Stephen King at his worst

[jenna26]

Originally posted by urgeok
style/prose aside ... i got even sicker of this 'tortured writer' as a main character thing.
it's like he has to pull his pants down in front of the world every time he explores one of his inner demons.

sort of like an actor who is just 'playing themselves' you start to be less impressed when you realize it really isnt acting at all.

anyway i grew up reading King from the 1st book on .. read several of them and it eventually all started to run together.
Even Danse Macabre started to sound like an excuse for his lack of origionality.

or ... maybe i spend a lot of time understanding people - so i'm not all that impressed by someone who is also able to understand human nature ... and includes it in his writing..

i think he is very 'hooky' ..he knows how to make you keep reading to see what's next - unfortunately there never seems to be a payoff ..

Clive Barker is like that too ... although his short stories are very good .. his novels always end with a whimper ..

Well, I think that most writers, not all of them, but most of them tend to let their demons take over when they are writing. In a way, every writer writes what they know best. Whether it be something they fear or something they love. Someone they are or someone they want to be. Or someone they are afraid they are. It all comes from somewhere.

But I don't think that people, in general, spend a lot of time observing others and really thinking about what makes them tick. And even if they do, it doesn't mean they come away with an understanding of a person's motivations. I don't think it is an easy thing, to know people that well, since we tend to be such complex creatures. And so basic and simple at the same time. It is that contradiction that makes it hard to create realistic characters on the page.

Don't get me started on Barker.....I will ramble on all day since he is my favorite writer....LOL....:p

[urgeok]

Originally posted by jenna26
Well, I think that most writers, not all of them, but most of them tend to let their demons take over when they are writing. In a way, every writer writes what they know best. Whether it be something they fear or something they love. Someone they are or someone they want to be. Or someone they are afraid they are. It all comes from somewhere.

But I don't think that people, in general, spend a lot of time observing others and really thinking about what makes them tick. And even if they do, it doesn't mean they come away with an understanding of a person's motivations. I don't think it is an easy thing, to know people that well, since we tend to be such complex creatures. And so basic and simple at the same time. It is that contradiction that makes it hard to create realistic characters on the page.

Don't get me started on Barker.....I will ramble on all day since he is my favorite writer....LOL....:p

sure, get started :)
dont you find that he doesn't know how to end his books .. and like King he felt he had to get more and more raaunchy because he had nowhere left to go ?

I love his books of blood .. very tight stories ... but I'm not a fan of the novels, and I've read quite a few.

(i have his autograph on the script for hellraiser by the way .. (it came in a laserdisc box set)

[jenna26]

Originally posted by urgeok
sure, get started :)
dont you find that he doesn't know how to end his books .. and like King he felt he had to get more and more raaunchy because he had nowhere left to go ?

I love his books of blood .. very tight stories ... but I'm not a fan of the novels, and I've read quite a few.

(i have his autograph on the script for hellraiser by the way .. (it came in a laserdisc box set)

Well, to be honest, I agree somewhat. I love his earlier novels and Imajica is one of my favorite novels of all time, though it does tend, at times, to feel like it was an ego trip. Meaning, it does feel self-important in places but, despite that, I think it shows amazing depth of character and imagination. Cabal is my other favorite Barker work and I think it has the same depth, on a smaller scale. I also love The Books of Blood. I have re-read them several times and his short stories are nearly perfect, in my opinion.

But Cold Heart Canyon was a complete disaster, in my opinion. Though I like parts of it, by the end it just seemed pointless. It didn't seem to have anything to say. As I said, I liked parts of it, so I don't think it is completely witout merit. But I do wonder where his mind was when he wrote it. Maybe it is like you said, he had nowhere left to go. But no, I never really got that feeling until Cold Heart Canyon.

I have yet to read the second in the Abarat series, however I did read the first one and enjoyed it quite a bit. It is directed at a young audience, but it is still dark and interesting. But without reading the series as a whole, I can't really make a judgement there.

[urgeok]

jeeze, he kind of lost me at Damnation Game ! hahaha

i read it so long ago .. i remember liking it until i hit the end .. and it left me cold ..

i read a bunch since and i'm just not crazy about them ... interesting ideas but they get lost in the hepped up extravegance.
its like he cares more about the 'special effects' than the characters once he gets going.

i thought it was a british thing ... the weak endings ..
i remember feeling that way about John Wyndham .. with the Crysalid and the Day of the Triffids. - fantastic books that cant seem to come to a satisfying conclusion.

HG Wells - War of the Worlds ... ended in a whimper ..

maybe its the British way :)

[jenna26]

Well, he couldn't have lost me at The Damnation Game or I could hardly call him my favorite writer.:D I actually love that book; start to finish.

Have you read Cabal? I'm sure you have seen the movie Nightbreed (and yes, I like the movie, it has Cronenberg in it, I feel obligated to love that movie though it is far from a masterpiece).

[urgeok]

Originally posted by jenna26
Have you read Cabal? I'm sure you have seen the movie Nightbreed (and yes, I like the movie, it has Cronenberg in it, I feel obligated to love that movie though it is far from a masterpiece).

yes to both ...

i thought it was pretty good ... felt unfinished though .. as if it was going to be part of a series ...

[zwoti]

Originally posted by urgeok
yes to both ...

i thought it was pretty good ... felt unfinished though .. as if it was going to be part of a series ...

it was supposed to be the first part in a trilogy

[urgeok]

Originally posted by zwoti
it was supposed to be the first part in a trilogy

i guess it'll give him something to fall back on if he fails in this new direction..

[zwoti]

Originally posted by urgeok
i guess it'll give him something to fall back on if he fails in this new direction..

he never finished the books of the art trilogy either :mad:

[urgeok]

what books are considered to be the 'art trilogy' ?




kind of smar though - dont you think ... it really does leave him with something to fall back on.


you want to see some books sell ? wait till this next harry potter comes out.
I predict that it will break the back of every previous record.

like them or not, she's a very smart - or very lucky lady