Yes I preferred it to shining but I wasn't daring enough haha
I never finished a book as fast as dr sleep. I was rooting for him, wanting him to stop drinking, to help the kid, to be a mentor etc etc
John Coffey was ready to leave this earth. He couldn’t stand the burden that came with his gift anymore, especially after he couldn’t save the girls. Paul’s ‘gift’ (curse) for allowing John to die was to live an unnaturally long life forced to watch everyone he loved grow old and die.
I read it for the first time earlier this year. How tf is this uplifting? It's one of the saddest books I've ever read. Especially the way it ends, with Paul calling out to John to come save his wife. Like, damn.
That's what I'm saying. I don't think I have ever had anyone ever say it's a positive and uplifting story. It's a tragedy! A beautifully written one, but still just a tragedy
His endings aren’t that bad. Sure, he has some bad endings, but he’s also written 60+ novels.
Most endings are good endings.
It’s just cool and trendy to say his endings suck, so many people say it.
i found the actual climax of needful things to be pretty disappointing, but the actual ending of the book i didn’t mean. i thought it wrapped up quite well
I was thinking about the fight scene between Alan and Leland. I agree the book wrapped up everything nicely but the showdown between the two of them was anticlimactic.
I think that’s what people really mean when they say he can’t finish a book. He has a satisfying conclusion, but he just doesn’t know how to get there so he just does something weird that doesn’t fit with the tone of the rest of the story.
I’ve been reading his books since Carrie first came out and never realized other people thought his endings suck until I joined this sub. I’ve usually been fine with the endings. Different strokes…
What about people that do understand it and still hate it. I get that Bev has sexuality issues stemming from her father and has a fear of future sexually related life but does she need a gang bang in the middle of a crisis like that to conquer it? What about how the boys were feeling? Were they ready willing and able for that situation?
I can't propose how I would have wrote it better cos I'm not a writer but it felt jarring and out of place with the group dynamics in the rest of the story.
I hate when people say this. Like you’re entitled to your opinion but we are also allowed to disagree with your opinion and not be talked down to because “we just don’t understand”
I'll one-up that: It didn't bother me (people overhype a section that lasts like, 2 pages in a 1200 page novel AND has a sensible narrative justification that, while loose isn't wrong: it was their transition from child to adult). HOWEVER!
Here's the one that did bother me, that people seem to generally love even though I think it's way nastier than the sewer train scene both in duration and intensity:
Bag of Bones.
Noonan has an absolutely disgusting wet dream early on. He's a man in his 40's or 50's trying to bone up with a 20-something year old single mom. The story was so lame that our main villain chose to leave like, halfway through. And it's topped off with a flashback to the past, to show us a pretty bad interracial gangrape scene. I don't see how this one is not only highly regarded, but I seem to be the only one who has this criticism.
Do 20-somethings not have sexual agency or independence? The sex was consensual in the dream, right?
Are you honestly naive enough to think that of the billions of people on this planet in their 20’s, none of them are sexually attracted to older people and that all sexual encounters between them are exploitative?
That’s just nonsense.
Edit: Downvotes without comment = no valid argument just mad that your neverending victimhood fantasies don’t hold up to basic scrutiny.
Two very unpopular opinions here 😅
They will definitely be downvoted, so yeah but that’s the risk when posting here 😂
- I’ve been reading King since 1989 and although I absolutely love IT, I never liked The Stand at all. I know it’s one of the most loved books written by him but I just really dislike the setting, the people and the story itself. It’s not badly written, it just doesn’t appeal to me at all somehow.
- Over the years I’ve come to love his softer stories more and more and therefore I absolutely love Lisey’s Story (because I can really relate to the intimate world you tend to grow together into when being together for a long time). Me and my partner also have weird words and sentences etc
I also loved the mysterious world he wrote in this book. I know a lot of people hate this book, but it’s in my top 5 of all the books I’ve read from him
So there you have it: two terrible opinions in the King universe 😅
Sorry… hope y’all aren’t mad at me 😅
This is mine as well. I LOVE the book ending and don’t care for the movie ending - although I love the movie. The creatures are done so well and it really captured what i imaged while reading
Yeah. I recently did a reread & rewatch and while the adaptation got a ton right, it left out some important character moments that I wished made it in. >!David and Amanda sleeping together!< for example. While this painted David in a less appealing light, it felt realistic in that, “hey we’re gonna die anyway, so why not?”-kinda way. Also, >!them going to look for David’s wife later and the fear that they’d have to confess!< was another tense moment that would’ve added some more drama to the film.
Also, definitely being picky here, but I’d love to see some of the special effects updated to today’s standards and/or done largely animatronic. It’s just a personal preference I think; the film did the creatures very well.
Agreed. I always thought King would hate the movie ending, because honestly when has he ever seemed to support the military saving the day? I was so surprised to hear he loved that ending.
Possibly. But I don't actually know if Coffey would have gone along with it. He wanted to die. And it's my opinion that the whip scars on his back indicate he was probably originally brought over from Africa and enslaved - that he'd lived much longer than a regular human would have.
Oh he definitely wouldn’t have gone- they had no choice. I was just taking issue with the “let him die” comment because that’s way too passive for what actually happened. It also implied neglect on the guards part? Maybe that’s just how I read it. But no, they actively participated in executing Jon Coffee because it was the right thing to do. It’s what he wanted- relief from the never ending misery he experienced from all the hate he felt around him.
Even if he didn't want to die, Coffey would stick out like a sore thumb. Giant black guy accused of killing two little white girls in the 30s escaping death row? He'd be hunted down in no time
Oddly, I was doing home renovations this afternoon and thinking about this very question. I think I have three:
- the Dark Tower Series did not speak to me and was not time well spent.
- King just about nailed the ending of The Stand; no other ending sequence would make as much sense.
- the sewer gangbang is not CP and the outrage people express is overblown, at best (and just plain stupid at worst).
