Fenril
Rotting Corpse
Reged: 06/25/03
Posts: 367
Loc: Mexico City, Mexico
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Since we already have a thread about Stephen King's best book, and some of you guys are obviously big fans of him, which do you think was his worst book?
It could be a novel or a short story collection, and it doesn't necessarily have to be bad by itself, just weak compared to the rest of his work.
Personally, I think his worst was by far the story collection Nightmares and dreamscapes.
Most of the stories were so dull (or weren't even stories, like the article "Head down") and while there were a few good ones in the lot they weren't enough to save the book.
I have heard that his recent "The colorado kid" was pretty dull, but haven't read it myself.
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Laurie Birgham took an axe,
gave her husband forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
she gave his girlfriend forty-one.
--Joan Crawford's Strait-jacket
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Knifey
Flesh Eater
Reged: 06/20/04
Posts: 1254
Loc: Obamaland, Massachusetts
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Quote:
Since we already have a thread about Stephen King's best book, and some of you guys are obviously big fans of him, which do you think was his worst book?
It could be a novel or a short story collection, and it doesn't necessarily have to be bad by itself, just weak compared to the rest of his work.
Personally, I think his worst was by far the story collection Nightmares and dreamscapes.
Most of the stories were so dull (or weren't even stories, like the article "Head down") and while there were a few good ones in the lot they weren't enough to save the book.
I have heard that his recent "The colorado kid" was pretty dull, but haven't read it myself.
Hmmm. I would say either Geralds Game or The Girl Who loved Tom Gordon. Both are well done, Im just not real big on either of these two.
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"You're a gentleman," they used to say to him. "You shouldn't have gone murdering people with a hatchet; that's no occupation for a gentleman."
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kamikaze_zombie
Rotting Corpse
Reged: 10/03/05
Posts: 927
Loc: Canada
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Of the books I've read by him, I would have to say Pet Semetary. I love all his books to death, and this is really hard, but it's my least favourite King book.
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Bruce Campbell has a P.H.D......in kicking your ass!!
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Fenril
Rotting Corpse
Reged: 06/25/03
Posts: 367
Loc: Mexico City, Mexico
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Quote:
Of the books I've read by him, I would have to say Pet Semetary. I love all his books to death, and this is really hard, but it's my least favourite King book.
Really? How come?
I found it a bit forced in places (mainly it appeared that the Sematary made up some rules as it wanted to), but it's seriously the book from King that scared me the most badly, so I have to give it some credit.
I have this thing with evil little children. If done right, they give me nightmares, as was the case here.
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Laurie Birgham took an axe,
gave her husband forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
she gave his girlfriend forty-one.
--Joan Crawford's Strait-jacket
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kamikaze_zombie
Rotting Corpse
Reged: 10/03/05
Posts: 927
Loc: Canada
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I really don't know. It's not like I did'nt enjoy the book, I loved it, it's just that it's my least favourite, which I said is very hard to do.
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Bruce Campbell has a P.H.D......in kicking your ass!!
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Uncle_Ash
Living Dead
Reged: 07/08/04
Posts: 993
Loc: Georgia
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Quote:
The Girl Who loved Tom Gordon.
Which is one of my favorites.
Dreamcatcher
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GingerDoll
Recently Deceased
Reged: 03/12/06
Posts: 12
Loc: Texas
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Worst is such a harsh word...The ones I liked the least were Needful Things, & Rose Madder.
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Your suffering will be legendary...even in Hell!
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Pennywise
Recently Deceased
Reged: 05/18/07
Posts: 1
Loc: Australia
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Insomnia and From a Buick 8 are the only two King books I didn't think were great, still not bad books though, i just didn't find them up to his usual high standards.
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EdgarAllen
Living Dead
Reged: 09/16/00
Posts: 1170
Loc: Star City
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I'd have to pick CELL. It felt like SK changed the plot midstream and that left me cold. To be fair, I did read the majority of this book during a flight to Europe and back, so it was kinda like reading while your brain melts.
Not crazy about some of the dialogue SK writes. For example the cheesy mob speak he uses in THINNER.
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"Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday."
-Psalms 91:5-6
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Fantomas
Flesh Eater
Reged: 01/17/01
Posts: 1156
Loc: Charlotte, NC USA
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I'm a huge King fan, but I could agree with Nightmares & Dreamscapes. I think when compared to Night Shift (which I LOVE) and Skeleton Crew, its definitely the weakest of the three.
And I was a bit disappointed with the direction he went in the Dark Tower series starting with the fifth book, where he began inserting himself into the story. The first four books are absolute gold, but I was a bit underwhelmed with the last three. Still great reads, mind you, but not up to par with the first four.
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Brandon
Recently Deceased
Reged: 08/31/07
Posts: 8
Loc: Boulder, Co
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I have to agree with most of you. It seemed there was a time back in the early nineties when he just wasn't up to speed. Insomnia, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Gerald's Gavme, and Dolores Claiborne were all slight disappointments. The end of It with the giant spider seemed alet down, though I thought the rest of the book pretty much rocked!
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Don't forget to visit http://www.bloodredtales.com
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Zeroillusion
Rotting Corpse
Reged: 11/04/00
Posts: 140
Loc: Seattle, WA.
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Oh man, the last decade or so has not been good to Stephen King. I have not read newer Dark Tower books for lack of memory about the predecessors, however, I find the downward decline of his writing to start directly after Rose Madder.
Low Points from this period include
From A Buick 8
Bag of Bones
Hearts in Atlantis
Cell
Lisey's Story
King had very few low points in my opinion up until that point. The only one that was a dissapointment was Gerald's Game, but I may have not been mature enough when I read that one at 13. The only other one which was only a slight dissapointment was Eyes of the Dragon, but even that was pretty good.
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MojoNexus
Flesh Eater
Reged: 10/22/01
Posts: 1077
Loc: Manhattan, KS USA
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I totally concur with you. I have heard rumors that King's accident (being run over by a van) has had a very serious impact on his physical and mental health. Rumors are rumors, take it with a grain of salt.
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Lick my plate...
Mojo
My DVD collection!
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