Stephen King Bashing

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

I saw the linc below in the Mastertron site and thought I would share it with you. Before you read it I have to say that this guy isn't very original in his thinking, and while his bid for promotion had me visiting the site, I don't think much of his opinions or his style enough for him to be memorable to me after this visit.

The title of the link sez it all:

http://damienkane.blogspot.com/2008/04/ ... ovels.html

Laurel in Ely · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 6:53 pm

Them's fightin' words Mister!

DGM · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 7:31 pm

Yet, as a horror writer, he chooses to invent a name that was no doubt inspired by the man he so despises. Damien Kane? Ooh, how very dark and sinister. Please.

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

That's one of the things that I thought was unoriginal.

I wonder what his fiction is generic also.

DGM · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:26 pm

Why does every moron with an internet connection feel they need to have a blog? Fak.

DGM · **Posted:** Thu Apr 03, 2008 10:29 pm

Oh, and check out his favourite books list. Three by King, no less.

horrordude · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:19 am

The worst Stephen King bashing I've ever seen is on Amazon.com. One guy went as far to say that Stephen King should have his throat cut: what and asshole. The only complaint I ever had with Stephen King-and it wasn't really a complaint-was that I felt let down by From A Buick 8. Not the worst horror novel in the world, but I felt King had so much more to offer. Really the only novel I didn't like by him. I heard a lot of people thought Cell sucked and I loved that enought to read it three times. I think the fact that he became so big, bothered fans that thought of him as just 'theirs' and no one else's.
The guy accomplished an amazing thing: he made horror more accessible to people who would usually look the other way when the word 'horror was mentioned. Plus, come on ... he wrote the Dark Tower novels, The Stand, It, The Shining, the list of great reads goes on.
Just say this to the bashers:

gcgirl · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:23 am

Hero Killer Id · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:30 am

HugeHorrorFan · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:46 am

DGM · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:40 am

undead · **Joined:** Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:54 pm **Posts:** 861

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

johng · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:47 pm

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Laurel in Ely · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 3:23 pm

Forget the horror, read his later works with no expectations and you may just find it is some of the best literature written.

johng · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:06 pm

I just posted a big flippin reply and lost it so I'll keep it short and sweet this time.

His trilogy of women scorned: Gerald's Game, Dolores Claiborne, and Rose Madder.

Dreamcatcher at first glance looked like old school King, but when he added the relationships between the friends and the boy they helped, well that in itself was interesting, but combined with the plot, that hammy government spook and people crapping aliens, it just didn't mix well. And either of those story threads by themselves was okay, but together it was a little much.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon he wrecked with the whole fantasy baseball metaphor. It wasn't believable and I think it distracted him from giving us more story, or at least from trying harder to create tension.

Wizard and Glass had this huge lump of a cliched romance in the middle that had me wondering that King could actually be interested in what was going on between Roland and Susannah. Even the storyline outside of the romance was cliched which, I know he was playing on those western movie themes, but that's no excuse for beating us numb with them.

With Wolves of the Calla he threatened to do the much of the same, but he salvaged it.

His novella Stationary Bike was about a man stalked in his mind by the properties in his system he was shedding while exercising, complete with the visual aid of blue collar workers hitting rough times with work in his body drying up and one of them commiting suicide. He takes the visual-aid/metaphor to the extreme point that somehow they are able to utilize the post office in the real world.

The plot to From A Buick 8 may have been hokey, but he redeems it by focusing on the characters and how they relate and work with each other and most importantly, how they live with the strange events they're forced to confront every day they come to work.

The Green Mile had a similar structure which I thought was a good thing because as clumsy as he is with metaphors and metaphysics, the less time he has to address them the better, and in the case of a Christ metaphor it could have easily been disasterous.

His poor handeling of anything more complicated than a simple ghost or monster is almost laughable at times. He made the terrible descision to link Insomnia with his Dark Tower cycle and if I remember right it had a fight between the protagonist, the Crimson King, and a giant fish.

