I think it's absolutely okay and good.
I think it's absolutely okay and good.
Roland would have understood.
While I don’t share your waning/wavering interest, I do think this is a make or break time for Stephen King.
I think many ‘constant readers’, are losing interest as well. Sales of Blaze were not great. OK, it made No. 2 on the NYT bestsellers, but that’s not great for King. In the UK the book sold for £9 on the day of release and was in the bargain bins soon after, (It still is in my local booksellers. 1st/1st)
The sales for Lisey’s Story were good as this was backed-up with a worldwide ad campaign including signings by King in the US and UK.
The collectors will still buy anything King, including his grocery list, but the prices have been falling for a long time.
I will be watching the sales figures for Duma Key carefully.
From the few people I have talked to that have read DUMA KEY it is very, very good. I haven't read it yet but I am really looking forward to it.
I couldn't care less about the new comic book series or the abysmal SECRETARY OF DREAMS.
For me it's like this, because I have liked so much of King's past work I give each new one a chance. I have not been all that thrilled with many of the recent ones, but I still try to read them if only in the hopes that one of them will read like "classic King." So far none have but if he keeps them coming I will keep trying. So no Calla Wolf, I don't think you are alone in your view. I don't look forward to new King the way I used to, though I must admit I find the premise of Duma Key intriguing.
King is evolving as a writer, and, like it or not, you have to accept that. You may not like his more current work--I, for one, disliked Cell very much and thought Lisey's Story was too cliche, but I REALLY enjoyed Duma Key--but his talent for characterization and pure story-telling ability is still there.
John
What you're thinking it happened to me with other two authors before.
When I was 14 I read "The unwanted", by John Saul. I was spending a summer with my parents and it was one of the worst summers of all my life. Extremely boring, no friends...and I found that book in one of my mother's suitcases.
I loved it. When I returned to Buenos Aires I start looking for more books of that author. (Off the record here, in Buenos Aires there are SEVERAL used bookstores where you can find several rare books. I found a new shrinkwraped King 1st "The Wastelands" (Grant)).
I found almost all his books and also almost all Koontz's books. I loved both until I was 17 or 18...I was reading King already (despite the fact I read my first King book when I was 13 or 14). At that moment I read again "The unwanted" and I couldn't understand why I liked it.
I kept all Saul's books since I really enjoyed them at that time, but I sold all Koontz ones.
Tastes change with time, don't they?
Wanted list:
Ubris
I'm on page 300 of Duma and I LOVE IT!!
As for Lisey's...I LIKED IT A LOT!
Wanted list:
Ubris
My enthusiasm has never waned! Of course not all of King's collection can be rated top ten - how could that be!
I liked Lisey's Story - it wasn't great - not in my Top Ten! Same with Cell! Same with The Colorado Kid. the latest of King's to make my Top Ten is bag of Bones and that was 9 - 10 years ago. But I have high hopes for Duma Key!
And many of the earlier titles do not crack my top ten either - in fact may be in my bottom ten! I read each one on it's own merit and judge accordingly. ther eis only one piece of fiction that King wrote that I actually struggled to get through - My Pretty Pony - this did nothing for me - but I do own the big red book version! :-)
And the marvel stuff - the first story ARC was OK, but I knew how it was playing out - it was just nice to see someone's vision of what the characters looked like - and to read the snippets of filler material that Robin Furth chipped in. I do look forward to the continuing ARCs as the story of the Battle of Jericho inches forward!
One story that I'd love to see King working on - the sequel to The Black House - Who knows it may be several years before those words are put to paper!
DT Spoiler - Enter at your own risk!
Spoiler:
I haven't bought, much less read "Blaze," though I will eventially, but I am looking forward to Duma Key...I haven't read any of the Gunslinger comics either.
As far as collecting, I am downsizing my collection to the core group of first editions and s/l's, but would add books with the right number, for instance.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a malaise, but I do think the saturation of limited editions did turn me off a little bit...as soon as a couple came out that I had no interest in buying (TGWLTG, Colorado Kid, etc...), my interest sort of drooped across the board.
The people who have already read Duma Key are all collectors/avid fans or in the publishing business. Let's see what the general population thinks of it. (The Constant Readers King is plying his trade to).Originally Posted by carlosdetweiller
I couldn't care less about DT Comics either. King never wrote a word of them. But I'm a collector, so I bought them all including the hardback, but will never even open them. (What was I saying about 'grocery list').
Ceri-
As a collector, I am alive and well and would indeed purchase the King grocery list if it were for sale! But, I agree, that my tastes in "reading" have changes somewhat over the last 20 years. I still like and will re-read early King works, but the stuff from the last 10 years is read it and toss it aside. I keep waiting for him to regain the "sparkle" he had, but perhaps it is me that is stuck in the rut. King has moved ahead, but I have not easily followed him down that road. I liked him better when he was high/wasted.