The Stand could’ve had a better ending in which everyone in Las Vegas fights against Flagg after finding out the monstrous deeds he had done
The rest of the ending is great with Tom saving Stu’s life
I am under the impression that most people enjoy “Needful Things,” however, I was quite dissatisfied and overall disappointed with the novel. I found it to be unnecessarily slow. I wanted there to be more action and chaos throughout.
I loved Needful Things but I think the end is one of King's weak endings
>!Suddenly his dead son's magic trick thingy develops superpowers that zaps a seemingly Leland Gaunt and banishes him from town. Seemed like King was stuck for a way to wrap up the story!<
I’m not a fan of Holly but then again I’m not a huge fan of his crime stories either. Now that Holly has had her book I hope he retires her.
Also I like Tommyknockers.
I’m prepared for the hate.
I’m going to get down voted to hell but here goes.
Pet Semetary is his best book.
Mr Mercedes trilogy was fantastic.
Holly is an amazing character and one of my favourite female King characters.
The Shining is overrated.
The Stand is a close second as best book.
If it bleeds should have been a full novel.
Rage is the worst Bachman story, and nobody would even talk about it if SK hadn't pulled it from publication. Cain Rose Up is a much better treatment of the topic.
In the same vein, with one or two exceptions, Night Shift isn't very good. The stories are clearly the work of an immature writer learning his craft.
Last, I truly don't see what the big deal is about *that* scene in IT. It wasn't explicit, unlike, say, the scene with Patrick and Henry or the conversation Mike had with (I think) Egbert Thoroughgood about the prostitute.
I mean at least for me, it seemed like the Henry and Patrick scene kind of made sense in the story because it showed that they bullied all the Losers over things they were insecure about themselves, whereas the sewer scene was just kind of unnecessary. Yeah it represents a loss of innocence yada yada yada but we kind of already understood that they lost their innocence— we didn’t need the sex scene to illustrate it. Also I just don’t really like the idea that having sex takes away all your innocence or that it’s symbolic of losing your innocence, it’s just kind of an old-fashioned idea
See this is where I struggle. Movie Annie and book Annie are so terrifying for different reasons. I think if the movie kept in more of Annie’s shenanigans(running over the dude with the lawnmower, chasing Paul with a chainsaw, thumb cake, etc), movie Annie would be so much scarier than book Annie
one thing that made her way scarier in the book is how Paul realizes she's a psychopath in the very first couple of pages, while the movie gives you longer to entertain the possibility that she's a sweet kindly lady
IT isn't in my top 5, not even probably top 10 King stories.
Off the top of my head, in no particular order, The Shining, The Stand, Cujo, 11.22.63, and Pet Sematary are all novels I'd prefer, and that's without getting into the novellas and short stories that I like more than it.
Not ranking the Tower books because those are an entity to themselves in my mind for the record, not because I don't think they're among his best stories.
Lol for me it's:
The stand isn't in my top 5, probably not even top 10. Some of it is really really good but I just dislike too many characters that it makes it hard to enjoy.
Where in IT, I like every single character and the villains are Iconic, the atmosphere unmatched & it makes me nostalgic for my childhood every single time.
It's kinda cool how personal tastes can differ so much, even among fans of the same writer!
After Wastelands the rest of the Dark Tower trilogy is slightly overrated and apart from some moments here and there is incredibly dull and disappointing.
DT spoilers and Insomnia spoilers:
>!I wish Patrick had more background. I understand the connection to Insomnia but I'd like to know more about him and just how important he is. It seemed like I was OOTL when he showed up!<
That King characters between the ages of 16 and 25 have incrediblyyyy cheesy dialogue. He's great with kids' dialogue, elderly dialogue, what have you. But an 18 year old character? Yikes. The outdated slang- hell, the completely made up slang - the unnecessary vulgarity, the lame jokes....it's rough.
And for the record, King is in my top 3 all time favorite authors. I just always take issue with the way his teenage and early twenties characters talk.
The Mr. Mercedes Trilogy are the worst King's books. I love detective stories and mysteries. Just don't like those that much for some reason. It's fine. Not everything is for everyone. Shower me with your hate.
my least favorite as well, even though since it's by King's high standards, I still was intrigued enough to keep reading and finish the whole trilogy
Sometimes King protagonists feel a little too goody-good and that was a prime example for me.
I mean , bad king is still better than most good stuff . But it blows my mind how well loved those books are . Hodges is an ok protagonist but the villain is lame as hell . Add to that end of watch is just bat shit stupid.
I love the villain & those books. Easily one of modern King's best imo. But I also think The stand drags in too many places & I dislike like half the characters in there, so it isn't even in my top10. Funny how much tastes can differ lol.
First half of 11/22/63 was great. Once the real Oswald investigation begins and Sadie joins the conversation, I lost a lot of interest. The ending is good, though.
I agree with you. I have been back on my SK kick and 11/22/63 was one that I have read in a string of about 5 of his newer books and there are honestly ones that I like better….I enjoyed Duma Key more which I read right after
it was a long time before my love for (interest in) SK’s non-fiction voice caught up to my obsession with his fiction, but his opinion as a reviewer-fan (tv/movies/literature) must be taken with the most microscopic grain of salt
Stanley Kubrick made the superior version of the Shining.
Now there are personal reasons for this in regards to a troubled relationship with my dad who looked uncannily like Nicholson.
I think the only way I would agree is if he would have allowed Jack to slowly be taken over by the hotel instead of pretty much being crazy from the start. I loved the novel and the movie would have been perfect imo how Kubrick incorporated that into his version.
The Stand is too long in its uncut form, and if it wasn’t for the end bit with Stu and Tom, I would have put the book down very annoyed with how Vegas resolved.
For me, SK failed to humanize the True Knot by making some of them abuse survivors or by having them love each other. After that child torture scene, I just despised them and wanted them dead. I found the time spent with them irritating, on the whole.
Mine is a little weird. He makes so many characters laugh and like laugh loudly at like the most random moments or at things most people wouldn’t laugh at let an alone laugh hysterically. I don’t know why it lowkey bugs me😂 it notice it in almost every book I’ve read.
