see and talk to dead people - The Sixth Sense gets acknowledged right from the start. It's quite short by his standards, less than 300 pages, and I'm really enjoying it. His child protagonists can be hit and miss but the main kid in this is very well written and is fun to spend time with. 

 

It's part of the Hard Case Crime series. I really liked the two other ones he published in this line, Joyland especially. I'll probably finish it up this afternoon and it was only a couple of euro on kindle. 

[Glasgowchivas]

On 04/03/2021 at 13:52, Silent Runner said:

I started his new one, Later, last night. It's about a child being raised by his mother who can see and talk to dead people - The Sixth Sense gets acknowledged right from the start. It's quite short by his standards, less than 300 pages, and I'm really enjoying it. His child protagonists can be hit and miss but the main kid in this is very well written and is fun to spend time with. 

 

It's part of the Hard Case Crime series. I really liked the two other ones he published in this line, Joyland especially. I'll probably finish it up this afternoon and it was only a couple of euro on kindle. 

Anything in it unsuitable for a 9year old? Thinking of reading this (just got the paperback) with my son.... no spoilers pls, just an impression if I'm going to regret starting it with him or not

[SeanR]

For a second there I thought you were asking if anything in “It” was unsuitable...

[Silent Runner]

1 hour ago, Glasgowchivas said:

Anything in it unsuitable for a 9year old? Thinking of reading this (just got the paperback) with my son.... no spoilers pls, just an impression if I'm going to regret starting it with him or not

 

It's pretty violent and there's a fairly gruesome torture scene that might be a bit heavy for 9. I would probably not recommend for that age. 

[Glasgowchivas]

11 minutes ago, SeanR said:

For a second there I thought you were asking if anything in “It” was unsuitable...

That type of thing is what I was hoping to avoid.

[Timmo]

On 18/02/2020 at 19:38, keineboom said:

I'm currently re-reading The Stand for the first time in 20 years, as it seemed oddly prescient.

 

Still my favourite, and even moreso on this reading. Just past the Lincoln Tunnel bit, so barely made a dent, happy for it to last forever.

 

On 20/02/2020 at 13:43, Silent Runner said:

How strange, I'm re-reading The Stand as well. I'm just up to the first Mother Aibgail chapter so things are starting to get interesting. I've not read it in 15 years but there are so many sections that I can remember so clearly; The Lincoln Tunnel bit, one of Lloyd and Polks murders, Frannie digging a grave - they were just hanging out in my brain until I started reading then they came back in total clarity. 

 

Love this book so much. 

 

On 23/02/2020 at 20:10, the_debaser said:

I’m also reading it again, forgotten how long it was. Still think it’s his best work. 

 

It's definitely my favourite of his that I've read so far.

 

Randall Flagg is my favourite character in fiction, he's just so menacing and unpredicatable.

 

I've just started The Dark Tower series as he's in that and I hadn't realised.

[Padaxes]

17 hours ago, Timmo said:

I've just started The Dark Tower series as he's in that and I hadn't realised.

 

 

(Edit: Please report back on how this goes!)

[the_debaser]

Enjoy. The second dark tower book is one of the best things he’s ever written. 

[Garwoofoo]

53 minutes ago, the_debaser said:

Enjoy. The second dark tower book is one of the best things he’s ever written. 

 

I always see it as two trilogies really (plus an opening book that's so short it's basically just an intro) - the second, third and fourth books work so well together and I think Wizard and Glass in particular is just phenomenal.

 

The fifth, sixth and seventh books also work as a trilogy but are just... different. Though I do wholeheartedly love the ending.

 

It's about time I re-read the lot, and I never did get around to that extra novella he stuffed in there years later, so that'll be worth doing as part of a revisit. My main concern with re-reading The Dark Tower is it'll send me down a rabbit hole of re-reading everything King ever wrote as I try and chase all the references.

[Scribblor]

I must give them another try. I've never been able to get through the third book. I think my favourite King book is Lisey's Story or maybe Duma Key, which I don't think are generally considered his best work, so maybe I'm just not in sync with general SK opinions.

