Stephen King

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 10/8/2003, 5:24 pm

Yeah, so this is my Stephen King thread.

Fans? Unite.

I've noticed something amazing with all of King's books. There are huge parallels between them all, and none contradict.

For example, the Turtle. In IT, the turtle created the universe by vomiting. It is the supreme good, while the spider is the supreme evil. Then, in the Dark Tower series (which is amazing) ... "See the turtle of enormous gurth / on his shell he holds the earth". Beauty.

Then, there's another supreme evil, in a more physical (sort of) form; the Crimson King. Found in both The Stand and in Insomnia.

In Dreamcatcher, the Derry standpipe is gone (thanks, Stan from IT), and there's a statue of the kids from IT, on which is spray-painted "PENNYWISE LIVES". Again, beautiful.

There are tonnes of connections like these. The whole idea of Insomnia can be carried through to all the books, where there's a supreme evil (the CK) on a different plane and all that.

My Philosophy teacher apparently reads King all the time, as he and I were having a similar conversation today in class.

the android · Post by **the android** » 10/8/2003, 5:41 pm

I read Cujo, but I haven't read anything else...

I want to though

.

Random Name · Post by **Random Name** » 10/8/2003, 5:45 pm

my dog is named Cujo.

thats the only thing I have read too.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 10/8/2003, 5:50 pm

Get out there and read, children!

I know it's kind of taboo to read and love a popular author. However, it is well worth it.

Try The Stand or IT. These are two of his absolute best. They're pretty long.

If you're looking for something quicker, check out Dreamcatcher, Insomnia or Misery.

Number one fan... number one fan!

clumsychild_ · Post by **clumsychild_** » 10/8/2003, 6:50 pm

I've only read Carrie. Two of my best friends are big fans though, I'll have to borrow something else.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 10/8/2003, 6:59 pm

Carrie is, to be honest, my least favourite Stephen King novel. It's just so short and straight forward. So much is lost in such a short book.

With long ones like The Stand and IT, you can actually KNOW the characters, inside and out. That's when you really get to feel for them.

The same affect is lost in movies.

clumsychild_ · Post by **clumsychild_** » 10/8/2003, 7:27 pm

My friend says her favourite Stephen King books are Carrie, Firestarter and The Stand (even though she's not finished it yet). :lol:

Random Name · Post by **Random Name** » 10/8/2003, 7:34 pm

I just don't find a lot od Steohen King that interesing...Right now there are at least 6 other books on my list to read and he isn't really up there. I guess it just isn't my genre

Joey · Post by **Joey** » 10/8/2003, 7:34 pm

My Aunt is obsessed with Stephan and her hubby buys her all his books in hardcover for her collection .. so she lets me read them all .. my favorite is definitely the Dark Tower series with The Talisman coming in right behind.

My favorite author is Anne Rice, no question there but Mr. King is a good change now and then and Watchers by Dean Koontz was really good too :nod:

superrgirll · Post by **superrgirll** » 10/8/2003, 9:07 pm

i've read a couple stephen king books, but i have started so many and never ended up finishing them, partly because i got to busy with school. i started cujo, it, and dreamcatcher and wasn't able to finish them.

Venom · Post by **Venom** » 10/9/2003, 7:44 am

Axtech....you think those connections are cool, if my theory is correct the Dark Tower series will connect them all by the end. I believe the Dark Tower will shed a lot of light on the rest of his books (well the majority of them, not so much the really early ones like Carrie, Christine, etc). I've always felt his books are a huge puzzle and that theory is reinforced with every book I read.

happening fish · Post by **happening fish** » 10/9/2003, 9:13 am

I've read.. let's see... Carrie, The Dark Half (excellent!), the one about the evil car but I can't remember the title which is unusual for me, the Tommyknockers (also excellent), and probably at least one other, which is surprising since my imagination is far too active to be able to handle horror anything. That's probably why I haven't read more :lol:

although, I plan to...

buzhwa · Post by **buzhwa** » 10/9/2003, 10:32 am

Check out Night Shift for some good short stories of his. My other favorites are Misery, Thinner (by King writing as "Richard Bachman"), and The Green Mile.

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 10/9/2003, 1:26 pm

Venom wrote:Axtech....you think those connections are cool, if my theory is correct the Dark Tower series will connect them all by the end. I believe the Dark Tower will shed a lot of light on the rest of his books (well the majority of them, not so much the really early ones like Carrie, Christine, etc). I've always felt his books are a huge puzzle and that theory is reinforced with every book I read.

I can definately see him doing that. I can't wait for the rest of this series.

I've got a lot of King books. I should actually formulate a list of the ones I've read... But, I'm too lazy.

happening fish · Post by **happening fish** » 10/9/2003, 1:41 pm

If you're into deep-seated connections like that, the Narnia series is pretty much unsurpassed.

I AM ME · Post by **I AM ME** » 10/9/2003, 11:29 pm

the cool thing about King is he took Horror and moved it from Castles in the country to the small inncoent town, a town like ours. He in effect put the horror's in our own backyards. It makes for much more realsitic and erie stories.

also though has anyone noticed how sex obsessed King is? there's always pretty graphic, crude sexual aspects in each book. He has also mastered the art of cursing.

happening fish · Post by **happening fish** » 10/10/2003, 4:14 pm

He's also mastered the art of

(adding thoughts)

in the middle of external situations.

:lol:

Ray · Post by **Ray** » 10/22/2003, 2:21 pm

Stephen King took horror from castles and put it in TOWNS RIGHT NEXT TO MINE. Literally. I mean, there are characters in his books that he named after people I know, and places in towns right next to mine (Todd Bowden in "Apt Pupil" is one; The First Baptist Church in Eliot from "Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption" is another nod that is really close to home). Living in Maine can be creepy as hell sometimes, honestly...

Yes, all his books are connected to The Dark Tower now; ever since The Gunslinger, he's had the idea that this is an odd sort of continuation of The Stand, where Randall Flagg, the crimson-eyed magician bad guy of that book, had his true power. There's always a million different little clicks for people who know the series well that tells you how connected our world is to Mid-World. Hearts In Atlantis's first story, "Low Men In Yellow Coats", has a hell of a lot of imagery tied directly to The Dark Tower series.

Of course, there's no more of that. Now he's just writing The Dark Tower books... and when he finishes those, you'll never see another novel from him again. Sure, he'll probably still put out more short story collections -- no writer ever completely stops writing -- but that's only if he lives that long.

And, concerning the amount of sex/cursing in his books -- well, he grew up loving the creature features and trailer-trash women of "Born To Be Wild" and stuff like that -- "The Blackboard Jungle" is a favorite of his. And the cursing? Well, that's part of life. He also worked in a mill, and has a wife who swears like a millworker (as a former one himself, he's allowed to judge that).

Axtech · Post by **Axtech** » 10/22/2003, 2:23 pm

I hope to read (and collect) every Stephen King novel.

Reyna · Post by **Reyna** » 10/22/2003, 2:28 pm

My name is Carrie, so I always felt rather insulted by that book. naw, not really. I read it though, and I agree with you, Axtech, it's too short and straight-forward. The only other King book I have read is The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, which was also fairly short, but interesting nonetheless.