Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Best Stephen King books...

Options
13

Comments

  • Options
    #62
    py2006
    Registered Users Posts: 9,847 ✭✭✭py2006


    I believe King himself wasn't all that happy with the movie as it left loads out. Don't have a link to him stating that but I do remember reading it years ago.


  • Options
    #63
    livinginkorea
    Registered Users Posts: 5,438 ✭✭✭livinginkorea


    IT for me when I was a kid...a monster of a book to read.

    The Shinning, The Stand, Desperation were all brilliant. Hard to pick one to be fair. A great writer.


  • Options
    #64
    stannis
    Registered Users Posts: 230 ✭✭stannis


    py2006 wrote: »
    I believe King himself wasn't all that happy with the movie as it left loads out. Don't have a link to him stating that but I do remember reading it years ago.

    The movie ignores some of the themes, as well as the humanity, of the original novel. Once you read the book it's easy to see why King did not like Kubrick's adaptation.


  • Options
    #65
    Im_That_Girl
    Registered Users Posts: 13 ✭Im_That_Girl


    Mine are Carrie, Christine, Cujo, Dolores Claiborne, The Green Mile, Pet Sematary, Salem's Lot, The Shining and 11.22.63


  • Options
    #66
    indough
    Registered Users Posts: 2,857 ✭✭✭indough


    Eoin wrote: »
    One of the better adaptions of his books. Not much competition there though.

    a few years ago i would have agreed, but there are a few good adaptations of his work since frank darabont started making them, plus the odd older one such as misery, for example


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #67
    Necronomicon
    Registered Users Posts: 11,589 ✭✭✭✭Necronomicon


    indough wrote: »
    a few years ago i would have agreed, but there are a few good adaptations of his work since frank darabont started making them, plus the odd older one such as misery, for example

    I didn't really like the Misery film (aside from the lead performances, especially Bates, who was perfect). In the book,
    the narrative never really went beyond the four walls of the bedroom, and you really started to believe that Paul Sheldon was truly alone.
    In the film,
    we can see someone actively searching for him (the introduction of the sheriff character) from early on, which I think detracted from the sense of hopeless isolation.


  • Options
    #68
    ladypip
    Registered Users Posts: 746 ✭✭✭ladypip


    The Dark Tower Series, for anyone who tried and gave up, try again! I got to Wizard and glass and hated it, took a four year break and started again gritted my teeth through wizard and glass and finished the series, and Im so glad I did. Epic series love it!!

    Aside from them. The Stand and Misery are my favourite oh and desperation.....this could go on :)


  • Options
    #69
    py2006
    Registered Users Posts: 9,847 ✭✭✭py2006


    ladypip wrote: »
    The Dark Tower Series, for anyone who tried and gave up, try again! I got to Wizard and glass and hated it, took a four year break and started again gritted my teeth through wizard and glass and finished the series, and Im so glad I did. Epic series love it!!

    Aside from them. The Stand and Misery are my favourite oh and desperation.....this could go on :)

    I tried the first book of the Dark Tower series about 3 times and put it down. :(


  • Options
    #70
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    py2006 wrote: »
    I tried the first book of the Dark Tower series about 3 times and put it down. :(
    First book is woeful imo.


  • Options
    #71
    westies4ever
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,456 ✭✭✭westies4ever


    astrofool wrote: »
    I always like The Long Walk (also under Bachman).


    Definitely my favourite as well


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #72
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I'm about halfway through 11.22.63 and I'm loving it, one of the better ones he's written recently.


  • Options
    #73
    weemcd
    Registered Users Posts: 6,421 ✭✭✭weemcd


    ladypip wrote: »
    The Dark Tower Series, for anyone who tried and gave up, try again! I got to Wizard and glass and hated it, took a four year break and started again gritted my teeth through wizard and glass and finished the series, and Im so glad I did. Epic series love it!!

    Aside from them. The Stand and Misery are my favourite oh and desperation.....this could go on :)


    Had that problem myself, I loved first 4 books and read them quickly (wizard and the glass may actually be my favourite) but I cannot sit down with wolves of the calla, tried to read it two or three times, also with an audio book version.

    Some day I'm gonna force myself to sit down and finish the thing as I'm fairly sure I will tick on with the rest of the series after it.


  • Options
    #74
    ladypip
    Registered Users Posts: 746 ✭✭✭ladypip


    Wolves of Calla is my fave in the series :)


  • Options
    #75
    py2006
    Registered Users Posts: 9,847 ✭✭✭py2006


    I first picked up a Stephen King book 21 years ago this year! :eek:

    I was rather young at the time but I was fascinated by the horror section in a second hand book store. All the covers were black and his books always stood out for me. I bought Pet Semetary and love every minute of it.


  • Options
    #76
    stannis
    Registered Users Posts: 230 ✭✭stannis


    py2006 wrote: »
    I first picked up a Stephen King book 21 years ago this year! :eek:

    I was rather young at the time but I was fascinated by the horror section in a second hand book store. All the covers were black and his books always stood out for me. I bought Pet Semetary and love every minute of it.

    Pet Sematary is a great horror novel, but it's also unrelentingly grim and dark - maybe the darkest book I've ever read - so I'm not sure how anyone could "love" it. ;)


  • Options
    #77
    Axel Lamp
    Closed Accounts Posts: 748 ✭✭✭Axel Lamp


    Skeleton Crew for me, great writing. A book I read as a 15 year-old and often return to pop in and out of, very enjoyable.

    Currently reading 11/22/63 - not great, will be the last new SK book I read.


  • Options
    #78
    wolfeye
    Registered Users Posts: 428 ✭✭wolfeye


    My fav is Insomnia.