[Padaxes]

The Dark Tower is incredible, except for one gigantic hiccup I almost cant forgive him for. 

I should really give the thing another read through.

[partious]

Currently reading The Talisman. I've read a third of the book and even for a King novel it feels like he really could have done with an editor to cut down on the repetition/bloat.

Hopefully something slightly interesting will start happening at some point. 

 

Also, I don't know how two authors co-write a novel, but what I've read so far seems like fairly standard King to me. 

[Sane]

Stephen King has released an exclusive short story on humble bundle. You can buy it for a minimum of 4.23 euro and all proceeds go to the American Civil Liberties Union. I've not read it yet so no idea if it's good, but I like the concept and the charity seems like a good choice. 

[Ork1927]

I've just brought it - short is right - only 50 pages on my iphone on medium sized font.

[Padaxes]

Im reading the Dark Tower again. I'd almost forgotten how much i love it because I was put off by the last couple of books. Im up to the Wolves Of The Calla and have been enjoying the hell out of it. I totally forgot about wind through the keyhole as well, so i might read that next. So you have at least 6 really great books.

Im kind of looking forward to reading the last two as well, but we will see. I have a sort of hankering to edit out the stuff I dont like and do a fan fiction version. 

Does anyone know if this has been done ? 

 

[the_debaser]

I’d quite like a version of the last two books with all the Mia crap removed. I didn’t care much for that story. Don’t know if anyone has bothered doing it though. 

[Padaxes]

On 11/11/2021 at 08:26, the_debaser said:

I’d quite like a version of the last two books with all the Mia crap removed. I didn’t care much for that story. Don’t know if anyone has bothered doing it though. 

 

Is the Mia stuff the bad bit ? Its .... well Im sure you know what the issue I have with it is. 

[Illyria]

Last time I posted here I was reading Sleeping Beauties, apparently. Honestly don't remember much of it now, which I guess says something in and of itself. I remember thinking it was alright, not blown away by it but didn't think it was terrible either.

 

I followed that up with the Dark Tower graphic novels, which I wasn't a huge fan of. Mostly it was the art that wasn't doing it for me, with a few exceptions.

 

Then I read Elevation, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It almost felt like a proper children's book, it's sad but very warm and not nearly as harsh as his other work. The little illustrations only served to underline that impression. I highly recommend it!

 

I followed that up with Rage, which was an interesting read as you could really tell the difference between teenage Steve starting out the story and slightly-older Steve bringing it to a close.

 

The Institute was next for me. I know lots of people love this one, but it didn't grab me somehow. It was okay but not one I'd recommend to other people. (I did spend an extra 10 bucks to get the edition with the train cover, because that shit is beautiful.)

 

After that I finally got around to Doctor Sleep, which I remember I asked for Christmas back when it came out in 2013 (I think?) and then somehow I left it to collect dust on my shelf. I guess I was putting it off because I felt suspicious of a Shining sequel. Finally decided to read it when the film hit cinemas, which reminded me and made me feel bad about not having read it. And BOY HAD I MISSED OUT. I absolutely loved that book, damn. It was a solid mix of old and new King, and the ending made me so happy.

 

Then I read Night Shift, which had some very memorable stories within.

 

 I followed that up with Insomnia, which was really fuckin weird in places, but overall also very enjoyable.

 

Then I managed to get my hands on an early German copy of Billy Summers. It was weird reading King in German again, I hadn't done that since my first King (The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon) back in school, but beggars can't be choosers. I thought it was solid, especially loved THAT little easter egg. Something I do struggle with are the overt politics. Or rather, because King has always been overtly political and I don't normally mind, I just can't STAND to even hear/read/see the name of that big orange oaf anymore, and it was ruining my escapism. It's easier for me to read his older works, because a lot of references will either just go over my head or at least I won't have such intense negative feelings about them because they happened before I was born/when I was little/a long time ago 😅

 

After that I read The Long Walk, which weirdly, especially considering the context, made me wanna take a lot more walks. I also walked a lot while reading it. Extra immersive. It was very noticeable that it was his first full novel (at least I think so?), and nowhere near as amazing as his later, more developed stuff, but still a good read!

