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Original poster

Possibly picking up Stephen King again

57 replies

user1495832265 · 15/08/2017 10:20

I was a huge Stephen King fan back in the day, although I never read The Dark Half or The Talisman, I enjoyed all of his other books up to The Tommyknockers. I remember trying to read that on holiday in 1989 thought it was terrible and gave up. I didn't like Dolores Claiborne, The Dark Half, Rose Madder. The last one that I enjoyed was Gerald's Game. So, I pretty much stopped reading his new stuff in the mid 1990s although I've re-read most of the earlier ones several times.

If you're familiar with much of his work, do you think it would be worth me trying some of his more recent stuff and if so can you suggest a few titles, or should I just accept that his style is no longer for me?

OP posts:
Macncheesewithbacon · 15/08/2017 17:33

DS14 has just finished IT and gone on a binge - we're both deep into Dark Tower - it's challenging my memory......

Buck3t · 15/08/2017 17:33

Almost forgot 11-22-63. Was him coming back to form. Could not put it down

Buck3t · 15/08/2017 17:32

Unfortunately he is now a little bit and miss. Tommyknockers was awful. But not as bad as some of the new stuff. I always confuse Gerald's game with. Needful things which was good. Can't remember the name of the 'old people love story).

Rose madder is worth a second read in my opinion. Lisey's story, not so much. Loved the dark half at the time. Loved the Stand. It was amazing. Desperation tried to be the Stand imo. The green mile is amazing and we'll worth reading. The Dark Tower series is top stuff. The girl who lived Gordon Thomas was okay. Bag of bones that was still 90s was good.

I will have missed stuff out. But he's still a good read, just a bit hit and miss

EggysMom · 15/08/2017 17:28

I'd recommend 11-22-63 as well , but other recent offerings have been disappointing.

Have you read / what are others' opinions of Lisey's Story?

PotteringAlong · 15/08/2017 17:25

Loved 11-22-63

If you've not read it it's well worth it.

ComfortablyGlum · 15/08/2017 17:24

I also found The Tommyknockers absolutely dire! Was a huge fan of almost everything he had written up til then. He (in my opinion) definitely had a run of duff books and about the only thing I enjoyed were some short story compilations that he churned out.

I've still read pretty much everything he writes - but not compulsively on release. The only recent (ish) novel I've REALLY enjoyed was 11-22-63. That, I felt was akin to some of his great books of the 80s. The TV series was very true to the book and is good as well.

Doctor Sleep was about the little boy from The Shining now grown up. It was ok but an average Novel where the premise sounded better than the actuality.

The Mr Mercedes trilogy is of the same ilk - I did enjoy the last part (Finders Keepers) the most but it was still a world away from his great works.

FYI my favourite King novel is The Stand with IT a very close second. Reading His novella 'The Long Walk' is still one of my stand out literary 'wow' moments of my life - I think I was 15 when I read it and lapped up everything he wrote since then! Oh apart from The Darktower stuff - I read the early parts but not the later ones.

Original poster
user1495832265 · 15/08/2017 10:27

To add, I've just read a synopsis of The Dark Half and I think I may read it again. I was going through my own period of darkness at the time it was published which affected my enjoyment of anything and it certainly sounds as if it's worth another look.

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