The ending of one book had the protagonist defeating the villian with the power of imagination and a rainbow. I've never seen a more Spielberg-like moment in a book.

Lisey's Story I haven't been able to finish, but as autobiographical as it may be, just from what I know of King's wife Tabith from his memoir and interviews, that load Lisey isn't her. It's like he wanted to cram everything he could think of about living with a writer and how their off-stage relationship worked that he just forgot to make her interesting. I don't know how well King managed that other world he's supposed to have created, that Boojoo thing, but from past experience I wasn't too hopeful, and I love stories about other worlds.

I read Low Men in Yellow Coats from his Hearts in Atlantis collection and liked it a lot, but I haven't read the others yet. And I haven't read Bag of Bones, but I've heard a lot of good things about it(I think from laurel even)so I'm hopeful. I have Hearts in Atlantis and Bag of Bones both on cassette and I'm going to listen to them this summer while I'm mowing the yard.

Atomic Punch! · **Joined:** Sat Mar 22, 2008 1:50 am **Posts:** 124

He has Stephen King listed as a favorite. But what really gets me is he also has Guy N. Smith. On LibraryThing there was a post about bad horror.Guy N. Smith (and especially his 'masterpiece' Night of the Crabs) was pretty much the winner of 'worst horror'.

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Thanks for the thoughtful reply John! I know I don't agree with most of what you wrote, but you did get me to add Rose Madder to my list along with Lisey's Story of King books I did not care for.

I agree with your assesment of Dark Tower V though.

It's all a matter of the readers taste and expectations in my humble opinion, not Mr. Kings. I enjoyed several of those books you found lacking and believe King did an excellent job presenting his story. Heck, I even liked Cell. A lot.

I think Laurel had an excellent point, forget that its Stephen King who is the author and see where the tales take you.

You also jogged my memory on another of his books which I thought was dreadful, Bag Of Bones. My belief is that this is the worst book he has written. But others loved it for reasons I cannot fathom.

Insomnia was one that I also thought was bloated and very uneven, but I didn't dislike it. Others here said I should reread it after having made my way through the Dark Tower Series (as you aluded to also in a negative way) and for some reason they say it makes for a much better read...or at least I would understand it more than I did when I read it the first time. I wonder if a different perspective would in fact allow me to enjoy the novel more than I did?

Even though I disagreed with most of your post, I enjoyed reading it. You presented a good argument for your case. Thanks again!

Tt

Laurel in Ely · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:27 pm

Johng. Give BAG OF BONES a try. It's one of my favorites.

I liked all the stories in HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, but the title story was my favorite.

I really enjoyed THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON and even own the pop-up book. My opinion... baseball saved her, it was key to the story.

And you're right about INSOMNIA. There was a fight between the protagonist and a catfish. I'd like to know what Steve had been smoking that day... it was pretty ridiculous.

Laurel in Ely · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 7:31 pm

And you are so right Tony. A lot of his books, FROM A BUICK 8, HEARTS IN ATLANTIS and INSOMNIA for example, make a lot more sense once you've read the Tower series.

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

I guess I should have added Hearts In Atlantis to my list, I still have not got around to reading it. I've had it since it came out!

Lauel, what is the connection between From A Buick 8 and the Dark Tower Series?

Tt

DGM · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:02 pm

Ha ha... This Damien Kane guy must not like criticism. He's turned on the "Comments must be approved by the writer of this blog" function and hasn't posted my comment. Well, my first comment got posted, but then he went and turned the approval function on after that. Go figure.

(I couldn't help myself. He pissed me off.)

Laurel in Ely · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:10 pm

Tt. The trunk of the Buick was a portal to another world; one of the nineteen levels on the beam. And I think the driver that left the Buick at the gas station was a low man.

ttzuma · **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:15 pm **Posts:** 13517

Gotcha! I liked the book even not knowing that!

Laurel in Ely · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:37 pm

johng · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:01 pm

Laurel in Ely · **Posted:** Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:37 pm

Craig Cook · **Joined:** Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:25 pm **Posts:** 5637

Stephen King Bashing

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