 

Next I read Later, which I enjoyed a TON.

 

And finally, I read a German teeny tiny copy of his short story Nona, which was also great.

 

Next up for me is Lisey's Story, finally. A friend has been recommending it for the past decade and it's time

[Timmo]

On 14/03/2021 at 22:04, Padaxes said:

 

 

(Edit: Please report back on how this goes!)

 

Just started Wizard and Glass now and loving it. It's so fucking weird, man. If you'd told me while I was reading the first book that he'd be having a riddle battle with a psychotic train I'd be pretty confused.

 

There is a distinct lack of the dark man, though. Hoping he'll pop up more. 

[Padaxes]

13 minutes ago, Timmo said:

 

Just started Wizard and Glass now and loving it. It's so fucking weird, man. If you'd told me while I was reading the first book that he'd be having a riddle battle with a psychotic train I'd be pretty confused.

 

There is a distinct lack of the dark man, though. Hoping he'll pop up more. 

Glad its going well. I actually enjoyed it more re-reading it again. I have come around a bit on the some things I hated previously.

Ill be really interested in hearing your continuing thoughts as you progress.  

I had one set of preconceptions last time we mentioned this, but now they have changed somewhat. 

[Dr_Dave]

I've spent the last few years in a real reading slump... a combination of picking up books I wasn't hugely interested in and a lazy preference for just doomscrolling reddit left me finding it extremely difficult to get into anything. I found myself doing that thing where you're reading but not really reading, you know? Where your eyes scan over the lines, but nothing is going in. After about ten pages, you realise you have no idea what you've just read, so you need to backtrack. Finishing a book started to seem like a real uphill struggle - I spent six months nibbling away at the first Wheel of Time book, for example, hating every minute of it.

 

Possibly due to this attention issue, and possibly due to the books I was reading, I started to feel like it was impossible to make a connection with any characters. That "oh my god, I can't believe that happened to them!" feeling seemed like a distant memory, and I began to wonder if I'd ever really felt it in the first place. Not one single time did I feel invested in the adventures of Rand et al in the WoT. It was just a bland description of events I felt unable to care about...

 

If you've never lost your ability to read, let me tell you, it's a bleak place to be.

 

So, in desperation, I smashed the break in case of emergency glass on my virtual bookshelf and pulled out a Stephen King book. The Institute, as a matter of interest.

 

Wow! The difference was night and day. Slipping back into a King book felt like putting on an old pair of favourite shoes. From the very first page, I was drawn into the story. Words leapt off the page, lines flowed, and I never once found myself wishing I was scrolling reddit or somewhere else. 

 

King has this remarkable ability to write readable prose. It's very homely, almost melodic, there are no rough edges that need to be compensated for. The way he structures his books - in numbered, shorter sections, rather than lengthy chapters - makes it easy to bite off a mouthful at a time, and makes it easy to think "just one more section!" In terms of King's output, The Institute feels very mid-table, but even at his low points, King is extremely readable.

 

Even better, I actually felt invested in the characters, an empathy for what they were going through and an anger towards the bad guys. It made me want to keep reading, and keep reading, and keep reading.

 

I'm nearly done with it now. Have devoured it in just a few weeks - a length of time that would have felt impossibly slow to my younger self, but which feels impossibly fast in my time-starved middle-age. 

 

And, you know what? I'm going to read another Stephen King after this one. And it's entirely possible I might only read Stephen King from now on!

 

[Timmo]

Just two books left in The Dark Tower now. No spoilers in this post.

 

The Gunslinger - 3/5

The Drawing of the Three 4/5

The Waste Lands 3/5

Wizard and Glass 5/5

Wolves of the Calla 2/5

 

Just didn't get on with Wolves, and found it dragged so much despite some great ideas. It could be partly down to the narrator changing on the audiobooks - he very sadly died - or I could just need a break. I'm going to leave it a while before tackling Song of Susannah.

