Stephen King books
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Quitters, Inc.
Citizen 20.1.01
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.'
Is that a real SK book or are you saying everyone should try and quit SK?
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
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Hi. I'm now going through my first SK book, 'The Shining'. I think it's great and I've never been so hooked on a book ever since I was a kid reading Jules Verne and Karl May. Have you read Stephen King? Which are his best ones?
I've read two of his works and only thought the one where some mad fan drove over him was good... oh wait, that was a news story and actually happened... You'd think if you were going to intentionally run someone over that you'd get the job done right eh... (Ah, I'm just kidding. I think the guy is harmless. Totally formulaic books and I can take him or leave him, rather spend my time reading other authors.)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
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Is that a real SK book or are you saying everyone should try and quit SK?
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
6 of one...;P Actually, i think it's a short story. Been years since i read it, but it stuck with me as one of the more enjoyable SK titles i've read. IMHO, he has a terrible problem with novel-length stories, frequently filling them with miles of painful dialog and repetitious events. But he can pull of a half-decent short story.
Citizen 20.1.01
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master - that's all.'
-
I've read two of his works and only thought the one where some mad fan drove over him was good... oh wait, that was a news story and actually happened... You'd think if you were going to intentionally run someone over that you'd get the job done right eh... (Ah, I'm just kidding. I think the guy is harmless. Totally formulaic books and I can take him or leave him, rather spend my time reading other authors.)
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
Paul Watson wrote:
drove over him
Without spoiling it for those who want to read it, but that event also occurs in one of the Dark tower books. Yes, he included himself as one of the minor characters, and fictionalised real events from his life, suprisingly it worked ok)
Paul Watson wrote:
other authors
Like who? I need something new to read. Just finished reading Hyperion (Dan simmons), definatly recommend that. I saw the ending coming, but the way it was written was so good that it didn't matter. The scale of what happens is awsome.
Simon
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Paul Watson wrote:
drove over him
Without spoiling it for those who want to read it, but that event also occurs in one of the Dark tower books. Yes, he included himself as one of the minor characters, and fictionalised real events from his life, suprisingly it worked ok)
Paul Watson wrote:
other authors
Like who? I need something new to read. Just finished reading Hyperion (Dan simmons), definatly recommend that. I saw the ending coming, but the way it was written was so good that it didn't matter. The scale of what happens is awsome.
Simon
Hyperion is a fantastic read, one of my favourites.
Simon Stevens wrote:
Like who? I need something new to read.
Phillip Roth is very good. A good non-fiction book that reads like fiction is Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile. Also reading Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb which is fascinating. Lately it has been parenting books for me though. What To Expect When You Are Expecting etc.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
-
Paul Watson wrote:
drove over him
Without spoiling it for those who want to read it, but that event also occurs in one of the Dark tower books. Yes, he included himself as one of the minor characters, and fictionalised real events from his life, suprisingly it worked ok)
Paul Watson wrote:
other authors
Like who? I need something new to read. Just finished reading Hyperion (Dan simmons), definatly recommend that. I saw the ending coming, but the way it was written was so good that it didn't matter. The scale of what happens is awsome.
Simon
Ah, just remembered that I read some decent sf recently by Ken MacLeod.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
-
Hyperion is a fantastic read, one of my favourites.
Simon Stevens wrote:
Like who? I need something new to read.
Phillip Roth is very good. A good non-fiction book that reads like fiction is Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile. Also reading Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb which is fascinating. Lately it has been parenting books for me though. What To Expect When You Are Expecting etc.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
Cool, thanks. Will give them a try.
Paul Watson wrote:
Lately it has been parenting books for me though
Trust CPians to go all geeky and start revising. Now where can I find a copy of 'Pro C#ildbirth 2008 and the .Parent platform'. :) Good luck!
Simon
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Hi. I'm now going through my first SK book, 'The Shining'. I think it's great and I've never been so hooked on a book ever since I was a kid reading Jules Verne and Karl May. Have you read Stephen King? Which are his best ones?
I've never read a Stephen King book. I find that he writes them faster than I can read them. :~
BDF A learned fool is more a fool than an ignorant fool. -- Moliere
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Hi. I'm now going through my first SK book, 'The Shining'. I think it's great and I've never been so hooked on a book ever since I was a kid reading Jules Verne and Karl May. Have you read Stephen King? Which are his best ones?
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I've never liked Stephen King. His anti-science, pro-mysticism p.o.v. just turns me off.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
What does it matter where he's coming from if its a good story? Pet Sematary is definitely up there (cue the Ramones) and I hated Dark Tower I but stuck with it through books 2 and 3 and by then I was hooked - like someone else said I couldn't wait for the next one to come out.
Apathy Rules - I suppose...
Its not the things you fear that come to get you but all the things that you don't expect
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What does it matter where he's coming from if its a good story? Pet Sematary is definitely up there (cue the Ramones) and I hated Dark Tower I but stuck with it through books 2 and 3 and by then I was hooked - like someone else said I couldn't wait for the next one to come out.
Apathy Rules - I suppose...
Its not the things you fear that come to get you but all the things that you don't expect
-
Hi. I'm now going through my first SK book, 'The Shining'. I think it's great and I've never been so hooked on a book ever since I was a kid reading Jules Verne and Karl May. Have you read Stephen King? Which are his best ones?
