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MonteGss
09-18-2007, 09:03 PM
Obviously, he has written too many to do a poll but what do you all think?

Which novel was his worst? Which one drives you crazy? Is there any that you could not finish reading? What are your reasons?

I'm not completely caught up on all of his books but I've read most of his books more than once. There are only a couple I've read only one time. That, for me, speaks volumes. They are:

Tommyknockers
Thinner
Insomnia

Daghain
09-18-2007, 09:26 PM
I'm assuming, based on our conversation in chat, that you mean FICTION novel.

I vote for Cell.

MonteGss
09-18-2007, 09:29 PM
A novel is fiction. :P

Jean
09-18-2007, 09:31 PM
Tommyknockers
Thinner
Bag of Bones
Hearts in Atlantis (except the Low Men in Yellow Coats part, which I like)
The Eyes of the Dragon

Also, I voted Tommyknockers by force of habit, I always thought it was the worst, but it was before I read Bag of Bones and Hearts. And, of course, TEofD, thanks Nikolett for reminding me!

EDITED after a Tommyknockers reread: I am so deeply sorry I ever named this novel among the worst! I found it great this time.

The worst on the day of last editing: Lisey's Story.

MonteGss
09-18-2007, 09:32 PM
I love Hearts so far (first time reading). Bag of Bones I enjoyed also but otherwise I agree totally Jean. :)

Letti
09-19-2007, 04:02 AM
Tommyknockers
Thinner
Bag of Bones
Hearts in Atlantis (except the Low Men in Yellow Coats part, which I like)

I am afraid Cell will be on top of that list, though, when/if I finally get around to finishing it.
Also, I voter Tommyknockers by force of habit, I always thought it was the worst, but it was before I read Bag of Bones and Hearts.

I am surprised to see that you didn't write the Eyes of the Dragon in your list.

Jean
09-19-2007, 04:11 AM
Oops, I forgot. Post edited accordingly.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/thank-you.gif

Letti
09-19-2007, 04:13 AM
It can't be so bad if you forgot to mention it. :D

Jean
09-19-2007, 04:14 AM
something like that, yes. I keep forgetting it exists.

Letti
09-19-2007, 04:15 AM
something like that, yes. I keep forgetting it exists.
Good for you dear. I can't forget a thing (it can be a book or a movie) that bugs me.

Jean
09-19-2007, 04:30 AM
I can hardly forget anything at all - that's the worst memory in the world - but I kinda forget to attribute it to King. I wouldn't have remembered Thinner, either, if Monte hadn't already mentioned it, and not because I can ever forget it, or not because it's Bachman, but, I think, because I don't want it to be King, so it slips my mind; the same with TEotD; while the others I listed are too, I don't know, bulky to slip one's mind.

Matt
09-19-2007, 06:03 AM
I wasn't real high on Insomnia but loved most of the rest of the books mentioned here.

Thought Cell was a great little disaster book. :lol:

Jean
09-19-2007, 06:34 AM
I loved Insomnia, except the last hundred or so pages, which bored me (when the action started, you see).

Erin
09-19-2007, 06:35 AM
I :wub: Cell. But then again I love any type of zombie/disaster story.

I'd say my least favorite King novel is Gerald's Game. Although I did read it years and years ago. I just remember not liking it at the time. I think a re-read is in order to see if I still feel that way.

Also, while in the end I enjoyed Lisey's Story, it took me so long (more than halfway through the book) to really "get into it", that that automatically ranks it low on my list. I've never experienced that before with one of King's books.

Mike Beck
09-19-2007, 06:35 AM
damn, i loved Insomnia. Ralph Roberts? he's the effing man.

hmm. now i'm going to post the ones i liked the least. because I've been intrigued even with the ones that weren't as great.

Eyes of the Dragon - It's my least favorite, but I still enjoyed it.

I can't think of anything else worth putting here. I've never read Thinner or Tommyknockers, but I heard they were bunk.

Erin
09-19-2007, 06:43 AM
I was crazy about Insomnia, and really liked Thinner and Tommyknockers. :ninja:

sarah
09-19-2007, 07:02 AM
I can't really think of any novels that i hated bad enough to say "worst novel"

but there were a couple of short stories i didn't care for.

Sometimes they come back
The Lawmower Man

Storyslinger
09-19-2007, 07:08 AM
I didn't care for Cujo's ending

Mike Beck
09-19-2007, 07:46 AM
oh right. cujo. it was okay. but come on. how long did they have to be trapped in that fucking car already? it was a little frustrating. :)

Mike Beck
09-19-2007, 07:47 AM
the thing is, King could write about what his shit looked like in the toilet that morning and it would still be somewhat captivating.

Matt
09-19-2007, 07:48 AM
I totally agree with that. Kings worst book is better than most peoples best imo.

Storyslinger
09-19-2007, 07:49 AM
Mike~I want Cujo to f@#$!ing kill the wife, and your probably right with the shit statement :rofl:

Mike Beck
09-19-2007, 07:58 AM
i hear you bro. :D he should have killed her.

lol. yeah, i'd read it. :P

Storyslinger
09-19-2007, 08:05 AM
I also :D

MonteGss
09-19-2007, 08:28 AM
Cujo should be on my list. I only read that one once and don't care to revisit it again. :)

Matt
09-19-2007, 08:29 AM
I liked that one and Gerald's Game. Also Rose Madder :lol:

<--is glad we are all different, it keeps it interesting.

sarah
09-19-2007, 08:35 AM
It's funny that Cujo is coming up as SK has said he was so wasted when writing that book that he doesn't even remember doing it. LOL and still, i thought is was pretty good. :lol:

Storyslinger
09-19-2007, 08:37 AM
I know its true about wasted writing, some of the stuff I've written while gone has turned up pretty good, others had to be destroyed before they could spawn

MonteGss
09-19-2007, 08:37 AM
**wishes there was a puke smiley**

Cujo = :puke:

:lol:
I'm glad we're all different too Matt. :) It is interesting what tickles our spines and what doesn't.

Jean
09-19-2007, 08:39 AM
I liked Cujo. And Gerald's Game. And Rose Madder. And I loved The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, and I positively adore From A Buick 8. (just picked all those which are always nominated at the similar thread at .net)

Storyslinger
09-19-2007, 08:40 AM
Buick 8 kicks all

fernandito
09-19-2007, 09:19 AM
I vote Cell and Eyes of The Dragon.

Letti
09-19-2007, 11:23 AM
I really liked the Eyes of the Dragon.
In that book King proved me that he can write about anything to anybody. I enjoyed it a lot. A deep one.
I would like you who don't like it to let me know the reasons. (That's why we are here, aren't we?)

Matt
09-19-2007, 11:24 AM
I loved Eyes as well Letti. I thought it was a perfect story and I have my kids cut their "reading teeth" on it as a beginning exposure to SK.

Darkthoughts
09-19-2007, 12:30 PM
From A Buick 8 was one I really struggled with...infact I skipped a large portion of it, something that I usually consider tantamount to blasphemy :D However, I read it before I got into DT so perhaps I'd appreciate it more if I reread it?

I can't say I ever find SK to be badly written, but I didn't enjoy reading Desperation and Pet Sematary, for subject matter rather than quality of writing.