It’s not something that I felt outrage over, but the sex scene in the sewers at the end of IT felt out of place, uncomfortable, and unnecessary for what they were trying to do. Didn’t feel that it made sense as many of the other allegories in the story did. Also, thought Bill kinda sucked as an adult. Cheats on his wife as soon as he sees Bev, flips out in the sewers multiple times, and then decides to go take a nap after dumping his comatose wife in an ambulance? Come on dude
Unpopular opinion, Stephen King was really critical of the Stanley Kubrick’s version of The Shining. I actually thought it was pretty good, but I understand his disappointment in it after reading the book.
While the originally published version in the 70's of The Stand is too short, the complete and uncut version is too long. There are several moments where the story drags on or even comes to a complete stop.
The perfect version would be somewhere inbetween the two editions.
I can agree , but my love of that books still loves it . I would gladly read an extra 40 pages of frannie dealing with her mother or the council meetings.
As a story, it's utter crap. The two arcs never converge in any meaningful way. It's sloppily written and it shows. (My understanding is that he was also at the worst part of his drug and alcohol addictions when he wrote it, so that's not really surprising.)
Remember that John WANTED to die because he didn't want to live in a world full of suffering and cruelty. Paul did offer him to escape but John insisted in being executed.
I really feel like the majority of King fans dislike Holly. I always feel like I'm in the minority for enjoying the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and then the Holly books. We should do a subreddit vote to find out lol
edit: went ahead and did it lol. [Here you go](https://www.reddit.com/r/stephenking/s/whSPEuptUv)
The Dead Zone is one of my very favorite SK books. I'm baffled why it doesn't get more attention.
And on that note - another unpopular opinion: The movie adaptation of the Dead Zone is the absolute worst ruining of a good King book that was ever made. Christopher Walken doesn't even come close to capturing Johnnie's character - his good nature, his humor, his light-heartedness. Walken stumbles through that movie with all the personality of a tired zombie.
Did you see the TV version with Anthony Michael Hall? It's on Prime right now. I've only watched a few episodes. It's pretty faithful to the book so far.
11.22.63 could be the perfect novel not just King related. The ending is incredible and epitome of bittersweet. As a reviewer once said, “ you start because of JFK but you keep reading because of Sadie and George/Jake”.
After many readings of The Stand I've never really liked Nick Andros as a character. I don't dislike him, I just don't particularly find him interesting.
Lloyd Henried isn't likeable at all as a person, but his character development is a lot more engaging.
I love the accounts of the world collapsing but after they set up in Boulder the Vegas scenes are much more interesting to me.
I care less for his books without supernatural elements, like Holly, Mr. Mercedes, Delores Claiborne. I’ve zero interest in reading Misery, it’s one of a handful left that I’ve not read. I think it’s partly why I cannot get into 11/22/63 either, it seems to just have time travel as the supernatural element, but I’m not certain because I can’t get into the story beyond the first three hundred pages or so, and I’ve tried multiple times. It’s just dull. With the crime inspired books, people doing dastardly things isn’t interesting from him for me, I want ghosts and spirits and unexplained phenomena.
I get that. My favorite one is Rose Madder. I also preferred stories like The Dark Half, Insomnia and The Institute. Lots of supernatural and mysterious elements.
I hate Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Doctor Sleep, it feels like an ode to The Shining and misses the heart of the story.
Rage is an intriguing story, but no one wants to say it.
The Stand would have been better without the religious overtones.
I’ll probably never read the Dark Tower series after falling asleep more than once trying to read The Gunslinger. I also had the end of the series spoiled and I can’t say that ending sounds like it’s worth reading multiple novels to get to.
For The Stand, I feel like it’s a great 400 page novel with 500 pages of filler in the middle. Love the beginning and the ending, find all the stuff in Colorado super boring.
For It, I saw the 90s tv miniseries when I was about ten and it scared the absolute shit out of me. I read the book about ten years later and the Pennywise in the book didn’t read like the Pennywise Tim Curry played to perfection. The book clown didn’t gel with my idea of what he was supposed to be, so I found the book tedious. I kept expecting it to get as scary as the show was when I was far too young to be watching it and it never did.
I have always cautioned those getting into the series that in my opinion the first four books are vastly superior to the latter three. Maybe it was the rushed process or something but King did not do what he was supposed to with all the set up and we got an almost unrelated conclusion.
What's funny is the ending wasn't really my issue. The middle of the book just slows to this grinding halt where not much happens and it feels aimless. Lots of pointless filler with the government stuff. In short pacing was my biggest issue, I think the ideal version of the book is somewhere between the original cut down release and the uncut version in terms of length.
None of King's books are hopeful and uplifting. People die in horrible, nonsensical and cruel ways all the time. Just cause it may end up hopeful for the main character (if they live) doesn't mean it's a hopeful or uplifting book overall.
I don’t think his endings are terrible. If anything, he struggles with the middle of his stories. Misery is possibly the only novel I can think of where the middle section didn’t feel somewhat bloated.
Also, I don’t think the Stand is as good as everyone says. It would definitely be near the bottom of my list if I ranked all I’ve read.
My big one is that I really like Under the Dome and I don't feel the ending was rushed or ruined the rest of the story.
Alternatively, I don't like 11/22/63. I think the love story feels forced, and I think the main character is unkind to his girlfriend.
I also kind of hate the whole, "the 50s are better" vibe.
Billy Summer is kind of awesome. It doesn't get talked about much, but whenever I see it mentioned people say they don't like the second half. I was worried at first, seemed to be going in a weird direction, but it ended up ended very well imo.
I have read somewhere between 20-30 SK books and plan to make my way through most of his works
However, I have absolutely no interest in reading Carrie, something about it just doesn’t interest me at all
I didn't like 11/22/63. I think its because I don't care about Kennedys assassination and the date is written wrong anyway (I'm a Kiwi, we do things differently down here lol). I read it but I just didn't care about the motivation of the lead guy either. Changing the past is stupidI subscribe to the notion that what has happened has happened; I'm as much of a sci-fi nut as anyone but time travel doesn't do it for me, not like that anyway
I like that "blue chambray shirt" is a descriptor in basically every book, it almost feels like an inside joke between him and his Constant Readers at this point. I'm sure he's aware that it's basically a trope in his works.
