/lit/ - Literature

IT. Although I felt uncomfortable about the whole sewer scene when they were kids. Everyone who read the book knows what I'm talking about

>>2829869
>>2829863
exactly! now I know i'm not the only one, what was the point in that scene at all?

>>2829869
That was clearly the best part out of his entire collection of work. Not trolling.

>>2829874
>>2829863
Well, sir, you need to read 11/22/63.

bump

I tried to read Pet Sematary and halfway through I just couldn't bother to finish it. I knew exactly what was going to happen, I even checked the last few pages to see if I were right. There were no reasons to continue, so I just dropped it.

Is there anything by Stephen King you would recommend to a person who'd experienced something like this?

>>2829863
The Stand.

There is no other possible answer.

To deny this is to invalidate your opinion on everything.

>>2829863
there's plenty, If you have trouble keeping with a novel try his collections. Full Dark, No Stars was great collection. try that. it has 4 novellas(short novels) so it would be easier to get all the way through and move on.

No

Not only that, but the book Gerald's Game has a very graphic scene where a father sexually molests his young daughter.

Even without that scene, it's a great book.

>>2829888
The Cell. I really enjoyed it and would recommend.

>>2829893
>>2829863
great arguement. I havnt read it yet, although i have nearly every one of his novels in my collection (half first editions) I have not started The Stand, I'm not quite ready to jump into a huge novel at the moment. -OP

New anon here. IT is the favorite for me by a mile. It captures thrills mixed with a truly charming nostalgia for 20th century, small-town childhood. It has an interesting trope that lets King play with all the classic monsters. And at the heart of it is, not actually a giant spider, but a lovecraftian horror (deadlights) that ties in subtly with some of his other novels.

But it is the nostalgia that gets me. For me as someone that grew up in the 80s, King is pure nostalgia. And IT is King's most nostalgic work.

>>2829888
try 11/22/63 or Misery. they both keep you guessing throughout.

>>2829869
>>2829873
>>2829874

Amen. It, it is. The Stand can suck my slightly-above-average-sized cock.

Anyone have favorites other than It?

The Shining, of course, you ignorant fuck.

>>2829943
>>2829863
I just got a copy of this, will start. -OP

>>2829934
Apart from It, I also really liked Rage. It's soooo difficult to find that book nowadays, ever since the Columbine massacre. And I've got one! A hardcover!

>>2829947
>>2829863
Me want it so bad. Rage is the missing link in my collection. I have a digital copy but i want the real thing in my hand.

>>2829873
"The scene between Bev and the other Losers is not a "gangbang"; and it's not just restoring the bond, although it is that. It's an act of communion, of blood brotherhood, and of passage between childhood and adulthood for all of them. The mystery of what is happening awes each of them in a way, makes the act holy.

After the gore and the horror of what they went through it is a way back to being humans, and a way to mark that their childhood has ended with the attack on IT. I'm glad it's in there, for the same reason that the brutal scene between Roland and Cort is in the DT series and the kiss between Bobby and Carol in Hearts in Atlantis. They are pivotal moments in the lives of the characters, one sensual, one brutal, and one romantic, but all necessary."

-some guy on the internet I agree with.

11/22/63 wasn't bad. It just lacked good.
I liked Crouch End (pretty sure that's the name)

It's blatant Lovecraft ripoff, but a solid short story.

>>2829968
that does make sense. thanks,

>>2829975
>>2829863
define "lacked good"

>>2829975
>>2829863
Crouch End is not a lovecraft rip off. It's more of a tribute to him, H.P. Lovecraft was one of the reasons King writes horror. He wouldnt "rip off" another author, he's too good. Even if he did, you wouldn't be able to tell because he would do a good job.

>>2829947
>It's soooo difficult to find that book nowadays

Two years ago I went on Amazon, looked for an edition of the Bachman Books with Rage, and bought a second-hand copy for about £5 (including postage from the US to the UK).

I doubt it's much harder to find a copy now.

>>2829982
I had no attachment to the characters, the idea was marginal at best, and as King ages, he ham-handedly injects his increasingly liberal views into his stories.

Under the Dome was a more novel idea and the characters were better crafted. The environmental message was equally clumsy though

>>2829993
>>2829863
we are looking for first/hardcover editions sir, not collections

>>2829990
He did do a good job. I said it's my favorite story.

