Stephen King is a hack

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Frostwerks: Sep 24, 2007; by Lowtax

Nelson Mandingo posted:

Stephen King is a decent writer. He just can't write endings.

you know who this is even more true for? neal stephenson.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:21

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# ? Apr 24, 2024 07:16

VendaGoat: Nov 1, 2005

Nelson Mandingo posted:

Stephen King is a decent writer. He just can't write endings.

THIS!

I still enjoy him

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:23

nimh: Sep 18, 2004; by FactsAreUseless

VendaGoat posted:

THIS!

I still enjoy him

The running man had a great ending. So great it'll never be made into a movie.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:26

VendaGoat: Nov 1, 2005

nimh posted:

The running man had a great ending. So great it'll never be made into a movie.

He has his exceptions. Personally I enjoyed the nebulous ending of the shining, even the mist to an extent. The average, hell, better than the average, he can't write and ending to save his life.

Edit: you may being sarcastic?

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:27

Mumpy Puffinz: Aug 11, 2008; Nap Ghost

VendaGoat posted:

He has his exceptions. Personally I enjoyed the nebulous ending of the shining, even the mist to an extent. The average, hell, better than the average, he can't write and ending to save his life.

Edit: you may being sarcastic?

he made it into a reality. Steven King did 9-11

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:30

nimh: Sep 18, 2004; by FactsAreUseless

VendaGoat posted:

He has his exceptions. Personally I enjoyed the nebulous ending of the shining, even the mist to an extent. The average, hell, better than the average, he can't write and ending to save his life.

Edit: you may being sarcastic?

No, you're right. Probably why my 3 book recommendation are all short story collections.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:32

Dean of Swing: Feb 22, 2012

Pumpy Muffinz posted:

the first two are great! After that. Fight as you will. I might be there.

The unrevised Gunslinger is a fever dream.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:32

VendaGoat: Nov 1, 2005

Pumpy Muffinz posted:

he made it into a reality. Steven King did 9-11

I've never read it. Good god man. :cripes:

seriously?

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:33

Mumpy Puffinz: Aug 11, 2008; Nap Ghost

Dean of Swing posted:

The unrevised Gunslinger is a fever dream.

better fever dream than you ever had.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:34

Mumpy Puffinz: Aug 11, 2008; Nap Ghost

VendaGoat posted:

I've never read it. Good god man. seriously?

At the end of The Running Man, the protagonist flew a plane into the largest building he could find.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:36

nimh: Sep 18, 2004; by FactsAreUseless

VendaGoat posted:

I've never read it. Good god man. seriously?

Read it, it wont take long at all. Forget the arnie movie. The adaptation is as removed as the Lawnmower Man, which was about 10 pages and a demon made a lawnmower run over someone, that's it.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:36

VendaGoat: Nov 1, 2005

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:39

Mumpy Puffinz: Aug 11, 2008; Nap Ghost

VendaGoat posted:

King did 9-11 25 years before it was cool

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:40

let it mellow: Jun 1, 2000; Dinosaur Gum

it's true, he 9-11ed the tallest skyscraper with two middle fingers flying high (lol)

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:42

Sierra Nevadan: Nov 1, 2010

At least he's better than Koontz.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:42

Internetjack: Sep 15, 2007; oh god how did this get here i am not good with computers; Top Cop

I always liked Insomnia. Its pretty average, but I always found it a compelling read.

Also, The Regulators and Desperation. Same story, same characters, shake and pour into two glasses. Again a bit average, but really interesting to read two slightly different versions of the same story.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:52

Mumpy Puffinz: Aug 11, 2008; Nap Ghost

Wolves of Call, and Songs of Susanna sucked, but The Dark Tower was an ok book. Bringing himself into his story was stupid, but, he saw death, and wanted to end his story. It wasn't great, but it wasn't awful either.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:52

let it mellow: Jun 1, 2000; Dinosaur Gum

quote:

Minus 001 and COUNTING

Now the jet cruised across the canal, seemingly held up by the hand of God, giant, roaring. A Push freak in a doorway stared up and thought he was seeing a hallucination, the last dope dream, come to take him away, perhaps to General Atomics heaven where all the food was free and all the piles were clean breeders.

The sound of its engines drove people into doorways, their faces craning upwards like pale flames. Glass show-windows jingled and fell inward. Gutter litter was sucked down bowling-alley streets in dervishes. A cop dropped his move-along and wrapped his hands around his head and screamed and could not hear himself.

The plane was still dropping and now it moved over rooftops like a cruising silver bat; the starboard wingtip missed the side of the Glamour Column Store by a bare twelve feet.

All over Herding, Free-Vees went white with interference and people stared at them with stupid, fearful incredulity.

The thunder filled the world.

Killian looked up from his desk and stared into the wall-to-wall window that formed one entire side of the room.

The twinkling vista of the city, from South City to Crescent, was gone. The entire window was filled with an oncoming Lockheed TriStar jet. Its running lights blinked on and off, and for just a moment, an insane moment of total surprise and horror and disbelief, he could see Richards staring out at him. His face smeared with blood, his black eyes burning like the eyes of a demon.

