Flights of Fantasy discussion

This thread is to discuss any and all works by Stephen King. Enjoy! :)
The Stephen King Library

So, while I can't read horror I LOVED The Stand. I also read The Eyes of the Dragon which I adored and I read the first...4? books in The Dark Tower Series (which was originally called The Wizard and Glass series when I started reading it.

MrsJoseph (taking back my data & giving GR the middle finger) wrote: "So, while I can't read horror I LOVED The Stand. I also read The Eyes of the Dragon which I adored and I read the first...4? books in The Dark Tower Series (which was or..."

OMG, how could I have forgotten The Eyes of the Dragon!! Yes..I enjoyed that book as well. In fact, that was the 2nd or 3rd book I had read by King.

LOL is that just what you called it?

Becky wrote: "LOL is that just what you called it?"

*is confuzzled* ??

She said: I read the first...4? books in The Dark Tower Series (which was originally calledThe Wizard and Glass series when I started reading it.

Its always been the Dark Tower series, but I'm guessing she's saying that she called it that when there were only 4 books out.

Becky wrote: "She said: I read the first...4? books in The Dark Tower Series (which was originally calledThe Wizard and Glass series when I started reading it.

Its always been the Dark Tower series, but I'm gue..."

Ah... Okay.

Becky wrote: "She said: I read the first...4? books in The Dark Tower Series (which was originally calledThe Wizard and Glass series when I started reading it.

Its always been the Dark Tower series, but I'm gue..."

Nope. That's what it was called on the books I read.

I did borrow my books from a dorm mate and he was from Trini but I doubt he got the books from Trini.

That sounds like the editions from a different level of the Tower.

Like Nozza Cola or the Kansas City Monarchs.

Chris #PrayForClaire wrote: "That sounds like the editions from a different level of the Tower.

Like Nozza Cola or the Kansas City Monarchs."

?

I seem to recall that in the UK there were some editions with metallicy covers that referred to it as the Wizard and Glass series as well. My original version of The Gunslinger was one of those, which I ended up rebuying to get the expanded edition (which properly referred to the series as The Dark Tower).

How weird.

MrsJoseph (taking back my data & giving GR the middle finger) wrote: "Chris #PrayForClaire wrote: "That sounds like the editions from a different level of the Tower.

Like Nozza Cola or the Kansas City Monarchs."

?"

Sorry. Fancy Ka-talk for "alternate reality". Hehe

I am a huge Stephen King fan! My first was Pet Semetary. My faves are: The Stand, 11/22/63, Pet Semetary, Duma Key, Night Shift....and I can go on and on. There are still a few that I haven't read yet, I'm working on finishing.

Then I can start my re-read in order of their publishing. :)

Kathy wrote: "I am a huge Stephen King fan! My first was Pet Semetary. My faves are: The Stand, 11/22/63, Pet Semetary, Duma Key, Night Shift....and I can go on and on. There are still a few that I haven't r..."

I've never even heard of Duma Key... Becky mentioned also.

x-posted from the "What Are You Reading " thread:

I was a big Stephen King fan (high school & early college)... until I wasn't.

I enjoyed The Shining, It and Needful Things (which I think I want to reread), but I was disappointed in The Stand and had difficulty getting into The Tommyknockers, Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne.

My favorite Stephen King novel of all time, however, has to be The Dark Half (although I have completely forgotten why). I will need to add that to my reread list!

also

I may have to try him again. I just started a "To ReRead" bookshelf with the 3 of his novels that I remember liking the most.

Except, make that 4 of his novels. I still can't believe I forgot The Eyes of the Dragon.

I hope Becky reposts the recommendations she made in response to my post.

Very weird. I guess if they are foreign editions it makes more sense, but I've never heard of that at all.

It's weird that the series title would be different, since it was based on the Browning poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".

Ya learn something new every day. LOL

Reposting from the What Are You Reading? thread:

Nyssa, The Tommyknockers and Gerald's Game rank pretty low on my King scale. Maybe you'd like some of his newer stuff though. It's quite different from his career-starting work. It's more... intimate, in a way. 11/22/63 is an alternate history, Lisey's Story is fantastic, Duma Key is one of my new favorites, and he's put out some great short story collections in the last 5 or so years. Full Dark, No Stars is dark and grim, but really good writing. Just After Sunset is a great collection as well. :)

Under The Dome is a thrill-ride, and I loved it for that, but I don't think that it really ranks up there with the ones I mentioned above.

