Books

[Chibichibi]

Re: Books

I wasn't actually sure I'd like them. I mean, Hope raved on about them but still...

Also I'm becoming fond of Kate Elliot.

 

[Rule 34]

Re: Books

Stephen King has often had a problem with ending books properly, and The Stand suffers from this as well. But don't let that stop you, it's still very enjoyable.

 

[Chibichibi]

Re: Books

I've heard the the last Dark Tower novel suffers from this as well as a serious mindfuck. So I'm kind of hesitant about finishing it. There's even a warning in the front of mine.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Books

Another good one by King is Riding the Bullet, though I still don't care much for his more straight up horror stories.

Really I don't think that he can't write endings. I think it's more that he doesn't want to write endings. Some of the stories it works and some it doesn't though.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Books

I read his zombie novel "Cell". It was okay until about half-way through when the zombies... ceased to be zombies and more a hive mind thinger. That and the ending absolutely ruined it for me. I was pissed.

Still, I liked his ending for 'The Running Man', which he wrote as Richard Bachman (hence the joke I made earlier)

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Books

I agree that MOST of the time Stephen King's endings are frustrating, but he also wrote what's probably one of my favorite endings of all time: "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." That short story is actually a Stephen King anomaly in two ways: great ending and great movie adaptation. "The Shawshank Redemption" ranks pretty high up on my list of favorite movies, and the ending is about as satisfying as the end of the short story.

MOST Stephen King movie adaptations are garbage.

 

[dmronny]

Re: Books

Oh yes I always forget that Shawshank Redemption is his, same with the Green Mile. I haven't read either of them unfortunately, though I really should. They're the only two King film adaptations I've ever liked.

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Books

i actually rather enjoyed "the Mist" with Tom Jane.

 

[Lucas]

Re: Books

Kinda' a fan of the Dark Tower series by King.

Just kinda'. Maybe.

 

[ToxicShock]

Re: Books

So I'm guessing my mad magazine collection isn't really fitting

 

[Copper]

Re: Books

Hey, I like MAD magazine. And they are books. Sorta.

Not a huge fan of King myself. The madre is, though. Loves a lot of his older stuff. Not so much the new. I have read a few King myself, but very few. Eyes of the Dragon being the only book, then Maximum Overdrive (that does *not* have a Hollywood ending) and Running Man. I remember watching the Green Mile when it was one of those...Amazing Stories that they ran staring Patrick Swayze. (And if it's *not, it's pretty f'ing close in plot.) I remember, as a wee child of...yeah, a kid...thinking that the ending would have been better if

Spoiler

all the people he'd healed suddenly had their healing revoked when they killed him instead of magically bringing him back to life. Yes, I was a twisted kid. I'm here now, aren't I?

And yeah, the King/Bachman thing kind of...Irks me. Especially when Stephen King is writing introductions for Bachman's books. Kind of like when Nora Roberts and J.D. Robb collaborate on a book. -_-

 

[dmronny]

Re: Books

I like Mad better than most King books actually. It's almost like searching for a needle in a hay stack to find the good ones of his.

That always kind of irked me too after I found out. I don't know why, but it always has.

 

[Goldstein]

Re: Books

The only novels of King's that I've read are Needful Things and the Dead Zone, and neither one exactly enthralled me. Not bad by any means, just not to my tastes.

I recently finished the first collection of Ciaphas Cain stories, and I must say that I'm quite pleased by them. My first time reading anything set in the Warhammer 40k universe, though I'm familiar with it. (For reference, that's For the Emperor, Caves of Ice, and The Traitor's Hand.)

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Books

Good 40K fiction I've read was the first few books of the Gaunt's Ghosts series. I need to pick up more cause I rather enjoyed the writing style, the plots, and the characters. Winner for me.

 

[Hentaispider]

Re: Books

I really like The Black Company series. It's basically about a company of elite mercenaries getting involved in politics of an "evil" empire(evil in quotations because while the people on the top are basically evil sorcerers, the common people are no more oppressed than they were before the empire. Sometimes less). It's set in a low-magic fantasy; sorcerers are relatively common in the empire, but in some parts they're practically unheard of, and really powerful ones are exceedingly rare. The books are mostly written in the form of the company annals.

 

[Copper]

Re: Books

This is the second recommendation I've had for that series. I may have to see if we have enough of them at work to have one lent out. As it stands, though, I already have enough freaking books piled beside my bed to keep me busy for the next...week *laughs* Presuming, of course, I get around to reading said books. I'm being lazy right now and concentrating on my writing instead.

Also, there's a book fair coming up *rubs hands together* Let the hunt begin!

 

[Sinfulwolf]

Re: Books

Yeah, the Black Company series is rather good. I got a bit confused when I tried to pick up one of the sequels after having finished the one before almost 6 months before hand, but its still written well. I have to finish the series, one of the "villains" has become my favorite character.

 

[Rule 34]

Re: Books

So, I'm currently reading "The CATCHER in the RYE". I'm not at the end of the book, and maybe I'm too old for it, but I don't really feel an association with the main character. He's hyperactive, immature, constantly out to get drunk while being underage and he hates just about everybody in his wake. I've never been that way, and I can't imagine too many others being that way.

Also, there is nothing HAPPENING in this book. All Holden does (Holden, what kind of a name is that?) is hanging around in several bars and thinking about calling people.

 

[Pale]

Re: Books

I'm not a big fan of that book. Supposedly a classic, but.. like you said, I found the narrator dislikeable, and the plot boring.

P

 

[dmronny]

Re: Books

I hated reading that book for school for all the same reasons, I hated reading Ethan Frome more though.