MonteGss
09-19-2007, 02:05 PM
That's cool Darkthoughts...
You can dislike a novel for whatever reason you want! :)

I dislike Insomnia because it was terribly slow going and there was hardly any action at all til the last 100 pages. Boring in my opinion. Then again, I read that Jean says the absolute opposite of me. I believe he doesn't like the last 100 pages! To each his own, right?
:grouphug:

fernandito
09-19-2007, 04:07 PM
I didn't enjoy reading Desperation

(cries)

Odetta
09-19-2007, 04:14 PM
Black House

MonteGss
09-19-2007, 04:52 PM
:o

But it's a DT connector!

fernandito
09-19-2007, 04:55 PM
So is Insomnia.

MonteGss
09-19-2007, 04:56 PM
:P

Well, barely. :P
Damn your logic, throwing my arguments back at me. :)

Odetta
09-19-2007, 05:10 PM
:o

But it's a DT connector!

aannnnndddd....?


;)

MonteGss
09-19-2007, 05:30 PM
Why didn't you like it Odetta? I'm curious, did you like The Talisman?

Storyslinger
09-19-2007, 06:46 PM
Never really read a bad King book, just didn't agree with some of the endings

Jean
09-19-2007, 11:38 PM
I dislike Insomnia because it was terribly slow going and there was hardly any action at all til the last 100 pages. Boring in my opinion. Then again, I read that Jean says the absolute opposite of me. I believe he doesn't like the last 100 pages! To each his own, right?
:grouphug:
Precisely. I've noticed lately that what bores me most in books is action. Who chased whom, and who hit what, and who flew through the wall and what ignited. That's why the last 10 to 20% (approximately) of almost any King book is for me a necessary evil, something I have to suffer to counterbalance my enjoyment of the first 80% when people mostly talked and backstories were given and the psychology developed and the tension built up.

Darkthoughts
09-20-2007, 03:18 AM
I don't entirely share the anti-action sentiment...but I too loved Insomnia for all the reasons you gave above Jean.

MonteGss
09-20-2007, 03:25 AM
So......
which do you dislike then Lisa?

Brice
09-20-2007, 03:28 AM
Without fail I've loved every King story for different reasons. I can't think of a worst.

Darkthoughts
09-20-2007, 03:35 AM
So......
which do you dislike then Lisa?
From A Buick 8 was the only one I couldn't read all the way through, but I'd like a reread before committing it to the dislike pile:D

MonteGss
09-20-2007, 03:36 AM
Wow Brice. Cheers!
Nobody is that good in my opinion. :)

Odetta
09-20-2007, 06:30 AM
Why didn't you like it Odetta? I'm curious, did you like The Talisman?

I LOVED the Talisman! I found Black House really hard to get into and it just didn't keep my interest as Talisman did. Talisman is much more... Dark Tower-esque than Black House. I had to force myself to finish it...

that being said, I think Black House had some really interesting characters, just the story was hard for me to get into.

Storyslinger
09-20-2007, 06:33 AM
Black House was extremely hard to get into from the start, but I thought it got better as it went on

Matt
09-20-2007, 07:12 AM
If I hadn't listened to it, I am sure I never would have finished. But I am really glad I did because I am fully into Jack Sawyer now.

Storyslinger
09-20-2007, 07:13 AM
I agree, once it got going I couldn't stop, plus it is better the second time around

Jean
09-20-2007, 07:16 AM
I loved Black House from the very first page, while the Talisman is for me just another example of what I tried to explain above: it was great till all the fuss (aka action) started, and the last 50 to 100 pages were unbearable. Same with Dreamcatcher.

I think it's just the reason why I love Wolves so much: there's hardly any action at all, and everything that happens happens in minds or tongues...

Mike Beck
09-20-2007, 07:29 AM
i thought Talisman was hard to get through at first, and only got better once Wolf joined the story.

Black House I loved pretty much all the way through. I loved the serial killer angle, it spooked the crap out of me. the thunder five bikers were awesome. And it all led up to that evil effing house. i forgot the blind guy's name, but he was a great character.

I wanna see what happens in Talisman 3.

Storyslinger
09-20-2007, 07:30 AM
Mike~ Henry Laydeen
Cant wait for Talisman 3 and yes, WOLF is the best

Mike Beck
09-20-2007, 07:40 AM
henry! he was a very memorable character.

thanks, mister. ;)

Storyslinger
09-20-2007, 07:42 AM
No problem,
he was a hell of a person to lose

Mike Beck
09-20-2007, 07:43 AM
I know.

Another great character that perhaps Mr. King didn't know what to do with.

Storyslinger
09-20-2007, 07:44 AM
:cry:

Jean
09-20-2007, 07:53 AM
I know.

Another great character that perhaps Mr. King didn't know what to do with.

I don't know. I'm afraid we're moving further and further off topic, but I'll still say it here: it always seemed (felt) to me that

when King's characters die - unlike those of many other authors - it's because they die. Not to prove something to the reader, not to make some author's idea clearer, not to provoke some reaction from the part of the reader, and not for technical reasons - they just die. It's their destiny, and their honest death, not the author's arbitrary decision.

Mike Beck
09-20-2007, 07:57 AM
makes sense. i like that idea, Jean. and it fits with how he comes up with his stories. he said when he writes it's like finding a piece of string and following it to wherever it may go. no ending prepared. he just gets there as he goes along.

you're right though. i almost forgot what thread this was. we sort of took a turn back there. :P

Storyslinger
09-20-2007, 09:54 AM
Sorry for going of track, cry pardon

Cutter
09-20-2007, 10:21 AM
You guys are going to kill me.

The Drawing of the Three – This one is because I’ve read it so many times I just can’t stand the boring lobstosities and beach sequences. I also am not a big Susannah fan is her first appearance either.

Also, The Dark Half and From A Buick 8

I’ve still never gotten around to Tommyknockers or Thinner. I liked Insomnia, EoTD, Lisey’s Story, Bag of Bones or others that have been mentioned.

Daghain
09-20-2007, 10:23 AM
You're right. You're dead.

Just kidding. :lol:

Mike Beck
09-20-2007, 12:05 PM
no everyone's entitled to their own opinion, of course.

*sharpens butcher knife*

not a problem, not...a....problem.

drawing of the three is a personal favorite of mine, but that's ok. now close your eyes real quick.

:D

fernandito
09-20-2007, 12:09 PM
You're right. You're dead.



:rofl:

MonteGss
09-20-2007, 03:26 PM
I'm afraid we're moving further and further off topic

Thank you Jean. You and I are of the same mind I think. :)

Cutter
09-21-2007, 06:51 AM
drawing of the three is a personal favorite of mine, but that's ok. now close your eyes real quick.

:D

lol, I expected as much

Like I said it's more the fact that I've read it so many times. That's the main reason why it's on my list.

Mike Beck
09-21-2007, 09:48 AM
i hear ya, guthrie. i was just effing with ya. :D

it's only a personal favorite of mine because of the age that i read it, my mindset at the time, and up to that point, i had never read anything that interested me as much. the doors, the characters, moving in and out of worlds. I loved it. I had read some King books before the DT series, but that's about it. I didn't even read LotR until I was 17.

And while i loved the gunslinger, dott was on a whole other level for me. and i became hooked right away. :)

Randall Flagg
09-22-2007, 06:41 AM
Rose Madder. Hated it. Insomnia and Bag of Bones were not fav's of mine either.

Darkthoughts
09-22-2007, 08:52 AM
:( I loved Insomnia AND Bag Of Bones! (Not read Rose Madder yet)...oh well, horses for courses! What was it you didn't like RF?

MonteGss
09-22-2007, 09:02 AM
I don't think I ever finished Rose Madder....can't remember. That's also a pretty good sign, imo, that it wasn't very good.