The Eyes of the Dragon was a good one, too!

Thank you for reposting!!

Becky wrote: Maybe you'd like some of his newer stuff though. It's quite different from his career-starting work. It's more... intimate, in a way. 11/22/63 is an alternate history, Lisey's Story is fantastic, Duma Key is one of my new favorites, and he's put out some great short story collections in the last 5 or so years. Full Dark, No Stars is dark and grim, but really good writing. Just After Sunset is a great collection as well. :)

Under The Dome is a thrill-ride, and I loved it for that, but I don't think that it really ranks up there with the ones I mentioned above. "

The only title I recognize from that list is 11/22/63..and only because its popularity spread like wild fire! :) I'll have to take a look and see which I'd want to add to me every growing "to read" and "wishlist" piles!

Hmmm...there's that word you can only say in French. I thought I'd read that post before....

Chris #PrayForClaire wrote: "Hmmm...there's that word you can only say in French. I thought I'd read that post before...."

The word is "deja vu" and yes, yes you did, in the "What Are You Reading" thread..

;)

I must have my say! I am another fan girl so...

Aside from The Dark Tower which is epic I think my favorites are The Regulators and Desperation. His atmosphere in those books are out of control.

Mmmmmmmm....Tak!

I definitely need to get to Desperation and Regulators soon!

My mom is a big Stephen King fan and she gave me my first King book almost as soon as I could read. Okay. Not really. But pretty darn close. I would guess I was around seven the first time I read Carrie. I always watched a lot of horror movies with her too. And no. I never did need therapy. Although, once she was cutting my burger with a huge serial killler knife and I ran from her screaming.... Anyway. I'm not a fan of horror. But I am a fan of King. A reluctant fan. Lol.

My favorites are The Stand and It. I loved the first four Dark Tower books but never finished them. Its one of my goals this coming year.

ok, I totally had a post eaten.

:(

Becky wrote: "Very weird. I guess if they are foreign editions it makes more sense, but I've never heard of that at all.

It's weird that the series title would be different, since it was based on the Browning poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".

Ya learn something new every day. LOL "


That's why I remembered the title was different - I knew it was inspired by Browning's poem. I studied the poem in summer school and wrote a paper on it, lol.

I don't really think of King as horror, or at least not the ones I've read by him. In general, they are more just suspense / anxiety. I haven't read anything yet by him that's actually scary, even the Shining was more anxiety inducing than fear.

Dawn wrote: "I don't really think of King as horror, or at least not the ones I've read by him. In general, they are more just suspense / anxiety. I haven't read anything yet by him that's actually scary, even ..."

I think it depends on your level of "horror."

I read the ending of Carrie and a section (don't ask me where) of Christine and they both scared the snot out of me.

I still remember the ending of Carrie. I felt horrible for her but shit - people where dying everywhere.

And what was with the rambling through the other girl's head? I didn't understand it, either.
I wouldn

Well, as I haven't read Carrie or Christine I can't say how I feel about them. But I don't think 11/22/63 could be considered scary, or The Stand, or Under the Dome, or The Dark Tower. It seems to me (and I'm not a King expert by any means) that he wrote a lot of "horror" at first, and since then has been pigeon holed as a horror author even though a lot of his more recent books aren't horror at all.

Dawn wrote: "Well, as I haven't read Carrie or Christine I can't say how I feel about them. But I don't think 11/22/63 could be considered scary, or The Stand, or Under the Dome, or The Dark Tower. It seems to ..."

Exactly, Dawn.

Duma Key is probably the scariest book I ever read by King, and even that was more anxiety type suspense (like The Shining). I wouldn't recommend Duma Key to someone who's not a fan of horror... But 11/22/63? Straight up Historical Fiction / Alternate History / Science Fiction maybe. Ok, not so straight up. But not in the least bit scary.

Dawn wrote: "Well, as I haven't read Carrie or Christine I can't say how I feel about them. But I don't think 11/22/63 could be considered scary, or The Stand, or Under the Dome, or The Dark Tower. It seems to ..."


That may be true. I have always thought of him as a hybrid author. My cousin was a huge king fan when I was a kid. She's blind so it was all audiobooks. Which she would not wear headphones with. >:(

So I caught a hint of a lot of king (and other) horror as a kid.

