The Stephen King Master Thread

[dallywhitty]

Hodder & Slaughton are releasing a 50th anniversary edition of Carrie later this month. They're also releasing similar editions of King's following four books (Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand, and Night Shift) over the next four years.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Dolores Claiborne (1992)
A completely engrossing, dark story that I raced through. I had seen the film a couple of years ago and remembered it fairly well, so I was surprised to find that the book is very different.

The story spans decades as Dolores Claiborne is accused of a murder years after being suspected of another one in her youth. It's a powerful tale with very strong characters, especially Dolores herself. It doesn't shy away from disturbing elements, and while this isn't the typical horror novel that King writes it definitely leans into some really nasty territory. It also has a little crossover with Gerald's Game, which was published the same year.

This is presented in first-person as one continuous, unbroken dialogue from the titular character as she gives a statement to the police. No chapter breaks, no blank spaces between paragraphs for time jumps. When I discovered this I was a bit worried that it would make for a tiring read, but instead the opposite seems to have happened. The format encouraged me to keep reading for longer sessions than I normally would, and the narrative flows and rolls along completely naturally.

While I wouldn't want to read lots of books written like this, as a one off it made for something kind of special. What really shines through here is King's ability to find a character's voice and craft a tale around it, bending things to their perspective and allowing you understand their point of view.

I loved it, and at only 300-ish pages it doesn't waste any time.

UP NEXT: Needful Things

(By the way, I also ready Gerald's Game a few months ago but completely forgot to write a review. I liked it, but didn't love it!)

[Rich1983]

Originally Posted by LeftHandedGuitarist

Dolores Claiborne (1992)
A completely engrossing, dark story that I raced through. I had seen the film a couple of years ago and remembered it fairly well, so I was surprised to find that the book is very different.

The story spans decades as Dolores Claiborne is accused of a murder years after being suspected of another one in her youth. It's a powerful tale with very strong characters, especially Dolores herself. It doesn't shy away from disturbing elements, and while this isn't the typical horror novel that King writes it definitely leans into some really nasty territory. It also has a little crossover with Gerald's Game, which was published the same year.

This is presented in first-person as one continuous, unbroken dialogue from the titular character as she gives a statement to the police. No chapter breaks, no blank spaces between paragraphs for time jumps. When I discovered this I was a bit worried that it would make for a tiring read, but instead the opposite seems to have happened. The format encouraged me to keep reading for longer sessions than I normally would, and the narrative flows and rolls along completely naturally.

While I wouldn't want to read lots of books written like this, as a one off it made for something kind of special. What really shines through here is King's ability to find a character's voice and craft a tale around it, bending things to their perspective and allowing you understand their point of view.

I loved it, and at only 300-ish pages it doesn't waste any time.

UP NEXT: Needful Things

(By the way, I also ready Gerald's Game a few months ago but completely forgot to write a review. I liked it, but didn't love it!)

If you like Dolores Claiborne, you REALLY need to read Gerald's Game. The two books are linked in the same universe, and Dolores Claiborne actually references the events of Gerald's Game in the beginning of the novel.

[Rich1983]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

I am glad you did not approach this book with reverence, like many that read this book first among King’s books because of the film and hold it dear to their heart.

There are definitely some flaws that you pointed out. Interesting that you enjoyed the ending; a lot of readers felt it was inconsistent and odd. I personally, as yourself, enjoyed it. The

[Show spoiler]spider and turtle motifs are ancient creation myths. The turtle holding up the universe and the spider a spinner of tales, Anansi trickster

. The Derry interludes are a nice touch, one of my favorite parts of the book.

Great review!

I read as a kid and absolutely loved it! It is definitely one of his classics. I need to reread it at some point.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Originally Posted by Rich1983

If you like Dolores Claiborne, you REALLY need to read Gerald's Game. The two books are linked in the same universe, and Dolores Claiborne actually references the events of Gerald's Game in the beginning of the novel.

Yep, as I said above I read it before Delores
Another link is that the Storm of the Century TV miniseries was also set on Little Tall Island.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Needful Things (1991)
Needful Things is classic Stephen King through and through. A small town community are invaded by a sinister evil, the locals minds are twisted and the monsters that hide within people are revealed. It shows us how easy it is to play on people's fears and how necessary it is to just talk honestly to each other. The only thing that's missing here is the protagonist being a writer - instead we get Sheriff Alan Pangborn returning from The Dark Half.

