I have been reading Steven King's "The Dark Tower" series, and its really, really good. I have found myself swept up in the quest for the tower, wincing at every setback, crying at every loss, and cheering every victory along the way.
That said, the books do have one rather interesting character - Steven King himself.
It kinda hinges on the old idea of 'where do stories come from?" that I am sure many an author has wondered, including me. I often feel like I am not creating as much as I am taking dictation from some unseen source, so having this in the story doesn't annoy me -Although it might seem a tad egocentric to others.
If you like fantasy quest stories, chances are you may enjoy this series. Its being promoted right now because a movie centered around the first book "The Gunslinger" is supposed to be released this summer, so finding a copy should be easy, but its not cheap to get all the books, fair warning.
Comments
I thought you were going to
I thought you were going to be talking about C.S. Lewis' - The Dark Tower.
Most of Stephen King's works, I've found, are tedious. He has good premise, plot, and storyline, but then insists on overwriting everything. A story that he writes in a 347 page book, someone like C.S. Lewis would write in 140-200, and H.P. Lovecraft would write in 40 or so.
I would say that that of his books that I read, I've enjoyed perhaps one in six, and I wouldn't pick them up again. That's a indictment, because most of my books I've read at least four or five times over the years.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
I read all the volumes
many years ago. I'll let you decide about the (non)ending.
Portia
I also struggled to get through them all
and agree on the ending.
But "The Stand", "Carrie", "Christine", "The Green Mile", The Langoliers" .... so good.
JG Ballard
Back in the early 70's JG Ballard put himself in a novel called CRASH. I'm sure it had been done before but that was the first that used the author by name and not a thinly veiled fictional version like Kerouac or somebody would do. And Jeez! What a story to put yourself in! While I enjoy King and read about every third novel by him (the time travel one about saving Kennedy was the last I read), that book was ten times creepier and more disturbing than anything King ever wrote- inspiring a whole lot of punk era songs and a movie adaptation by David Cronenberg.
I could never figure out what made Ballard's stories so dark and twisted until his semiautobiographical EMPIRE OF THE SUN came out and I read that. Yep, growing up fighting for your life in WWII-era Japanese occupied China.... that would do it. Some of his later stuff was more optimistic and human, but Crash, Concrete Island and High Rise (sort of a yuppie Lord of the Flies) give me nightmares to this day. No monsters, just humans at their weirdest and worst.
~Laika
(Oh, and he also wrote some amazingly strange science fiction.)
What borders on pure insanity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
Several of his books tie into
Several of his books tie into that series, The Stand is one of them. Hope you really enjoy them, They're planning a Movie and then a TV series.
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Another tie-in
He wrote a couple of very good books with Peter Straub, the Talisman and Black House. The latter ties into the Dark Tower explicitly.
I believe he wrote under the
I believe he wrote under the name Peter Straub :)
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Not so
Richard Bachmann was him, but Straub is a different chap
Oh that's right Just got too
Oh that's right Just got too many things going on right now lol Thanks :)
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Not a big fan of outright horror stories
but enjoyed the Dark Tower series, creepy scenes and all.
Teri Ann
"Reach for the sun."
Steven King
I tried reading one of his books once, was "Eye of the Dragon" i think. Anyway the book was just so overly descriptive that i couldnt even finish the first chapter! I'd read it and fall asleep then not remember what i'd read so i'd try it again...and again..and again..
i spent probablly 3 weeks trying to read that book every night, and everytime i was out like a light. He spent 3 pages decribing the apperance of one man, and something like 12 pages describing a room. In the end I gave up, and i havn't read any of his books since.
Sigh
I've read a few Steven King books, and to be honest many of the authors here, including you Dorothy, are better writers than he is. His books are boring, bland and full of unlikable amoral characters. Even the so called heroes are amoral and unlikable.
I hope you enjoy it.
PS For authors that write themselves into books, take a look at Mercedes Lackey. She writes herself into many of her stories, rarely as the hero, usually just a supporting character.
Guilty
I have, ahem, appeared in a couple of my own stories.