I'm a pretty big fan of Stephen King. Right now I'm in book 5 of the Dark Tower series.

I'm not sure he's ever written a great or important book in terms of literature. In fact, I'm pretty sure he hasn't.

But every book I read of his reaffirms my opinion that he's something of a genius. Other best-selling writers may churn out lots of books that are entertaining, but most don't have the imagination of Stephen King. He's able to adopt different styles, not just of language, but of storytelling.

Each of the Dark Tower books (so far) have had their own stories & styles & settings, and they hold together over the course of thousands of pages.

He's written pure horror, and he's written sensitive character pieces. He's written fantasy. He's written pulp.

There hasn't been one I haven't enjoyed. And I've never read his greatest books, the Stand or the Shining.

Is he a genius or not?

I'd say genius.

I read probably about 8 or 9 of his books only liked all but 1.

Dark Tower VII just made me annoyed. Not because of the ending, but because every great showdown I thought was going to happen lasted a page. It was almost as if he just rushed through so we'd have an ending. I mean, it was still okay, but damn.

I'm a big fan of Gerald's Game. It's the only book that actually ever creeped me out.

Nowadays, he's more on the hack side but his early shit is straight out genius. He's probably my favorite author

And I agree with Gerald's game. That book messed me up

You have never read The Stand????!!! That is a must read. The first time I read it in 3 days and all those years ago I saw God in one light and years later when I read it again, I saw god in a completely different light than the first time I read it.....

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[Edited 10/30/06 11:17am]

Gerald's Game is one of those examples of him stretching his imagination with a limiting exercise. The whole thing happens with the person tied up in bed.

It's like I read somewhere: "Don't write about the world, don't write about a city, don't write about a building, write about a single brick in the building."

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

He's just got so many damn books! When I was younger, a book that long intimidated me.

I feel lucky because I've never read it, and have it to look forward to. Oh, Salem's Lot, too. My brother (Danny) read that as a kid and slept with a cross in his window for a long time afterward.

NDRU said:

That's an interesting saying I have always wondered how Gerald's game touched men vs women or abused individuals. I really identified with that book from the abuse angle. And I loved how the woman's memory of the eclipse is tied back to Delores Clayborne. When I realized that the vision that Delores had during that eclipse was of that woman when she was a little girl, I had the biggest shivers up my spine :brrr:

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[Edited 10/30/06 11:59am]

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I sorta paraphrased that about the brick. Maybe it was Milan Kundera who said it?

Stephen King likes to link his various novels with small threads. Somehow he keeps it interesting and not overt or painfully obvious that he's stretching in an attempt to make it seem like he had planned it all before (like George Lucas does)

Genius. Some of his books may have had cop out endings and all but...genius.

Not a genius nor a hack. He is well liked and writes pretty well. He certainly knows how to write a page turner. For me a book needs to be enjoyable and readable and for me Stephen King does that. I think he is probably the author I have read the most from. But I don't think that's been a purposeful choice on my part. He just writes a lot.

I have read and enjoyed

Salems Lot
Shining
The Stand
Rose Madder
Insomnia
Desperation
Regulators
The Dark Half
The Green Mile

I Think a few others.

He has written a few classics. The Stand is definitely one of them. I'd even say The Shining is another.

NDRU said:

The first thing I thought of when the whole eclipse thing happened was Delores Claybourne and it didn't occur to me to link the two until I remembered the vision that Deloris had. Not totally obvious at first but the thread becomes apparent. I thought that was absolute genius
[Edited 10/30/06 12:00pm]

Genius

His books are usually the only horror I read

NDRU said:

Those are the 2 Classics. No wonder you don't think you have read anything "classic" from him.

luv4u said:

Yes, me too.

My favorite of his has to be The Green Mile - I love that book. I was just thinking the other day I should really pull it out and read it again.
[Edited 10/30/06 11:39am]

superspaceboy said:

Important, though? Groundbreaking? or just really good stories?

I read the shining and the writing style wasn't quite to my taste. A very mediocre book, in my opinion, only famous due to the film.

I want to read the Stand and Gerald's Game just having skimmed this thread. Sadly I have to read 3 books by December 1st so I don't have time atm.

Spookymuffin said:

I hadn't even mentioned films yet. But you reminded me that (along with some absolutely horrible ones) his stories have inspired some very good films--The Shining, The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, Misery, Delores Claiborn, Carrie, Creepshow...
[Edited 10/30/06 11:57am]

I read The Stand before I read Swan Song and my friend resents the Stand because she feels that Stephen King stole the "end of the world" idea from Robert McCammon. I however disagree because that is the only thing those 2 books have in common. McCammon's writing style is not as complex as Stephen King's and I prefer Kings style of writing but both these books are amazing.

I actually found myself resenting the role of "God" in The Stand.

Recommendation for potential Stand readers....get the expanded edition and not the edited version. I have read both and I prefer the meatier story

I recently enjoyed Everything's Eventual, his last collection of short stories. These are great ways to exercise style, quick sketches of moods & characters.

How does "It" rank? I've never read that either.

NDRU said:

!!!!! That book is awesome!

when i was in middle school i used to read stephen king novels from cover to cover while everybody else in my class was reading those cruddy goosebumps books. i remember reading the stand all the way through (man, that's a long-assed book...took me about 3 or 4 weeks to finish it), then seeing the made-for-teevee adaptation for it; i was like "dude, wtf?!"

the last book of his i read was nightmares and dreamscapes. that was about, oh, 8 years ago. i should start reading his stuff again, it's been a long time...

NDRU said:

I would say The Stand is a very important book. It's probably the most modern tale of Absolute Good VS Absolute Evil I can think of. It's really an epic story that deals with a virus that wipes out most of humanity. In this day and time, it is VERY relevant. It's also one of the few books that hinted toward the HIV virus before it was completly classified as such. Many books and stories have paid homage to the book in varied ways. What makes it classic is that it is the utlimate battle of good and evil. The book also uses many literary devices and has a lot of symbolism.

The Shining less so, but it is considered a classic horror story. Again this story uses some very good literary devices and also has a lot of symbolism. For a story about alcoholism, it's pretty harrowing. My mom screamed aloud when she read this book and I almost did... That makes it a classic to me.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

The Stand Mini Series was AWFUL!!!! They need to make it into a full movie or something.

Anyone else get creeped out when they got a cold after reading the Stand. I got a cold while reading it and it freaked me out.

Captain Trips!

superspaceboy said:

it would be bad-ass if they made it into a full-length feature film and if they do it right.

superspaceboy said:

yep, a classic doesn't have to be written like Finnegan's Wake. I think Star Trek is classic. It just has to work on whatever level.

The Stand is so universally praised by fans. Some day I'll definitely get to it. It seems like the Dark Tower is alluding to it in places, but I don't know for sure