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Stephen King: Your top 3 books

post #1 of 57
5/31/00 at 3:51pm
Thread Starter 
It's so hard for me to narrow it down.

THE STAND (Uncut edition)

Sure it's an undertaking and some's views are now tainted by the decent, but imperfect mini-series but what a colossal story.

BAG OF BONES

Nearly perfect literature and much more mature of a work. Very sad and shaded, and it's hard not to get emotionally involved, but once again rewarding.

DANSE MACABRE

A personal audience with the man. While it's dated now it still is a truly readable look at terror and its different faces.
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post #2 of 57
5/31/00 at 3:57pm
This is tough ... and in no particular order -- just the top three (IMHO -- and going for novels only):

The Shining
The Drawing of the Three(Dark Tower II)
Pet Sematary

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post #3 of 57
5/31/00 at 4:09pm
Eeeek, can I count The Dark Tower series as one book? It's one story.......

Anyway:
1)The Stand (unabridged)
2)The Eyes of the Dragon
3)Tie between:The Talisman & It
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post #4 of 57
5/31/00 at 4:19pm
I'm going with

All four 'Dark Tower' books (it IS one story)
The Stand (again, uncut)
IT

Man that is hard to do
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post #5 of 57
5/31/00 at 4:35pm
1)Desperation
2)Bag of Bones
3)Salem's Lot
4)On Writing (Not out yet...who cares, it'll top my list)

Oh yeah, it's that easy.

Of course, the Dark Tower is just about the best thing ever, but it is too large to fit into the limited space of my mind and should be worshipped in its own right, as it is just the Word of God as funneled through Stephen King. It doesn't even count.
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post #6 of 57
5/31/00 at 4:44pm
1. The Stand (un-cut): This was the first King book I ever read. It blew me the FUCK away!

2. Bag of Bones (Damn thing made me cry)

3. Wizard and Glass (Book 4 of the Dark Tower Series): (Awesome)
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post #7 of 57
5/31/00 at 4:53pm
I'd like some clarification on when we can and cannot separate the parts from the whole for critiquing or ranking.

It seems like when it's thought of as good, you can't separate the parts (Star Wars, Dark Tower), but when it's thought of as bad you can (Friday 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, From Dusk Til Dawn, etc.)

I'm confused...
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post #8 of 57
5/31/00 at 5:22pm
I would have to say to include all parts together not only would they have to have the majority vote of being good but they would all have to be relevant to one another in a continuation/elaboration of story and/or characters(Dark Tower, Star Wars) as opposed to a continuation for the sake of a continuation(Dusk Til Dawn, Friday the 13th).
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post #9 of 57
5/31/00 at 5:37pm
Okay. Continuation for the sake of continuation ... like Die Hard, or James Bond films, or the Talisman sequel, or ... um ..., Star Trek films ... or ... I guess anything but the holy Star Wars (but only canon stuff -- sorry, there's that word related to "canonical") or Stephen King's Dark Tower.

I will not criticize Star Wars anymore ... I will not criticize Star Wars anymore ... I will not criticize Star Wars anymore ...

[This message has been edited by Blofeld (edited 05-31-2000).]
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post #10 of 57
5/31/00 at 7:29pm
Oh, God ...

Okay, let me resolve the issue by quoting the forum title: "Stephen King: Your top 3 books". Since The Dark Tower is (currently) 4 "books" -- I will unhesitatingly say that #2 is my fav.

And since, last I checked, Star Wars was 4 "movies", I will say unhesitatingly that Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace SUCKED as movies.
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post #11 of 57
5/31/00 at 7:30pm
IMHO
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post #12 of 57
5/31/00 at 7:32pm
And since The Bachman Books are collected in a single omnibus ... and since not one of them made my top 3, I will say that all of the Bachman books are not my favorite.

(but I liked The Running Man, The Long Walk, and Thinner. Hated Roadwork and The Regulators. Indifferent about Rage.)
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post #13 of 57
5/31/00 at 11:11pm
Thread Starter 
And now we can get BACK TO THE TOPIC!
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post #14 of 57
5/31/00 at 11:52pm
Ok.

Wizard and Glass
The Wastelands
Drawing of the Three
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post #15 of 57
6/10/00 at 12:45pm
IT
Talisman
Tommyknockers



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You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everything else.


