The Stephen King Megathread

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Starbreaker, Jan 28, 2011.

  1. Starbreaker

    Starbreaker Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2001
    Location:
    Birmingham, AL
    This thread will be devoted to everything Stephen King. Books, movies, graphic novels, etc. Some good links to go to:

    Some good links to check out:

    Stephen King Official Site
    The Dark Tower Official Website
    Complete Bibliography
    ____________________________________________________

    I started reading King's work when I was in high school, and I honestly haven't read that much, but I've really liked everything I've read of his to one degree or another.
    ____________________________________________________

    I've read:

    The Shining
    The Dead Zone
    The Eyes of the Dragon
    Misery (my first King book)
    Insomnia
    The Green Mile
    Bag of Bones
    The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
    Lisey's Story
    Cell
    The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
    The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
    Rage (as Richard Bachman)
    The Long Walk (as Richard Bachman)

    The novellas:

    UR
    Blockade Billy
    Low Men in Yellow Coats (from Hearts in Atlantis)

    From Full Dark, No Stars:

    • 1922
    • Big Driver
    • Fair Extension
    • A Good Marriage
    ____________________________________________________

    "The Crate" which was the basis for my favorite entry in Creepshow is going to be released in Shivers VI. I'm really excited about this because I didn't realize that it was actually short fiction first.
     
  2. Admiral2

    Admiral2 Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2004
    Location:
    Langley
    I just finished reading "Big Driver" and "A Good Marriage." I think Big Driver's the better story. I like his short stories when the evil's not so big and obvious.

    Of course, with the novels I like the big ancient powerful evil, like in Duma Key. Duma Key ruled!

    Still, my favorites are always the three C's: Christine, Carrie and Cujo.
     
  3. Ubik

    Ubik Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    May 21, 2001
    Well, as someone who has read basically everything he's written, and as well as someone who taught a Stephen King course last year, let me tell you what are his best books that you haven't read:

    It
    The Stand
    Pet Sematary (scariest book he's ever written)
    Hearts in Atlantis in its entirety (it IS a novel, in fact)
    Carrie
    Different Seasons (both Stand By Me and Shawshank Redemption are from this collection - not horror, but some of the best stuff he's written)
    Cujo (maybe not as good as these others, literarily-speaking, but fairly typical scary-messed-up 80's Stephen King)

    Now get to it!
     
  4. Lapis Exilis

    Lapis Exilis Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2004
    Location:
    Underground
    No 'Salem's Lot? You are all mad, MAD I say! His early short stories collections are great as well - Night Shift and Monkey Shines. And personally I adored Firestarter, but no one else ever seemed to like it much.

    I lost my taste for King in the Christine, Cujo, Pet Sematary years, but heard he got his chops back for various periods after that. I recently read Misery and it was a hoot and half - very over the top, but wildly enjoyable. I've been trying to get my hands on The Shining for a re-read, but haven't come across it on the local library's shelves.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2011
  5. Trek4Ever

    Trek4Ever Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2005
    Location:
    Florida and Beyond
    Read quite a few King works over the years. The following are my favorites in no particular order:

    The Dark Tower series (with the least favorite being Wizard and Glass and the best a tossup between The Drawing of the Three and Wastelands)
    Misery
    The Shining
    Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption
    The Body
    The Stand (peters out towards the end but an epic read)
    Salem's Lot
    Pet Sematary
    The Mist
    The Dead Zone
    The Long Walk (as Richard Bachman)
    Cell

    Just finished Four Past Midnight which was OK and the novella that was adapted into the mini series the Langoliers was one of his lesser works in the collection (the best one surprisingly given its title was the Library Policeman) and I was given Under the Dome for Christmas. Can't wait to get started on it!
     
  6. Ubik

    Ubik Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    May 21, 2001
    I gotta be honest, I found Salem's Lot kind of meh. Maybe I just don't find vampires terribly interesting. In the weird-guy-comes-to-town-and-wreaks-havoc subgenre, I much preferred Needful Things, ridiculous as that is.
     
  7. Ubik

    Ubik Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    May 21, 2001
    Under the Dome is a great read, and surprisingly different for Stephen King. It's less horror and more political commentary. It's clear that, when he wrote it, he was disgustingly sick of right-wing American politics. If you're more left-ish, you'll find the book amazingly apt.
     
  8. Lapis Exilis

    Lapis Exilis Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 20, 2004
    Location:
    Underground
    Honestly I can take or leave vamps - what I loved about 'Salem's Lot was the sense of pervading everyday evil about the town and the stories of Ben and Mark.
     
  9. Starbreaker

    Starbreaker Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2001
    Location:
    Birmingham, AL
    I've been wanting to get my hands on the Salem's Lot Illustrated Edition from 2005. It has two related short stories and some deleted and alternate passages.
     
  10. byron lomax

    byron lomax Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2009
    Location:
    Ireland
    Most recently I read Under the Dome and really, really enjoyed it - it felt like his best novel in years.

    I agree his short story collections Night Shift and Skeleton Crew are superb. I still shiver when I think of the endings of "Gramma" and "The Jaunt".

    Carrie, Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary - all great reads. Insomnia and Desperation not so much.

    The Stand
    was excellent for the first two thirds, but disappointing in the last. Which is a shame, as it fell just short of being a true epic.

