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BennyProfane
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Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:28 am Posts: 453 Location: New York, US
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 Stephen King Fans
I read a lot of books. Probably 5 or 6 large novels a month. Never read any SK (except Misery at 14 and it was not too good)..
I've heard The Stand is King's magnum opus... is it hyped up or is it worth the read? I have the uncut addition which has an extra 150,000 words.
Basically, should I read this or is it a waste of time?
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Sat Jun 27, 2009 4:38 am |
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strigoi
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Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 3:34 am Posts: 1533 Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA
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I wouldn't start with such a big one. There are some dry spots in it because it's so long and drawn out. That's just my opinion. The first one of his I read was 'Salem's Lot. Scared the carp out of me.
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Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:56 am |
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BennyProfane
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Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:28 am Posts: 453 Location: New York, US
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The length is no problem for me, I've read many 1000+ page books.
I know that the literary community is pretty harsh on criticizing King's literary merit and writing skills, but was willing to give him the chance. Just wanted to know if it was a really good book like I've heard.
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Sat Jun 27, 2009 4:53 pm |
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muffin man
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:39 am Posts: 2378 Location: bc, canada
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kings magnum opus is actually the dark tower saga, seven books over about 10,000+ in the paper back editions. should be finishing the last half of the last one to night and really really want to know how it ends!!!! its taken me about a months a month and a half to get through it and i've even been listening to it on audio books most of the time. The shinning, the stand, and salem's lot are a good place to start. The dark tower saga isn't very simmaler to his other work and is actually a sci-fi western. And its also a bad place to start cause as king put it in the forward, "all my other books are in some way or an other about this one." allot of his other books are refererenced though out the saga and several charaters from other books are in it and the novility of it is lost if you don't know who they are (infact stephen himself is a character within the book when they find him in the proses of writing the book that the book is about  )
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Mon Jun 29, 2009 3:24 am |
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strigoi
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Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 3:34 am Posts: 1533 Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA
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Yeah, it's a good book. But I'm a Stephen King fan. He pays great attention to detail and I like that. I haven't found one that I didn't like.  But that's me.
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Mon Jun 29, 2009 9:11 pm |
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muffin man
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:39 am Posts: 2378 Location: bc, canada
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i wasn't all that happy with bag of bones. it didn't feel like he put much into it. ironicly it was about a writer with writers block who starts releasing unpublished meadeocer novels he has sitting in the bank from years past.
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Mon Jun 29, 2009 11:17 pm |
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MuppyWithAGreatDesire
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Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2007 8:42 pm Posts: 65
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The first half of The Stand was awesome, then it started to get a bit boring and King released full force his usual paranormal crap. I swear, his books would be about.. uh... 10 times better if he'd stop stuffing them up with it.
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Sun Jul 12, 2009 6:17 pm |
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BennyProfane
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Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:28 am Posts: 453 Location: New York, US
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I'm about 400 pages in, Book II. I enjoy it.
King writes really well, but at times, I feel he breaks the "show-don't tell" style of writing that I enjoy more.
Pretty good read so far though, boring at times, but overall, I'm glad I'm reading it.
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Wed Jul 15, 2009 12:09 am |
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muffin man
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:39 am Posts: 2378 Location: bc, canada
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"stephen king isn't very good, i should know, I've read over 40 of his books!" 
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Wed Jul 15, 2009 1:53 am |
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BennyProfane
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Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:28 am Posts: 453 Location: New York, US
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Hahaha, I could see myself reading a few other of his books even though he's not the best of writers.
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Wed Jul 15, 2009 10:48 pm |
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muffin man
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:39 am Posts: 2378 Location: bc, canada
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i love the fact that in the final dark tower book there is actually an almost an entire chapter of the characters complaining about him being a lazy drunk who writes horrid novels.
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Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:03 am |
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BennyProfane
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Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2008 4:28 am Posts: 453 Location: New York, US
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Finally gave up on The Stand. Although it was pretty good, the book was seriously wasting a lot of time in my life. About 200 pages without any plot development was ridiculous. I'm all about experimental fiction and giving the author a chance, but King is pretty bloated.