The story is set in Castle Rock. I always love coming back here and seeing how the town has changed and hearing about familiar characters (and after this story, I'm very interested in what's next for the town, although I don't think King will return to it properly for a long time). This book is a standalone tale, but it references, and completely spoils, the events of The Body (Stand By Me), The Dead Zone, Cujo, The Dark Half and The Sun Dog.

This is also a classic Stephen King book in regards to its length. It's another 1000 page behemoth, and once again it does feel bloated. Chunks of the story could certainly have been cut out without losing the core, but at the same time that would be something of a disservice. The length feels right here. The time is taken to bring the town and the people to life, and while I do feel some fatigue I also find it to be an essential part of what makes me enjoy a King story of this style.

Overall I really enjoyed this. Sheriff Pangborn is a great character (and it probably helped that I had Ed Harris from the movie adaptation in my head) who has to deal with some difficult events, and the delightfully evil Leland Gaunt is a fantastic antagonist. We even get the return of Ace Merrill (from The Body) as a deliriously nasty slice of human scum.

After taking a good while to set the scene, the whole thing builds with a relentless pace from around 2/3rds in. Unfortunately, King does fumble the ending as he is somewhat prone to do, but it's by no means one of his worst finishes. This is a very complete story and a wonderfully engrossing supernatural horror tale, plus it has a fun off-kilter weirdness to it. I actually got a bit of a Twin Peaks vibe.

[Cardboard_killer]

Finally finished IT. I was underwhelmed. It needed editing with a heavier hand. Also, it felt a little like a repackage of The Shining.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Originally Posted by LeftHandedGuitarist

We Think Not - a Holly Gibney novel

This book is now titled Never Flinch and is releasing 27th May 2025.

[Dr. Seymour Love]

this looks interesting, coming Aug 2025, 800 pages!

An original short story anthology based on master storyteller Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestselling classic The Stand!

Since its initial publication in 1978, The Stand has been considered Stephen King’s seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraordinary works exploring the unraveling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel—generations of writers have been impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of characters.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of The Stand through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today’s greatest and most visionary writers, The End of the World As We Know It features unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of The Stand—brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the classic, bestselling novel.

Featuring an introduction by Stephen King, a foreword by Christopher Golden, and an afterword by Brian Keene. Contributors include Wayne Brady and Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S. A. Cosby, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, and Rio Youers.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Insomnia (1994)
A mesmerising book about aging, death, love and a battle between ancient beings of unimaginable power. This begins as one thing and slowly evolves into something else. It's heavily linked to The Dark Tower series and the connections are extremely satisfying and often fun.

One of my favourite things here is that King's protagonists are older people (in their 70s, I believe). It makes for a refreshing and different point of view, allowing a very different mindset in the characters. Ralph Roberts is someone I enjoyed spending time with from the start. The initial set up is that Ralph has been suffering from a peculiar form of insomnia ever since his wife's death. He begins seeing strange things, and meanwhile one of his close friends has suddenly turned into a violent psychopath.

By the halfway point of the novel, most of this has no longer become relevant. I'm not sure if the shift in direction into a far more supernatural, mystical story is for the better but I was wrapped up in it. At least, I was once I accepted how silly it was all getting and I think that's largely because King's writing takes it all seriously. It's so easy to be pulled along, and he consistently maintains tension and thrills. But honestly, that first half of the book with its mystery was the stronger part, and the complete side-stepping of the titular 'insomnia' feels a bit of a let down.

The writing itself is King very much in his element. Lovely prose regularly interrupted by musings, side stories and very cheesy, unnatural dialogue that still works beautifully. Anybody saying this stuff out loud would sound ridiculous, yet it just works in your head. It got to the point where everything the character Lois was saying just made me laugh: "Ralph, what's wrong? What's happening, Ralph? Ralph, what should we do? Ralph, don't do that! What do you mean, Ralph? Ralph, tell them we won't do it! Ralph, we need to go! Let's go, Ralph! My God, Ralph! Do you see it, Ralph?! Ralph, I'm hungry, Ralph."

There is bloat here, but it's manageable bloat if that makes sense. This book certainly has one of King's stronger endings with a particularly good epilogue. I'd also say it's probably the most political book of his I've read, with a significant chunk of the story dedicated to pro-choice/pro-life debates. I felt that the writing here was strong, and he allowed his characters to each have their own opinions.

I enjoy coming across King books that haven't been adapted for film or TV, it's nice to go into one knowing nothing about it. Honestly, this one would be tough to translate to the screen. It relies on some visual concepts which are bizarre to say the least, and I can't say the sight of

[Show spoiler]an old man karate-chopping imaginary energy at a miniature bald doctor

would work very well.