    One that never got good reviews was From a Buick 8 but personally I thought it was pretty good - the descriptions of the alien creatures coming through the portal were disturbing as hell.

    Best of all was Different Seasons - four fantastic novellas and a pretty flawless book.
     
  11. LitmusDragon

    LitmusDragon Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2002
    Location:
    The Barmuda Triangle
    I've been a Stephen King fan since high school. I view him as a kind of folk hero, and one of the people I would most like to be. I have a Stephen King-esque novel that I wrote and that really needs a re-write and another round of rejection letters someday. :lol:

    I've read about 2/3rds of his stuff probably. The most famous novel of his that I've never read would be "It". The most recent of his that I've read was "Duma Key", I really liked it. I've been meaning to read "Under the Dome" but I'd need a substantial chunk of time set aside to do it since it's so big. I bought and read each of the Dark Tower books as they were released with the exception of the first two. My favorite obscure book of his is probably "The Regulators".
     
  12. label

    label Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2000
    Location:
    Indiana
    I don't know about that. I'm certainly not left-wing (nor am I right-wing.....I find both sides very flawed) and I loved the book and didn't see an indictment against either side.

    I'd say Stephen King is one of my all time favorite authors....

    As for the books of his I've read.........

    Bag of Bones
    Cell
    Desperation
    Dreamcatcher
    Everything's Eventual
    Four Past Midnight
    Hearts In Atlantis
    It
    Needful Things
    Salem's Lot
    The Dark Half
    The Eyes of the Dragon
    The Gunslinger [The Dark Tower I]
    The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower 2)
    The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3)
    The Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4)
    Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5)
    Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)
    The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7)
    Skeleton Crew
    The Regulators
    The Green Mile
    The Shining
    The Stand
    The Talisman
    The Black House
    The Tommyknockers
    Under the Dome
    UR

    Book's I've purchased but haven't read yet:
    Lisey's Story
    Duma Key
    Pet Cemetery
    From A Buick 8
    Dolores Clairborne

    Books I plan to buy
    Full Dark, No Stars

    I'd say the Dark Tower Series, The Stand, It and Salem's Lot are my favorite books of Kings out of that list.
     
  13. Alex1939

    Alex1939 Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2008
    I'm very glad to read this. This is part of birthday gift for me soon, and I would've been very disappointed if it was a huge "slam right wing" book.
     
  14. Alex1939

    Alex1939 Captain Captain

    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2008
    The Eyes of the Dragon and Desperation are two of my favorite Stephen Kings. I never seen those get much praise.

    I also read the Dark Tower series over 2010. I really enjoyed Wizard and Glass and have been amazed at the hate against that story.
     
  15. Ubik

    Ubik Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    May 21, 2001
    Oh, I dunno...it felt pretty "slam right-wing" to me. Or, at least, Bush and Cheney-era right wing. If you're a huge fan, let's say, of Bush and Cheney politics, you may find the main bad guy in the book too cartoonish. If, however, you think Cheney WAS a cartoon, then you'll enjoy the villain immensely.
     
  16. Starbreaker

    Starbreaker Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2001
    Location:
    Birmingham, AL
    There are two things that King dislikes that are universal though... airport security and Sarah Palin. :lol:
     
  17. label

    label Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2000
    Location:
    Indiana
    Well, I was not a big fan of Bush Jr's second term for sure and I was never a big fan of Cheney. Course, I'm really not a big fan of most of Obama's administration either. In any case, perhaps I'm forgetting some aspect to the book, but what exactly was anti-right wing?
     
  18. timothy

    timothy Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2010
    Location:
    The Draco tavern
    wow finaly stephen king thread great.
    this is what i have read so far.

    1) carrie 9) misery
    10) road work
    11) thinner
    2) salem's lot 12) running man
    3) the deadzone 13) cycle of the werewolf
    4) firestarter
    5) the shinning
    6) the stand
    7) gunslinger
    8) pet symmetery
     
  19. JediKnightButler

    JediKnightButler Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2000
    Location:
    Indianapolis, Indiana
    I've read some of his books. The Stand was the first major story that I read of his (and my personal favorite) but I saw the miniseries first. I've seen the movie/tv adaptations of a lot of his novels, which I've mostly enjoyed. I do like to go back and read the novels upon which they're based when I have the chance.

    Firestarter (saw movie and spin-off miniseries "sequel")
    The Stand (seen miniseries and read book)
    The Shining (seen miniseries and read book)
    The Mist (seen movie- based on novella)
    The Langoliers (seen miniseries and read novella)
    It (seen most of the movie)
    Needful Things (seen movie)
    Hearts in Atlantis (seen movie)
    The Green Mile (seen movie)
    Misery (seen movie)

    Most of his stories are overall pretty good and have an interesting and often compelling combination of the normal and paranormal. Although not religious per se, he does seem to work in a small amount of spirituality into most of his stories as well that make the stories and characters slightly richer.
     
  20. label

    label Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 7, 2000
    Location:
    Indiana
    I dunno.....I've seem almost all his movies and so far none of them come close to doing the books justice. That's not to say the movies are all bad though......just that as is the norm, the books are usually much better.

    I will say the Shining was good and the ending to the Mist was a nice addition I enjoyed. Movies like The Stand and It start off reasonably well but both lose their way somewhere along the line.