 

Wizard and Glass was up there with his very best.

[little che]

His new book Fairy tale arrived today ...it's getting brilliant reviews and has been compared to The Talisman which was great fun.

[FishyFish]

6 minutes ago, little che said:

His new book Fairy tale arrived today ...it's getting brilliant reviews and has been compared to The Talisman which was great fun.

 

I've got it sat on my Kindle, so will get started on it tonight. Given the speed I read at the moment I might have it finished by Christmas!

 

Actually, this isn't true - I've been reading considerably more this year (although nothing like the rate I used to - I think my three novels a week days might never return).

[little che]

I read constantly but not particularly quickly these days . I’m on book 42 of the year I think which is fair going ,some books get read in a few days and some in a Few weeks, it’s all good.

22 minutes ago, FishyFish said:

 

I've got it sat on my Kindle, so will get started on it tonight. Given the speed I read at the moment I might have it finished by Christmas!

 

Actually, this isn't true - I've been reading considerably more this year (although nothing like the rate I used to - I think my three novels a week days might never return).

 

[Gregory Wolfe]

On 15/03/2021 at 16:53, Scribblor said:

I must give them another try. I've never been able to get through the third book. I think my favourite King book is Lisey's Story or maybe Duma Key, which I don't think are generally considered his best work, so maybe I'm just not in sync with general SK opinions.

 

I considered both a return to form after his accident. I would hate to rate my favourite order of King books but he went off the boil a bit and that pair of books are fondly remembered by me. I'm looking at the likes of Dreamcatcher but it gets a narrow pass from me due to the atmosphere built around the gang (?) of kids, it was IT like, for me, in that respect. I tolerate Steve, even at his worst, because he's so engaging.

 

Dreamcatcher spoiler

Spoiler

shit weasels 🤣

 

[Silent Runner]

Looking forward to getting stuck into Fairy Tale this weekend, got a few other things to finish off first.

 

Good article in Esquire today ranking all his books. There's some placings I'd have an issue with, no way does 11/22/63 belong in the top 5, but it's a fun article.

 

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g41054461/best-stephen-king-books-ranked/

[Garwoofoo]

13 hours ago, Silent Runner said:

Looking forward to getting stuck into Fairy Tale this weekend, got a few other things to finish off first.

 

Good article in Esquire today ranking all his books. There's some placings I'd have an issue with, no way does 11/22/63 belong in the top 5, but it's a fun article.

 

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g41054461/best-stephen-king-books-ranked/

 

That's a great article, and insanely comprehensive. I thought I was a big fan but there's loads in there I've never even heard of.

 

Completely agree with the top 3, too, which I wasn't expecting.

[Treble]

I enjoy those kinds of list, even if I don't agree with them. What I do think isn't really feasible is mixing his novels with his collections. They have to be ranked separately, IMO. This is the case with all authors, but utterly so with King. I could write an essay on what makes his novels work, but his shorter stuff needs only a couple of words: beautifully apocalyptic. The writing is tangibly different, maybe even more so than the split between his crime + horror output.

 

Here are my lists, divided. I rank all Dark Tower novels as one entity, which won't sit well with everyone. And I go back and forth all the time on the rest of the top five.

 

Novels:

Spoiler

01 The Dark Tower series

02 IT

03 The Stand

04 Salem's Lot

05 Joyland

06 Pet Sematary

07 The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

08 11/22/1963

09 Misery

10 Firestarter

 

Collections:

Spoiler

The Bachman Books

Different Seasons

Skeleton Crew

Night Shift

Hearts in Atlantis

Four Past Midnight

Everything's Eventual

Just After Sunset

Bazaar of Bad Dreams

Full Dark, No Stars

 

Short Stories:

Spoiler

N

1408

Mrs. Todd's Shortcut

Umney's Last Case

The Boogeyman

Cycle of the Werewolf

The Raft

The Jaunt

The Ten O'Clock People

The Road Virus Heads North

 