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Those are good points too...he needs an editor with the power to say "stop." I'm not sure he's had that in years and years. If you reread his first books up through "Cujo" they are SO much better than his more recent stuff, it's not comparable - and I like his recent books! "Salem's Lot" holds up, for instance, on every level, as literature and horror, while "Lisey's" was a good read, but I don't remember a single scene from it.
Oh...and Carlos...I see the point about Sec. of Dreams, but I actually liked that s/l because it was different...if one didn't like the artwork (and it wasn't my taste) then it wouldn't be a good edition, but at least they tried something different and ambitious with it. Compare that to Colorado Kid, which was just a money grab.
What a fascinating conversation.
Personally, I am still fully on board and I will say, like so many others, that his work has changed a bit but I am still very interested.
Lisey's Story was not the kind of page turner The Stand was but I still found myself drawn to her and her plight. I know if I'm thinking about a book when I can't be reading it that it has me.
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
Excellent point Matt-
The thing that I like about King, and it STILL holds true today, is that I am transported out of my current life into the book. He is still able to do that consistently to me unlike most other authors I read (yes, I do venture outside of King). But for me, his recent tales are somewhat forgettable, even though I mostly enjoyed the ride he took me on. That make sense to everyone?
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Completely. You say true, I say thank ya.
Totally makes since to me Wiz. Some are burgers, some are New York Strip steaks.
All very good and satisfying though.
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
You are not alone Calla.
The excitement level has been steadily dropping since the release of DT5
I too could care less about the comics. They are not actually written by King anyhow, so to me it feels like someone else is raising his "baby". I gave up on them after the fifth issue.
As far as SoD2 goes, well based on how things with SoD1 went, CD will have our money in their pockets for over a year, and then when they finally release volume 2, it will be selling on ebay for the issue price OR LESS in a few cases within 6 months. On top of that, I can't stand Glen Chadbourne's artistic style.
I could never get past the first chapter of Lisey's Story.
I actually liked Blaze.
I hope Duma Key is good...but am not that excited about it.
I just had a conversation with a couple people about this very thing yesterday. They were saying they preferred "classic King" to "new King". I find myself in that camp a lot more as well, but I still love King, mainly because he has a very good insight into what makes people tick. Of course some books I find more interesting than others, but overall I still enjoy him as a writer. Like Ari, I used to love John Saul, but I kind of "grew out" of him over the years. I stopped reading his stuff long ago, but I still go out and get every King book on the market. Not collector's editions, per se, but generally when I see a new paperback it makes it into my shopping basket.
"People, especially children, aren't measured by their IQ. What's important about them is whether they're good or bad, and these children are bad." ~ Alan Bernard
"You needn't die happy when your day comes, but you must die satisfied, for you have lived your life from beginning to end and ka is always served." ~ Roland Deschain
I go through phases with different authors. Oe thing I love about King is he comes up with new stories, and worlds. Each of his book are different. I stopped reading Koontz, and Cussler because they write the same stories over and over, while plugging different characters into the model. ZZZzzzzZZZ You never know what to expect from King, but most likely it's gonna be FUCKED UP!!!
It's stressful being an other. ~ Juliet
I believe there ought to be a Constitutional Amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter. ~ Crash Davis
As a reader, I rarely run out and get the newest release. I've got so much on my TBR pile as it is. I know I'll read Blaze this year and hopefully Duma Key.
I love his newer fiction, so far. Cell, Lisey's, Colorado Kid, etc. were good. I loved Bag of Bones, the final DT books, and am LOVING Dreamcatcher, so his writing is holding up for me.
As for the comics, I'll collect what I can, but I'm tired of begging my lone comic store for a few promotional items, extra copies, etc. Hell, I had to twist their arm to sell (yes, SELL) me 2 copies of Gunslinger Born when it first came out.
Needful, www.g-mart.com
"People, especially children, aren't measured by their IQ. What's important about them is whether they're good or bad, and these children are bad." ~ Alan Bernard
"You needn't die happy when your day comes, but you must die satisfied, for you have lived your life from beginning to end and ka is always served." ~ Roland Deschain
LMAO!! I know!!! But the comic store's right on my way home!
I'm a vegetarian. Care to expand the metaphor Matt?Totally makes since to me Wiz. Some are burgers, some are New York Strip steaks.
All very good and satisfying though.
Hmmm...I would have to go with store mushrooms and portabellos from the field in that case.
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
I feel the same way, there are so may new authors who are putting out great work through small press houses. I enjoyed Cell, Blaze was good, Liseys Story was brutal for me, I didnt get past page 50. I was thrilled about the comics, but after a while it I lost interest. I feel since his accident his stories tend to follow the same thread...Liseys Story and Duma Key do have a common denominator. Cell, in my opinion was a pay-day, nothing less. And Blaze, well you know the story...another pay-day. Its almost like he's lost the passion of being a new writer and trying to pay his bills. IMO.
The ones we've lost are never really gone
If we hold them in our hearts while we go on.
Dream as if you will live forever, Live as if you will die tomorrow.
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