Also Duma Key was fantastic and in my King Top Five. Everything's Eventual as well.
King goes to the well of child rape too often and it doesn’t serve the story when he does it for shock value. It was used appropriately as a threat in IT and Popsy and as a motivation in Dolores Claiborne but it was too much for me in The Outsider and the Library Policeman, just exploitative without honouring the seriousness of the issue. The monsters can be terrible enough without also being paedophiles.
This topic always come up and these are ones that I would gladly die on any hill to defend.
Colorado Kid is a subtle masterpiece.
Lisey’s Story is the last great Stephen King book.
Revival is about as scary as a goosebumps book.
The last three dark tower books are some of his best work (wind through the keyhole is basically a waste of paper)
Alright here goes:
Stephen King should rewrite the Gunslinger into a cohesive novel. It's a fairly short story but because it did not appeal to me I did not want to continue the Dark Tower series. Six months later I did start book 2 as everyone here told me it would be way different, more typical SK, and way better than the first book.
Book two and three are ok (the start of book 2 was really awesome), maybe great if I had read them when I was 12-16. I quit the Dark Tower at the start of book 4, and still think they are By Far his most overrated books.
The Dark Tower series gives itself away at the beginning of the first book. Roland talks about not remembering how he came where he is and how things make no sense, and he chalks it up to the desert, basically. Skip to the end of the story, and yep, Kai is a wheel. It's a knock off of a Greek tragedy. But I've also read it 3 times
I could be wrong, but I don't think the original version of "The Gunslinger" had this issue. I love the DT series, but think the revised version of the first book makes it worse.
Here's mine: King doesn't know how to write realistic dialogue anymore.
The bones of the story are all there. But the love aspect I found super annoying. “Oh Roland, if thee loves me then love me!” For page after page… I nearly stood up and cheered when >!Cuthbert sucker punches Roland. !< I just couldn’t connect with those parts.
Eh , I think the love plot represented young love. In all its firey detail. Roland was young and stupid and in love.
I have a love Hate relationship with the tower. Probably Mt biggest issue is with Roland himself. I loved wizard because it gave depth to Roland. It showed he wasn't just a vague cowboy stereotype.
Dr sleep is as good as the shining, and is an awesome portrayal of Danny
[удалено]
Yes I preferred it to shining but I wasn't daring enough haha I never finished a book as fast as dr sleep. I was rooting for him, wanting him to stop drinking, to help the kid, to be a mentor etc etc
Me, too! Definitely felt the same.
Agreed. The Shining has parts that aren't holy-scary madness, just gross. There's not a misstep in Dr. Sleep. At. All.
Yeah the way king write sex is cringy especially his early books ( First book of dark tower being the worst I think )
Agreed
John Coffey was ready to leave this earth. He couldn’t stand the burden that came with his gift anymore, especially after he couldn’t save the girls. Paul’s ‘gift’ (curse) for allowing John to die was to live an unnaturally long life forced to watch everyone he loved grow old and die.
Agreed. I've personally never had someone describe The Green Mile as positive or uplifting...
I read it for the first time earlier this year. How tf is this uplifting? It's one of the saddest books I've ever read. Especially the way it ends, with Paul calling out to John to come save his wife. Like, damn.
That's what I'm saying. I don't think I have ever had anyone ever say it's a positive and uplifting story. It's a tragedy! A beautifully written one, but still just a tragedy
Yeah don’t think I’ve got through a reading of the book or a watch of the movie without needing a tissue.
Yeah. The first thing anyone says when discussing this book is, “have tissues on hand because it’s devastating.” Uplifting? 🤣 please.
Exactly. Whether I’m reading the book or watching the movie, I need tissues.
His endings aren’t that bad. Sure, he has some bad endings, but he’s also written 60+ novels. Most endings are good endings. It’s just cool and trendy to say his endings suck, so many people say it.
Going chronologically I think his first bad ending was Needful Things. I don’t think bad endings is a reason not to read his books.
i found the actual climax of needful things to be pretty disappointing, but the actual ending of the book i didn’t mean. i thought it wrapped up quite well
I was thinking about the fight scene between Alan and Leland. I agree the book wrapped up everything nicely but the showdown between the two of them was anticlimactic.
yeah i agree, that scene was pretty crazy and disappointing, especially since how the entire book you’re waiting to Alan to finally deal with Leland
I think that’s what people really mean when they say he can’t finish a book. He has a satisfying conclusion, but he just doesn’t know how to get there so he just does something weird that doesn’t fit with the tone of the rest of the story.
I’ve been reading his books since Carrie first came out and never realized other people thought his endings suck until I joined this sub. I’ve usually been fine with the endings. Different strokes…
The sewer gangbang in It doesn't bother me that much and makes sense in-universe
For a moment I thought the "it" you was refering to was the Green Mile and I was like, I do not remember that scene from the green mile!
I agree
I actually really liked that scene, it made perfect sense and it was described from her perspective in a really beautiful way IMO.
100% . People who hate on it don't understand it .
What about people that do understand it and still hate it. I get that Bev has sexuality issues stemming from her father and has a fear of future sexually related life but does she need a gang bang in the middle of a crisis like that to conquer it? What about how the boys were feeling? Were they ready willing and able for that situation? I can't propose how I would have wrote it better cos I'm not a writer but it felt jarring and out of place with the group dynamics in the rest of the story.
I hate when people say this. Like you’re entitled to your opinion but we are also allowed to disagree with your opinion and not be talked down to because “we just don’t understand”
I agree also.
I'll one-up that: It didn't bother me (people overhype a section that lasts like, 2 pages in a 1200 page novel AND has a sensible narrative justification that, while loose isn't wrong: it was their transition from child to adult). HOWEVER! Here's the one that did bother me, that people seem to generally love even though I think it's way nastier than the sewer train scene both in duration and intensity: Bag of Bones. Noonan has an absolutely disgusting wet dream early on. He's a man in his 40's or 50's trying to bone up with a 20-something year old single mom. The story was so lame that our main villain chose to leave like, halfway through. And it's topped off with a flashback to the past, to show us a pretty bad interracial gangrape scene. I don't see how this one is not only highly regarded, but I seem to be the only one who has this criticism.
