Stephen King

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:32 pm

Curious what this board thinks of the dark gentleman from Maine. I just finished 11/22/63 and thought he stuck the landing, even if there was a bit too much masturbating in the actual text.

I've definitely gotten empty calorie-syndrome from some of his stuff. Salem's Lot needed more ending, and Hearts in Atlantis was a weird disjointed Dark Tower tie-in. But the Green Mile was solid.

Never made it through the Dark Tower. Started and stopped not once, but thrice. Anyone want to tell me why I should pick up Book Four again?

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:39 am

Totally gave up on King after the Tommyknockers I think, when I realised that I could skip the middle half of the book and I hadn't missed a single plot development. "Empty calories" is a very good way of describing his style - his books often feel like short stories artificially bloated out to novel length. His early stuff (Carrie, Cujo, Christine etc) is far better in this regard.

I've been told that the Dark Tower books do contain an explanation of what the hell the TV movie of It was supposed to be about, but frankly I'm not sure I care enough to find out.

bumblemusprime · Post by **bumblemusprime** » Tue Aug 21, 2012 6:32 pm

Metal Vendetta wrote:Totally gave up on King after the Tommyknockers I think, when I realised that I could skip the middle half of the book and I hadn't missed a single plot development. "Empty calories" is a very good way of describing his style - his books often feel like short stories artificially bloated out to novel length. His early stuff (Carrie, Cujo, Christine etc) is far better in this regard.

I've been told that the Dark Tower books do contain an explanation of what the hell the TV movie of It was supposed to be about, but frankly I'm not sure I care enough to find out.

There's a bit of empty-calorie syndrome in 11/22/63, but I'd recommend that one, and especially The Green Mile, for ya.

I've heard he bottomed out around Tommyknockers period. I think that was around the time of the big drug intervention--although as I recall, he says he was so loaded he didn't remember writing Cujo, so maybe drugged-out King is better for Emvee.

I've been told that Dark Tower 5 explains what happened to the preacher from Salem's Lot who got the mark of Dracula upon him, but I am also not so much with the caring enough to find out.

inflatable dalek · Post by **inflatable dalek** » Wed Aug 22, 2012 7:34 pm

Haven't read much modern King, but the olde stuff is generally very good. The Shining especially is a brilliant novel despite a bit of clunkiness (the HEAVY FORESHADOWING that the boiler needs to be looked after or the place will explode. Guess how the book ends). Salems Lot is a good'un as well.