It! :)
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Steve_pqr wrote:
What does it matter where he's coming from if its a good story?
chacun à son goût
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
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I agree but it was a genuine question not a dig. PS Has the 'Add Selected Text' button disappeared or is it just me?...
Apathy Rules - I suppose...
Its not the things you fear that come to get you but all the things that you don't expect
Steve_pqr wrote:
I agree but it was a genuine question not a dig.
I guess I am made uncomfortable by the whole new-age/wiccan/Gaea thing. I like fantasy okay, but the kind that has pretty well defined rules of the supernatural. When the basic concept seems to be that science is bad (the man-made plague wipes almost everybody out, but a little old blind lady who might be (a) god saves what's left of the world from the devil by sending people off to do they know not what) just isn't my cup of tea. I grew up cutting my reading teeth on the likes of Heinlein, Anderson, Niven, Pohl et al. That kind of rigorous science, and rational universe is just where I am comfortable.
Steve_pqr wrote:
PS Has the 'Add Selected Text' button disappeared or is it just me?...
As you can see, I used it twice.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
-
Hi. I'm now going through my first SK book, 'The Shining'. I think it's great and I've never been so hooked on a book ever since I was a kid reading Jules Verne and Karl May. Have you read Stephen King? Which are his best ones?
-
Steve_pqr wrote:
I agree but it was a genuine question not a dig.
I guess I am made uncomfortable by the whole new-age/wiccan/Gaea thing. I like fantasy okay, but the kind that has pretty well defined rules of the supernatural. When the basic concept seems to be that science is bad (the man-made plague wipes almost everybody out, but a little old blind lady who might be (a) god saves what's left of the world from the devil by sending people off to do they know not what) just isn't my cup of tea. I grew up cutting my reading teeth on the likes of Heinlein, Anderson, Niven, Pohl et al. That kind of rigorous science, and rational universe is just where I am comfortable.
Steve_pqr wrote:
PS Has the 'Add Selected Text' button disappeared or is it just me?...
As you can see, I used it twice.
Jon Smith & Wesson: The original point and click interface
I grew up on Clarke and Asimov myself, I never liked Heinleins style personally and I only ever read Nivens Ringworld books which I thought were a brilliant idea (still waiting for the Ringworld RPG). I never got to grips with fantasy either except for LOTR of course but everyone has to read that whether they like it or not right? I think I like SKs style of writing as much as anything else and I never got the 'science is bad' thing from his books, Koontz maybe, Kings more of a 'bad things are out there that you don't know about and if they happen to you you're on your own' kind of guy I think - its a while since I read them but thats the gist of It, Pet Sematary, Christine and probably most of his others too. The Stand would be an exception being a standard good vs evil/god vs devil battle. I just think they're good, well written stories but with, as someone already said, slightly dodgy endings! PS the 'Add Selected Text' button has definitely gone...
Apathy Rules - I suppose...
Its not the things you fear that come to get you but all the things that you don't expect
-
Hi. I'm now going through my first SK book, 'The Shining'. I think it's great and I've never been so hooked on a book ever since I was a kid reading Jules Verne and Karl May. Have you read Stephen King? Which are his best ones?
IT and The Stand master pieces. I also recommend The Dark Half, Pet Cemetary, Bones, Salems Lot, and Dead Zone,
"When you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good. Do not expect them to stay moral and lose their lives for the purpose of becoming the fodder of the immoral. Do not expect them to produce, when production is punished and looting rewarded. Do not ask, `Who is destroying the world?' You are."
-Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand -
I'd agree with all those. The Stand and The Shining are good as well (plus I quite like Desparation).
Deja View - the feeling that you've seen this post before.
I loved The Stand, but I wouldn't recommend it for a new King reader. It was probably my third or fourth King book and it took forever to finish. The Shining was excellent and I thought Desperation was good too (although it's been forever since I read it)
Have faith in yourself; amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic.
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Yes: very formulaic: one book is very much like the next. A good one is probably Running Man. Prsently reading the latest Lee Childs novel 'Nothing to lose'. Excellent with a great protagonist in Jack Reacher. http://www.leechild.com/[^]
The "Bachman Books" (King writing as Richard Bachman) are excellent! I've read Running Man and you should never confuse it with the movie based on it. Even better was The Long Walk.
Have faith in yourself; amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic.
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Hi. I'm now going through my first SK book, 'The Shining'. I think it's great and I've never been so hooked on a book ever since I was a kid reading Jules Verne and Karl May. Have you read Stephen King? Which are his best ones?
Salem's Lot, definitely; it's a very good take on the "old school" vampire genre. King does a great job of invoking visions of Small Town, New England, and the layers of sin and decay that lay beneath the Norman Rockwell exterior... a perfect stage for the arrival of an Old World evil (a vampire and his human servant). If you want to watch the TV movie adapation, however, you should read the book first. The TV version (I'm talking the 1979 one starring David Soul, not the recent one with Rob Lowe) does deviate from the book somewhat (some characters are combined, some plot lines are dropped), but it's still enjoyable, and some scenes are very effective (the scene in the jail still makes me nearly wet my pants; fans of the movie will know what I'm talking about!).