Stephen King

[engmajor2005]

The Shining isn't just great horror; it's great literature. But I do have one great big shining complaint: the epilogue is unnecessary and perverts the sense of dread the reader felt all through the book. The calm, soothing image of the headlights in the snow should have been the image I was left with, not the sappy picture of the little kid sitting on the pier by the lake. I really don't understand why King threw that epilogue in. It just didn't work.

So for those of you reading The Shining for the firs time, skip the epilogue. And read it exclusively at night, alone, in a quiet house. It's the only way to experience it.

[VeggieChick]

It's so hard to pick a favorite of his, because I've enjoyed so many. But, Bag of Bones has to be one of the best, if not the best, ghost story I've ever read. It's scary but it's also a beautiful story.

I LOVED Eyes of the Dragon. It's a great, great story. I read that he wrote it for his daughter, because she complained of not being able to read any of his other books.

[BlueTexas]

I LOVED Eyes of the Dragon. It's a great, great story. I read that he wrote it for his daughter, because she complained of not being able to read any of his other books.

I third that. I wish he'd pick up the story again and write about what happens to Thomas and Denny when they go off at the end. I haven't picked up that book in 15 years probably, and I bet I could name off all the main chars and plotlines.

[Sonarbabe]

You know, having grown up in Maine I knew where Stephen King lived. (Not too far from me) Now, what's more frightening than his books were the movies that he approved. Mainly, because I KNEW each location that was depicted. I never slept as a child, let me tell you... Still, I forgive him and to this day am a fan of his work. Some of my favorites are:

Four Past Midnight (The Langoliers was simply brilliant)
The Shining
The Green Mile (Wasn't scary, but was well written)
Christine (Creepy)
Carrie (Just totally wrong)

As for his movies?? Creepshow II will forever haunt me. I didn't sleep for six months after watching that, nor did I sleep for a month after watching Maximum Overdrive.

[HorrorWriter]

I love Stephen King and his works. Before I started reading him, I was mostly into Edgar Allan Poe. Four Past Midnight was great. It was freaky. Desperation was excellent but it was long, still I loved it! I never could pick a favorite. One of my favorite screenplays by him will always be, Silver Bullet. I wasn't a book, just a movie. I loved it. I assume mostly everyone has seen it. If you haven't, it's a classic in my book.

[BlueTexas]

I love Stephen King and his works. Before I started reading him, I was mostly into Edgar Allan Poe. Four Past Midnight was great. It was freaky. Desperation was excellent but it was long, still I loved it! I never could pick a favorite. One of my favorite screenplays by him will always be, Silver Bullet. I wasn't a book, just a movie. I loved it. I assume mostly everyone has seen it. If you haven't, it's a classic in my book.

Wasn't the Silver Bullet based off the novella Cycle of the Werewolf?

[Soccer Mom]

I loved Cycle of the Werewolf. Twelve chapters. One for each month. It was greatness.

[Gonzo]

I love The Shining, it's a good horror book and set a standard, it's still one of those books that I can't read alone in the house.

[T.Trivett]

Mr. King is my all time favorite author. I love to read a good scary book. I started reading him in high school, and have followed his work ever since. I've read everything he's done, as himself & as Richard Bachman. His wife is a great author too. I recall reading a book she did, called Small World. It was great.

[T.Trivett]

I'm head over heels in love with Stephen King. Oddly enough, my favorite story of his is The Langoliers. A lot of people say it's one of his not-so-good stories, but I disagree.

Thats one of my favorites also. Try reading it on a plane, it's awesome! lol

[jodiodi]

I love The Shining, it's a good horror book and set a standard, it's still one of those books that I can't read alone in the house.

Truer words were never written.

[Pamster]

I love his books too, but the one I just read, The Green Mile, WOW that was so well written it's frightening...Not that the story itself was scary in a classical sense but it was so good I could NOT put it down, read it all in a day and a half...I love his stuff.

[Akuma]

I just realized that when Stephen King dies, I'm going to be devastated and heartbroken...

So...


Long live the King!!!

[Pamster]

I just realized that when Stephen King dies, I'm going to be devastated and heartbroken...

So...


Long live the King!!!

I really have to second this sentiment...

Long live the King!!!

[The_Grand_Duchess]

Pee Dee: Eyes of the Dragon isn't really that far from his work.

Blue Texas: read The Gunslinger, it will tell you briefly what happened to Thomas. And if it doesn't in that one then it does in one of the other DT books.

I am a huge SK fan. It's sick. People used to always ask me how could I read such horror all the time and I could never get them to understand that it wasn't just horror, there was something more, something underneath. That being said, It scared the hell out of me as did Pet Semetary.

My other fave author died not to long ago. Octavia E Butler and Stephen King were my top two. Now he rules alone. Its a weird feeling becuase they mean so much to you but you've never met them.

[Vincent]

I've only gotten into the whole Stephen King mania in the last six months or so, and I'm already in bad. I started off with an anthology of short stories I found second-hand, then some novellas, then The Gunslinger, and now I'm on IT. I've also just ordered his On Writing.

I'm noticing that a lot of his novels seem to be linked, and that common thread is the world of the Dark Tower. Very cool.

[The_Grand_Duchess]

I've only gotten into the whole Stephen King mania in the last six months or so, and I'm already in bad. I started off with an anthology of short stories I found second-hand, then some novellas, then The Gunslinger, and now I'm on IT. I've also just ordered his On Writing.

I'm noticing that a lot of his novels seem to be linked, and that common thread is the world of the Dark Tower. Very cool.

Yes they are. And thats the most horrible bit because in order to understand everything you have to read all the books. Now I could all crazy about the Tower right now, but I'm not. The world of the tower is the center.

[Stephanie_Gunn]

The Stand is on of my all-time favourite books. I'm also a huge fan of the Dark Tower books - I love the way King interweaved them with some of his other books.

[KCathy]

I've always detested horror and didn't read anything of King's until I worked in a bookstore that gave us one free paperback a week as part of our pay. I got stuck one week at the last minute with no decision made and snatched The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon off an endcap. It disn't sound like horror.

It was my free sample of heroin; from there I was hooked. I started with the not-technically-horror stuff like The Green Mile and eventually just kept going, although I stopped after The Shining, just short of things that I know would never let me sleep again like It.

[KCathy]

P.S. His wife and "ideal reader," Tabitha, writes excellent fiction in her own right.

[KellyG]

Salems Lot is the one that scares me to death the old tv series is the freakiest ever when Danny Glick floats up to the window and starts his scratching! This isn't one to watch before bedtime and eating a slab of cheese - nightmares guaranteed

[wordsmyth]

I grew up in Maine, so the first horror books I read were Salem's Lot and The Shining. I love how Stephen King writes!

My favorite book of his is On Writing. I learned so much from reading it and I was highly entertained while being educated. If you haven't read it yet, I recommend it. You'll laugh and learn.

[triceretops]

I'm 100 pages away from the end of the Stand (the long version). I wish I had the original cut-down copy, but I've managed to takes bites out of this. It's taken me six months off and on. But I like the man's voice, kind of pulls you in in a friendly, disarming way, before he springs something on you. His characters seem to have a "down homesy" quality that you can identify with. I hope to read more of his stuff.

Tri

[KellyG]

I liked The Shining book much better than the film as you can imagine the horror much better than they can show it. The maze scene was really creepy and you wouldn't want a husband who types a whole book made up of 'redrum' .

[The_Grand_Duchess]

I thought his whole book was made up of "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". It doesn't matter it was creepy. He went crazy, it wasn't enough that the hotel was just haunted, they had to deal with his crazy butt too.