The works of Stephen King

[Dudebro]

These posts were moved from the movie remakes thread. This is the topic to talk about anything related to Stephen Kings creations.

About IT and other Steven King books/movies, he claims that he wrote them to tie into his Dark Tower story. Without getting into spoilers Pennywise is referenced in lots of other books and there's a couple references in the Dark Tower that tie him into the main plot.

If you mean his final form when confronted then that's explained as the only way humans can see his true form, his real form being impossible for us to comprehend. On it's own that seems cheap and lame but when seen as part of the whole tapestry it makes sense, at least imo.

[Demon-Mask]

I think he wrote the Dark Tower books to tie into his other stories. It actually predates the Dark Tower series, I believe.

Yeah, it wasn't so much the final form, as how easily the final form was defeated, that bugged me.

[Dudebro]

Nah the first book of the Dark Tower came out in 82 and IT came out in 86. He claims that he had all this cross story stuff outlined early on. He may be pulling our legs but if so he still did a good job of crossing his stories into each other.

He was defeated so easily because of their combined power, kinda like their faith. It's heavily implied that the god entity helped them and IT underestimated them and it's help. It's a classic god vs evil battle really.

Btw don't forget that they defeated him as kids and thought he was dead but they had to return and finish the job. That's not exactly an easy kill.

But it's also implied that IT didn't die or at least his offspring didn't. In the Dark Tower they encounter a spider like creature that is very similar to IT, even bringing up the clown thing. He's much weaker but that could be because he's just a spawn of the real thing.

[Demon-Mask]

I always thought the Dark Tower series was later than that. Ah well, whatever.


One of my problems with the ending to It was the stupid "power of friendship/love/faith" ending. Good cannot triumph evil just because of those three things.
A group of humans versus an ancient, immortal evil that has had a hell of a long time to perfect it's powers, it shouldn't have gone down that easily. Even though It was defeated when they were younger, It shouldn't have been that much weaker when they were adults.

Either way, save for the ending, that book was amazing.

[Dudebro]

I think you're being too critical and expecting too much. Most of Kings books have crappy endings imo, the Dark Tower is no exception. I completely agree that the ending of IT was lackluster but it did stick to the book so we can at least be thankful for that, most movies don't. To me it doesn't really matter, Tim Curry as Pennywise was so disturbing that it makes up for it. The new movie has huge shoes to fill if he's not reprising the role.

YouTube - ‪IT - Pennywise meets Georgie‬‏
30 seconds in still freaks me out. Damn that's scary.:lol:

[Kong]

The first Dark Tower book was published in 1977 in a magazine.
Stephen King - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_King#The_Dark_Tower_books)

The idea for all of his books to share the same world seems to have come very early in his career which is pretty cool.

[Demon-Mask]

The fact that he put all of his books together from the start of his career makes it all fit together well, as opposed to if he claimed they were all a connected world later on. That explains the common figure of Randall Flagg. He is just behind Pennywise when it comes to creepy villains from Stephen King.
Deciding to connect them after the plots are already majorly disconnected is like how the Dissida games connected all of the Final Fantasy games by The Rift, just so it would make sense that Gilgamesh knows everyone, ever.

Yeah, Tim Curry was the perfect Pennywise.
The movie was pretty true to the book. You don't see that a lot.

[Dudebro]

If you haven't read the Dark Tower you probably should. There's lots of nice cross overs in there that you'd probably appreciate.

[Demon-Mask]

I read the first book in the series, I believe it was called "The Gunslinger", that was good. I'll keep a lookout for the rest of the series, I've always wanted to read them all.

[Dudebro]

Like I said before the ending is meh but it's worth the read.

[Demon-Mask]

To be honest, the ending of The Gunslinger was less than optimal. So long as the other parts of the series don't pull that tier of crap on me at the end, it's all good.

Rolan fell asleep and when he woke up, twenty years had passed. Just out of nowhere, he was tired from his journey and slept for twenty years.

[Dudebro]

I forget the details but the version I read was altered to flow with the main story. You might've read the original version of The Gunslinger.

[Kong]

I read the the first 3 when I was about 12-13. I read the last 4 when I was about 26. I am 33 now. I loved them. The last one was a bit weak, but I can't imagine a better ending. It is a very hard series to end.

I got the third book for Christmas when I was 13. It was the third best xmas gift I ever received. SMS and Genesis were the first 2.

The first one was rewritten, but I didn't read the updated version.

[Dudebro]

I think the last book was good right up until the ending. It just seemed so underwhelming. If the rest of the story wasn't so detailed and far reaching it wouldn't be a big deal for me. It just seemed out of place. But I'd still recommend the books to anyone interested in Stephen King or even fantasy in general.