Randall Flagg
09-22-2007, 09:23 AM
Slow boring reads.
No offense but King went on a kind of 12 step repentance with the writing of an "abused woman" book.

MaraJShakespeare
09-27-2007, 04:57 PM
Gerald's Game was absolutely excruciating; I will not read it again. I experienced it the first time by unabridged audio, and found it a form of torture. Some time later, I read it, assuming it would be less annoying and monotonous that way, as I can read much faster than an audiobook reader can speak. Made no difference. I don't blame King's writing; the situation is the problem, and he describes everything that happens to his protagonist in detail, creating a complete vicarious experience of being handcuffed to a bed for several days. In a way, the problem with Gerald's Game may be that it's too well-written, too realistic; as painfully dull, yet nerve-wracking and frustrating as really being in that kind of isolated, trapped state.

I didn't really like The Regulators, either. I may try re-reading that one eventually, as it may have been the period of time in which I read it that created the unrelentingly grim atmosphere I associate with that book, as opposed to the novel itself. I do seem to recall finding the manifestation of the evil entity in that book rather unbelievable and absurd, but I was only 21 at the time and hadn't experienced as many unbelievable and absurd things as I have since then. At 32, I may understand the elements of satire that I suspect are present in that book much better, and I know that my own credulity, like my sense of humour, has expanded considerably since then.

Otherwise, I'm having a hard time thinking of a King novel I didn't enjoy. From what I've read above, I suspect that the things a lot of us have problems with in King's work are the same things we have trouble with in reality: injustices happen, good people die for no good reason, etc. King always says he has no control over his stories; he writes what he sees. This is why, in spite of the so-called 'paranormal' or 'supernatural' elements in them, King's novels and shorter works have a verisimilitude to them that is lacking in most fiction, a sense of reality and truth. People in King stories behave as well and as badly as people really do, and weird things happen for no reason anyone can determine or prove, without all the neat explanations that fill other fictions and are never present in real life. It's this honesty that I like about king, and that makes it difficult for me to select books I didn't like, however unpleasant or strange their contents may be. Wouldn't recommend reading the Bachman Books if you're depressed, however, particularly the early ones (though I do think everyone ought to read The Running Man, so they'll be prepared for the kind of future our current leaders are creating for us).

MonteGss
10-10-2007, 01:11 PM
I didn't really care for The Regulators/Desperation books either. Interesting concept I guess but...meh. I liked the small DT connections but not his best works.

fernandito
10-10-2007, 01:45 PM
Monte, we are friends no more! :P Okay, that might be a little hasty, but your anti-desperation post has severly wounded me :(

MonteGss
10-10-2007, 01:53 PM
Sorry man. :cry:

I only read those once, maybe the second time will be better? I fully intend to re-read all my King books but I just can't at the moment becuz I have to read the books I've never read first.

Wuducynn
10-10-2007, 04:06 PM
Cujo is the only book by him I don't like. It didn't scare me and I lost interest half way through, which I have yet to do with any other King book. I was yawning, and thats a bad sign. A VERY bad sign.

Ikilledthecrimsonking
10-10-2007, 04:42 PM
the girl who loved tom Gordon was in my opinion the worst book I've ever read
also i dislike the gunslinger because it wasn't eye catching unlike TDOTT

Wuducynn
10-10-2007, 05:06 PM
I hope you weren't told to take your sig down by anyone, because I was enjoying it immensely. It cheered me up everytime I saw it in fact. :rock:

Jean
10-11-2007, 12:02 AM
Monte, we are friends no more! :P Okay, that might be a little hasty, but your anti-desperation post has severly wounded me :(
I feel your pain, feverish. Monte, you're faced with two Desperation fans here...


Cujo is the only book by him I don't like. It didn't scare me and I lost interest half way through, which I have yet to do with any other King book. I was yawning, and thats a bad sign. A VERY bad sign.
I've been yawning non-stop since I picked Lisey Story. I nearly dislocated my jaw over Bag of Bones, Eyes and all parts of Hearts in Atlantis but the first. That's also the main reason I can't go on with Cell - I don't really need soporific now.

MonteGss
10-11-2007, 03:10 AM
Monte, we are friends no more! :P Okay, that might be a little hasty, but your anti-desperation post has severly wounded me :(
I feel your pain, feverish. Monte, you're faced with two Desperation fans here...


Alright....you, me and feev, outside. ten minutes. you're both going down.
:)

Jean
10-11-2007, 03:59 AM
Nah. I give you 24 hours to recruit another Desperation-hater to fight for your side. Then it will be fair.

Storyslinger
10-11-2007, 06:32 AM
the girl who loved tom Gordon was in my opinion the worst book I've ever read
also i dislike the gunslinger because it wasn't eye catching unlike TDOTT

You can't judge the book by the cover, though, The Gunslinger, in my opinion, was on of King's better written books

Wuducynn
10-11-2007, 07:37 AM
the girl who loved tom Gordon was in my opinion the worst book I've ever read
also i dislike the gunslinger because it wasn't eye catching unlike TDOTT

You can't judge the book by the cover, though, The Gunslinger, in my opinion, was on of King's better written books

All of the Dark Tower books are my favorites above all others.

Storyslinger
10-11-2007, 07:39 AM
I agree, DT books are the best

Wuducynn
10-11-2007, 08:12 AM
I agree, DT books are the best

This is why I've let you live.

Darkthoughts
10-11-2007, 09:45 AM
Nah. I give you 24 hours to recruit another Desperation-hater to fight for your side. Then it will be fair.

And here I am, to defend Monte's honor!! ...Well, it may be too late for that...but I'm here to defend him nonetheless :D

Wuducynn
10-11-2007, 09:48 AM
Monte has honor?

Darkthoughts
10-11-2007, 09:53 AM
Entirely my point above about it being too late :lol:

sarah
10-11-2007, 10:41 AM
the girl who loved tom Gordon was in my opinion the worst book


I liked that book. it was a fast fun read, imo.



Monte has honor?


:rofl: :rofl:

Matt
10-11-2007, 10:46 AM
I liked The Girl as well, it was a fun and easy read.

I also got very close that girl during her short ordeal.

Wuducynn
10-11-2007, 11:06 AM
I liked that book. it was a fast fun read, imo.



I liked The Girl as well, it was a fun and easy read.

I also got very close that girl during her short ordeal.

Same here. Good stuff.

Erin
10-11-2007, 11:24 AM
Lisey's Story......blah blah blah. I was not interested at all and had to force my way through it.

Jean
10-11-2007, 11:29 AM
Lisey's Story......blah blah blah. I was not interested at all and had to force my way through it.
that's what I'm trying to do now. It seems to me I've been doing it for years. And, to my utter horror, it still seems as far till the end as was yesterday or the day before...

Loved Girl, though.

MonteGss
10-11-2007, 02:45 PM
Monte has honor?


Entirely my point above about it being too late :lol:



Monte has honor?


:rofl: :rofl:

I hate you all. :lol:
You're so mean. :cry:

Nah, that was pretty funny but I totally have honor. Shove it where the sun don't shine CK. :lol:

MonteGss
10-11-2007, 02:46 PM
Nah. I give you 24 hours to recruit another Desperation-hater to fight for your side. Then it will be fair.

I don't need Lisa's half-assed help. :lol:
I'll take you guys on anyway. :)

Ok, back on topic.
I've heard good things about Lisey's Story. Now I'm a little worried after reading some people in this thread...