  • Options
    #79
    Aglomerado
    Registered Users Posts: 5,765 ✭✭✭Aglomerado


    Deleted User wrote: »
    I'm about halfway through 11.22.63 and I'm loving it, one of the better ones he's written recently.

    I'm loving this as well, I was given it as a present some months back but because I was doing exams I didn't have time to get into it, so it was there, teasing me for a while.
    I'm about past the halfway mark - I love anything to do with time travel/ speculative history (what if) so this is right up my street.

    I was a King fan as a teenager (thanks to Carrie/ Misery/ Pet Sematary etc) but went off him, now I want to catch up on the books I've missed.

    Other favourites are Different Seasons (this has the stories that the films Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil were based on, all brilliant) and Four Past Midnight (especially The Langoliers!)


  • Options
    #80
    py2006
    Registered Users Posts: 9,847 ✭✭✭py2006


    When I am reading fiction, I primarily read King. I actually find it difficult to read other authors as to me they don't live up to his standard. I know that sounds silly.

    I love the Americanism of his writing, imagery etc and I find it hard to read English or Irish authors in particular.


  • Options
    #81
    stannis
    Registered Users Posts: 230 ✭✭stannis


    py2006 wrote: »
    When I am reading fiction, I primarily read King. I actually find it difficult to read other authors as to me they don't live up to his standard. I know that sounds silly.

    Agreed, though I also personally enjoy Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. One thing those two authors have in common is the sheer volume of books they've written. I don't know why some look down their noses at King, but I suppose there will always be pretentious types who cannot abide horror or fantasy as genres. Personally I'd take "It" or "The Stand" any day over some dull postmodern twaddle written by some pseudo intellectual.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #82
    Comic Book Guy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,472 ✭✭✭Comic Book Guy


    Read IT as an impressionable 12 year old, loved it although John Boy walton starring in the film spoiled the on screen version for me!

    No love for the Dark Tower series? Loved it from start to finish


  • Options
    #83
    the_monkey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,556 ✭✭✭the_monkey


    Only one answer here

    It

    amazing character development, and the structure of the book is just incredible.


  • Options
    #84
    MagicMarker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 32,865 ✭✭✭✭MagicMarker


    the_monkey wrote: »
    Only one answer here

    It

    amazing character development, and the structure of the book is just incredible.
    Yep, until you get to the
    pre-teen gang bang
    , which completely ruins the whole thing.


  • Options
    #85
    --Kaiser--
    Registered Users Posts: 6,461 ✭✭✭--Kaiser--


    MagicMarker wrote: »
    Yep, until you get to the
    pre-teen gang bang
    , which completely ruins the whole thing.

    This was completely gratuitous and left me with a bad taste in my mouth


  • Options
    #86
    py2006
    Registered Users Posts: 9,847 ✭✭✭py2006


    Under the Dome is coming out as a mini-series later in the year so I must read it before it comes out. I hear good things about it.


  • Options
    #87
    ThirdMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭ThirdMan


    I made a start on the Dark Tower series. The Gunslinger was just okay, but I didn't mind because it was the first in the series and I had heard things got much better. Then I started The Drawing of the Three. I got about a third way through before I dropped it in frustration. I haven't picked it up since. Some of the prose is just awful.


  • Options
    #88
    --Kaiser--
    Registered Users Posts: 6,461 ✭✭✭--Kaiser--


    ThirdMan wrote: »
    I made a start on the Dark Tower series. The Gunslinger was just okay, but I didn't mind because it was the first in the series and I had heard things got much better. Then I started The Drawing of the Three. I got about a third way through before I dropped it in frustration. I haven't picked it up since. Some of the prose is just awful.

    I've only read the first four in the series but The Drawing of the Three was by far the worse. It's almost worth sticking through it to get to Wizard and Glass


  • Options
    #89
    the_monkey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,556 ✭✭✭the_monkey


    MagicMarker wrote: »
    Yep, until you get to the
    pre-teen gang bang
    , which completely ruins the whole thing.


    Funny, I didn't mind that so much, I was a bit shocked but I was 15 when I 1st read it so perhaps cos i was closer to their age it wasn't as bad.

    Times have changed, King has said that had he written IT 15 years later he never would have included that scene.


  • Options
    #90
    ThirdMan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,700 ✭✭✭ThirdMan


    --Kaiser-- wrote: »
    I've only read the first four in the series but The Drawing of the Three was by far the worse. It's almost worth sticking through it to get to Wizard and Glass

    I'll definitely give it another go, because it drives me nuts when I don't finish a book. One of the main problems I had with it was his use of language. It was just so ordinary, the dialogue especially. It was made even more annoying when I reflected on The Gunslinger. Okay, that novel didn't blow me away, but it had some really beautiful passages at times. So he can turn on the style when he wants to. I'm not used to reading 'popular/genre' fiction, and without sounding like a snob, I found it really hard to adjust to the style of writing in Drawing.


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #91
    weemcd
    Registered Users Posts: 6,421 ✭✭✭weemcd


    ThirdMan wrote: »
    I'll definitely give it another go, because it drives me nuts when I don't finish a book. One of the main problems I had with it was his use of language. It was just so ordinary, the dialogue especially. It was made even more annoying when I reflected on The Gunslinger. Okay, that novel didn't blow me away, but it had some really beautiful passages at times. So he can turn on the style when he wants to. I'm not used to reading 'popular/genre' fiction, and without sounding like a snob, I found it really hard to adjust to the style of writing in Drawing.

    I found the first half of it a trial, but it picks up and is plain sailing for the next couple of books, I hid a road bump myself on wolves of the calla, but im moving through it now. Wizard and the glass is really incredible


Advertisement