[This message has been edited by Shelby (edited 06-10-2000).]
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post #16 of 57
6/10/00 at 12:56pm
Fine. You all suck. The Dark Tower books, all of them. But, if it can only be three, then I'll take out my least favorite (and this hurts to do) which was The Wastelands. But I still loved it.
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post #17 of 57
6/10/00 at 3:23pm
Is that Atlantis book really part of the Dark Tower trilogy?


Matt
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post #18 of 57
6/10/00 at 3:42pm
No, it isn't, but the first story involves a character that is part of the Dark Tower saga. It's really freakin' cool to read about it, get it now.
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post #19 of 57
6/11/00 at 9:04am
In order of preference (not an easy choice):

1) The Shining

First one I ever read when I was about 12 and it has two scenes in it that scared the bejeezus out of me (the hedge animals and the creature in the pipe).

2) Pet Semetary

Again, one of the few King that has some truly terrifying moments (for me at least). This one being the trip between the Pet Semetary and the Burial Ground (and that thing in the woods, ugghhh.)

3) IT

A classic novel (almost dictionary sized in length), slips in pace a little bit towards the end but is a cracking read.

I'm holding off judgment on the Dark Tower set until they are finished. Since it is one big story and the ending is one thing that I find King can screw up every so often. But if it carries on like it is at the moment I think it will go straight to No 1.
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post #20 of 57
6/13/00 at 10:52am
I actually haven't read all that many of his books but of what I have read...

The Stand (Uncut) Why read an abridged version of anything?

IT- Bad clown

Cycle of the Werewolf I loved Bernie Wrightson's werwolves and hey, I have to mention it, it is in my contract.
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post #21 of 57
6/13/00 at 12:03pm
I haven't read much King either, but my favorites are "Apt Pupil" and "Shawshank Redemption". (and yes, I'm talking about the books, not the movies)
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post #22 of 57
6/13/00 at 12:16pm
Thread Starter 
Of course, the story was called Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption, if you want to be anal.
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post #23 of 57
6/13/00 at 1:12pm
You are correct Nick, and I am a dunce for not being an anal-retentive-details-person.
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post #24 of 57
6/13/00 at 5:14pm
What was the name of that story that he did online? Anyone read it? Was it any good?



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If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
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post #25 of 57
6/13/00 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
Riding the Bullet. Have it, but haven't read it.
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post #26 of 57
6/13/00 at 5:40pm
I don't have it, and I keep waiting for that schmuck Blofeld to email it to me like he keeps saying that he will.

Es no bien, mi amigo. There is no hope...
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post #27 of 57
6/13/00 at 5:47pm
I've never once said I'd email it to him. That's technically impossible, except were I to retype the whole story into Word, and then send it. Not likely.

I read it. Liked it.
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post #28 of 57
6/13/00 at 10:13pm
"The Night Flier"--the short story

Okay I kid.

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Soon to BE a CHUD topic.
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post #29 of 57
6/13/00 at 11:27pm
1) Ok maybe a dumb ? here but, I found that file on my HD, but its in .PDF format. Anyone know what program I need to associate it it with to get it to work?

Night Flyer- wasnt there a movie about that? Or HBO or SHO movie or something? I seem to remember watching it and all I remember about it was alotta blood and an airplane



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Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first instinct is to laugh. But then I think, what if I was an ant, and she fell on me. Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny.
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post #30 of 57
6/14/00 at 10:34am
Cut and paste it into word, doofy!

And no, you never said that you would.

But you should.

Heh.

Grendel: Surviving off of peer pressure and nepotism!
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post #31 of 57
6/14/00 at 11:45am
Hey, doofy. Don't you think I tried that? I wanted to print it out, and add the hard copy to my King collection (by the way, I'm not certain I like this e-book thing. There's nothing like reading off a tangible page for me.)

The publisher was smart enough to put "locks" on copying, cutting, pasting, etc. You get it by downloading the reader, and then you can only read it on your system.
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post #32 of 57
6/14/00 at 12:12pm
Am pleasantly surprised here. Stephen King fans.

And in no particular order:

Christine. This is the book that introduced me to King. Was a kid, leafed throough it at the bookstore. Couldnt afford to buy it. I kept coming back to the store till i finished the book. The desperation of poverty. Many years later, i bought it.

The Dark Tower series.


The Stand ( unabridged).
Love stories that are really really long and involving.


Honourable mentions:
Hearts of Atlantis, Bag of Bones, Survivor Type,IT,Desperation, Misery, Insomnia. This is hard...

