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March 28, 2024, 09:41:31 PM

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Stephen King's shifting style

Started by 13 schoolyards, May 12, 2022, 06:07:04 AM

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#60
"Night Shift" is a great short story collection, quite formative for me when I read it at a young age, as it was actually the first thing of his I read all the way through after struggling with some of the novels. The Lovecraft pastiche "Jerusalem's Lot" was particularly memorable.

I've often felt King and Ramsay Campbell had a similar problem, in that they're both masters of the short story form but not always able to sustain effective tension over the length of a full novel - King to a much greater extent as his books tend to be so much more overwritten.

Virgo76

Quote from: Dave The Triffids on August 02, 2022, 05:44:32 PMI do tend to get bored with King's overblown works.  Of his slightly leaner stuff, Misery, The Shining and Salem's Lot reign supreme, I reckon.
Only in Stephen King world could these books could be accurately described as "leaner ones!" All are about 450 pages long.
I agree with you entirely, although Misery would have better without all the extracts from Paul Sheldon's book within the book, the romantic historical novel, Misery.
The short story, The Body had similar problems. All the changes made for the film version were improvements.

Quote from: Virgo76 on August 06, 2022, 09:00:33 PMalthough Misery would have better without all the extracts from Paul Sheldon's book within the book, the romantic historical novel, Misery. 
Totally agree.  I skipped those bits completely.

Critcho

The immortal question of Shining book vs film is always an interesting one I think because you could argue the differences show off both King and Kubrick's strengths and weaknesses.

King is really good at creating personable, relatable lead characters and letting you see inside their heads. The Shining book is great at making you feel every step of Jack's degeneration and the reasons behind it.

But considering King's mainly known as a horror writer, he's kind of literal minded and often doesn't seem to get that it's a lot creepier when there's a feeling of a deeper, darker logic going on, just beyond your understanding. Not just telling you it's a haunted house trying to drive him mad.

Kubrick doesn't give much of a shit about the character stuff - Jack is a nutcase from the start. But he gets the creepiness of mysteries, and that feeling of not knowing exactly what's going on, just that something is going on.

I probably rate the film as better, but the weaknesses of the film are some of the strengths of the book.

Mobbd

#64
For this year's spooky season, I'm reading It for the first time.

Big, innit? I'm no slouch when it comes to getting through books but I'm not yet halfway through and I doubt I'll be done by yer actual Halloween. Not that that's important, but it's a real spectacle.

I know all about It from the telly and film versions and from cultural osmosis, though it's weird to have read almost every classic King book but this one. I'm finally correcting this oversight in what feels like a notable siege on my general life bucket list.

The adult chapters (so far) work very, very well to highlight and enhance the kid chapters. But they're not really a thing in their own right and it's surprising that they leaned so hard on the adults in the film and telly versions. For example, it's really sad to read about Stan as a kid when you know he's going to kill himself. Alternatively it's lovely to read about young Bill and contemplate the man you know he'll become. It hurts to think of little Bev growing up to tolerate an abusive husband and it's nice to know that Richie becomes a star. More generally, these adult chapters really serve the central thing about the intensity of childhood and how friendships and promises feel so important when you're a kid and then fade away sadly with age and experience... except for when they don't. I love that.

I like how many other (non-clown) forms It has taken so far.

The first chapter about Georgie's boat is maybe the best written and most interesting so far, though I love the stuff about the dam building and playing in the barrens. Fat Ben is my fave kid, I think.

The worst stuff has been the 'six phone calls' which was a bit of a slog; all important exposition and character introduction no doubt but there's surely a more creative way to do that. Didn't care for the gay bashing chapter either; felt like a pity party at best and there was too much reveling in the unpleasantness of it for my liking.

Oh! And I like the way that water rushes/rages through the book. The flood, the dam, the river, the rain, the sewers, the drowned kids, etc. Strong, elemental stuff.

Mobbd

Quote from: Greg Torso on May 14, 2022, 08:03:59 AMMartha walked slowly through the room. Her breasts felt like tangerines under her sweater - the small ripe sweet tangerines that Old Man Oswestry used to sell down at the lake where her dad molested her on the fourth of July.
(nothing beats the taste of a Twinkie!)
"Hey, dollface" said a kid in the corner who was wearing a leather jacket and also chewing gum and had a pair of sunglasses on.
'Lord, not this again', she thought, her face burning up with shame like a balloon full of blood.
Suddenly a tall, handsome man stepped into her view. He had shaggy, long hair and sunglasses on and was also wearing a leather jacket. He was older, but he looked good.
"Stephen Kingston" he said, extending a hand that was gnarled by the road and the chrome handlebars of his 1942 Harley Davidson 900cc motorcycle. "Is that whack cat bothering you?"
Martha was again conscious of her breasts. She nervously began to hum a Carl Perkins song. She always did that when she was nervous - proper good old rock and roll music, not like the shit they have now. The snick of a switchblade opening cut through the thick hot air.
"Don't worry" said Stephen Kingston. "For I also am good at fighting."

This is very good!