When I read the revised version I think it separated the new stuff but I can't remember. I know there was some distinction so I knew there was a difference.

[RU Joe]

I liked The Regulators and its sequel, Desperation, which I thought would have made great movies if they were done properly with good CGI, not like the King movie adaptions of the 80's such as The Tommyknockers - :loser:
{for those who have seen the movie but haven't read the book, please read the book because it's way better}

Tak scared me in The Regulators {and I thought the kid's imagination was just wild}, but then I read Desperation and Collie scared me even more.
Probably what disturbed me most about him was his internal monologue, and it sticks with me even to this day ..

[StarfoxFan2009]

I liked the miniseries adaptation of The Stand as well as the book. Didn't care for Hearts of Atlantis though nor the Green Mile

[Dudebro]

What?! Green Mile was awesome!

[StarfoxFan2009]

I can't picture Tom Hanks in a serious role...

[Dudebro]

Well that's weird, why?

[mario90s]

All this talk about how IT was a great adaption but not one mention of stanely kubricks the shining. Sure the movie wasn't really a good adaption of kings novel but to be fair, on its own stanley kubric made a pretty damn creepy if not scary movie.

I have yet to read the novel but from what I heard its a pretty conventional horror story and completetly states even obviously at times that the lodge/hotel is haunted.
Unlike which surprisngly let's the viewer decide whether the overlook is really haunted or that its just the torrence family going crazy.

I haven't seen IT but the idea of Tim Curry as a demonic clown is interesting. I also liked Misery because of Kathy Bates' performance and the fact that it put me on the edge of my seat at times.

[Dudebro]

Good point The Shining was really good despite not following the book. It probably helped a lot that they had Jack Nicholson though, he can read a phone book and people love him.

[splatglobe 95]

do you guys think there's gonna be a remake of the movie "it" :dont-know:based on lorimar-telepictures tv movie of that time????i just wanna know.:)

[Demon-Mask]

I liked The Regulators and its sequel, Desperation, which I thought would have made great movies if they were done properly with good CGI, not like the King movie adaptions of the 80's such as The Tommyknockers - :loser:
{for those who have seen the movie but haven't read the book, please read the book because it's way better}

Tak scared me in The Regulators {and I thought the kid's imagination was just wild}, but then I read Desperation and Collie scared me even more.
Probably what disturbed me most about him was his internal monologue, and it sticks with me even to this day ..
Desperation was awesome. It scarred the crap out of me, that was one hell of a sheriff.
I liked the miniseries adaptation of The Stand as well as the book. Didn't care for Hearts of Atlantis though nor the Green Mile
I loved Hearts in Atlantis and The Green Mile, The Stand was great too.
All this talk about how IT was a great adaption but not one mention of stanely kubricks the shining. Sure the movie wasn't really a good adaption of kings novel but to be fair, on its own stanley kubric made a pretty damn creepy if not scary movie.

Stanley Kubric usually departs from the source material to some degree, and ends up with movies that are amazing anyway. Like A Clockwork Orange, it was different from the book in so many ways, yet it turned out to be an awesome movie as well.
Yeah, that version of The Shining was scary as hell.
do you guys think there's gonna be a remake of the movie "it" :dont-know:based on lorimar-telepictures tv movie of that time????i just wanna know.:)
Yeah, it is a good possibility that we will see one.



When it comes to Stephen King, I honestly prefer his less supernatural works. Hearts in Atlantis, The Green Mile {Yeah, John Coffey had that healing power, but it wasn't demons and ghosts and things}, Misery {probably one of my favorite books and movies out there}, The Shawshank Redemption {I preferred the movie to the short story, in this case}, Stand by Me {I believe it was based on one of his short stories called "The Body", or something like that}.

I don't know why, but things like Misery that have more of a psychological component than a supernatural component get to me a lot more.

[Kong]

I've read a lot of King. And most of it is very long winded and gets boring. But some of it is extremely good.

His best books are
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

The Body (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Body_%28novella%29) (Stand By Me)
The Eyes of the Dragon (target audience is children/teenagers. Great book but will be boring to an adult.)
The Dark Tower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Tower_%28series%29) (especially good if you have read several other King books first.)

[Demon-Mask]

I, too have read a lot of King, and I've found most of it enjoyable.

[Dudebro]

So he made another book for The Dark Tower. I'm on the fence until I read it I guess. It seems like shameless cashing in or just going for the easy story since it's popular but it could be ok.

Stephen King announces new novel in Dark Tower series — Maine Living — Bangor Daily News (http://bangordailynews.com/2011/07/13/living/stephen-king-announces-new-novel-in-dark-tower-series/)

The book “won’t tell you much that’s new about Roland and his friends. It’s not going to change anybody’s life, but God, I had fun,” King said in the announcement letter.