Wuducynn
10-11-2007, 03:06 PM
Nah, that was pretty funny but I totally have honor. Shove it where the sun don't shine CK. :lol:

I might need your expert help with that..




Now I'm a little worried after reading some people in this thread...

Don't be worried, just read it and make up your own mind.

Darkthoughts
10-12-2007, 06:11 AM
:o Half assed help!!?!!...:lol:

Monte, Lisey's Story rocks - I loved it, I'm surprised it gets such a bad press.

Wuducynn
10-12-2007, 06:45 AM
:o Half assed help!!?!!...:lol:

Monte, Lisey's Story rocks - I loved it, I'm surprised it gets such a bad press.

I'm with ya, princess. I am with you all the way.

Storyslinger
10-12-2007, 07:08 AM
I agree, DT books are the best

This is why I've let you live.

I was wondering the reason why :lol:

MonteGss
10-12-2007, 07:42 PM
:o Half assed help!!?!!...:lol:

Monte, Lisey's Story rocks - I loved it, I'm surprised it gets such a bad press.


And here I am, to defend Monte's honor!! ...Well, it may be too late for that...but I'm here to defend him nonetheless :D

Yeah...what is that? :lol: Ok...reluctant help anyway. :lol:

Don't worry...I make up my own mind about books. I will get to Lisey's soon but I have this thing about reading in order and Dreamcatcher is next so I have a couple more to go. :)

Darkthoughts
10-13-2007, 12:07 PM
No, its more like...aw bugger it...I can't butter it up :lol:

Randall Flagg
10-13-2007, 08:11 PM
Interesting review of Lisey's Story:



Stephen King has written about zombies, vampires and the end of the world. He has imagined a killer car, a killer dog, a killer clown and killer cellphones. But when he really wants to put a scare into you, he brings on his most fearsome monster of all, that quivering mass of ego and insecurity known as ... the writer.


The Rest (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/books/review/Windolf.t.html)

http://img149.imageshack.us/img149/6791/12cover4501lr1.jpg

Daghain
10-14-2007, 03:18 PM
Lisey's Story started out slow, but I put it in my "okay" pile. It turned out to be an interesting story, just not, IMHO, one of his best.

ZoNeSeeK
10-18-2007, 12:22 AM
I liked it :P In Bag of Bones he dealt with grief from a male point of view, and in Lisey's Story it was from a female point of view. The fragility and vulnerabilities in Lisey's Story were very well woven I think.

Wuducynn
10-18-2007, 06:18 AM
I've noticed a lot of folk seem to have a problem with slowness in a story. Is this the ADD in Western society..everything needs to be a soundbite or move along quickly? 9 times out of 10 if I hear a complaint about a book from someone who is below 50 its that "its too slow".

Daghain
10-18-2007, 07:11 AM
Maybe because the general consensus in writing is that a good story "grabs" the reader and pull him or her in. Blame the English professors. :lol:

Storyslinger
10-18-2007, 07:11 AM
:pullhair: We've been corupted

Wuducynn
10-18-2007, 08:47 AM
Maybe because the general consensus in writing is that a good story "grabs" the reader and pull him or her in. Blame the English professors. :lol:

Whether a story grabs and pull someone doesn't necessarily have anything to do with plot being slow at times. I am very involved in a book like Insomnia or Rose Madder that has slow moments, Insomnia's first half of the book is pretty slow, but I'm still deeply immersed in the book.

Storyslinger
10-18-2007, 08:48 AM
Agreed, Insomnia did start slow, but as you said, was a good book

Daghain
10-18-2007, 08:50 AM
Whether a story grabs and pull someone doesn't necessarily have anything to do with plot being slow at times. I am very involved in a book like Insomnia or Rose Madder that has slow moments, Insomnia's first half of the book is pretty slow, but I'm still deeply immersed in the book

No, but if it's slow, and there's not a lot of action, a lot of people tend to equate that with boring.

Storyslinger
10-18-2007, 08:51 AM
Some do, that is true

Wuducynn
10-18-2007, 08:53 AM
Whether a story grabs and pull someone doesn't necessarily have anything to do with plot being slow at times. I am very involved in a book like Insomnia or Rose Madder that has slow moments, Insomnia's first half of the book is pretty slow, but I'm still deeply immersed in the book

No, but if it's slow, and there's not a lot of action, a lot of people tend to equate that with boring.

And that was my point.

Darkthoughts
10-18-2007, 11:10 AM
I know what you're saying there Daggers, I'm with CK on this though. For me the lack of plot action didn't equate "boring" because - with Insomnia for example - I loved Ralph's character so much, I was really content just reading about him :)

And thats one of the reasons I love King so much, his characters are so good, so believable and so likeable/hateable.

MonteGss
10-18-2007, 06:40 PM
The reasons Insomnia is on my worst list have really nothing to do with it being slow. I found the story more interesting towards the end. The pace was fine, I was just not interested in the characters.

Wuducynn
10-18-2007, 06:43 PM
It just didn't have the sweaty, wet donkey anus that you were looking for in a book.

MonteGss
10-18-2007, 06:44 PM
:rofl:
Damn, did I tell you that already? Yes, that IS the reason. :)

Jean
10-18-2007, 11:22 PM
I've noticed a lot of folk seem to have a problem with slowness in a story. Is this the ADD in Western society..everything needs to be a soundbite or move along quickly? 9 times out of 10 if I hear a complaint about a book from someone who is below 50 its that "its too slow".
I love slow stories. I always prefer a local story (involving 2 or 3 people) where action takes place within a few days to an epic with such disconcerting bridges as "ten years passed". Among my favorite books are Lucky Jim by Amis and Crome Yellow by Huxley, where nothing happens at all; or Dickens novels. The slower the better. Provided it is entertaining, you see.


The reasons Insomnia is on my worst list have really nothing to do with it being slow. I found the story more interesting towards the end. The pace was fine, I was just not interested in the characters.
With me it was just the opposite: I loved the characters and was bored by the story, especially towards the end.

Randall Flagg
10-19-2007, 12:31 AM
I can and have enjoyed books with a languid pace, but boring is boring-any way you try to put it.

Jean
10-19-2007, 12:33 AM
which is, basically, what I was trying to say

Darkthoughts
10-19-2007, 04:33 AM
Languid - yeah, thats a good word! Makes me think of a cold beer and a cigarette...but generally on Friday's everything makes me think of a cold beer and a cigarette :P

In Insomnia in particular I thought the pace was probably quite deliberate. It lent itself to the plot - with the senior citizens gradually becoming more enervated. I also just loved the fact that people over 60 were not just main characters, but heroes in this story. It was a really original concept to me, not something you usually find in popular fiction.

Asterisco
10-19-2007, 10:52 AM
Well, I think Dreamcatcher could be King's worst novel. Yes, maybe TGWLTG is worse, but since Dreamcatcher is longer and more pretentious...

Darkthoughts
10-20-2007, 05:18 AM
Yeah, i just recentley read Dreamcatcher and wasn't very enamoured with it. The military stuff was boring...and there was so much of it, plus, I didn't connect with the characters like I usually do with SK. But The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon...that story is awesome!!! :D

Matt
10-20-2007, 08:21 AM
I'm a "shoot em up kill em all" excitement kind of guy and like some of kings books that are like that. Cell comes to mind because there wasn't much substance, sure--but I kind of liked that. <shrug>

But that doesn't mean King can't write what some would all a "slow" book well. Look at The Stand. That thing grinds for hundreds of pages without any significant action going on and you are still riveted to the pages.