Richards was grinning.

And giving him the finger.

"-Jesus-" was all Killian had time to get out.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:55

nimh: Sep 18, 2004; by FactsAreUseless

it rained fire twenty blocks away

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:58

MMOs & Welfare: Jan 24, 2007; by Lowtax

the mangler was an awful movie but goddamn if the ending of the short story didnt give me the chills

# ? Jul 26, 2014 05:59

nimh: Sep 18, 2004; by FactsAreUseless

MMOs & Welfare posted:

the mangler was an awful movie but goddamn if the ending of the short story didnt give me the chills

nothing like a 9th dan black belt demon infected clothes washer

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:05

Corey Plumper: Nov 22, 2008

Tane is a pain and that is the truth

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:09

Mumpy Puffinz: Aug 11, 2008; Nap Ghost

I think the Pet Semetery book is scarier than the movie except for Zelda. Zelda was much scarier in the movie.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:10

MMOs & Welfare: Jan 24, 2007; by Lowtax

Pumpy Muffinz posted:

I think the Pet Semetery book is scarier than the movie except for Zelda. Zelda was much scarier in the movie.

the parts about the wendigo were legit spooky

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:12

Corey Plumper: Nov 22, 2008

Its too bad he quit drinking

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:13

Roki B: Jul 25, 2004; Medical Industrial Complex; Biscuit Hider

Hasn't Mr. King basically admitted that his writing, while prolific, is garbage tier pulp? Like, he understands his audience wants a quick story and doesn't care much about themes or depth, and he's raking in poo poo-tons of money that fuels his boozing and life for him basically owns?

Peeps sounding pretty jelly up in here.

Booze for the scary booze god.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:15

Mumpy Puffinz: Aug 11, 2008; Nap Ghost

MMOs & Welfare posted:

the parts about the wendigo were legit spooky

Yeah they were. Never even saw the thing, but it broke the branches for lewis when he was taking gage to the burial place. Lewis could hear it, and it scared him, but he didn't stop.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:15

nimh: Sep 18, 2004; by FactsAreUseless

Roki B posted:

Hasn't Mr. King basically admitted that his writing, while prolific, is garbage tier pulp? Like, he understands his audience wants a quick story and doesn't care much about themes or depth, and he's raking in poo poo-tons of money that fuels his boozing and life for him basically owns?

Peeps sounding pretty jelly up in here.

Booze for the scary booze god.

rather read a good story told poorly than a bad tale told well.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:26

Roki B: Jul 25, 2004; Medical Industrial Complex; Biscuit Hider

Also

at anybody who has ever actually had any sort of physical fear response from reading a book. Its a book. Its ink on papyrus for fucks sake.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:27

Frostwerks: Sep 24, 2007; by Lowtax

MMOs & Welfare posted:

the mangler was an awful movie but goddamn if the ending of the short story didnt give me the chills

what is that

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:28

Mumpy Puffinz: Aug 11, 2008; Nap Ghost

Roki B posted:

Also at anybody who has ever actually had any sort of physical fear response from reading a book. Its a book. Its ink on papyrus for fucks sake.

sorry you have no imagination.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:30

nimh: Sep 18, 2004; by FactsAreUseless

Frostwerks posted:

what is that

20 or so page story out of night shift about a possessed laundry press. From that book, lawnmower man, children of the corn, maximum overdrive and graveyard shift and others were also adapted.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:44

Frostwerks: Sep 24, 2007; by Lowtax

nimh posted:

20 or so page story out of night shift about a possessed laundry press. From that book, lawnmower man, children of the corn, maximum overdrive and graveyard shift and others were also adapted.

no i meant the ending what is the ending

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:51

Mumpy Puffinz: Aug 11, 2008; Nap Ghost

My favorite King story is "The Raft"

# ? Jul 26, 2014 06:56

im pooping!: Nov 17, 2006

Internetjack posted:

I always liked Insomnia. Its pretty average, but I always found it a compelling read.

Also, The Regulators and Desperation. Same story, same characters, shake and pour into two glasses. Again a bit average, but really interesting to read two slightly different versions of the same story.

I liked Insomnia and it's pretty good in terms of tie-ins but again, the ending is incredible in a bad way.

Now then, I read The Regulators like 6 months ago, and maybe it has been too long since I've read Desperation, but what the poo poo are you talking about? The stories are almost nothing alike aside from the antagonist who is ambiguous enough that it's just a nod. The biggest connection is the cover art for both books making a big mural.

# ? Jul 26, 2014 07:01

quakster: Jul 21, 2007; by FactsAreUseless

Roki B posted:

Also at anybody who has ever actually had any sort of physical fear response from reading a book. Its a book. Its ink on papyrus for fucks sake.

im glad you take pride in youre lack of emotion. its v good not to feel. must be fun as hell. oh wait

# ? Jul 26, 2014 07:03

MMOs & Welfare: Jan 24, 2007; by Lowtax

insomnia was particularly weird. psychic elderly people doing battle with psychic midgets, bad guy is a floating lobster at one point. whole thing reads like it was written by somebody with a high fever

# ? Jul 26, 2014 07:10