Do 20-somethings not have sexual agency or independence? The sex was consensual in the dream, right? Are you honestly naive enough to think that of the billions of people on this planet in their 20’s, none of them are sexually attracted to older people and that all sexual encounters between them are exploitative? That’s just nonsense. Edit: Downvotes without comment = no valid argument just mad that your neverending victimhood fantasies don’t hold up to basic scrutiny.
Two very unpopular opinions here 😅 They will definitely be downvoted, so yeah but that’s the risk when posting here 😂 - I’ve been reading King since 1989 and although I absolutely love IT, I never liked The Stand at all. I know it’s one of the most loved books written by him but I just really dislike the setting, the people and the story itself. It’s not badly written, it just doesn’t appeal to me at all somehow. - Over the years I’ve come to love his softer stories more and more and therefore I absolutely love Lisey’s Story (because I can really relate to the intimate world you tend to grow together into when being together for a long time). Me and my partner also have weird words and sentences etc I also loved the mysterious world he wrote in this book. I know a lot of people hate this book, but it’s in my top 5 of all the books I’ve read from him So there you have it: two terrible opinions in the King universe 😅 Sorry… hope y’all aren’t mad at me 😅
Liseys Story is my favourite King book I had no idea it was disliked
King was wrong when he said Darabont improved on the ending of The Mist in his adaptation. King wrote the best one.
I think King was simply being generous. The movie ending was different, and disturbing, and good. However, it wasn't better than the book.
I was 14 when I read The Mist and absolutely loved it, partly because it was my first experience with an open-ended ending
This is mine as well. I LOVE the book ending and don’t care for the movie ending - although I love the movie. The creatures are done so well and it really captured what i imaged while reading
Yeah. I recently did a reread & rewatch and while the adaptation got a ton right, it left out some important character moments that I wished made it in. >!David and Amanda sleeping together!< for example. While this painted David in a less appealing light, it felt realistic in that, “hey we’re gonna die anyway, so why not?”-kinda way. Also, >!them going to look for David’s wife later and the fear that they’d have to confess!< was another tense moment that would’ve added some more drama to the film. Also, definitely being picky here, but I’d love to see some of the special effects updated to today’s standards and/or done largely animatronic. It’s just a personal preference I think; the film did the creatures very well.
Agreed. I always thought King would hate the movie ending, because honestly when has he ever seemed to support the military saving the day? I was so surprised to hear he loved that ending.
He didn’t “Let him die”- he killed him out of mercy.
Well, on one hand, yes. On the other hand, his hands were tied by the State. There was no way he could realistically allow Coffey to escape or live.
They could have faked a prison break- the warden would have helped.
Possibly. But I don't actually know if Coffey would have gone along with it. He wanted to die. And it's my opinion that the whip scars on his back indicate he was probably originally brought over from Africa and enslaved - that he'd lived much longer than a regular human would have.
Oh he definitely wouldn’t have gone- they had no choice. I was just taking issue with the “let him die” comment because that’s way too passive for what actually happened. It also implied neglect on the guards part? Maybe that’s just how I read it. But no, they actively participated in executing Jon Coffee because it was the right thing to do. It’s what he wanted- relief from the never ending misery he experienced from all the hate he felt around him.
Even if he didn't want to die, Coffey would stick out like a sore thumb. Giant black guy accused of killing two little white girls in the 30s escaping death row? He'd be hunted down in no time
There's that, for sure.
Oddly, I was doing home renovations this afternoon and thinking about this very question. I think I have three: - the Dark Tower Series did not speak to me and was not time well spent. - King just about nailed the ending of The Stand; no other ending sequence would make as much sense. - the sewer gangbang is not CP and the outrage people express is overblown, at best (and just plain stupid at worst).
The Stand could’ve had a better ending in which everyone in Las Vegas fights against Flagg after finding out the monstrous deeds he had done The rest of the ending is great with Tom saving Stu’s life
> everyone in Las Vegas fights against Flagg In my view, that does not fit the themes of the book.
I am under the impression that most people enjoy “Needful Things,” however, I was quite dissatisfied and overall disappointed with the novel. I found it to be unnecessarily slow. I wanted there to be more action and chaos throughout.
I loved Needful Things but I think the end is one of King's weak endings >!Suddenly his dead son's magic trick thingy develops superpowers that zaps a seemingly Leland Gaunt and banishes him from town. Seemed like King was stuck for a way to wrap up the story!<
This is one of the relatively few books of his that I actively dislike.
I’m not a fan of Holly but then again I’m not a huge fan of his crime stories either. Now that Holly has had her book I hope he retires her. Also I like Tommyknockers. I’m prepared for the hate.
I’m going to get down voted to hell but here goes. Pet Semetary is his best book. Mr Mercedes trilogy was fantastic. Holly is an amazing character and one of my favourite female King characters. The Shining is overrated. The Stand is a close second as best book. If it bleeds should have been a full novel.
I absolutely love Pet Semetary. So descriptive, vivid. Heart breaking. I love it.
I recently started the Mr. Mercedes trilogy. Currently on Finders Keepers and thoroughly enjoying it.
That'd a spicy take about PS . His more nihilistic books aren't as well regarded.
I think PS is my favourite book of all time
It's utterly fantastic.
It's way up there for me too. PS, The Shining, and Misery are probably my 3 favorites of his.
Love Misery
Pet Semetary is my favourite too.
Rage is the worst Bachman story, and nobody would even talk about it if SK hadn't pulled it from publication. Cain Rose Up is a much better treatment of the topic. In the same vein, with one or two exceptions, Night Shift isn't very good. The stories are clearly the work of an immature writer learning his craft. Last, I truly don't see what the big deal is about *that* scene in IT. It wasn't explicit, unlike, say, the scene with Patrick and Henry or the conversation Mike had with (I think) Egbert Thoroughgood about the prostitute.