[Dr. Seymour Love]

^^^^I remember buying the hardback and reading it when it came out. I need to revisit it, it's been forever since I read it, and I remember not liking it too much.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Rose Madder (1995)
In the first half of the '90s, King wrote a run of books which all told stories about strong women trapped in bad situations. I've thoroughly enjoyed all of them so far, with Dolores Claiborne and Gerald's Game being stellar examples of his ability to find a different voice and write from that perspective. Rose Madder might be weaker than both of those when taken as a whole, but the book is full of incredibly powerful moments and masterful tension.

The opening chapter starts the book with one of the hardest hitting things King has written. Rose is married to Norman, a police detective and an abusive husband who has beaten her badly enough to cause a miscarriage. He doesn't care. He has complete control of Rose, and is one of the most terrifying antagonists I've found in any book so far. King doesn't do things by halves, so when we are introduced to how cruel and psychotic this guy is, we're actually only scratching the surface.

[Show spoiler]Yeah, he bites someone's dick off.

Rose, meanwhile, is an absolutely beacon of light. She gathers the courage to escape, and her journey is nail biting as we come to learn what Norman is capable of. Reading any moment of relief or happiness for Rosie feels genuinely joyful; I was completely invested in her. She continues through her fear.

All the parts of the book dealing with Rosie or Norman are gripping. It's some of the outside stuff which I kind of had to push through. Most of the other characters feel weak and underdeveloped. A fantastical element enters the story (with some loose ties to The Dark Tower) and while I adore fantasy, here it stood out as perhaps not quite fitting. Fortunately the magical stuff is vivid and often involving, but these sections tend to flow slowly. They're also a little confusing, using symbolism to reflect Rosie's journey but not being quite clever enough to have impact.

The book's ending is also less than I had hoped for, becoming extremely cartoonish and very drawn out. Still, it never failed to have impact, and there's a particular image of

[Show spoiler]the way Norman ends up talking to a mask with a bull's face that surprisingly got under my skin.

Plus, it's always fun to come across a King book that has never been adapted for film or TV, making the whole thing a delightful unknown. A strong book, at times excellent, but with just enough about it to prevent me from completely loving it.

[Dr. Seymour Love]

^^^^One of the few books by him I've never read.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Desperation (1996)
King's run of 1990s novels has been largely stellar so far, but it was bound to be interrupted. Desperation is a mess that I found an uphill battle to get through.

It all starts well. We are introduced to a variety of travellers on a stretch of Nevada desert highway who all encounter a deranged sheriff. This policeman is an intimidating presence, clearly insane and unsettlingly casual with his violence as he lures in unsuspecting victims. Those who survive their meeting with him find themselves thrown in jail cells in the eerie town of Desperation.

The book continued to draw me in as the survivors band together to work out what the hell is going on, but after the first third it all grinds to a halt. There's a lot of talking, a lot of rambling descriptions and not much actually happening. The characters are such a mixed bag of uninteresting. Where's the depth King is so good at? The best characters here are probably Steve - who is essentially a roadie for a famous writer - and Cynthia, a character introduced in King's previous book Rose Madder. On the opposite end we have David, a 10-year-old child who has found God and is both insufferable and poorly written. I couldn't imagine most of the sentences he spoke coming out of a kid's mouth. Meanwhile there are also Ellen and Mary who are almost interchangeable.

The rest of the novel is a slow burn of characters talking about what they should do before finally acting (clumsily and very slowly) in the last hundred pages. This is interspersed with some creepy sequences involving large spiders, snakes and scorpions which managed to land as very visceral; this is an area in which King shines. There's also the revelation of what has happened to the town and it's surprisingly incoherent.

It's been quite a while since I was this disappointed with a King novel, so hopefully the next (The Regulators) will be more enjoyable.

[Fellini912]

11/22/63

Finished this great novel a month ago. I wanted to post my opinion about it. Being a big fan of Back to the Future part 1, I really enjoyed the novel which covers similar ground. Portals and time travel are some of my favorite story/fable tropes. There are similarities to The Great Gatsby which I was surprised to notice. For Stephen King fans and readers, some characters from a previous popular novel make their appearance which was an added bonus.

There are some things I wished King would have gone into greater detail.

[Show spoiler]I wish to learn more about the Yellow card man and his society of time protectors. It would have been awesome if King explored the alternate post radiation timeline a bit more.

I truly believe this is one of his best novels.

