| Author | Message | ||
     Gcw (Gcw) Username: Gcw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.151.125.7 |
I just finished this, Stephen King's latest last night. It took me about half a year to read it, fuck was it exasperating in places, and yet...Is it only King who can annoy you so much with his rambling 'I will unfold the tale slow n'easy' and yet still keep you reading? Yet...After about 500 pages of exposition...Suddenly King upped the ante with some very effective pure horror scenes which re-awakened my interest, and saw me through the last 200 pages in one sitting. So, only embark on this one if you have the patience for a long, sometimes frustrating ride. Faulted, but hey, it's King. gcw | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
I read the first few chapters last week, GCW, and am loving it so far. I almost prefer King when he's not doing the horror bits. I love the way he reveals character and back story. | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.165.182 |
Read this back in November and loved it. One of King's best in a long time. The great thing about King is that he's a natural storyteller- when he's good you're just pulled into whatever he's writing. The horror takes a while to get going, but when it does- it's bloody well worth the wait. It helped while away a long train journey, anyway... | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.152.164 |
Just on the home stretch - 80 or so pages to go, and I'm loving it. I fully agree with Simon; one of his best for some time indeed. I wasn't aware of any part dragging; I liked it from the start... | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.213.27.228 |
I haven't read King since the end of The Dark Tower. I've got some catching up to do, I think. It's sad to think of the day (that may be soon approaching) when there are no more new Stephen King books to read. I think he's underappreciated (despite his popularity). | ||
| Karim Ghahwagi (Karim) Username: Karim Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 80.167.124.223 |
He has delivered a 1000 plus page novel in the vein of The Stand titled 'Under The Dome' to come out in 09 | ||
| Simon Strantzas (Nomis) Username: Nomis Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 99.225.111.224 |
If anyone here knows Matt Cardin's work, you may find aspects of Duma Key familiar. As Matt says himself at his blog... "Major aspects of my story “If It Had Eyes” bear an almost spooky resemblance to major aspects of Stephen King’s Duma Key – and my story was published six years before that novel. (No charges of any authorial impropriety here, by the way. Just an interesting observation. I find it virtually impossible to believe that King has even heard of [Divinations of the Deep], let alone read it.)" | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.0.112.152 |
Ask Mark Lynch about Cell... | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Happens to me all the time. I have so many ideas, though, that the law of averages dictates a lot of them will already have been utilised by other writers. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 79.187.206.46 |
I thought Lisey's Story was oustanding; heartbreaking, frightening, endearing, and ultimately a perfect example of why he deserves his National Book award. Fuck all those naysayers who deem any literary award not worthy of genre writers. That's why I love Michael Chabon (Wonderboys), who won the Pultizer and shocked everyone by citing King as one of the most influential and important writers in America. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.242.126 |
Yep. King is the bees knees. | ||
| Gcw (Gcw) Username: Gcw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.151.125.7 |
I reckon Duma Key just needed a trim in the first half...It meandered just a tad too much before kicking in. I loved the characters...King is so cinematic; - James Caan - As Edgar Jeff Bridges - Wireman Frances Sternhagen* - As Elizatheth *Possibly the late Frances Sternhagen? It always amazes me that King adaptations are so hit n'miss when I always visualise his books as films. gcw | ||
| Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.166.188.81 |
DUMA KEY was possibly inspired by a Matt Cardin fiction that was written long before King wrote his novel: http://theteemingbrain.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/fiction-as-religion-some-good-wo rds-about-divinations-of-the-deep/ DUMA KEY is a great novel, no mistake. Seriously. | ||
| Simon Strantzas (Nomis) Username: Nomis Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 99.225.111.224 |
HA! Beat you to it, Des. See six posts up. | ||
| Des (Des) Username: Des Registered: 06-2008 Posted From: 86.166.188.81 |
Yes, Simon, this is what I said in review of Matt's book (and the story IF IT HAD EYES) before that blog you quote: ============= The Artist's Answer: IF IT HAD EYES Oh, this is truly marvellous stuff. (And without harping on the point, anyone accustomed to the 'nothingness' theme (both (literally) physical and aesthetic/'spiritual') that has threaded the editions of 'Nemonymous' over the years will realise easily why I am not only impressed by this story, but doubly impressed! It also carried forward the flesh/spirit theme started by this book's first story. Also (and I make no charges here), but I'm sure Stephen King must have read IF IT HAD EYES (2002) before he wrote the novel DUMA KEY (2008)!! ================ | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.152.164 |
*Possibly the late Frances Sternhagen? Got me worried there, mate. I think she's a great actress - just checked IMDB and she's still with us! | ||
| Gcw (Gcw) Username: Gcw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.151.125.7 |
Phew! Good, we've had enough 'go' for the time being I reckon. gcw | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.170.88.98 |
GC! I've always thought this. Thanks for bringing it up - 'It always amazes me that King adaptations are so hit n'miss when I always visualise his books as films.' | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.152.164 |