Granted it was the uncut edition, but jesus christ.
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Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:26 pm |
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muffin man
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:39 am Posts: 2378 Location: bc, canada
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as he puts it, his books aren't for goal orientated people. he feels the ending is unimportant, all u have to do to get an ending is flip to the last page. its the pleasure of getting there that's important for him.
he has also of course said he knows his books are ruined when he has to resort to plot. 
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Sun Jul 19, 2009 3:13 am |
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strigoi
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Joined: Tue May 22, 2007 3:34 am Posts: 1533 Location: Pittsburgh, PA USA
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A shorter book is a better idea until you get used to his ways. I had started reading 'The Stand', got bored with it, picked it up months later....it's that type of book.
I still suggest 'Salem's Lot'. His descriptions of some things just scared the carp out of me.
_________________ If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it.
Don't look down on anybody unless you are helping them up.
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Sun Jul 19, 2009 7:20 pm |
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muffin man
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:39 am Posts: 2378 Location: bc, canada
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still need to get around to reading that one, not sure why i haven't yet
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Sun Jul 19, 2009 11:43 pm |
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the apostle
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Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:15 pm Posts: 44
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The Dark Tower is his absolute best work. He's actually planning on writing another DT book about The Sombra Corp and The Tet. Go to http://stephenking.com/darktower/
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Sat Nov 28, 2009 10:22 pm |
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Woundheir
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Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 9:15 pm Posts: 424 Location: Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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I have about 15 of his books. I think my fave would have to be "It", "The Talisman", being a close second, even though that was co-written with Peter Straub.. The movie of "It" was horrible though, although Tim Curry did an awesome job as Pennywise. I hear they're remaking it. Could probaly use one. Hehe
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Sun Nov 29, 2009 4:43 am |
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Leodoom
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Joined: Sun Jun 27, 2010 12:31 pm Posts: 8 Location: Northern Germany
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To quote the prelude to the last chapter of the final Tower Book (oh, don't worry, I won't spoil anything!):
"So, you want a finish? Oh, you poor creatures, who only long to get to an end without walking the way to it. Do you also have sex only for the sake of an orgasm (whitch is none more then god's way to tell you it's all over for now and you can go to sleep)?"
Not exactly quoted since I read it in german, but he said pretty much that^^
Well, I started to read King with 12, I totally dug "It" (is that what "Es" is called in english? would be the direct translation, though I never laid my hand on an english release). Pennywise is the reason I hate clowns...
I tried "The Stand" and a few others, but they were quiet boring. I wan't to get my hands on "Carrie" and "Salem's Lot" though...
The Dark Tower Saga is his magnum opus. It's one of the most magnificent books I ever read. It develops an incredible story and never fails to stay interesting.
The books have a special "atmosphere"... King put his hero, a wildwest gunslinger named Roland (some weird mix between a Clint Eastwood-Style Cowboy and a knight) into a post-apocalypic version of our world and adds elements of sci-fi and fantasy. Its, well... I would say the atmosphere is dark and "doomy". Also, Roland is pretty much a badass
The story describes his quest for the Dark Tower and his chase for the Man In Black through the endless desert - thats all you have to know. I'd love to tell more - for example, who this Roland-Guy is (and why he's so damn badass), why he searchs for this ominous tower (and what this tower is anyway), who this Man In Black is and why roland chases him... but all these questions are what makes this story so intresting, and some of them are solved only in the very last chapter. I recommend it!
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Mon Jul 12, 2010 7:07 pm |
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TrogDawn
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Joined: Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:52 pm Posts: 1692 Location: Overskye out the Multiverse somewhen...
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That sounds a little fishy to me... 
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Mon Jul 12, 2010 7:23 pm |
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muffin man
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 5:39 am Posts: 2378 Location: bc, canada
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finished the dark tower series for the 3rd time last week. i need to get some new books.
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Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:44 pm |
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