How good is Stephen King as a writer? - Science Fiction Fantasy Chronicles: forums

I, Brian · 24th October 2004, 10:38 AM

I mentioned on another thread about how I found his novels tend to be incomplete, with endings that seem more open-ended than all issues rounded completed.

Yet his characters are fairly engaging - even if they do tend to be early middle-age Bob Dylan & soft rock fans.

How does Stephen King compare as a writer in general? What would you say are his strengths, and which are his weaknesses?

Silk · 25th October 2004, 08:31 PM

I find him really inconsistant; but then I haven't read many of his works.

I read IT and was totaly absorbed; I read the tommyknockers and nearly died of boardom and then I read dreamcatcher and was a bit (actually quite a lot

) confussed.

I also tried to read the one about the car and couldn't get past the first page.

But when I see his films or TV shows he's been involved with I always think he must be very tallented and diverse, I just can't seam to find it in his writting

Lament Du Lamia · 27th October 2004, 02:43 AM

(i will not say it... i will not say it... i must not -)

grah, Stephen King. >_< - oh, how i dislike his books. I just dont think he can write. And it seems like he drags things out a bit, like in desperation and .. i dont even remember the name of the book. It was about some disease, kills almost everyone. I could feel my brain cells dying - one by one.

tonic · 27th October 2004, 02:56 AM

The Stand

Yes that was quite a long book and was a bit boring at the beginning but was really good once you got into it. I just read the dark tower books and a few of his other works and I've been pleasantly surprised, I'm actually starting to like him even though horror isn't my thing. Oh and his book On Writing which is supposed to give tips to upcoming writers was supposed to be really really good. Im going to give it a look soon.

I, Brian · 27th October 2004, 06:40 PM

"The Stand" is the one I also complained about.

Lament Du Lamia · 27th October 2004, 07:25 PM

Yes, the Stand is what it was called. Though - i lied. I liked ... the title is Eyes of the Dragon, or in the Eyes of the Dragon. something along those lines - its been a while. the point is it is one i liked.

KennyLucius · 3rd January 2005, 11:16 PM

I don't really care for Stephen King, but he is one of the most-honored authors in recent history. I find it strange that Stephen King is at the top of the list, but they are mostly Stoker and IHG awards--I guess if you're a big fish in a small pond, you can really rack up the accolades.

laznlor · 11th February 2005, 11:41 AM

I love him, he scares the pants off of me, and completely sucks me in. I love that so many of his books are tied in together. However, and thats a big however, he is losing it. Dreamcatcher was terrible. Just truly awful, and the movie was even worse. I think he needs to spend more time doing either more fantasy (Dark Tower type stuff) or more Bradbury-esque books (the Stand, which none of you like apparently, I see as having Something Wicked This Way Comes as its direct forbear). When he gets into aliens, ugh.

shaggydog · 11th February 2005, 11:52 AM

I never could go over page 2 with this guy. Some book you can specially recommend?maybe i will resist...

laznlor · 11th February 2005, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaggydog

I never could go over page 2 with this guy. Some book you can specially recommend?maybe i will resist...

Maybe try his collection The Bachman Books. Four long stories, all of which I thought were really good. The original The Running Man is in it, and its much better than the movie they made. As for his big ones, The Stand is one of my favorites. The whole battle between good and evil and they question of where it comes from gets me every time. Eyes of the Dragon for more teen fantasy stuff, and the Dark Tower books, but they are a bit of a commitment. I can never recommend just one.....lol.

erickad71 · 11th February 2005, 01:52 PM

The Stand is my favorite Stephen King book. Not as scary as It though, that book about scared the pants off of me.

I haven't read his Bachman books, I'll have to see if my library has them.

Leto · 11th February 2005, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by erickad71

The Stand is my favorite Stephen King book. Not as scary as It though, that book about scared the pants off of me.

I haven't read his Bachman books, I'll have to see if my library has them.

Go for there, they're among his best work.
Other favorites of mine includes Christine, Cujo, Firestarter, Salem's lot, IT, and so on.
I don't like his fantasy work, and find that since Insomnia his horror works gets poorer and poorer. The worst must have been a catch between Dreamcatcher and From a Buick 8.

PenDragon · 11th February 2005, 02:12 PM

I stopped reading after IT, but had read most of his stuff up till then. I say his strengths as a writer are...

By making the setting, background, and characters all ultra realistic and detailed he makes it easy to allow his readers to suspend belief and buy the supernatural element in his books.

Atmosphere, his books drip with this New England almost Amercian Gothic sense of place and mood and his writing builds this convincing sense of Evil existing as an Entity.

His secondary characters are great and often memorable.

His style is clean crisp and unpretentious.

He is very, very, very prolific.

He also has one very twisted imagination which helps when you're a horror writer.

I'd recomend Salem's Lot, The Shinning or IT for anyone who wants to see Horror writing at it's best. I'd also recomend The Bachman Books and Different Seasons.

Wandaful · 4th April 2005, 04:35 AM

I love King as a writer

My favourite story is The Long Walk... Truely captivating....

I also loved The Stand , really didn't like Dreamcatcher

I could barely believe he wrote it....

Love all the DT series

Cheers

fungi from Yuggoth · 6th May 2005, 12:13 AM

I've only read a couple of his stories (Pet Sematery, Green Mile, and Nightmares and Dreamscapes) and found him throughly mediocre as a writer, neither overly terrible or stand-out great. He tends to be an easy read with not many deep layers to worry about, and his plots are easy to follow and flow well. That's really about the best I can say about him. On the other end he tends to be overlong, stretching out simple plots to five or six times their proper length, and many of his works read like Hollywood screenplays.

