Stephen King fans

Son_Of_Saul

New member
Dec 7, 2007
43,782
92,016
3
I'm calling it now.

King said he would never write a sequel to It but I don't believe him. I think he's already drafted a copy of the sequel, and plans to release it via his family when he dies.

King's entire "public" rationale for not writing a sequel to It is because he doesn't want Pennywise dancing around in his head again, but if anyone is familiar with King's works, they'll know that this is simply unbelievable given the level of horror he imagines on a daily basis.

Anyone have thoughts on this topic, or other King works?
 

GrandePdre

New member
Jan 21, 2008
17,126
6,634
0
"It" was a great book for about 900 pages. Then it got stupid and ruined the whole damn book.
 

christophero

Well-known member
May 2, 2017
16,616
19,981
113
King was incredible until he wrote It and the Stand. Arguably his two best; it was like he used up all his ideas with those 2 books. He still writes the occasional good one; but up to 85 nearly all his stuff was great. Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, Firestarter, the Dead Zone, the Stand, It, Different Seasons, and his legendary short story collections. I don't think he wrote a sequel to It. I know he used to drink a case of beer a night in his early days when he wrote. He doesn't even remember writing a lot of it.
 

hmt5000

New member
Aug 29, 2009
26,976
82,648
0
King was incredible until he wrote It and the Stand. Arguably his two best; it was like he used up all his ideas with those 2 books. He still writes the occasional good one; but up to 85 nearly all his stuff was great.
 

christophero

Well-known member
May 2, 2017
16,616
19,981
113
I liked the Talisman, the one he wrote with Peter Straub. Would make a great miniseries. I thought the latest Stand miniseries was okay. The It movies were pretty good, especially the first one. I like the Salem's Lot miniseries with Rob Lowe in 2005 or so, although the original is better. Carrie and Misery are great adaptations. Stand by me and Shawshank from Different Seasons too. The Mist was good. Love the short story.
 

christophero

Well-known member
May 2, 2017
16,616
19,981
113
I never read 11/22 or Mr. Mercedes but the shows were really good. Skeleton Crew and Graveyard Shift were epic short story collections. Several I couldn't finish. Gerald's Game, Dreamcatcher, Duma Key, Insomnia. Those were awful. I like the Buick one.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Son_Of_Saul

hmt5000

New member
Aug 29, 2009
26,976
82,648
0
I never read 11/22 or Mr. Mercedes but the shows were really good. Skeleton Crew and Graveyard Shift were epic short story collections. Several I couldn't finish. Gerald's Game, Dreamcatcher, Duma Key, Insomnia. Those were awful. I like the Buick one.
I liked Dreamcatcher. It wasn't great but it definitely wasn't awful. It was out there but I knew it was involving aliens and psychic stuff going in. He was on prescribed drugs writing that book which goes to show that illegal drugs lead to better novels than legal ones.
 

Son_Of_Saul

New member
Dec 7, 2007
43,782
92,016
3
I have read every one of his books and it's always a great day in my house when a new one comes out. His early stuff is great but he has a several good books in his later years. Mr. Mercedes was good. So was 11/22/63.
I love the short story collections. Some of my favorite King short stories: I am the Doorway; Crouch End; The Jaunt; Mrs. Todd's Shortcut; Popsy; The Man in the Black Suit; L.T's Theory of Pets; The Road Virus Heads North; The Dune.

I used to listen to his short story collections on road trips through small towns and also through long back-country settings. Talk about a wilderness of imagination. Not sure I'd be up for that type of thing anymore. The world of reality is starting to match up with the world of the imagination. I used to camp out in places after a day of hiking and would even spend time in my tent listening to short stories: Hemingway, Munro, O'Connor, King, Gaiman, Faulkner, you name it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: christophero

hmt5000

New member
Aug 29, 2009
26,976
82,648
0
I love the short story collections. Some of my favorite King short stories: I am the Doorway; Crouch End; The Jaunt; Mrs. Todd's Shortcut; Popsy; The Man in the Black Suit; L.T's Theory of Pets; The Road Virus Heads North; The Dune.

I used to listen to his short story collections on road trips through small towns and also through long back-country settings. Talk about a wilderness of imagination. Not sure I'd be up for that type of thing anymore. The world of reality is starting to match up with the world of the imagination. I used to camp out in places after a day of hiking and would even spend time in my tent listening to stories.
I read a short story version of the dome and thought that was the whole story he released. Turned out that they released a portion of that for free and I just missed that it was only part of the book. I found out my mistake by telling a king fan that I loved a few of his short stories and included the dome and dude looked at me funny.
 

Son_Of_Saul

New member
Dec 7, 2007
43,782
92,016
3
I read a short story version of the dome and thought that was the whole story he released. Turned out that they released a portion of that for free and I just missed that it was only part of the book. I found out my mistake by telling a king fan that I loved a few of his short stories and included the dome and dude looked at me funny.
Did you ever see the youtube video called N? It's based on one of his short stories and is worth a watch.
 