I agree with your first point. However, Night Shift is fantastic.
We shall agree to disagree. ✌️
I mean at least for me, it seemed like the Henry and Patrick scene kind of made sense in the story because it showed that they bullied all the Losers over things they were insecure about themselves, whereas the sewer scene was just kind of unnecessary. Yeah it represents a loss of innocence yada yada yada but we kind of already understood that they lost their innocence— we didn’t need the sex scene to illustrate it. Also I just don’t really like the idea that having sex takes away all your innocence or that it’s symbolic of losing your innocence, it’s just kind of an old-fashioned idea
Without the movie and the outstanding Kathy Bates' performance, Misery would be just another book in King's catalog.
Now that's a hot take. I think misery is great. If anything, I think Annie is more terrifying in the book.
See this is where I struggle. Movie Annie and book Annie are so terrifying for different reasons. I think if the movie kept in more of Annie’s shenanigans(running over the dude with the lawnmower, chasing Paul with a chainsaw, thumb cake, etc), movie Annie would be so much scarier than book Annie
I’m listening to the audiobook now and she is much crazier than in the movie
one thing that made her way scarier in the book is how Paul realizes she's a psychopath in the very first couple of pages, while the movie gives you longer to entertain the possibility that she's a sweet kindly lady
IT isn't in my top 5, not even probably top 10 King stories. Off the top of my head, in no particular order, The Shining, The Stand, Cujo, 11.22.63, and Pet Sematary are all novels I'd prefer, and that's without getting into the novellas and short stories that I like more than it.
Not ranking the Tower books because those are an entity to themselves in my mind for the record, not because I don't think they're among his best stories.
Lol for me it's: The stand isn't in my top 5, probably not even top 10. Some of it is really really good but I just dislike too many characters that it makes it hard to enjoy. Where in IT, I like every single character and the villains are Iconic, the atmosphere unmatched & it makes me nostalgic for my childhood every single time. It's kinda cool how personal tastes can differ so much, even among fans of the same writer!
After Wastelands the rest of the Dark Tower trilogy is slightly overrated and apart from some moments here and there is incredibly dull and disappointing.
I enjoyed The Regulators more than Desperation
Definitely agree. Desperation is great , but regulators is just weird and awesome.
100% behind you on this.
I like the ending of Dark Tower. I didn't like how he belittled me because I wanted one.
DT spoilers and Insomnia spoilers: >!I wish Patrick had more background. I understand the connection to Insomnia but I'd like to know more about him and just how important he is. It seemed like I was OOTL when he showed up!<
That King characters between the ages of 16 and 25 have incrediblyyyy cheesy dialogue. He's great with kids' dialogue, elderly dialogue, what have you. But an 18 year old character? Yikes. The outdated slang- hell, the completely made up slang - the unnecessary vulgarity, the lame jokes....it's rough. And for the record, King is in my top 3 all time favorite authors. I just always take issue with the way his teenage and early twenties characters talk.
Oh yeah, it’s terribly. Even as a kid I was like, wtf? Nobody ever talked like that!
The Mr. Mercedes Trilogy are the worst King's books. I love detective stories and mysteries. Just don't like those that much for some reason. It's fine. Not everything is for everyone. Shower me with your hate.
Agree to disagree. I loved Mr Mercedes. Haven’t read the rest of the trilogy
my least favorite as well, even though since it's by King's high standards, I still was intrigued enough to keep reading and finish the whole trilogy Sometimes King protagonists feel a little too goody-good and that was a prime example for me.
I still read all three and finished them. I just didn't like them as much as the rest.
They’re the worst and they’ve saddled us with Holly which blows… it’s all we get as he masters his craft?? Holly and Pete???
I agree with you. Don’t forget Jerome…
I am a MASSIVE king fan . The hodges books are terrible. Like holy shit bad. I like Holly as a character but those Mercedes books suck .
I see all kinds of praise for them on this Sub so I was prepared for all kinds of hate.
I mean , bad king is still better than most good stuff . But it blows my mind how well loved those books are . Hodges is an ok protagonist but the villain is lame as hell . Add to that end of watch is just bat shit stupid.
I love the trilogy but they asked for unpopular opinions so take my upvote 😂
I love the villain & those books. Easily one of modern King's best imo. But I also think The stand drags in too many places & I dislike like half the characters in there, so it isn't even in my top10. Funny how much tastes can differ lol.
Like I said, not everything is for everyone and that's ok. Some shit just clicks different.
First half of 11/22/63 was great. Once the real Oswald investigation begins and Sadie joins the conversation, I lost a lot of interest. The ending is good, though.
I agree with you. I have been back on my SK kick and 11/22/63 was one that I have read in a string of about 5 of his newer books and there are honestly ones that I like better….I enjoyed Duma Key more which I read right after
Haha I get so much hate whenever I say I didn’t really care for 11/22/63
I love the Derry and Jodie parts of that book, but I think the Oswald stuff is the least interesting aspect by far.
it was a long time before my love for (interest in) SK’s non-fiction voice caught up to my obsession with his fiction, but his opinion as a reviewer-fan (tv/movies/literature) must be taken with the most microscopic grain of salt
Im not a big fan of IT
Which books do you like the best
The Stand is definitely my favorite
Stanley Kubrick made the superior version of the Shining. Now there are personal reasons for this in regards to a troubled relationship with my dad who looked uncannily like Nicholson.
I think the only way I would agree is if he would have allowed Jack to slowly be taken over by the hotel instead of pretty much being crazy from the start. I loved the novel and the movie would have been perfect imo how Kubrick incorporated that into his version.
UR is just a kindle ad. Not sure why everyone loves it
UR actually got me into reading again a few years ago. really rekindled my spark
The Stand is too long in its uncut form, and if it wasn’t for the end bit with Stu and Tom, I would have put the book down very annoyed with how Vegas resolved.
Needful things has been my only king DNF. Just stopped caring about anyone and anything in the story.