The Gunslinger did make an appearance in Eyes of the Dragon.
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post #33 of 57
6/14/00 at 12:19pm
I know its hard, but I have a programmer friend that managed it with several other e-books.

Hmmm. We'll have to get to the bottom of this...
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post #34 of 57
6/14/00 at 12:29pm
Thanks Starfire

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If you have been scared half to death twice, then what?
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post #35 of 57
6/14/00 at 1:38pm
The Gunslinger, and many other characters, including the Dark Man, have appeared in LOTS of Stephen King's books outside of the series, Eyes of the Dragon being on of the first, I believe.

And yes, 'Night Flyer' was a direct-to-video movie, although I heard it's not that bad. The guy that installed by cable's brother directed it. Or so he said.
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post #36 of 57
6/14/00 at 1:41pm
grendel should have fun with that one...
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post #37 of 57
6/14/00 at 3:11pm
Pet Sematary

Green Mile

Misery

those are all I've read besides Dolores Claiborne.

I know, I know. I'm working on it.

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post #38 of 57
6/14/00 at 4:32pm
Go for the Dark Tower series and the Stand, chenzz...they wont miss.
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post #39 of 57
6/14/00 at 5:25pm
No, don't do that, those are too tied together and too ambitious a project for one such as yourself.

Desperation. I'm telling you, what with your judeo-christian background you will love it.
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post #40 of 57
6/14/00 at 5:50pm
"too ambitious a project"

HAHAHAHHAHAH..ahem..sorry.
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post #41 of 57
6/14/00 at 6:34pm
I never read Desperation, but I did read Regulators and that kicked ass!

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If you get drunk and get the bed spins and you live in the Southern Hemisphere, does the bed spin counterclockwise?

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post #42 of 57
6/14/00 at 6:55pm
I guess I need to read Desperation then. Anyone read both? s one better than the other?

Angelina eh? I love her. She's awesome. Yea

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If you love something, set it free. But, as you're doing that, attach a grenade to its foot.
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post #43 of 57
6/14/00 at 7:10pm
Desperation is a fairly good late entry in King's body of work.

Regulators is one of his all-time worst.

IMHBCO
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post #44 of 57
6/14/00 at 7:18pm
Really? Wow, I must have some bad taste then,

Note to self: Go get Desperation

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Instead of a trap door, what about a trap window? The guy looks out it, and if he leans too far, he falls out. Wait. I guess that's like a regular window.
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post #45 of 57
6/14/00 at 9:05pm
Yes, Night Flier = cheese. A half decent read, a sad movie.

I must admit to only (novel) reading the Green Mile. I enjoyed the serial style, because that is how I write. And Read.

Reading it all at once loses something.

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Soon to BE a CHUD topic.
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post #46 of 57
6/15/00 at 11:15am
The Regulators and Desperation are different sides of the same coin.Altenate universes in a way. Read them both, then make up your mind.
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post #47 of 57
6/15/00 at 11:51am
IMHBCO?

"In my humble but correct opinion"?

"In my humble Blofeld's calculating opinion"?

"Idiot Motherless Hooers Buy Costco Oil"?
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post #48 of 57
6/15/00 at 12:02pm
Regulators was...fine. It is written in the style of all of the Bachman books, and that must be taken into account to really enjoy it. It is consistent with his voice, which is kind of cool if you are familiar with Rage and the Long Walk. It is interesting to me that Bachman is a lower-class writer than King. More stark, quicker to take a gritty sentence than to "prettify" it.

And yes, Regulators and Desperation are the same book, only, even though the characters are the same, different people rise to prominence. Different people live and die. Oh, and one is in an Ohio suburb and the other in the Nevada desert.

I enjoyed them both, I really did, but the Regulators, while a fine tale, is in no way a match for Desperation.
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post #49 of 57
6/15/00 at 12:42pm
Yes, I agree. Its quite stunning to see that he's able to divine the voice Bachman so easily. The success of that is evident by the mere fact that are many who didnt like The Regulators which caters to a different kind of readership. Part of the fun for me was to look for King's voice in the Bachman books. The closest it probably came was in Thinner.

Have you read Hearts in Atlantis yet,grens?

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post #50 of 57
6/15/00 at 12:45pm
This fascination with duality - King/Bachman probably gave birth to The Dark Half. Does this theme run in any other of his books? It seems so to me, but i cant pin it down.
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