Btw I don't read the Bangor news someone linked it to me, from Maine.

[RU Joe]

My guess is that it'll be a fun read.
It's good to read a new book once in a while {even though most of what I read is 20+ years old}.
Also, this will likely rekindle interest in the original King novels for those who haven't read them yet.

[Dudebro]

I'll read it if someone loans me the book but I won't spend any money on it. I'm cheap like that. I don't think I've bought a book since I was a kid.

[RU Joe]

I'll read it if someone loans me the book but I won't spend any money on it. I'm cheap like that. I don't think I've bought a book since I was a kid.

Since it's King it's guaranteed to fly off the shelves no matter what, so I'm sure he won't starve if you and I pick it up from a second - hand bookstore.
:starving:

[Dudebro]

Pfft I bet he hasn't longed for a meal in quite some years.

Btw did I ever tell you guys I knew a lady who claimed to go to college with him? She said she never talked to him but he was always quiet and kept to himself. She described him as creepy. All that could be made up, because it's pretty obvious, but she is the right age and went to the same school.

[RU Joe]

DB:
Btw did I ever tell you guys I knew a lady who claimed to go to college with him? She said she never talked to him but he was always quiet and kept to himself. She described him as creepy. All that could be made up, because it's pretty obvious, but she is the right age and went to the same school.
Why not?
I went to school with one of the guys that made the C.G.I. TV show Reboot {much to my regret we weren't friends but I do remember him being there}, and I once met the Metal band Kittie and talked to them for a while, only later realizing who those girls were.
So I would tend to believe your friend's story of her going to school with King.

[Demon-Mask]

Since it's King it's guaranteed to fly off the shelves no matter what, so I'm sure he won't starve if you and I pick it up from a second - hand bookstore.
:starving:
I buy books quite frequently, just used. Generally from second hand stores, the kinds that sell everything from clothing to books to crappy old electronics that no one ever bought and hardly functioned in the first place. The way I see it, there is no way to go wrong if you only spend one dollar on a book.

I've paid full price for two books in recent memory: A Clockwork Orange, and 1984. Didn't have a choice about 1984, unless I wanted to start with a failing grade going into senior year.

About Stephen King's works in particular, I am going to be getting a copy of The Stand soon. My mom gets a good discount on things at the gift shop in the hospital she works at {not as anything cool or anything, but as a switchboard operator [though, there is no switch board, it is the title]} and they stock a few books, because cancer ridden uncle Bill is totally concerned about Team Jacob and Team Edward as he is in between rounds of chemo, and they just got The Stand in.

[Dudebro]

Speaking of buying books did you guys hear Borders is out of business? They tried to find a buyer to keep them afloat but apparently real books are too big of a risk in the age of digital books, understandably. This is another nail in coffin for physical book stores.
Also if you hurry to one of their locations they should be liquidating their stock, might be some awesome deals.

I can't bring myself to buy books usually because once I finish a book I almost never go back and read it. To me it's like buying a single player game that's highly linear, not worth it most times.
I've read a bunch of Kings books and nothing has made me wanna buy his books new. I liked most but not as much as I liked others like The Sword of Truth series or The Wheel of Time.

[Demon-Mask]

There hasn't been a Borders around here in at least five years. It makes me sad, I always read about how nice online, when I haven't been there in so long, and the one here didn't even carry books, just music and movies.

To be honest, I rarely read books a second time, now that I think about it.

[Kong]

The Wheel of Time.Are you still reading it? I started it when I was 15 and really liked it then but I started to get pissed at the series when it never ended. By around the 5th book it seemed to be a long winded cash cow that had nothing new to say that was being kept alive for no other reason than to prolong the life of the cash cow.

10 years after I started reading it he released the 10th book and I gave up. I very rarely stop reading a book or watching a movie half way through no matter how much it sucks, but this was just way too drawn out.

The author died 4 years ago and left instructions for someone else to write the final 3 books. The last one is supposed to come out next year.

15 books averaging 800 pages each. The first couple are great. The last 10 are IMO essentially bad copies of the first books.

[Dudebro]

I read all the way up to the last one because it wasn't out yet. Now I can't remember much past the early books(because of how long winded and pointless most of it was) so I'm rereading one of the last books to catch back up. I think the problem books are in the middle, the later ones do more to tie things up and move the pace along.

Btw I heard he did more than leave instructions. From what I read he had quite a bit written because he knew he wasn't gonna make it(pretty sad) and he hand picked the guy he wanted to finish the job for him. I bet it will be pretty faithful to his vision.