There's a line that gets me every time. "SIXTY LOST IN UNDERGROUND HORROR"

I don't know, something about it.

>>2829998
>>2829863
I was very attached to the charecters by the end of the book, and obviously your political views are interfering with your enjoyment of the book, therefore, your opinion is invalid.

>>2830007
>>2829863
He does that in a lot of his tories. He kind of gives you a third person view of what happened in the story.

>>2830016
>>2830008
>>2829863
stories* sorry typo

>>2830008
I guess you're right about my political opinions hindering my enjoyment, but he really needs to stop slapping me in the face with his.

>>2829998
>>2829863
How can you say that his idea was "marginal"? He did extensive research for the book.

Gotta eat. Later fellas

I consider Christine, Misery, and Carrie to be his top 3.

I love his Gunslinger series, especially The Drawing of the Three, however the last book blew ass.

I enjoyed The Long Walk too for some reason. It was creepy.

>>2830020
>>2829863
HE doesn't slap you in the face with it, if you find it so, ignore it and focus on the story.

OP here. I am yet to start the Dark Tower series. I don't quite understand it, is it any good, summary, where do i start?

>>2830032
>>2829863
You, sir, obviously need to read more King,

>>2830051
Stop sucking his dick dude. He's very clumsy sometimes, but he's a great writer despite that.

>>2830060
>is it any good

noo

Lisey's story is vastly underrated.
I'd say IT, Shining, The Stand, and Needful Things were all awesome,
Favorite though?
Dark Tower.

I'm 15 minutes from starting The Dark Tower. It'll be my first King. May report back, depending on how fast I read it.

>>2830079
>>2829863
Dark Tower should'nt be your first king. It would be like losing your virginity to your cousin. You need to start with something better.

Apt Pupil. I often forget about it, but definitely my favorite.

Interesting, I just started reading IT today. I'm enjoying it so far. I was just going to come on and start a King thread.

>>2830079
It should be fine if it's Gunslinger, The first Dark Tower Book and not The Dark Tower. I started on King with The Gunslinger and moved on to the rest before the series came to an end.

>>2830096
>>2829863
I beat you to it

I posted this a few days ago but everyone ignored it until it fell off page 15.

I think the gangbang in IT is one of the must disgusting and tasteless things that I have ever encountered in literature, and I read the comments in this thread on it, but they really don't make me feel any better. I still see absolutely no legitimate reason as to why this scene has to be included, and why it was at all necessary to maintain some mystical bond in a fucking fairy tale book where a town is being terrorized by an interdimensional orange light that disguises itself as a clown.

That scene just left me with utter contempt for King. This was also the first King work that I read and it will probably also be the last. There were a few moments where King's talent really manifested itself in the text, but given the length of this book, he sure didn't have a lot to show. The dark realism of the human psyche conveyed when that one sociopath killed his baby brother was very well written and it was actually the only part of the book that I found scary.

Some of the writing was so incredibly juvenile that I almost stopped reading. "SILLY HUMAN, YOU CAN'T EVEN FATHOM MY TRUE FORM." Nice one King, did you get that line while watching children's' cartoons?

I've never had any interest in reading any King. Does any of it hold up in comparison to great literature? I'm generally not into pop-fiction

>>2830418
His literature feels like an enormous waste of time. After reading a King book, I feel like I got absolutely nothing out of it apart from a few cheap thrills. He comes across as a regular guy with a regular imagination and he somehow managed to turn it into a multi-million dollar business.

It's the kind of book I'd recommend to middle aged moms who watch shit like TMZ and reality TV. Usually when I read a book, I feel like I gained something really special from it, like how to write beautiful prose or an explanation of human qualities that I never previously contemplated. If you have time to blow, read King, otherwise put him on the very bottom of your "to read" list.

>>2830437

That's pretty much what I thought, the only thing I wanted to read of his was The Green Mile after seeing the film, but I've heard it wasn't all that great. Maybe I'll just put him off for now, I see no reason to read anything of his for the time being

>>2830437
What would you recommend instead? I've read the Dark Tower series, The Stand and a few others of his and thought they were quite good, but I'd definitely be interested in better novels of similar genre.