As a matter of fact, you have that same cousin to thank for me being such a wussy. She used to torture me when we were growing up. She once held me in a room to watch Friday the 13th. I had nightmares from that one for quite a while.

Ok, so maybe we move this thread from the Horror folder to the Speculative Fiction folder?

I don't think we need to move the thread, King is known as a horror writer. Just making the point that if someone who doesn't like horror wants to read him, there are lots of choices for non-horror King.

Dawn wrote: "I don't think we need to move the thread, King is known as a horror writer. Just making the point that if someone who doesn't like horror wants to read him, there are lots of choices for non-horror..."

I agree. Plus, he's my favorite author, and I'm not giving him up to Spec Fic. ;)

But I do think that there's a distinct difference between Young King and Now King. His stories way back when were almost all horror - supernatural horror, thriller horror, horror fantasy, etc, but definitely in the horror realm.

But then he started to branch out. The Green Mile is one of my favorite non-horror King stories. Eyes of the Dragon is good as a more straight up fantasy type. Insomnia is another one which is very underrated for not being horror.

And then he had his accident, and the books that he wrote after that are quite different than the ones before it. Lots of old school King fans mark that as the point when his books fell off - but I completely disagree. They are just different.

Duma Key and Lisey's Story are fantastic, and both delve quite a lot into relationships and recovery after trauma. The audio for both of these is amazing, as well. I highly recommend them both.

I've read also that King had a big drug and alcholol addiction in the 80's and doesn't actually remember writing some of his books from that era. I'm not sure how accurate that is, can't trust everything you read online, but it would certainly affect his writing.

That is true. He did have a big dependency problem way back then. Jack's dependency issues from The Shining were based on his own.

Ahhhhhhh! Ack. I decided to start Cell since I needed to pick a new book (just finished Among Others) and I had it on my Kindle.. Within the first few pages I'm already irked out. Not sure why, but I have a super hard time with anything where animals get hurt or even just die by natural means. I'm obviously going to keep reading, I can handle it.. Just funny that I'm sitting here saying I haven't read much that I find scary by King and then I start a book and my heart is instantly feels like it's clenched in a fist..

I haven't read a lot of King. Just: Dark Tower, Shining, Desperation, Eye of the Dragon, Salem's Lot, and some short stories.

I like Dark Tower and some of the Short Stories. Everything else is ok, but doesn't make me want to run out and read more...

I have the first five books of the Dark Tower series, as well as three short story collections. I just recently read Carrie for the first time, and I loved it. I love Stephen King's novels, but I think his short stories are truly amazing.

Agreed! I love his novels but his short stories are something entirely special and different.

Kathy wrote: "Jackie, I definitely plan on reading King's Desperation, Regulators, and Hearts in Atlantis this year. Have you read any of them? Maybe we can do a buddy read?"

I read Hearts in Atlantis last year. I enjoyed parts of it, but wasn't enthralled with the book.

Desperation and Regulators weren't even on my radar so thanks for mentioning. Let me know when you plan on reading them and I may join in.

I signed up for a DT read and now I'm sort of kicking myself for doing so. I'm going to read The Gunslinger and see how I feel about it. I don't know why, but the series doesn't really call to me but because it's so popular I want to try it again. If I don't continue on with the series I'll move onto his other stuff.

Sure, Jackie. I'll let you know about Desperation and Regulators. From everything that I hear they are companion books and should be read together. I'm hoping and getting to them in March. That could change, but that's the plan. :)

Jackie, if you want to read The Stand at some point, I'll read along with you. I want to read the edited version to see how different it is.

Becky wrote: "Jackie, if you want to read The Stand at some point, I'll read along with you. I want to read the edited version to see how different it is."

I'd join in on The Stand if you read it. I'm planning to read it again this year.

I should re-read the Stand. I love that book...but I may have read it too many times by now...

MrsJoseph (taking back my data & giving GR the middle finger) wrote: "I should re-read the Stand. I love that book...but I may have read it too many times by now..."

Impossible. There's no "too many" times to read The Stand. I've worn out several copies due to re-reads. I just buy new ones and carry on.

The Stands is looking to be a buddy read. :) I'll be reading unabridge though since it's my first go at it.

Jackie wrote: "The Stands is looking to be a buddy read. :) I'll be reading unabridge though since it's my first go at it."

Of course.