Thread: Finally discovered Stephen King!

Finally, after years of book-reading I have finally discovered Stephen King. Now I know what your thinking, "How have you gone all this time without reading even one of his books!?" Well, truth is times were different back then, I was young and Tom Clancy was hip, Stephen King just didn't appeal.

But Oh-Good-Gawd! Dreamcatcher is a masterpiece! The characters are so deep, it feels like you know everything about them. The writing just flows, literally flows right into your head.
So if anyone could point me in the direction of other great King books I'd be much obliged....Guv'na.

Better watch out; the uber intellectuals are gonna jump all over you for digging a contemporary, genre author.

I'll step up in defense of Stephen King.

I started reading that guy when I was like, 9. I had stolen my mother's copy of "Flowers in the Attic" because I was tired of all the books in my elementary school library and she caught me with it and said, nuh uh. But she did hand me a copy of The Talisman and she told me if I could read that book and understand it (which she tested me on later), I could read whatever I wanted.

It blew my 9 year old mind. Read it.

Also read The Shining and The Green Mile.

I don't care what anyone says. That guy can write his ass off. The stories are excellent. Anyone who is so quick to write him off hasn't given him a chance, in my opinion. I have to admit, I haven't read anything recent... but what I have read of him I would highly recommend.

vodka

For Christ's sake read The Dark Tower series. It's a masterpiece of epic proportions and the story winds through almost all of his other stories.

Salem's Lot is good. Hearts in Atlantis is good. Insomnia carries a sortof warding phobia. It's supposed to be really good, but I haven't read it.

mmm.. Salem's Lot is really good.

and Insomnia was really good, also.

Blech. Insomnia was far too long--his Richard Bachman novels are excellent, though, and The Tommyknockers and The Stand are also excellent. His short story collections are also really great.

insomnia was not too long...

the tommyknockers... oh- i had forgotten about that one. ooh, that scared the shit out of me.

and yes, the stand was also very good.

this thread is becoming nostalgic for me.

oh, and speaking of the short stories... remember 'the lawnmower man?'

that was tripalicious.

I loved his book Misery. The main character becomes addicted to pain killers in it and by the time I finished the book it felt like I was just as much addicted. He definitely has a way with words.

Mmm, Misery! How could I forget that one?

I think I might be the only person who doesn't like his writing. I find it to be cheesy and dumb, in a lot of places. I find his plots to be fairly predictable as well.

Misery, the Shining and the Stand are just classics, you gotta read them. Read the dark tower series: I found the first book a bit weak, but then it improves a lot. The latter books are great.


.. And here we go with the King bashing again. Despite my thread, I still don't get why people despise the very sound of his name. Say anything you will, at the very least he puts a hell of a lot of effort into his writing.

And here we go with the King bashing again. Despite my thread, I still don't get why people despise the very sound of his name. Say anything you will, at the very least he puts a hell of a lot of effort into his writing.

I was just expressing an opinion. I've read his works and I just wasn't very impressed.

Originally Posted by FinnMacCool

I think I might be the only person who doesn't like his writing. I find it to be cheesy and dumb, in a lot of places. I find his plots to be fairly predictable as well.

You'll get over that when you actually read one of his novels through. His plots are usually so out of the blue and captivating in comparison to mainstream literature. They don't call him a modern day Poe for nothing. Also check out Desperation. It's reallly good after the first few pages.

Misery, the Shining and the Stand are just classics, you gotta read them. Read the dark tower series: I found the first book a bit weak, but then it improves a lot. The latter books are great.


You took the words right out of my mouth. Those are a few of the most compelling and interesting books I have ever read. Not everyone liked them however, King said himself that "The Shining" was not one of his favorites.

However, the public loved it and thats why he added another hundred or so pages to it. It just depends what your into, everyone is different.

Sincerely - J.C

i liked everything of his i read exluding cujo and dream catcher (they both dragged imho) but i loved everything else..

my faviourite would probably be Misery or Salems Lot