Novellas (split out from collections):

Spoiler

The Mist

The Long Walk

Everything's Eventual

Apt Pupil

Rage

Hearts in Atlantis

Secret Window, Secret Garden

Rita Hayworth & Shawshank Redemption

Low Men in Yellow Coats

The Wind Through the Keyhole

 

I've also been bingeing his books this year, so some brief reviews/re-reviews:

 

Rose Madder

A lot to like, a lot to dislike, but I always come out favouring it (just about). The depiction of violent thoughts in the psyche of the male antagonist is chilling; the story of Rosie Real is well-plotted. That said, he's always going to be writing women based on his male experience and whilst I feel he does a decent job, whole chunks feel 'off'. I also think the ending is unfair, and the supernatural side of the story is vague. the remorseless and unpitying nature of domestic violence as a world unto its own is really well captured, though.

 

Cell

My wife reiterated how much she enjoyed this, so I gave it another go - only my second read of it since publication - and my opinion hasn't changed. It seems like a waste of a potentially good story, and I couldn't seem to identify with any of the characters. And whilst I vehemently disagree with the general, 'he can't write endings' sentiment, I agree when when he does biff it, he biffs it big time as he does here. A little pointless; go read The Stand instead.

 

If it Bleeds

Passes the time, but the tales pretty much range from 'solid' to 'uninspired'.

 

The Institute

One of the new tools in SK's kitbag is spending a long section at the beginning with a secondary, maybe even tertiary, character. As with Finders Keepers, here we spend a large chuck of time with someone comparatively unimportant before scooting into a plot nicked from the X-Men New Mutants. It's a solid (there's that word again...) enough story but largely fails to get out of second gear. The big showdown near the end feels like Firestarter without the pyrotechnics; Carrie without the Prom and house of flying daggers. It's ok but can't imagine it wowing many Constant Readers.

 

Mr. Mercedes

By this point you're probably thinking, why is he doing this to himself when he seems to hate King? Well, I was re-reading stuff I didn't enjoy first time around for the most part but yeah, some recent(ish) stuff is a little disappointing.

 

However, we're on to the good stuff now, and I feel his crime fiction was the fresh injection he needed, notwithstanding the 'solid but unspectacular' entry that was The Institute. The horrors regular humans perpetrate is covered really well, but its the blending of Hodges's world with that of the Mercedes Killer that brings the old magick; how much of the grief and abuse and trauma running under the surface of the psychos who perpetrate evil acts is covered by a smooth stream of ordinariness. One of the high points of his latter career, for me.

 

Insomnia

One of the most divisive books he's ever written, it's one to avoid until after you've read the Dark Tower series (well, slot it in-between Little Sisters of Eluria and Song of Susanna, if you're doing an extended reading of the DT stories!) While it may not be well paced, and suffers from one of King's slightly anticlimactic build-ups that lasts for a solid third of the last act, the breadth of imagination - and lack of concern about whether readers can follow along or not - is totally admirable for wild art like this, full of Lovecraftian eschatology and packing-in vivid flights of fancy that bring it closer to Barker's The Great and Secret Show or Weaveworld than anything else he's done.

 

It also has real heart to it, taking time to think about aging and life decisions in a way that especially resonates with me, as my Mum ages and starts to struggle, and my middle aged self has to come to terms with it too.

 

The first of only a couple notable appearances by:

Spoiler

Los', the Crimson King

 

... it's disappointing he's so unthreatening and comes off as the:
 

Spoiler

Poundland Pennywise

 

Still, the novel's an important milestone in SK's writing and - retrospectively - a great entry in the DT mythos.

 

[the_debaser]

On 06/09/2022 at 20:36, Silent Runner said:

Looking forward to getting stuck into Fairy Tale this weekend, got a few other things to finish off first.

 

Good article in Esquire today ranking all his books. There's some placings I'd have an issue with, no way does 11/22/63 belong in the top 5, but it's a fun article.

 

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/g41054461/best-stephen-king-books-ranked/

3 out of 5 isn’t bad.