I think King can write "boring" and that is different for all of us. Dreamcatcher was sure in that category for me.

MonteGss
10-20-2007, 08:23 AM
I'm a "shoot em up kill em all" excitement kind of guy and like some of kings books that are like that. Cell comes to mind because there wasn't much substance, sure--but I kind of liked that. <shrug>

But that doesn't mean King can't write what some would all a "slow" book well. Look at The Stand. That thing grinds for hundreds of pages without any significant action going on and you are still riveted to the pages.

I think King can write "boring" and that is different for all of us. Dreamcatcher was sure in that category for me.

Good points Matt. The Stand was long and grinding yet I loved every moment. Dreamcatcher is my next book, after I finally finish Catch-22. :)

Eluria
10-20-2007, 12:14 PM
I think the worst out of the ones I've read so far would have to be Hearts in Atlantis and Dreamcatcher (although it was ten times better than the atrocious movie they made for it!)

Daghain
10-20-2007, 12:15 PM
ARGH, Dreamcatcher - I just did not like that one at all. I'm rereading all my King now, however, so we'll see if that opinion changes. I doubt it though. :lol:

alinda
10-21-2007, 05:30 AM
I wasnt crazy about Geralds Game....maybe I should try it again.:unsure:

fernandito
10-21-2007, 07:53 AM
I'm really not liking Dolores Claiborne. :unsure:

Brice
10-21-2007, 07:54 AM
:( Uhhh...why?

Darkthoughts
10-21-2007, 10:26 AM
Yes, why?! It was a great story *shakes Feev*...*gently* :P

Jean
10-22-2007, 01:45 AM
:( Uhhh...why?


Yes, why?! <...>

yes, why???!!! http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_angry.gif

Darkthoughts
10-22-2007, 02:40 AM
:lol: That angry bear smilie is great!!

Storyslinger
10-22-2007, 05:11 AM
That is great

fernandito
10-22-2007, 09:52 AM
:( Uhhh...why?


Yes, why?! <...>

yes, why???!!! http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_angry.gif

Well, I'm not liking it so far. The characters don't interest me, the plot bores me, and the description of the enviroment in which the story is taking place thus far makes me feel...meh. I'll give my complete impressions once I finish the book.

Wuducynn
10-22-2007, 10:53 AM
Feverish don't feel you have to explain yourself to these folk..they're not worthy of you taking the time and effort to do so.

fernandito
10-22-2007, 11:25 AM
Feverish don't feel you have to explain yourself to these folk..they're not worthy of you taking the time and effort to do so.

:lol: No, it's all good. Personally, I get just a little irritated when people don't explain why they don't like something, therefore I try my best to explain myself whenever I feel I have the correct words lined up or if i'm not feeling too lazy. :)

Randall Flagg
10-22-2007, 11:53 AM
I think Dolores Claiborne was written in a deliberate slow pace to reflect the long suffering DC suffered and how she continud to march on her 1,000 mile journey. It's difficult to have a reader understand something as painful and lifelong as that which she suffered by simply saying:

She worked long and hard all her life.
Little would be conveyed by that.
I thought The Stand was like a 7 course meal. Well paced but slow enough to enjoy every course. The Unedited version was like a 9 course meal at The French Laundry.

fernandito
10-22-2007, 12:07 PM
Damn Randall and his hunger inducing posts!!!!111 :)

Darkthoughts
10-22-2007, 12:34 PM
Feverish don't feel you have to explain yourself to these folk..they're not worthy of you taking the time and effort to do so.
:o Don't make me come over there, young man!

Ikilledthecrimsonking
10-22-2007, 03:19 PM
Yeah, i just recentley read Dreamcatcher and wasn't very enamoured with it. The military stuff was boring...and there was so much of it, plus, I didn't connect with the characters like I usually do with SK. But The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon...that story is awesome!!! :D

how could you say that TGTLTG was good i thought that it was boring the first half and stupid the second half:arg:

Wuducynn
10-22-2007, 03:40 PM
Feverish don't feel you have to explain yourself to these folk..they're not worthy of you taking the time and effort to do so.
:o Don't make me come over there, young man!

Please do come over girly!

Ikilledthecrimsonking
10-22-2007, 03:45 PM
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Wuducynn
10-22-2007, 03:48 PM
Actually fighting was the least on my mind... :cool:

Daghain
10-22-2007, 06:20 PM
how could you say that TGTLTG was good i thought that it was boring the first half and stupid the second half

Ummm...because she has a different opinion?

How boring life would be if we all liked the same thing.

And CK's a lover, not a fighter. :lol:

Wuducynn
10-22-2007, 06:22 PM
And CK's a lover, not a fighter. :lol:

Fuckin-A, and anyone who says different I will have to tear their heads off slowly.

Daghain
10-22-2007, 06:23 PM
:lol:

That's why I love ya, baby. :D

Sai Joshua
10-22-2007, 07:42 PM
I have to agree with the "Cell" folks. Stephen King seems to be good with coming up with something most other people don't, but this book seemed like a worked over "Night Of The Living Dead" thing.

Just John
10-22-2007, 07:47 PM
I hear a lot of people complaining about Liseys story being slow. Let me just say that as long as a story is full( as in plot ) Then let it take its time.

Just John
10-22-2007, 07:50 PM
I Agree with dark thoughts. Dreamcatcher ended 150 pages before the book did

Wuducynn
10-22-2007, 08:12 PM
Hello Just John/Sai Joshua.

Jean
10-22-2007, 10:00 PM
Yeah, i just recentley read Dreamcatcher and wasn't very enamoured with it. The military stuff was boring...and there was so much of it, plus, I didn't connect with the characters like I usually do with SK. But The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon...that story is awesome!!! :D

how could you say that TGTLTG was good i thought that it was boring the first half and stupid the second half:arg:
In addition to what Daghain said, I can also venture an opinion that she said that because she found the book gripping, profound, thoroughly entertaining and exceptionally well written; I know I did anyway.


I Agree with dark thoughts. Dreamcatcher ended 150 pages before the book did
Beautifully stated.

Matt
10-23-2007, 06:25 AM
Welcome Josh and John :rock:

Storyslinger
10-23-2007, 06:55 AM
Great to see you just jump in :thumbsup: Just John/Sai Joshua

Darkthoughts
10-23-2007, 09:38 AM
Please do come over girly!
Threats of spanking really aren't going to put you off, are they? :P


how could you say that TGTLTG was good i thought that it was boring the first half and stupid the second half:arg:

I thought it was a fantastic book about fear. About how we deal with it and how we can overcome it if we embrace it. I really connected with the girl, I thought she was immense. I loved that she was essentially the only character in the book - it was a bold move on King's part, I thought :)

Heather19
10-23-2007, 02:37 PM
My least favorite would have to be Insomnia. I just couldn't get into that one at all.

Matt
10-23-2007, 02:46 PM
That one was really hard for me as well, not sure why. I may have to listen to it again just to make sure.

That one and Dreamcatcher...<ugh>

Wuducynn
10-23-2007, 02:52 PM
That one was really hard for me as well, not sure why. I may have to listen to it again just to make sure.


Oh you shouldn't listen to it. The reader is awful.

Matt
10-23-2007, 02:56 PM
I that Guidell or something? If it wasn't, it should have been.

The one time you need old man voice. :lol:

Wuducynn
10-23-2007, 03:38 PM
No its the guy who played "The Ugly" in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Can't remember his name right now. I really hope they re-record it with someone else as the reader preferably George Guidall.

