It was the first King book I read when I was 17, actually, and even though the story was about people (as kids and again as adults) facing terrifying things, I didn't actually find it horrifying. To me, for something to be horrifying the scary parts have to stick in your mind even after you've read them, it has to make you nervous. A good enough description of someone being eaten alive is something I would term horrifying, but nothing I've read in King has done that to me. I think that if I were to watch a good enough film version of some of his books they would scare me, but in written form they don't.
So you did read it. I suppose I might have given up too fast to have a good idea on what it was like.
But Dom agrees with me, anyway. Who *would* you describe as a horror writer that is more or less famous? Because really, King has to be the most famous one and the one most people would name if prompted... excepting Poe perhaps, though the great masses might find him a bit too old-fashioned in most stories.
Though I'll grant that in terms of what people consider the horror genre, a fair few of King's books fit the definition. I just don't think the definition really does them justice, I guess.
Right.
The Body (the one that became Stand By Me) was a great novella. I liked it even more than the Shawshank Redemption novella. Maybe this time around I'll find some that give me an actual scare, but so far I always seem to gravitate to various non-scary parts of his stories and not really be frightened by any of the scary parts. In It for example, I loved it because of the story of the kids growing up and the life they had and how they banded together to face the creature and its influence.
Yes, it was a great novella - the movie was great too.
The King books I've read so far, besides the Dark Tower, are It, The Stand, The Shining, Firestarter, Cujo, 'Salem's Lot, Carrie, The Dead Zone, and Different Seasons.
Huh. Very different list from the ones I've read, although truth be told I don't remember all the titles of mine... but Misery and The Long Walk at least are some of his best works that you still have to look forward to, then.
Nate reads Stephen King, Part 1: Carrie
- 05/02/2012 01:07:57 AM
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Your comments about the horror make me wonder if you've read the right books.
- 05/02/2012 01:00:44 PM
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Maybe I'm the weird one.
- 05/02/2012 05:34:42 PM
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Re: Maybe I'm the weird one.
- 05/02/2012 06:40:06 PM
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Huh. How odd.
- 05/02/2012 08:27:44 PM
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Re: Your comments about the horror make me wonder if you've read the right books.
- 05/02/2012 05:36:39 PM
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I'm interested to see what you think of the evolution of his writing.
- 13/02/2012 01:06:40 AM
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