I think one problem is that King is such a great story teller - however this storytelling never usually comes across in adaptations I've seen; you often get the meat of the tale without the style. If you know what I mean. | ||
| Gcw (Gcw) Username: Gcw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.151.125.7 |
"Under The Dome" by Stephen King...released fall 2009. gcw  | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.0.112.152 |
I think King's real skill is detailing the thought processes of his characters. Think of how he holds our attention in Gerald's Game or Misery. But even in other stuff, it's the way he has his characters ruminate over stuff that rings true. Among the memorable passages for me are Louis Creed's thoughts about digging up his son; Danny Torrance reflecting on whether to go into room 217; that fat kid in IT thinking about his life. Etc. Nary a character-interaction among them. Film can't do that. Plus, robbed of the folksy richness of King's prose, the atmosphere is easily lost and the beasties can just look ridiculous. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.110.248.95 |
Gary – agreed. It's the way darkness breaks through into a character's thoughts: we see horrors swimming under the surface, waiting for an opening. Because King's imagination works in terms of words and concepts rather than visual effects, he's difficult to film effectively. What you lose is precisely what makes the difference. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.0.112.152 |
Good directors have made the best King films: Kubrick, Hooper, Darabont, De Palma, Reiner, and a few others. In addition to the above, maybe it's that simple. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.170.88.98 |
So we are saying King is unfilmable, yet keeps drawing filmmakers to him? It's funny, but I think King got me 'out' of horror. When I realised I was reading him for the non-horror aspects of his work it made me wonder about what else there was out there to read. Darabont and Kubrick realised something; his films need to be long. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.0.112.152 |
>>>So we are saying King is unfilmable Perhaps nothing is unfilmable provided that the qualities of the written material are translated into the different medium. I suspect lesser directors see only the surface of King's stuff and use his name as a bankable logo. Mind you, I'd like to see someone try filming Gerald's Game... | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.152.164 |
So we are saying King is unfilmable, yet keeps drawing filmmakers to him? Money, I guess. Loads of folk will go to see a film "based on a story by...". Interesting that, with the exception of THE SHINING, the most successful King adaptaions have been for non-supernatural tales - Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, The Body and Misery. | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.165.182 |
Plus The Green Mile and, from what I've heard, The Mist. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.152.164 |
Yeah, guess that's true. And then there's MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE... Mainly I was referring to films that normal people and critics rate, rather than us* *tongue firmly in cheek | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.165.182 |
 | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.0.112.152 |
I like Maximum Overdrive!! | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.213.27.228 |
Watched 1408 last night. I thought it was quite original. Not much in the way of scares, but I enjoyed John Cusak's performance. At least there was no teenage girl standing uncomfortably, with straight black hair obscuring her face. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
I enjoyed that one, Steve - a good little film. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 212.121.214.11 |
Did Kubrick film King's the Shining? I don't think he did. He filmed Kubrick's the Shining. I never thought it was a good film of the book, but if you forget about the book it's a good film in it's own right. The essential thing that was missing for me was sympathy for Jack Torrance. In the book, even at the most violent sequences you retain a level of sympathy as you know it's not him. You never feel any sympathy for Jack Nicholson's version of the character. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.152.164 |
I never thought it was a good film of the book, but if you forget about the book it's a good film in it's own right. That's precisely why it's a good film, I think. Had he stuck to King's story closely, it wouldn't have been all that. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 212.121.214.11 |
IMHO the Shining is one of King's very best works but Kubrik didn't come close to getting the mood of the book right in his film. Having said that, neither did King himself for the remake. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.152.164 |
IMHO the Shining is one of King's very best works... Mine too - I just meant that straight book-to-film often doesn't seem to work... | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.152.164 |
Mine? I never wrote The Shining! It's all lies! | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.17.12.46 |
I'd agree with Weber (!) that THE SHINING is King's best book-length work, or one of, at least. ... I think that one must simply accept the fact that talking about books and movies are quite different things. Books are one medium, and movies another - if they compliment each other nicely, you call that "lucky," or a pleasant side-effect. But a book is a book is a book, and a movie is a movie is a movie, and they are in different worlds, and - so far as I'm concerned, anyway - never the twain shall meet.... | ||
| Steve Bacon (Stevebacon) Username: Stevebacon Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 90.213.27.228 |
The Shawshank Redemption is a decent enough film. It captures a great deal of the relationship between the two characters. I agree with Weber on the JT sympathy that is missing from The Shining. But the character of the hotel is more vivid than it is in the novel. |