The only King books I enjoyed enough to revisit were The Long Walk and Rage

>>2830458
I've heard that The Green Mile is a really beautiful book. I've seen the movie and it clearly doesn't follow his horror formula, so maybe it will be worth your time. I'm passing judgement based on reading IT, which is supposedly one of his most highly regarded novels, but easily one of the worst pieces of literature that I have ever read.

>>2830472
I wouldn't say King falls under one specific genre, but his idea of horror doesn't appeal to me. I find realism to be scary. The part with the pimp showing up in The Catcher in the Rye was scarier to me than any of the garbage I read in IT. Don't take this as an attack against people who enjoy King. I'm not trying to discredit his entire body of work, I just don't think it's something I want to invest my time in until I've at least finished reading the classics.

>>2830485
How could I forget? Salem's Lot was very good.

>>2830472
I'd recommend Pet Sematary, The Running Man, Carrie, IT, and The Shining.

Those are some of my favourites.

Are you guys kidding? 'Salem's Lot is hands down his best, with The Stand, The Long Walk and Hearts in Atlantis following

>>2830517
yeah, 'Salem's Lot acutally managed to comment on modern America without being obnoxious and abrasive. Quite subtle in places, too.

>People talking about enjoying books
>No one asking people to read their terrible novella
>No pretentious fuckwits posting dead book collections

I, I thought I lost you /lit/.

The Stand.

>>2830483
>The Green Mile
is a book you won't want to read more than once. It's not a bad experience, but you'll get all you can from it in one sitting. Re-reading it will not be the same pleasurable experience it was the first time, nor will it reveal greater depths or help you to appreciate King's construction any better. It's a single-serving read. I suggest pirating it.

>I wouldn't say King falls under one specific genre, but his idea of horror doesn't appeal to me. I find realism to be scary.
Have you read Misery? Rage? Those could all very easily happen (and the latter already has, multiple times).

>>2830825
>could both*
I mean.

>>2830822
>Salem's Lot acutally managed to comment on modern America without being obnoxious and abrasive.

Can you expand?

>>2830831
>Can you expand?

He sure can, wink wink.

The Long Walk

Also, strangely enough, I enjoyed "On Writing" even though I don't write and have no plans to.

>>2830840
On Writing and Danse Macabre are good reads. In both he explains some of his thinking behind such books as Carrie, Rage, Misery.

The Dark Tower series are my favorite, simply because of the whole epic fantasy world it builds. Like most I was not a big fan of the ending, but to be honest I have no idea how the fuck a person WOULD end such an epic series. He also DID warn us that we should stop reading, I guess he knew the ending sucked as well.

Other than that, I also really enjoyed The Stand. How is the 8th Dark Tower book by the way?

>>2830838

>>2830857
I like to share joy, even punny joy.

>>2830869
i will PUNish you for this
Also, related to the thread: The Green Mile, of course! It's so different from his other works.

Don't start with a novel. I'd pick up a collection of short stories like "Nightmare and Dreamscapes" (more the old school horror), or "After Sunset" (the newer semi-literary postmodern King). The first novels are the best known, and also the best ones to start with. (Salems lot, The Shining). The most epic, shocking and complex book will be "it", as mentioned first in the thread. Also good reads are the theoretical and autobiographic works. Forget the "Tower" or "The Stand".

>>2831035
>The most epic, shocking and complex book will be "it"

I still don't understand all this praise for IT. I had avoided King for a long time because I thought it would be intense psychological horror that would get under my skin more so than any other story I've read or movie I've seen. I saw The Langoliers on TV when I was younger and although it was a pretty shitty movie, the ideas and atmosphere that it captured scared the fuck out of me.

Then I finally decided to give King a chance and frankly, I never want to read anything by him ever again. He had some good ideas and cool character development going on, but everything ultimately falls flat on its face at the end. The book ended up feeling like it was written as a fucking screenplay for a made for TV movie. The final confrontation with It was so pathetic that I was actually wincing with embarrassment as I was reading it.

I would really like to ask King what the hell he was going for when he wrote most of this shit. There are a lot of good ideas there but most of the writing is so juvenile that I wouldn't be surprised if King revealed that he predominantly writes furry fanfiction.