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I can honestly see why some people wouldn't like this one...I personally liked it after only one read. Not the greatest King book, but's it's good. Now.....will I reread it anytime soon? Probably not, there are so many other King books that deserve a reread before I consider this one. :)
I liked it the first time and even more on rereads.
I loved it the first time I read it. What made it even more special for me was the knowledge that the car is a "can-toi-mobile".
This sat on my shelf for years before I got around to reading it last week. I didn't expect it to be great, but was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved it.
The obvious DT connections are that the car fits the description of Can Toi cars in HIA and WotC. The description of Mr Oil's Fine is also almost 100% in line with Callahan's descriptions of the low men, even if Mr Oil's Fine wasn't wearing yellow like the ones chasing Ted in HIA.
The other connections I caught are character names: Sandy Dearborn, Herb Avery (remember Herc Avery?), Brian Lippy (a certain monstrous horse-esque beast you might recall shared that last name). The car also seemed to have powers not to unlike the ones demonstrated by Black Thirteen and Maerlyn's Grapefruit in terms of mesmerism.
Good... it increases the number of us who love Buick by about 25 per cent... http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ear_wink-1.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by Kronz
I've read and re-read Buick several times and find myself liking it more with every read. The manner in which it was written lends itself well to episodic reading as well as the all-consuming need to find out what happens next reading. Personally I tend toward the latter on the first read, but that's me.
It doesn't surprise me a lot of people don't like it...but a lot of people don't like to have to use their own imaginations so heavily when reading a story. King generally hands a lot more hard facts by the end of a book, but pulling that away from the reader was ballsy. The only things I'd change would be to put a little more Can Toi in the book and for the car to have gone home rather than fall apart.
Honestly, I rather like the idea of the car falling apart. I think the car is less alive than it is a just gateway. The gateway would remain where it is (in our world) until it was unuseable/broken down.
Yeah I see what you mean . I suppose the ending fits perfectly with whole theme of the book, though I think the theme could have been honored with a different ending too. I mean, I didn't expect all of a sudden a bunch of Low Men or Todash monsters to raid the barracks or something. I did like the idea that it was mesmerizing Ned to burn it up though, which makes me wonder about the car's ability to think, or to be used as a tool by something else that's thinking. The alien screamer definitely raises a lot of unanswered questions, which is of course what I think I liked so well about the novel.
I liked the book... And I loved the part when it says that when he was scaping from the cars seat, that was trying to take the policeman to the other world, he saw the boot and hat of the other officer...
PD: The car was... the small brother of Blaine maybe... The car thinks and is evil and is small... Blaine thinks and is evil and is big...
It makes a lot of sense :P
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Originally Posted by Brice
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Originally Posted by Wuducynn
Add me to the list of people who've read it multiple times and loved it. I thought it was great! Oh, and since I've quoted everybody in this thread:Quote:
Originally Posted by JeanGood... it increases the number of us who love Buick by about 25 per cent... http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...ear_wink-1.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by Kronz
Me too!
I liked the book but I don't see a re-read in the future.
I thought it was a great book, especially after reading the DT series... I've been reading through all his other books with DT connections and they seemed like they were there and strong, but I did just read DT and HIA recently.
I wish we could have a bit more on how the vehicle is operated, especially since most of the car is "for show" only. It must be some sort of telepathy or mind control by the can-toi drivers because they are clearly driving around in HIA. Maybe the creature that the car really is only responds to certain drivers' commands or thoughts.
It must be more than a gateway though, we see in HIA that one of the cars actually reaches out and grabs something from the tire at one point... it must be some sort of being that can actually manipulate todash or open the doors between the worlds if not some technology from the old ones.
Anyway, jut my thoughts... great book and expansion of the DT universe!
I really liked the book. I read it shortly after I finished the Dark Tower series, and perhaps that's the reason why I thought I saw a lot of connections to the Dark Tower.
However, if I hadn't read the Dark Tower, I think there's a fair chance I would have been rather confused by the whole concept of what's happening with the car.
I only read the book last year, and do want to read it again, but there are other books that have higher priority - at least for now.
Just finished htis novel myself last week. In my opinion it was pretty decent - kept me entertained for the week I read it. It does not really touch the likes of the stand, UTD, etc but its quite short and sweet with a few DT connections in there.
short and sweet sounds right. I enjoyed it immensely.
I had time to think more if I like it or not. My opinion is for the most part unchanged. The story is still solid but nowhere near The Shining, The Stand, The Dead Zone, Christine, It and other classics. I always thought King would overwrite a lot but this book (and TGWLTG) were underwritten. I'd compare the simplicity of language to The Dead Zone's but story telling and story itself is just not that interesting. The car just sits there, you know? Some weird non-worldy stuff comes out, some people disappear, car starts falling apart. That's it.
I can kind of see your point there, it certainly is not action packed or fast paced it's quite the contorary it is slow and deliberate. IMO King actually aknowledges this in the book Ned is always asking Sanddy to cut to the chase, tell him what happens next, this angers Sandy and I'm sure a lot of readers also.
The ways you summarised it is right "some weird non-worldy stuff comes out, some people disappear, car starts falling apart. That's it." to me that is the structure of a ghost story which is in essence what From a Buick 8 is, a group of people telling a spooky story to a kid.
what lordmerchant said. In addition to this, what I personally love most about the book is, as always in case of King novels, the human aspect. The memories of those you loved, your responsibility to them, this aspect.
That's actually one of the King's highpoints for me. I just think the last chapter of The Dead Zone for example made me feel more than this entire book. Or the ending of It (the bike scene).
absolutely
(not that the DZ or It weren't great novels already, but these scenes were, like, their true heart)
I agree with the sentiment that the audio book version is well done. It totally drew me in.
I liked that it was a bunch of little stories about the Buick and the ppl associated with it. It paced well and had enough excitement to keep my attention. It would be great if Bachman wrote the parallel story of what was going on on the other side of the Buick's portal. It did kinda suck that they never told anyone bigger than them about it, but if choosing to hide it, this is probably how I'd deal with it as well.
As to the connections, I'd think that the Buick and driver may be closer to what Jake is in Talisman. The driver seemed less like a low-men and more like a traveler. Would a low-men really leave one of their vehicles behind for a hume to fiddle around with?
I didnt dislike it, but I didnt find it especially interesting either. I feel similar about it as I do about HIA. Which is to say "meh". Take it or leave it. Average. Probably will never get around to a reread. I think I would actually be more interested in rereading a book that I actively disliked, like the Regulators, to see if it would improve on a reread. I dont think Buick 8 has anything else to offer me.
i just started this yesterday in fact. i'm only on page 35 in fact. i've never read this one before even though i bought it brand spanking NEW way back in (2002) and i dunno what to think of it just yet. so far i don't much care for it but given that i'm only 35 pages it and in King's books and most authors if you really think about it, it does take awhile for shit to happen. even in books that aren't action packed. i tried to start this many times through the years but i never got past the 1st few pages for some reason or other. so i am thrilled to be finally fucking reading it for the 1st time. even if it's not going to be one of my favorites of his. i have noticed the different style he wrote this one that nobody as far as i'm aware has mentioned. i dunno how else to explain it but it's written vastly different than his normal style at least in the books that i've read by him so far.