Eluria
10-23-2007, 07:53 PM
I'm surprised how many people didn't like Insomnia. Before I read the DT series it was my favorite King book!

Wuducynn
10-23-2007, 07:56 PM
I'm surprised how many people didn't like Insomnia. Before I read the DT series it was my favorite King book!

I'm not surprised, because like the Dark Tower series it is unlike what a lot of folk have come to think of as a Stephen King novel. Also its slow for the first half of the novel and as I've pointed out before it seems that a lot of folk under their fifties seem to feel "slowness" in a novel is a bad thing. Personally, its one of my favorite novels under the Dark Tower.

fernandito
10-23-2007, 08:03 PM
I'm surprised how many people didn't like Insomnia. Before I read the DT series it was my favorite King book!

Ditto. I haven't read it myself, but I was under the impression that it was one of the favorites among the DT-related books for most.

Ikilledthecrimsonking
11-02-2007, 04:57 PM
all u people are crazy the girl who loved tom gorden was far worse than dreamcatcher

Jimmy
11-02-2007, 06:17 PM
Dreamcatcher was the worst one, i think.

fernandito
11-02-2007, 10:06 PM
Dreamcatcher was the worst one, i think.

I haven't read the book, but I actually liked the movie.

(waits for crucifixion)

Daghain
11-03-2007, 06:18 AM
I wasn't a fan of Dreamcatcher either. It just didn't do it for me. Eventually I'll reread it and we'll see if I still hold that opinion. :D

Brice
11-03-2007, 06:21 AM
Dreamcatcher was the worst one, i think.

I haven't read the book, but I actually liked the movie.

(waits for crucifixion)

*goes to find some 2x4s, some nails and a hammer*




Actually, I liked both the movie and the book.

Ikilledthecrimsonking
11-03-2007, 08:25 AM
well i thought the movie was good but the book was just okay
you just have to think higher about books when its king who wrote them

Odetta
11-03-2007, 04:03 PM
I'm surprised how many people didn't like Insomnia. Before I read the DT series it was my favorite King book!

I actually quite enjoyed it myself!

CRinVA
11-05-2007, 08:30 AM
I liked Dreamcatcher (the book) - where else can you get a 200 page car chase!!!! I like the movie even though big liberties were taken with the written word. I did read the SK loved the film.

Fo me the worse King novel is probably really a novelette (or a really long short story) - I got nothing out of My Pretty Pony!

gunslinger19
11-09-2007, 04:45 AM
For some reason I just could not get into Dreamcatcher. I finished it and I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I was not really drawn to any of the characters like in so many other King books.

Ruthful
11-10-2007, 01:10 AM
Cujo should be on my list. I only read that one once and don't care to revisit it again. :)

The only reason Cujo isn't the worst novel he's ever written is because it's barely a novel.

That honor probably goes to something like The Dark Half, or The Tommyknockers.

Desperation and The Regulators-after pretty good starts-petered out. Two of the only King novels in which there are virtually no compelling characters. Athough I wouldn't put them in my "bad" pile they are rather lackluster works of fiction, IMO. Together they're somewhat interesting, but as stand-alone works they don't captivate me.

Basically it comes down to these three:

1. Cujo
2. The Dark Half
3. The Tommyknockers

The original version of The Gunslinger also doesn't rate;what a slog getting through that was.

I can't pontificate on the quality of his post-Dark Tower novels, not having read any of them, which probably suggests that they should be added to the list above.

I enjoyed From a Buick 8-very good, seamless storytelling-but it was also rather forgettable. Again, not bad, but also not worth rerreading.

Randall Flagg
11-10-2007, 11:33 AM
Interesting. I enjoyed Cujo. I thought it was compelling that the child dies in the end. No happy, easy conclusion, just a punch to the gut.
I also enjoyed The Dark half.
I agree that Tommyknockers was less than good. It actually was written by King at a time in his life self acknowledged as a severe cocaine binge.

Ruthful
11-10-2007, 11:58 AM
I didn't necessarily have a problem with the conclusion-ninety percent of the time King is able to come up with a satisfactory denouement-but the book itself.

It read like something written by a person high on narcotics-probably because it was written by someone high on narcotics. I have the same problem with The Tommyknockers-although I'll admit that part of my dislike for that novel stems from my aversion to science-fiction in general.

Even The Dark Half, which I presume was written whilst in recovery, really struggles to command my interest. I have a problem with some of his post-Dark Tower works-not short stories, some of which I've enjoyed, but the novels-for different reasons.

To me the final, eponymous volume in The Dark Tower stands as the apotheosis of his career as a writer. Every major work after that pales by comparison, and you can almost detect a loss of a sense of purpose as you read them. To be perfectly honest, aside from a few more collections, and maybe a third Jack Sawyer novel, I'm not really anticipating future King releases in the way I used to.

Jean
11-10-2007, 02:11 PM
I also enjoyed The Dark half.
So did I. In fact, it's one of my favorite.

CPU
11-12-2007, 05:25 AM
For me the winner (well, loser ;)) is Dreamcatcher. For some reason it didn't feel like a Stephen King novel to me. I can't put my finger on what it is exactly that I didn't like about it, maybe it was the shit-weasels and the fact that I'm coompelled to check every toilet thoroughly now before I sit down :lol:

MonteGss
12-13-2007, 07:58 PM
That is the next King book I have to read. I hope it's good.

CyberGhostface
12-13-2007, 09:02 PM
Dolores Claireborne wasn't just that interesting to me and its one of the few King books that I haven't bothered to read.

DT7, while having a lot of great stuff, also had a lot of bad stuff in it that weakened my general appreciation for the series and left a sour taste in my mouth in many regards.

Daghain
12-13-2007, 09:57 PM
That is the next King book I have to read. I hope it's good.

Dude, put it off. Seriously. :(

Frunobulax
12-14-2007, 12:25 AM
Dreamcatcher....ewww.

It's a bug hunt, man! A bug hunt!!

MonteGss
12-14-2007, 05:06 AM
I can't guys, I really can't. I have to finish all of King's work....I have to. :) Maybe I'll just read fast. :D

Ruthful
12-14-2007, 06:14 AM
I'm under no such compulsion.

Once King finished the Dark Tower cycle my version of The Essential Stephen King was whittled down to the novels remaining on my bookshelf, which are now down to two. About thirty pages more of 'Salem's Lot and the list will consist of the second half of Insomnia.

Bwee!

Jean
12-14-2007, 06:22 AM
... and you can go back to peacefully reading Virgil...

(Ruthful, you are killing me)

CyberGhostface
12-14-2007, 06:41 AM
I enjoyed Dreamcatcher. Its a fun book, and Mr. Gray is one of my favorite SK characters. He's hilarious. The toilet humor in the opening half is a little bizarre, but King didn't exactly shy away from that in the last Tower novel either...

jayson
12-14-2007, 06:42 AM
Dreamcatcher....ewww.

It's a bug hunt, man! A bug hunt!!

Is it possible to love and hate a King novel? That's where I am with Dreamcatcher. I agree, the overall story of the ass-aliens is completely stupid and not particularly exciting either. However, the writing in the scenes in which the one character is trapped within his own mind by the alien who now controls his body... that is the kind of King I love to read [ie. his conceptions of how the mind works]. It was a good precursor to Susannah in her dogan.

fernandito
12-14-2007, 07:33 AM
Is it possible to love and hate a King novel? That's where I am with Dreamcatcher...