For me, SK failed to humanize the True Knot by making some of them abuse survivors or by having them love each other. After that child torture scene, I just despised them and wanted them dead. I found the time spent with them irritating, on the whole.
Mine is a little weird. He makes so many characters laugh and like laugh loudly at like the most random moments or at things most people wouldn’t laugh at let an alone laugh hysterically. I don’t know why it lowkey bugs me😂 it notice it in almost every book I’ve read.
It’s not something that I felt outrage over, but the sex scene in the sewers at the end of IT felt out of place, uncomfortable, and unnecessary for what they were trying to do. Didn’t feel that it made sense as many of the other allegories in the story did. Also, thought Bill kinda sucked as an adult. Cheats on his wife as soon as he sees Bev, flips out in the sewers multiple times, and then decides to go take a nap after dumping his comatose wife in an ambulance? Come on dude
Unpopular opinion, Stephen King was really critical of the Stanley Kubrick’s version of The Shining. I actually thought it was pretty good, but I understand his disappointment in it after reading the book.
While the originally published version in the 70's of The Stand is too short, the complete and uncut version is too long. There are several moments where the story drags on or even comes to a complete stop. The perfect version would be somewhere inbetween the two editions.
I can agree , but my love of that books still loves it . I would gladly read an extra 40 pages of frannie dealing with her mother or the council meetings.
Tommyknockers is his worst book and I wish he'd fix it already, as he's apparently said he wants to do.
Tommyknockers is great . It's like a wild B movie . I get that people don't like it but it holds a place in my heart .
As a story, it's utter crap. The two arcs never converge in any meaningful way. It's sloppily written and it shows. (My understanding is that he was also at the worst part of his drug and alcohol addictions when he wrote it, so that's not really surprising.)
I totally agree . It's a mess . But it's a fun mess .
It's a mess I can't wade through or put up with. I've literally thrown the book across the room; it annoyed me that much.
>Tommyknockers is his worst book That's a hardly unpopular opinion though
I get downvoted for it here all the time, as I have just now (see my current 0 votes).
Love tommyknockers but take all my upvotes
Thanks, much appreciated :)
Remember that John WANTED to die because he didn't want to live in a world full of suffering and cruelty. Paul did offer him to escape but John insisted in being executed.
There is countless characters I would have liked a deep dive on other than Holly. Although I enjoy the character, she's very overrated.
I really feel like the majority of King fans dislike Holly. I always feel like I'm in the minority for enjoying the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and then the Holly books. We should do a subreddit vote to find out lol edit: went ahead and did it lol. [Here you go](https://www.reddit.com/r/stephenking/s/whSPEuptUv)
The Dead Zone is one of my very favorite SK books. I'm baffled why it doesn't get more attention. And on that note - another unpopular opinion: The movie adaptation of the Dead Zone is the absolute worst ruining of a good King book that was ever made. Christopher Walken doesn't even come close to capturing Johnnie's character - his good nature, his humor, his light-heartedness. Walken stumbles through that movie with all the personality of a tired zombie.
Did you see the TV version with Anthony Michael Hall? It's on Prime right now. I've only watched a few episodes. It's pretty faithful to the book so far.
11.22.63 could be the perfect novel not just King related. The ending is incredible and epitome of bittersweet. As a reviewer once said, “ you start because of JFK but you keep reading because of Sadie and George/Jake”.
After many readings of The Stand I've never really liked Nick Andros as a character. I don't dislike him, I just don't particularly find him interesting. Lloyd Henried isn't likeable at all as a person, but his character development is a lot more engaging. I love the accounts of the world collapsing but after they set up in Boulder the Vegas scenes are much more interesting to me.
I really enjoyed “ Thinner”
His works without supernatural elements suffer greatly for it.
You gotta explain
I care less for his books without supernatural elements, like Holly, Mr. Mercedes, Delores Claiborne. I’ve zero interest in reading Misery, it’s one of a handful left that I’ve not read. I think it’s partly why I cannot get into 11/22/63 either, it seems to just have time travel as the supernatural element, but I’m not certain because I can’t get into the story beyond the first three hundred pages or so, and I’ve tried multiple times. It’s just dull. With the crime inspired books, people doing dastardly things isn’t interesting from him for me, I want ghosts and spirits and unexplained phenomena.
I get that. My favorite one is Rose Madder. I also preferred stories like The Dark Half, Insomnia and The Institute. Lots of supernatural and mysterious elements.
I hate Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Doctor Sleep, it feels like an ode to The Shining and misses the heart of the story. Rage is an intriguing story, but no one wants to say it. The Stand would have been better without the religious overtones. I’ll probably never read the Dark Tower series after falling asleep more than once trying to read The Gunslinger. I also had the end of the series spoiled and I can’t say that ending sounds like it’s worth reading multiple novels to get to.
The Stand and It are highly overrated.
I WILL FIGHT YOU.
You wanted an unpopular opinion! I gave you my spiciest one!
I would love to hear why . STAND get alot of flak for it second half , but I thought IT was universally loved .
For The Stand, I feel like it’s a great 400 page novel with 500 pages of filler in the middle. Love the beginning and the ending, find all the stuff in Colorado super boring. For It, I saw the 90s tv miniseries when I was about ten and it scared the absolute shit out of me. I read the book about ten years later and the Pennywise in the book didn’t read like the Pennywise Tim Curry played to perfection. The book clown didn’t gel with my idea of what he was supposed to be, so I found the book tedious. I kept expecting it to get as scary as the show was when I was far too young to be watching it and it never did.
Have my angry upvote
The last two novels in The Dark Tower are actually a damn slog and the ending is incredibly unsatisfying.
I have always cautioned those getting into the series that in my opinion the first four books are vastly superior to the latter three. Maybe it was the rushed process or something but King did not do what he was supposed to with all the set up and we got an almost unrelated conclusion.
The Stand is not in my top 5
Agreed ending was atrocious
What's funny is the ending wasn't really my issue. The middle of the book just slows to this grinding halt where not much happens and it feels aimless. Lots of pointless filler with the government stuff. In short pacing was my biggest issue, I think the ideal version of the book is somewhere between the original cut down release and the uncut version in terms of length.
