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He isnt exactly one of my favorite authors but he has so many books out that I thought a discussion of his work was in order.

I'll start.

Has anyone read his Dark Tower series. Ive been debating about picking it up because im not a huge fan of King but it looks like a very good read.

yeah im a fan of stephen king, but i wouldnt reccomend anyone starting with the dark tower series. they are brilliant, but all the better if you have read some of his other books (they tie in to the dark tower in some very interesting ways)

aside from the dark tower my favourites would have to be IT or The Stand, although im still battling my way through the massive list hes created.

I like Stephen King.

I sometimes think that the trashy horror elements of his writing have overshadowed the fact he's a genuinely talented storyteller. Which is a shame, as some of his best books boil down to good character development. People and the mistakes/choices they make, rather than blood, gore or the macabre. It's sad that he'll probably always be tarred with the 'penny' dreadful brush when there's really so much more to him.

"Apt Pupil", "Needful Things", "Insomnia" and "Dolores Claiborne" are probably the books I enjoyed most.

Stephen King is imho a wierd person

he has a car crash and survived

so then he writes about it, but in the story he dies

morbid or what?

sgt.johnkeel wrote:Stephen King is imho a wierd person

he has a car crash and survived

so then he writes about it, but in the story he dies

morbid or what?

Morbid? Or pure genius? He also almost drowned in a bathtub (he fell asleep in it) at the Stanley Hotel and stayed at a haunted room there, which is where he got the idea for The Shining.

But anyway, I haven't ready much of Stephen King, but what I have read I have really enjoyed.

So far I have read:

Eyes of the Dragon (pure fantasy novel, very good, highly recommend it)
The Talisman (Stephen King and Peter Straub, pretty good but fairly lengthy)
The Gunslinger [Dark Tower I] (Good)

I am currently trying to get through The Drawing of the Three [Dark Tower II] but it is slow in parts. My brother read all of the Dark Tower series and really liked it, but as St.Razool has said references to his other books do pop up in it.

I tried reading The Stand, but I have the unabridged version at my house and it must weigh like 8 pounds even though its a paperback (that was a exaggeration, but it is huge). If you really want to read a good Stephen King book thats not all blood and gore, I recommend Eyes of the Dragon.

Well, I picked up the Gunslinger first, and I completely understand what you guys mean. I read enough of the stand that I know where one of the characters is from, and I know of Salem's Lot (check off another character), but it leaves their history a little cloudy. Amazing series nonetheless. I'm currently on Wolves of Calla (number 5).

I suppose I should mention I chose the Dark Tower series merely because it's a series. I read a lot. First hs semester was the Wheel of Time series, second will start with the Dark Tower.

Read the green mile once upon a time to see how it differed from the movie and thought it was amazing. Any tips on whats good to start with? Anyone read dreamcatcher? I loved the movie and the book is probably better. True? Discuss.

When I was 20 (many years ago) I had the chance to read The Shining, I didn't, afterall I was 13 when I read The Exorcist ( I WAS TERRORFIED ) so after hearing how scary The Shining was I said NO. Then when I was 29 I received Skeleton Crew as a gift and I read all the stories in it, for every story in it I found something funny and it just got funnier and funnier, I now own over 30 books by SK and I think he is fantastic as a fantasy/fictional writer. I recently bought Lisey's Story and finished it in 4 days. He (SK) always finds something funny to say in all of his stories even The Shining. As for the Dark Tower series, there are several other books (Insomnia, The Stand, The Mist etc...) that make several references to the Tower, I would suggest starting out with Carrie (#1) not the movie and work your way up.

People talking about The Dark Tower series... Have to be one of the best series of novels i've ever read. I've not quite finished the 7th book (Ohgodwhy) but the other 6 kept me glued from cover to cover. I haven't read any other Stephen King books, but those are definitely great books, and if you are considering getting them I very strongly suggest you do. I doubt very much you will be disappointed.

I just re-read Stephen King's Needful Things for the umpteenth time.

I love this book. I love the premise and set-up, and how King shows how little things can feed off of each other into disaster. At the same time, it also illustrates, at least for me, a pure example of King's quintessential horror story.

The dark toer seris every tiem a new one came out i plowed thru it in day or 2 days if had work.

I loved insomina, i read it when i was a kdi and to this day i still hate clowns

the stand i have it HB but never read it yet . I robly pick up this weekend.

He will be brunished as a horror but most of his new stuff isnt horror type IMO

the stand is very good. despite its colossal weight its worth finishing.

dark tower series pwns most of his works in my view. the end is so unexpected, i didnt even suspect what i suspected i may expect may be suspected i like how many of his books unite in this series with characters and events.

dreamcatcher is enjoyable. better than the film, as are most books (lord of the rings is an exception for me)

hearts in atantis is odd yet good. a book to make you go WTH eh? WTH wow? ahk

I'm on the verge of finishing "Duma Key" ! He still has it..... intriguing, scary and funny. I do so love a good funny scare. Cheers to this new edition.

Phoenix of Terra wrote:I'm currently on Wolves of Calla (number 5)

Hey, now I'm on Wolves of the Calla. Seriously though, the Dark Tower series may be the best series I have ever read. It's simply amazing.

jus wait til you finish the series i thought it was worth the epic reading required to get there