This has yet to happen to me - I either love or hate a King book, no middle ground.

jayson
12-14-2007, 07:42 AM
Is it possible to love and hate a King novel? That's where I am with Dreamcatcher...

This has yet to happen to me - I either love or hate a King book, no middle ground.

For me there are some that I love elements of [at least with respect to some aspect of the writing] but don't really get into the overall story. Dreamcatcher is a fine example. Another would be The Tommyknockers where there are parts of it I really enjoyed, but overall the book doesn't do it for me. My wife [also a Constant Reader] and I have discussed it before and she is the same way. There are some books that we may have enjoyed reading on some level simply because of King's voice/style, but didn't really get too into the story.

Jean
12-14-2007, 08:26 AM
Is it possible to love and hate a King novel?
For me it's the case with all King novels, and most other authors' books. the ratio of love to hate is different in every case, but they're both there anyway (with only a few possible exceptions)

fernandito
12-14-2007, 08:55 AM
(with only a few possible exceptions)

Such as?...

Jean
12-14-2007, 09:12 AM
It, The Stand, Dt 2, 3, 5 and 6 - almost 100% love

on the other hand, very little love lost between me and Bag of Bones or Eyes of the Dragon (even Lisey's Story which I thought I thoroughly hated had some redeeming features - although not many.)

jayson
12-14-2007, 09:14 AM
on the other hand, very little love lost between me and Bag of Bones ...even Lisey's Story which I thought I thoroughly hated had some redeeming features - although not many.)

I'm with you on these Jean... Bag of Bones is a read-once for me. I didn't enjoy it and won't be re-reading like I do with so much other King. Lisey's Story I have yet to finish in two attempts. I wasn't much for Dolores Claiborne either.

Jean
12-14-2007, 09:20 AM
ah! I liked Dolores, and I like Rose Madder, and Gerald's Game, too! Although I have to admit Dolores is the one I've never reread... I'll try after I'm through with some more re-reads I'm doing now. (for example, want to try rereading Tommyknockers. Something is telling me that after BofB and L'sS it won't read all that bad)

fernandito
12-14-2007, 09:29 AM
I couldn't stand Eyes of The Dragon, Cell, and I doubt I'll ever pick up Dolores Claiborne again.


At the other end of the specturm : Desperation, The Regulators, The Talisman. :wub:

jayson
12-14-2007, 09:35 AM
I couldn't stand Eyes of The Dragon, Cell, and I doubt I'll ever pick up Dolores Claiborne again.

I still love Eyes of the Dragon. It's a simple read children's story that works on its own, or as a window into the larger All-World mythos. In that respect, it's a bit like The Hobbit to LotR. You can just read the Hobbit and never read the Rings trilogy, or you can see the Hobbit as the chapter it is in the overall tale.

Cell I didn't like either.


for example, want to try rereading Tommyknockers. Something is telling me that after BofB and L'sS it won't read all that bad

i was also thinking recently about giving it another go. it's one of the few long long ones that i am not in love with.

Jon
12-30-2007, 03:04 AM
Thinner- I have attempted to read it three times and have never made it past halfway.

Gerald's Game- I found it dull.

Misery- predictable and the setting is limited to mostly one place just like Gerald's Game.

Jean
12-30-2007, 03:06 AM
Misery?!

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_angry.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_angry.gifhttp://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_angry.gif

MonteGss
12-30-2007, 03:16 AM
Yeah, Thinner was crap too. I loved Misery though. I did like Gerald's Game and I thought it was scary in parts but Dolores was not very good.

jayson
12-30-2007, 05:31 AM
Misery? No way. It's such a compelling read despite being set in one location throughout. I'm usually a bigger fan of the longer more complex King stories, but I loved Misery.

stone, rose, unfound door
12-30-2007, 04:15 PM
I'm tied between The Tommyknockers (King was never good at writing about aliens) and Bag of bones which was plain bullshit.

Darkthoughts
12-30-2007, 06:14 PM
Nooooo!!! What didn't you like about Bag of Bones? I thought it was an excellent ghost story.

And likewise Monts, what didn't you like about Dolores?

Heather19
12-30-2007, 06:44 PM
Nooooo!!! What didn't you like about Bag of Bones? I thought it was an excellent ghost story.

My words exactly! That is one of my favorite stories by King.

Ruthful
12-30-2007, 08:35 PM
I enjoyed Dreamcatcher. Its a fun book, and Mr. Gray is one of my favorite SK characters. He's hilarious. The toilet humor in the opening half is a little bizarre, but King didn't exactly shy away from that in the last Tower novel either...

King does scatological humor very well.

Daghain
12-30-2007, 08:36 PM
MISERY???? OMG!!! I read that in ONE SITTING! :scared:

Jean
12-31-2007, 01:45 AM
Nooooo!!! What didn't you like about Bag of Bones? I thought it was an excellent ghost story.



Nooooo!!! What didn't you like about Bag of Bones? I thought it was an excellent ghost story.

My words exactly! That is one of my favorite stories by King.

When we have a Bag of Bones thread, we - Little Gem and I - will be happy to explain why.

::thoroughly hates Bag of Bones::

Brice
12-31-2007, 04:03 AM
Nooooo!!! What didn't you like about Bag of Bones? I thought it was an excellent ghost story.



Nooooo!!! What didn't you like about Bag of Bones? I thought it was an excellent ghost story.

My words exactly! That is one of my favorite stories by King.

When we have a Bag of Bones thread, we - Little Gem and I - will be happy to explain why.

::thoroughly hates Bag of Bones::

:o :o :o

Absolute heresy!

Bethany
12-31-2007, 09:48 AM
::thoroughly hates Bag of Bones::



:cry: :scared:

jayson
12-31-2007, 09:49 AM
i can join you on that one jean. i thought i would love it as i usually do when king writes about writers but not this time. i was able to finish the book, but i doubt it will ever be re-read like so much other King.

Brice
12-31-2007, 09:50 AM
:o

:(

:cry:

Ruthful
12-31-2007, 10:44 AM
The worst of the worst-as in, I've never picked them up again since completing the novel.

1. Cujo
2. The Dark Half
3. The Tomyknockers

Others didn't live up to expectations, e.g. Desperation and The Regulators, or were ponderous-the original version of The Gunslinger-but were worth reading.

One or two were good, but not great, e.g. Thinner.

Those three are the only ones where I can categorically declare that they suck.

The Cell and Lisey's Story I haven't read yet, and I don't really have any intention of reading.

fernandito
12-31-2007, 11:14 AM
Avoid Cell like the plague, Ruth!

Matt
12-31-2007, 11:40 AM
Oh man, some of the best stuff ever mentioned here. :lol:

Ruthful
12-31-2007, 12:01 PM
Avoid Cell like the plague, Ruth!

I picked it up a couple of times and just couldn't get into it.

Usually I'm engrossed in a Stephen King story or novel from the initial passage, but I read nearly a page and wasn't interested in the plot in the slightest.

fernandito
12-31-2007, 12:18 PM
Avoid Cell like the plague, Ruth!

I picked it up a couple of times and just couldn't get into it.

Usually I'm engrossed in a Stephen King story or novel from the initial passage, but I read nearly a page and wasn't interested in the plot in the slightest.