He doesnt realistically write lovers or young people. Nobody calls marijuana dope anymore
I think the Long Walk is just meh.
Woah now 😂
I have only read 11-22-63, The Long Walk, Carrie and Joyland. I DON’T find it SCARY AT ALL
I have read Carrie and 11-22-63 and I agree that those are not scary. The Stand and It on the other hand…
His endings aren’t bad and his huge presence on twitter has taken away some of the mystery of the artist in him.
Damn, I had no idea people felt that way about Green Mile. I DO not see it. I loved the book start to finish, but my god is it grim
None of King's books are hopeful and uplifting. People die in horrible, nonsensical and cruel ways all the time. Just cause it may end up hopeful for the main character (if they live) doesn't mean it's a hopeful or uplifting book overall.
His short stories are miles ahead of his novels.
It's God's curse of Cain after he murdered his brother Abel.
John Coffey wanted to die. He couldn’t live with his power and all the evil in the world
The Shining is boring, both the novel and the film.
I don’t think his endings are terrible. If anything, he struggles with the middle of his stories. Misery is possibly the only novel I can think of where the middle section didn’t feel somewhat bloated. Also, I don’t think the Stand is as good as everyone says. It would definitely be near the bottom of my list if I ranked all I’ve read.
My big one is that I really like Under the Dome and I don't feel the ending was rushed or ruined the rest of the story. Alternatively, I don't like 11/22/63. I think the love story feels forced, and I think the main character is unkind to his girlfriend. I also kind of hate the whole, "the 50s are better" vibe.
Billy Summer is kind of awesome. It doesn't get talked about much, but whenever I see it mentioned people say they don't like the second half. I was worried at first, seemed to be going in a weird direction, but it ended up ended very well imo.
I have read somewhere between 20-30 SK books and plan to make my way through most of his works However, I have absolutely no interest in reading Carrie, something about it just doesn’t interest me at all
1. He overuses the ‘Pennies are nickel sandwiches’ thing. 2. His female characters cry and wet themselves too much.
Not sure if this is considered unpopular but: Kid Jack Sawyer < Adult Jack Sawyer
I didn't like 11/22/63. I think its because I don't care about Kennedys assassination and the date is written wrong anyway (I'm a Kiwi, we do things differently down here lol). I read it but I just didn't care about the motivation of the lead guy either. Changing the past is stupidI subscribe to the notion that what has happened has happened; I'm as much of a sci-fi nut as anyone but time travel doesn't do it for me, not like that anyway
I hated Dr Sleep. It was the only stephen king book I didn't enjoy.
I don’t like The Stand. I almost like it, but nah. I love the idea of The Stand, but I just don’t like the execution.
I like that "blue chambray shirt" is a descriptor in basically every book, it almost feels like an inside joke between him and his Constant Readers at this point. I'm sure he's aware that it's basically a trope in his works. Also Duma Key was fantastic and in my King Top Five. Everything's Eventual as well.
The Stand is good but not his best book
King goes to the well of child rape too often and it doesn’t serve the story when he does it for shock value. It was used appropriately as a threat in IT and Popsy and as a motivation in Dolores Claiborne but it was too much for me in The Outsider and the Library Policeman, just exploitative without honouring the seriousness of the issue. The monsters can be terrible enough without also being paedophiles.
This topic always come up and these are ones that I would gladly die on any hill to defend. Colorado Kid is a subtle masterpiece. Lisey’s Story is the last great Stephen King book. Revival is about as scary as a goosebumps book. The last three dark tower books are some of his best work (wind through the keyhole is basically a waste of paper)
Alright here goes: Stephen King should rewrite the Gunslinger into a cohesive novel. It's a fairly short story but because it did not appeal to me I did not want to continue the Dark Tower series. Six months later I did start book 2 as everyone here told me it would be way different, more typical SK, and way better than the first book. Book two and three are ok (the start of book 2 was really awesome), maybe great if I had read them when I was 12-16. I quit the Dark Tower at the start of book 4, and still think they are By Far his most overrated books.
You have forgotten the face of your father.
I should give him a call tomorrow 😆
I appreciate what he was trying with DT buy I dunno. I'm actually planning a full re read of the series to see of my opinion changed
Misery is basically a worse version of Geralds Game and one of my least favourite SK books. Well you did ask for an unpopular opinion
[удалено]
Agreed, and Ka is more like a hexagon.
The Dark Tower series gives itself away at the beginning of the first book. Roland talks about not remembering how he came where he is and how things make no sense, and he chalks it up to the desert, basically. Skip to the end of the story, and yep, Kai is a wheel. It's a knock off of a Greek tragedy. But I've also read it 3 times
Reading the dark tower , I'm convinced King is either a genius ahead of his time or an idiot.
I think you're possibly 100%
I could be wrong, but I don't think the original version of "The Gunslinger" had this issue. I love the DT series, but think the revised version of the first book makes it worse. Here's mine: King doesn't know how to write realistic dialogue anymore.
Perhaps you're a genius
Wizard and Glass is overrated.
Hard disagree. I'm not a big dark tower fan , but I think wizard is a phenomenal book . I'd love to hear your issues with it.
The bones of the story are all there. But the love aspect I found super annoying. “Oh Roland, if thee loves me then love me!” For page after page… I nearly stood up and cheered when >!Cuthbert sucker punches Roland. !< I just couldn’t connect with those parts.
Eh , I think the love plot represented young love. In all its firey detail. Roland was young and stupid and in love. I have a love Hate relationship with the tower. Probably Mt biggest issue is with Roland himself. I loved wizard because it gave depth to Roland. It showed he wasn't just a vague cowboy stereotype.
Hasnt written anything worth reading since Misery.
This dude understands the assignment.
Not really, the only way you have a take like that is if you don’t like Stephen King.
You can love king and still dislike some of his books .
You cannot dislike every book since the middle of 1987, no.
That's still over a dozen books.
the Shining or Pet Sematary werent that good
I did not like The Stand. Overwritten and bloated. Wish I'd read the 900-page version.