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Stephen King - Page 5

post #61 of 70
2/9/10 at 11:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobGQ View Post
Anyone read Under the Dome?

I'm thinking of downloading it on iTunes but I'm not sure if it would be worth it. Some of his fans says they don't like his contemporary works.

It's pretty good. Cons - It's kind of adolescent in a way -the characters are pretty cartoonish, the bad guys are transparent caricatures of Bush & Cheney, and the hero's an old liberal guy. There's a side character who's straight out of a sixties movie - the tough redneck southerner who finds redemption by saving a child, complete with an awful transcription of what King thinks a Southern accent sounds like.

All that said, it is entertaining and I enjoyed it.
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post #62 of 70
2/9/10 at 11:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FLMountainMan View Post
It's pretty good. Cons - It's kind of adolescent in a way -the characters are pretty cartoonish, the bad guys are transparent caricatures of Bush & Cheney, and the hero's an old liberal guy. There's a side character who's straight out of a sixties movie - the tough redneck southerner who finds redemption by saving a child, complete with an awful transcription of what King thinks a Southern accent sounds like.

All that said, it is entertaining and I enjoyed it.

Thanks!
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post #63 of 70
2/10/10 at 2:27pm
For quicker reads, I suggest either The Shining or Salem's Lot. If you don't mind an epic read than it's got to be "IT".
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post #64 of 70
2/10/10 at 6:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mute View Post
For quicker reads, I suggest either The Shining or Salem's Lot. If you don't mind an epic read than it's got to be "IT".

The enduring adoration of that book amazes me. The ending was ridiculous - a pubescent gangbang saves the town from the evil clown? Are you kidding me?
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post #65 of 70
2/10/10 at 8:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FLMountainMan View Post
The enduring adoration of that book amazes me. The ending was ridiculous - a pubescent gangbang saves the town from the evil clown? Are you kidding me?

I think I've been able to overlook certain... eh... parts of the book because he wrote those kids so beautifully. So I'm not defending the scene you're referring to, I'm just ignoring it. Maybe I'm biased because I remember running around with neighborhood kids, getting in fights with rival bullies down the street, playing in the woods, nearly getting killed in a cave... It is a flashback to a lot of our childhoods (minus the supernatural and other what-not) and I think King deserves credit for nailing the voices of the kids. I felt like he was writing about the fellas in my neighborhood. Maybe I'm alone, but I'm guessing there are others out there who love the book for similar reasons.

And that was one scary clown thing.
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post #66 of 70
2/10/10 at 9:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Verno Inferno View Post
I think I've been able to overlook certain... eh... parts of the book because he wrote those kids so beautifully. So I'm not defending the scene you're referring to, I'm just ignoring it. Maybe I'm biased because I remember running around with neighborhood kids, getting in fights with rival bullies down the street, playing in the woods, nearly getting killed in a cave... It is a flashback to a lot of our childhoods (minus the supernatural and other what-not) and I think King deserves credit for nailing the voices of the kids. I felt like he was writing about the fellas in my neighborhood. Maybe I'm alone, but I'm guessing there are others out there who love the book for similar reasons.

And that was one scary clown thing.


No, I understand what you're getting at.

Of the Stephen King I've read, there is often a sense of nostalgia that is very appealing (and universal it would appear, judging by his global success), particularly when he writes about children and childhood.

Also, as an Englishman, I enjoy both his folksy, pop culture references and the period Americana he writes about. As an 'outsider' I find the little details he includes very interesting.
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post #67 of 70
2/10/10 at 9:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Verno Inferno View Post
I think I've been able to overlook certain... eh... parts of the book because he wrote those kids so beautifully. So I'm not defending the scene you're referring to, I'm just ignoring it. Maybe I'm biased because I remember running around with neighborhood kids, getting in fights with rival bullies down the street, playing in the woods, nearly getting killed in a cave... It is a flashback to a lot of our childhoods (minus the supernatural and other what-not) and I think King deserves credit for nailing the voices of the kids. I felt like he was writing about the fellas in my neighborhood. Maybe I'm alone, but I'm guessing there are others out there who love the book for similar reasons.

And that was one scary clown thing.

Fair enough and I see your point. Bag of Bones has that same effect for me. It is a decent horror novel, but King's portrayal of the protaganist's grief was amazing and really touched me, so I love the book.

Perhaps part of my lack of appreciation is the fact that It is actually one of the last King books I read (and I've read them all, literally), and I was in my late twenties when I did so.And I had no friends to run around with as a child.
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post #68 of 70
2/10/10 at 9:30pm
I think some people's problems is that they didn't naturalize themselves by reading some classic R.L. Stine works before reading King, then you'll like it more.
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post #69 of 70
2/10/10 at 9:39pm
The Dark Tower was pretty good. Some weak points in the later books, but overall an excellent series.
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post #70 of 70
2/10/10 at 11:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FLMountainMan View Post
The enduring adoration of that book amazes me. The ending was ridiculous - a pubescent gangbang saves the town from the evil clown? Are you kidding me?

That's a matter of opinion. However, you're mistaking that the metaphorical virgin sacrifice saved the town. That silly scene supposedly helped the kids make their final bond so that they could continue on to the final showdown. It was this last act that first injured "IT" and eventually led to it's death.

That aside, I've not read too many books that does such a great job at portraying the traumas of childhood for outsiders. King also does an incredible job joining the past and the present to bring the parallel story lines together for a nice exciting climax.
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