Consider yourself fortunate. I was bold enough to keep reading, hoping and wishing that the story might captivate me at some point. It never did. The "ending" didn't help either.

jayson
12-31-2007, 12:28 PM
i remember reading the published excerpt of cell before it came out. now normally that alone would have me salivating for more new king, but i wasn't all that taken with it. when the book came out, my wife [also a Constant Reader] told me "Cell came out today." I asked her what the hell she was talking about. It took me a minute to remember that Cell was the King book I read the excerpt from. She read it and really liked it. I tried twice, and hated it.

Brice
12-31-2007, 12:31 PM
I've yet to read a King story I didn't love. There have been some I've liked less than others and a couple that I couldn't get into immediately, but none I didn't eventually end up truly enjoying.

Ruthful
12-31-2007, 02:08 PM
If I scoured all of the short stories, novellas and novels I've read, which were written by Stephen King, I could probably find around a dozen-give or take a few-I could do without, but that's not such a bad number, all things considered.

Even Douglas Adams, Tom Wolfe and Christopher Buckley each have only half a dozen or so books on my shelf, whereas King's work takes up three separate shelves, so he must have done something right.

jayson
12-31-2007, 02:13 PM
Even Douglas Adams, Tom Wolfe and Christopher Buckley each have only half a dozen or so books on my shelf, whereas King's work takes up three separate shelves, so he must have done something right.

Well Adams only wrote the 5 HHGTTG books and the two Dirk Gently books so 6 out of 7 is a pretty good percentage.

Ruthful
12-31-2007, 05:40 PM
He wrote a few other books.

He co-authored "Last Chance to See" with Mark Carwardine. I think that was one of his few nonfiction books.

I might still have that lying around somewhere.

Jean
01-01-2008, 03:46 AM
Avoid Cell like the plague, Ruth!
some day... some day... I will finish it

(when pigs fly)

fernandito
01-01-2008, 07:23 AM
Avoid Cell like the plague, Ruth!
some day... some day... I will finish it

(when pigs fly)

http://keithcombs.members.winisp.net/flyingpig.gif

Page 1, Jean? :lol:

Jean
01-01-2008, 07:42 AM
ooooooooooooooooooops

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k291/mishemplushem/Facilitation/bear_unsure.gif

looks like I'll have to

(if I only could remember where I stopped... I am certainly not ready to restart from page 1)

Heather19
01-01-2008, 08:09 AM
I'm surprised so many people dislike Cell as well. That's another one that I enjoyed.

Darkthoughts
01-01-2008, 09:07 AM
I didn't love Cell, but there was something about it that made me keep reading. Unlike Dreamcatcher, which I skipped chunks of to get to the bitter end.

Randall Flagg
01-02-2008, 06:05 PM
Misery- predictable and the setting is limited to mostly one place just like Gerald's Game.

How could this be predictable?

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/8192/misery48vxie7.gif

Darkthoughts
01-03-2008, 04:10 AM
Gross!! I always try not to watch that part :lol:

Matt
01-07-2008, 04:06 PM
Oh man :lol:

That is much better than what actually happened in the book :panic:

As I am sure you all know

obscurejude
01-07-2008, 11:22 PM
I realize it was well received by many, but I wasn't crazy about Needful Things. Especially after reading how Jim and Tammy Faye Baker were the inspiration behind the novel as posted on the official SK site.

Jean
01-08-2008, 01:21 AM
I don't know the context you're referring to, but it only confirms me in my opinion that no additional information on "how it all works" should be ever given to the reader.

::loves Needful Things::

TerribleT
01-08-2008, 03:11 AM
Count me in as a Needful Things fan. It's high on my list of favorite books.

jayson
01-08-2008, 03:48 AM
I loved Needful Things. As to Jim & Tammy Faye, sometimes the worst people/acts in the world inspire the best art.

obscurejude
01-08-2008, 08:52 AM
Like I said, I'm well aware that most people liked it. I didn't however.

Wuducynn
01-08-2008, 10:16 AM
That is the next King book I have to read. I hope it's good.

Dude, put it off. Seriously. :(

Ignore her. Seriously.

obscurejude
01-08-2008, 09:05 PM
I'm not sure I follow you R of G. I'm well aware that bad people/acts inspire the best art. What made you think I was suggesting they didn't?

ATG
01-08-2008, 09:36 PM
Rose Madder.
I kept waiting for that King magic, which for me sadly never came.

Lisey’s Story was up there too in crap fests for me as well.

It was just...leave the ' other worlds and dimensions ' alone for while.

Erin
01-08-2008, 10:30 PM
:lol: Crap fest. That's how I will describe Lisey's Story from now on. Thanks for that one.

Jean
01-09-2008, 02:15 AM
wasn't it too boring to qualify as fest of any kind?

jayson
01-09-2008, 03:56 AM
I'm not sure I follow you R of G. I'm well aware that bad people/acts inspire the best art. What made you think I was suggesting they didn't?

Nothing at all Jude. It was just an observation on my part but not meant to suggest you didn't already understand this to be the case.

Darkthoughts
01-09-2008, 06:53 AM
I hope you all know that every time you trash Lisey's Story it makes me cry :(

...

:lol:

...

I loved Rose Madder too :(

Jean
01-09-2008, 06:56 AM
no, we didn't know that

if I believed it for one single moment, I would immediately proclaim LS my favorite book ever

Darkthoughts
01-09-2008, 07:03 AM
*is tempted to lie* :D

Vasagi
01-09-2008, 07:31 AM
My least favorite King Novel was Dreamcatcher, by far. It was just a poorly done mash-up of concepts from his earlier novels that were much better. Take the childhood friendships of IT, stir in a bass-ackwards alien invasion from Tommyknockers, trap a main character in a confined space for much too long a-la Cujo, season with a liberal amount of King-accident-broken-hip, take a crap in the pot and stir over a medium heat.

There's plenty of King books that I have issues with, but Dreamcatcher takes the cake.

Insomina ... ironically titled because the first 3/4 of the book is the cure for the disease named on the cover.

Bag of Bones made me want to kill myself in a fit of depression ... at least now I know how you can slide downhill after hitting rock bottom in the first chapter.

I loved the concept of Cell ... but there were just some things that really got under my skin. How the hell can a stupid hacker kid thoroughly understand every teensy facet of the Deus Ex Machina?

obscurejude
01-09-2008, 10:51 AM
[QUOTE=Darkthoughts;88650]I hope you all know that every time you trash Lisey's Story it makes me cry :(

I really liked it too Darkthoughts. Slow paced, but I did experience the King magic eventually and was thoroughly impressed with it overall.

Matt
01-09-2008, 11:32 AM
I totally agree. Not a huge Needful Things fan though :lol:

Ruthful
01-09-2008, 11:38 AM
Dreamcatcher was a bit of a collage.

Not as bad as The Tommyknockers, IMO, but not in the same league as IT by any stretch of the imagination. I thought it really went down hill after the first part, especially as the alien angle came to the forefront. He did the whole conspiratorial plot by government agents thing much better in Firestarter. Dremcatcher was way too sappy, although I did like many aspects of the novel as stand-alone concepts.

obscurejude
01-09-2008, 08:34 PM
I totally agree. Not a huge Needful Things fan though :lol:

Thanks Matt! I thought I was the only one who didn't care for Needful Things.

mr.nineteen
01-10-2008, 11:24 AM
Desperation and Dreamchatcher are the worst I've read. I actually liked Bag of Bones and Cell very much. And also Insomnia, I thought it was an excellent story. Desperation was... just weird I guess. Never really got the point. I liked the cop but then he turned into whatever he was and I started to dislike him. And Dreamcatcher was, yeah, boring.