Son_Of_Saul

New member
Dec 7, 2007
43,782
92,016
3
The Green Mile was a good one. He released it a chapter at a time. Each chapter was like 2 dollars. Back when the mall had a bookstore.
I miss the 90s. Bookstores. CD stores. Video rental stores. Kentucky basketball. Good films. Good music. SNL was still funny. Road trips still required maps and we didn't have our smart phones to bail us out on everything.

We even used to take trips to the local library as kids, and we looked forward to it, too.
 

christophero

Well-known member
May 2, 2017
16,616
19,981
113
What's the one with the monkey doll that comes alive? So creepy. Also the one where the guy's delete button on his word processor deletes people from his life. Word Processor of the gods.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Son_Of_Saul

Son_Of_Saul

New member
Dec 7, 2007
43,782
92,016
3
What's the one with the monkey doll that comes alive? So creepy. Also the one where the guy's delete button on his word processor deletes people from his life. Word Processor of the gods.
I think it was called The Monkey. I avoided that one. I could tell it was going to be terrifying.
 
  • Like
Reactions: christophero

Son_Of_Saul

New member
Dec 7, 2007
43,782
92,016
3
I liked the Talisman, the one he wrote with Peter Straub. Would make a great miniseries. I thought the latest Stand miniseries was okay. The It movies were pretty good, especially the first one. I like the Salem's Lot miniseries with Rob Lowe in 2005 or so, although the original is better. Carrie and Misery are great adaptations. Stand by me and Shawshank from Different Seasons too. The Mist was good. Love the short story.
I read Salem's Lot a few years ago and I was glad I saved it for so long. Great book and I loved the slow burn.

Did you ever read Black House, which was the sequel to The Talisman?
 

christophero

Well-known member
May 2, 2017
16,616
19,981
113
Christine is a good one. It's not that long, so it's lean and mean. I didn't read Black House. I think I started it but it didn't grab me. I do love Salem's Lot; it's epic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Son_Of_Saul

Son_Of_Saul

New member
Dec 7, 2007
43,782
92,016
3
Christine is a good one. It's not that long, so it's lean and mean. I didn't read Black House. I think I started it but it didn't grab me. I do love Salem's Lot; it's epic.
I wish one of the streaming networks would start to remake some of his works. TNT attempted something a few years ago, but it failed.

The Jaunt would be a great lead-in episode if Netflix or Amazon decided to make a go of it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: christophero

hmt5000

New member
Aug 29, 2009
26,976
82,648
0
And not to change the subject but have you guys read much Clive Barker? King really loves his work and that was got me to read him after being really iffy on his movies. Weaveworld, Imajica, The great and secret show and Galilee were all really good and I've wanted to read more but just haven't had time. Heck... I still have several King books I haven't had time to read.
 

LOL_Man

New member
Nov 9, 2022
1,930
1,589
0
Pet Cemetery was his best book IMO. I read that as fast as I could turn the pages and by the end when he was drunk and contemplating digging up his kid well, that was as good as writing gets.

King lost me once he went into the Gunslinger stuff whatever that was.

King always has little catch phrases he repeats over and over in his books. In Pet Cemetery he couldn't let the "cap full of blood" when the kid gets hit by the truck go so I would imagine he does get wound pretty tight when he is writing.
 

AIChatGPT

New member
Dec 11, 2022
1,139
1,649
0
King has had some excellent books since 1985. Hood lord that’s a bad take.

I’ve read every King book but Liseys Story. Just no interest in it for some reason.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Son_Of_Saul

GrandePdre

New member
Jan 21, 2008
17,126
6,634
0
The Green Mile was a good one. He released it a chapter at a time. Each chapter was like 2 dollars. Back when the mall had a bookstore.
I was a young King fan when these were coming out. I remember as a teen wishing to write the screenplay adaptation for Shawshank and Green Mile. Apparently, Frank Darabont and I are/were kindred spirits to that endeavor.
 
May 29, 2001
19,228
2,275
0
For my money, Storm of the Century and Rose Red are among his best works. One novel that gets lost in the shuffle, perhaps understandably, but is one of my favorites is The Eye of the Dragon. I don't know if it's because I read it around the time I was reading a lot of Tolkien and Feist, but I really enjoyed it. Would love a sequel.
 

christophero

Well-known member
May 2, 2017
16,616
19,981
113
King has had some excellent books since 1985. Hood lord that’s a bad take.

I’ve read every King book but Liseys Story. Just no interest in it for some reason.
A lot of people think King lost it somewhat in the mid 80's. That's hardly a hot take. He certainly was not as consistent. I do agree that Storm of the Century is very good. I do like some of his more recent stuff.
 

Lexie's Dad

New member
Jan 12, 2003
9,700
4,095
0
I read Salem's Lot a few years ago and I was glad I saved it for so long. Great book and I loved the slow burn.

Did you ever read Black House, which was the sequel to The Talisman?
Black House was good.

I enjoyed "Desperation" by King and "Regulators" by Bachman.

He's the one author who said, "Ayn Rand is too brief. I'll write longer novels."
 
  • Like
Reactions: Son_Of_Saul

christophero

Well-known member
May 2, 2017
16,616
19,981
113
In the 80s a lot of his short stories were turned into full length movies. Maximum overdrive was a short story and a very good one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Son_Of_Saul