[Dr. Seymour Love]

Originally Posted by Fellini912

11/22/63

Finished this great novel a month ago. I wanted to post my opinion about it. Being a big fan of Back to the Future part 1, I really enjoyed the novel which covers similar ground. Portals and time travel are some of my favorite story/fable tropes. There are similarities to The Great Gatsby which I was surprised to notice. For Stephen King fans and readers, some characters from a previous popular novel make their appearance which was an added bonus.

There are some things I wished King would have gone into greater detail.

[Show spoiler]I wish to learn more about the Yellow card man and his society of time protectors. It would have been awesome if King explored the alternate post radiation timeline a bit more.

I truly believe this is one of his best novels.

Loved this one too. Thought he did a great job on the ending.

[Fellini912]

The Gunslinger

I started my Dark Tower reading journey. Reviewing Dark Tower reading order guides, it seems I have read enough Stephen King novels to not miss important tie ins with other non-Dark Tower novels.

The best way I can describe this novel, in my opinion, is a bit of Cormac McCarthy western mixed with some hallucinogenic drug from Jodorowsky´s El Topo. It felt very unique and different than his other novels. It also felt allegorical (maybe with the later novels it will feel less so).

I liked the mysterious open ending, compelling me to read the next novel. I am glad I do not have to wait five years to read the next part.

According to the guide I am following, it suggested the 1982 version to begin not the revised version.

[Dr. Seymour Love]

Originally Posted by LeftHandedGuitarist

This book is now titled Never Flinch and is releasing 27th May 2025.

This one is another solid Holly book. Not top tier King, but worth a read. There's a lot going on in it plot-wise and he says in the afterword that he struggled with it, as well as getting hip surgery in 2023.

[Fellini912]

Originally Posted by LeftHandedGuitarist

The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987)
(Re-read)
The level of quality between this and The Gunslinger is just a huge step up. King's writing is more confident, more skilful and more focused. In the previous book Roland of Gilead felt like an abstract creation, here he's extremely well defined while still being an interesting enigma. Even more successful are the new characters of Eddie and Odetta/Detta who absolutely leap off the page.

The narrative is also much improved here. Just the opening chapter of the book is ten times more engaging than the entirety of The Gunslinger as Roland is beset upon by the lobstrosities (damn, they are creepy) and severely maimed. This will have a major impact on him going forward as we see immediately.

This book embraces the multiversal nature of the story as we spend time travelling between worlds and times. Eddie and Odetta appear to come from our world, a place where the movie adaptation of King's The Shining exists. We get to visit the '80s, the '70s and the '60s in New York and each of these narrative threads is overflowing with personality that draws you in.

One section was also a clear influence on the Lost TV show which recreated a scene on the plane far too closely to be a coincidence. (I remember watching the show around the time I first read this book and laughing at how they had lifted it right from here.)

It's remarkable that the story is actually so self-contained. It's essentially a long stroll up a beach filled with conversations and confrontations and I can only praise the writing for keeping that so interesting. There is certainly some downtime here and sections which I felt impatient to get through, but that's only because I was so eager to get to what I knew was coming. This book is where The Dark Tower saga really begins.

I finished the second part of Dark Tower series. Wow! I really enjoyed it and totally agree with LeftHandedGuitarist’s review.

There are some points I would like to make. The Tarot plays a heavy hand in this novel and I strongly believe it was King’s main inspiration for this part of the series. In the Gunslinger, the man in black draws 7 cards to define Roland’s future

1) The Hanged Man (card 12 from the tarot)
2) The Sailor
3) The Prisoner
4) The Lady of Shadows
5) Death (card 13 from the tarot)
6) Tower (card 16 from the tarot)
7) Life

Three are from the actual tarot. The other 4 are the man of black’s variations. As much as King tries to be original with the other non tarot cards, they are shadows of the original cards. For example the Prisoner is a variation of the Fool (the card that has no number).



Instead of a baboon on the man’s shoulder, it is a dog like creature at the man’s thigh. For Odetta/Detta’s card it is a version of the chariot (card 7 of the tarot)



Besides the cards that Walter drew in the Gunslinger, there are other tarot cards that show up in the novel. I do not need to explain how the moon card (card 18) is used in the novel. See for yourself (I love the beginning of the novel).



The reading order guide that I am using recommends reading Talisman first. Are Eddie and Odetta dimensional twins of the gunslinger? I believe King implies it by their use of The Gunslinger’s guns, but he does not explain how or why he can enter their mind/body.

Highly recommended!