24th October 2004, 10:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
I, Brian Admin and Tea-boy Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 5,603 Blog Entries: 1	How good is Stephen King as a writer? I mentioned on another thread about how I found his novels tend to be incomplete, with endings that seem more open-ended than all issues rounded completed. Yet his characters are fairly engaging - even if they do tend to be early middle-age Bob Dylan & soft rock fans. How does Stephen King compare as a writer in general? What would you say are his strengths, and which are his weaknesses?

25th October 2004, 08:31 PM	#2 (permalink)
Silk As smooth as... Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 135	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? I find him really inconsistant; but then I haven't read many of his works. I read IT and was totaly absorbed; I read the tommyknockers and nearly died of boardom and then I read dreamcatcher and was a bit (actually quite a lot ) confussed. I also tried to read the one about the car and couldn't get past the first page. But when I see his films or TV shows he's been involved with I always think he must be very tallented and diverse, I just can't seam to find it in his writting

27th October 2004, 02:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
Lament Du Lamia Sweet Sacrilege Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 38	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? (i will not say it... i will not say it... i must not -) grah, Stephen King. >_< - oh, how i dislike his books. I just dont think he can write. And it seems like he drags things out a bit, like in desperation and .. i dont even remember the name of the book. It was about some disease, kills almost everyone. I could feel my brain cells dying - one by one.

27th October 2004, 02:56 AM	#4 (permalink)
tonic Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 217	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? The Stand Yes that was quite a long book and was a bit boring at the beginning but was really good once you got into it. I just read the dark tower books and a few of his other works and I've been pleasantly surprised, I'm actually starting to like him even though horror isn't my thing. Oh and his book On Writing which is supposed to give tips to upcoming writers was supposed to be really really good. Im going to give it a look soon.

27th October 2004, 06:40 PM	#5 (permalink)
I, Brian Admin and Tea-boy Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 5,603 Blog Entries: 1	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? "The Stand" is the one I also complained about.

27th October 2004, 07:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
Lament Du Lamia Sweet Sacrilege Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 38	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? Yes, the Stand is what it was called. Though - i lied. I liked ... the title is Eyes of the Dragon, or in the Eyes of the Dragon. something along those lines - its been a while. the point is it is one i liked.

3rd January 2005, 11:16 PM	#7 (permalink)
KennyLucius Registered User Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? I don't really care for Stephen King, but he is one of the most-honored authors in recent history. I find it strange that Stephen King is at the top of the list, but they are mostly Stoker and IHG awards--I guess if you're a big fish in a small pond, you can really rack up the accolades.

11th February 2005, 11:41 AM	#8 (permalink)
laznlor I dig Space Marines Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 21	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? I love him, he scares the pants off of me, and completely sucks me in. I love that so many of his books are tied in together. However, and thats a big however, he is losing it. Dreamcatcher was terrible. Just truly awful, and the movie was even worse. I think he needs to spend more time doing either more fantasy (Dark Tower type stuff) or more Bradbury-esque books (the Stand, which none of you like apparently, I see as having Something Wicked This Way Comes as its direct forbear). When he gets into aliens, ugh.

11th February 2005, 11:52 AM	#9 (permalink)
shaggydog soy la muerte y te quiero Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 101	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? I never could go over page 2 with this guy. Some book you can specially recommend?maybe i will resist...

11th February 2005, 01:52 PM	#11 (permalink)
erickad71 truth shall set you free Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 586	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? The Stand is my favorite Stephen King book. Not as scary as It though, that book about scared the pants off of me. I haven't read his Bachman books, I'll have to see if my library has them.

11th February 2005, 02:12 PM	#13 (permalink)
PenDragon ...has left the building Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 205	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? I stopped reading after IT, but had read most of his stuff up till then. I say his strengths as a writer are... By making the setting, background, and characters all ultra realistic and detailed he makes it easy to allow his readers to suspend belief and buy the supernatural element in his books. Atmosphere, his books drip with this New England almost Amercian Gothic sense of place and mood and his writing builds this convincing sense of Evil existing as an Entity. His secondary characters are great and often memorable. His style is clean crisp and unpretentious. He is very, very, very prolific. He also has one very twisted imagination which helps when you're a horror writer. I'd recomend Salem's Lot, The Shinning or IT for anyone who wants to see Horror writing at it's best. I'd also recomend The Bachman Books and Different Seasons.

4th April 2005, 04:35 AM	#14 (permalink)
Wandaful Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 8	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? I love King as a writer My favourite story is The Long Walk... Truely captivating.... I also loved The Stand , really didn't like Dreamcatcher I could barely believe he wrote it.... Love all the DT series Cheers

6th May 2005, 12:13 AM	#15 (permalink)
fungi from Yuggoth bzzzzbzzzz Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 86	Re: How good is Stephen King as a writer? I've only read a couple of his stories (Pet Sematery, Green Mile, and Nightmares and Dreamscapes) and found him throughly mediocre as a writer, neither overly terrible or stand-out great. He tends to be an easy read with not many deep layers to worry about, and his plots are easy to follow and flow well. That's really about the best I can say about him. On the other end he tends to be overlong, stretching out simple plots to five or six times their proper length, and many of his works read like Hollywood screenplays.

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