Master of Horror
I want to preface this by saying, I wrote this a week ago and have been delaying posting because it is awful. But since I hate to waste material and have edited this several times, it is much better than the original. That however, is not saying much.
I used to be a real big Stephen King fan. I remember reading Salem’s Lot for the first time and thankful that I had a crucifix hanging on the wall of my bedroom. I dreamt of vampires for weeks. The way King wrote made you care about the characters and what they were going through. His first book, Carrie, ended up a little confusing for me the first time through but I think I was rushing to get to the end on that one. The Shining was a real treat. REDRUM was all I thought about for a week and how that poor little boy was so tortured by that house.
I loved The Stand. It really made a statement to me. The end of the world and how all of the characters interacted was fascinating. I remember struggling with my faith before reading The Stand and how I felt the presence of God afterwards. I am sure that was not King’s intention on writing the book but that was where it left me. Since that publication, it has been hit or miss for the master of horror.
I am currently reading a collection of novellas. It is Four Past Midnight. I finished the first of the four novellas, The Langoliers and have struggled to pick the book back up. I remember watching the made for TV movie and thinking what a concept. The second story is a kind of repeat of his novel The Dark Half and I was not overly pleased with that. He has great characters but I find that I do not care as much for the ones in his later books.
I guess you can get too much of a good thing. I truly enjoy reading Stephen King and think that he puts a great deal of thought into his characters. You can really feel their pains and victories. I cannot say that about too many authors. Maybe it is just that “running over the same old ground” feel to his later works that makes them more difficult to wade through. I guess if I wrote for that long, it would be an exercise in repetition. I hope I haven’t started into that realm yet. I don’t remember talking about Stephen King yet but then again, my memory ain’t what it used to be.
Icool
Cobb
I used to be a real big Stephen King fan. I remember reading Salem’s Lot for the first time and thankful that I had a crucifix hanging on the wall of my bedroom. I dreamt of vampires for weeks. The way King wrote made you care about the characters and what they were going through. His first book, Carrie, ended up a little confusing for me the first time through but I think I was rushing to get to the end on that one. The Shining was a real treat. REDRUM was all I thought about for a week and how that poor little boy was so tortured by that house.
I loved The Stand. It really made a statement to me. The end of the world and how all of the characters interacted was fascinating. I remember struggling with my faith before reading The Stand and how I felt the presence of God afterwards. I am sure that was not King’s intention on writing the book but that was where it left me. Since that publication, it has been hit or miss for the master of horror.
I am currently reading a collection of novellas. It is Four Past Midnight. I finished the first of the four novellas, The Langoliers and have struggled to pick the book back up. I remember watching the made for TV movie and thinking what a concept. The second story is a kind of repeat of his novel The Dark Half and I was not overly pleased with that. He has great characters but I find that I do not care as much for the ones in his later books.
I guess you can get too much of a good thing. I truly enjoy reading Stephen King and think that he puts a great deal of thought into his characters. You can really feel their pains and victories. I cannot say that about too many authors. Maybe it is just that “running over the same old ground” feel to his later works that makes them more difficult to wade through. I guess if I wrote for that long, it would be an exercise in repetition. I hope I haven’t started into that realm yet. I don’t remember talking about Stephen King yet but then again, my memory ain’t what it used to be.
Icool
Cobb
posted by Cobb at
7:17 AM
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