The Works of Stephen King

[Deleted]

Does anyone have a favorite short story? Persoanlly, I thought The Bogeyman was one of his creepiest. I've never been afraid of the monster in the closet, but the ending to that story made me double check my closet doors at night. Also, when the protagonist describes his little daughter saying, "Craws! Craws, Daddy!" Ooh, I got gooseflesh just thinking about it. I know it's not a real story, but just thinking about the terror these little kids would be feeling, only to be plunked down into an inescapable crib night after night by their loving parents... Woah.

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I liked what he did with the Dark Tower books.

It was unexpected.

I agree it was ant-climatic, but it was not what I was expecting.

I love his work.

[Deleted]

I have enjoyed any number of SK's books and stories in the past, but the earlier works are best. As I recently mentioned on the Disturbing Books board, over the years I've noticed King's nasty tendency to embrace the lowest possible method of frightening his readers, particularly through animal abuse. I swear he doesn't seem able to write a book without including a scene of someone kicking a dog to death or another equally revolting act of cruelty! This may seem like a small thing, but I think it says something very unpleasant about the author and has put me right off reading him. Well, along with his other annoying traits...

[Deleted]

My favorite short story is Dolan's Cadillac.

And I can't remember which book it is, but there was a period piece about a boy in th 1930's who met Satan while fishing. It's at a point where I didn't think anyone could do anything "new" with the character of Satan, but hoo boy. I remember he told the kid, Johnny or whatever, that while he was fishing, at that very moment, his mother was dying. He described it in all its gory detail, then said something like, "You know what that means, Johnny? You'd better sleep with your back to the wall. Men have needs, and now that your mother's dead your dad will need somewhere to stick it."

Me: "OMG, that's fucked up!" But that's the point, I suppose.

[mrsbootsie]

I finished the Dark Tower. I really enjoyed it and it has to be one of the most original and bizarre tales out there. I even liked the "ending." Someday I will read it all again, which is what King probably wants his readers to do with that series.

Also recently read Everything's Eventual. I've only read a handful of King's short stories and never a collection of them at once. I loved The Man in the Black Suit, The Death of Jack Hamilton and the Road Virus Heads North. I think the Man in the Black Suit is one of the best pieces of fiction I've read. Terror (childhood terror) is perfectly captured in it. Almost like a painting.

I was also excited to see a short story with Roland, from the Dark Tower, in there too. It was interesting but I am glad it never became a part of the series (it was written after...but still, the man likes to add new stuff into older stuff all the time....Stand, and whatnot).

ETA...poor frances the story you liked was the one I liked too..The Man in the Black Suit.

[sjankis630]

I actually went out and bought The Colorado Kid and found myself enjoying it. Warning to anyone that is expecting a Horror book with a long and involved story, you will be disappointed. It is just a fairly short tale, in paperback, about a death that was never solved. The whole book falls into the "end in itself" type of reading where the reader should enjoy the characters rather than spend the whole time thinking "how will he wrap this up?".
For the record, I like on Writing and could barely get through the first in the Gunslinger series. (I thought it was boring) but loved the second in the series enough to read the third, but quit after that. I simply stopped buying his books. I think he writes too much and should borrow from the Thomas Pynchon school of writing that says "we will publish no book before its time" and leave a couple of years between books to make his fans miss him some.
Back when I used to read all of his books I was always appalled at how terrible the movies made from his books turned out. The Shining notwithstanding, although that book was different from the movie.
I don't know what he thinks he has to prove these days and was kind of hoping that he would write more stuff out of the horror, sci-fi , genre , like the Colorado Kid, as I liked the Dragon's Eye as a change of pace.

[Sunnyhorse]

Anyone else a fan of the (now rather old) nonfiction King book "Danse Macabre"? It's one of my favorite books ever -- just like (I imagine) hanging out and drinking a few beers with the guy in his earlier days, and loaded with hilarious and/or insightful observations -- and I don't have a copy but wish I did.

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I enjoyed that book a lot. I kept a running list of books/ movies that i had to get as I read.

[susannahdean]

For any Dark Tower fans (who have probably have heard by now), there's going to be a series of comics based on the early adventures of Roland coming out early next year. I am so excited, I can hardly believe it. I love the DT series and I think this will be a great format for some backstory to the characters. I can't wait.

[mrsbootsie]

Is King writing the comics?