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Customer Reviews (3)

Emerging Markets Are Winning The Economic War
I am sure I'm not the only one whom wondered if the scary novel writer was taking a stab at economics.This King writes a scary story if you are an investor with all your long term savings in the USA or other "rich countries".He makes a clear case that China, Russia, India and Brazil are the new global economic leaders and it is they who are beginning to control the largest share of the world's resources and create most of the profits from growing businesses. It's time to question the assumption that rich countries are just going to get richer and poor countries will always stay poor.The pendulum is swinging.I liked this book and recommend it for sober reading, especially for investors.

Strong, smug biases mar an otherwise thoughtful book.
Let me name the biases.Pro-integration, pro income redistribution, naive belief in the ability of all people to benefit from education, constantly thumping the West for its contribution to global warming. Several times he equates Halliburton with the East India Company.Wish he had more examples, and I wish he were right!I was a Halliburton shareholder, and we didn't get rich through their support of the Iraq war.A personal aside - Halliburton owns RMK-BRJ (formerly Raymond-Morrison Knudson - Brown Root Jamison) which did extensive, and reasonably competent, logistics support in Vietnam.Halliburton is one bogeyman which everyone who wishes to discredit Bush's motives pulls out of the closet.The Iraq war is stupid, but involving Halliburton wasn't done in the interests of "state capitalism."They were simply the only company clearly qualified for the job, in a situation in which a contract had to be let quickly.The bottom line is that King didn't need to use this soapbox to flog all of his politically correct notions.

He correctly identifies the demographic disaster facing the wealthy nations - simply no kids.He naively assumes, no, argues that immigrants can fit into society and take roles interchangeably with the native born.This has certainly been true of examples he cites, such as Ukrainian Jews, Chinese and Southern Europeans as a group.It is worth noting that, freed of governmental constraints, these peoples are doing quite well in their lands of origin.The situation is not true of the countries now contributing immigrants.Africa, north and south, and Latin America have remained poor throughout their histories, with the exception of the southern cone areas established by Europeans and Japanese, however benign their governments.Unbounded immigration is an irreversible experiment, currently underway.One hopes that King's optimism about the outcome is well placed, but the evidence doesn't go that way.Encouraging it hardly seems like the prudent path.For all his hand-wringing, Japan seems to be surviving without immigration.My personal bet is that Japan will look golden in 50 years.They will have retained their identity in exchange for a bit of austerity.

All this out of the way, he does a good job of describing the limitations of central bankers and the difficulties governments, especially democratic, face in maintaining financial discipline.Also the many ways in which markets are not and have not been free, but are rather dominated by state interests, even in supposedly free societies.The alarum he sounds regarding corpulent westerners' comfortable retirements rings true.Also the notion that the US must in essence devalue its currency, discounting China's and other countries' vast holdings of US debt, because the US taxpayer will simply not honor them at par value.

One would hope for a bit of investment advice.If all transpires according to King's crystal ball, which seems to me to be clearer than most, there will be winners and losers.Where should one putone's money?He suggests dollar denominated assets which will nonetheless track real value, not the dollar, such as commodities.The emerging markets' demands, especially those of China, will put upward pressure on metals, oil, and other raw materials.

I'm glad I read it.For all its flaws I got quite a bit out of it.

Interesting but Incomplete -
Stephen King, author of "Losing Control," is global bank HSBC's Chief Economist and a member of the "Financial Times" Economist's Forum, not the Stephen King of scary stories. Nonetheless, "Losing Control" is still somewhat scary, telling a tale of how Western post-millennium economies are becoming less controllable, and cannot be relied on for continued economic growth. The intent of his book is to demonstrate why the years ahead will continue to shift economic activity from the West to the other side of the world, while the economic successes of nations elsewhere will impose growing constraints on already developed nations.

King's first significant point is that market forces were not the sole source of the West's earlier successes - state capitalism began long before China and Saudi Arabia forays in this direction. The East India Company's (formed in 1600) successes in India and then China were largely courtesy of England's Navy. Similarly, Europe's earlier development of sailing skills enabled the Continent to cut the Middle East out of profitable trade business with the Orient; the development of alternative sources of coffee and sugar in the Americas also helped. Meanwhile, Islamic leaders acerbated the relative decline of their nations by refusing to separate sacred issues from the secular, and thus hampered opportunities for technical progress. Another leadership blunder was China's worrying over corrupting outside forces leading them to close off their nation until after Mao's death. (In 1000 A.D., Chinese per capita income slightly exceeded that in Europe; by Mao's death it was about 8% that of Europe.) King also points out that new industries in the Americas benefited from strong protectionist measures. Those contending that today's government has no role in the economy would do well to reflect on these lessons from history.

"Losing Control" also contends that Japan-China trade helps explain Japan's economic stagnation, pointing out that since the early 1990s, Japan's exports to China have been dominated by capital goods and machinery, allowing China to better compete in manufacturing and lowering wage and economic growth in Japan.

China and others buying U.S. Treasuries lowered interest rate in the U.S. and made other, riskier investments more attractive.

King contends that prices in the West are increasingly determined by the developing world, and that pursuit of price stability in the West has contributed to mounting economic instability. If, for example, prices fall in relation to Western wages, perhaps due to reduced Asian demand for commodities, it makes no sense to encourage even more added spending by keeping interest rates low. Greenspan's Federal Reserve misread this late 1990s environment as a sign of a 'new economy' with rising productivity. Raising interest rates, such as the Bank of England did 2003-2007) may trigger capital inflows that lower interest rates and create a real-estate boom. With China boosting commodity demand and their prices, central bank policies to keep prices stable will create falling wages. Lower interest rates also encourage investing in nations paying higher interest rates. King's point in all this - capital markets are increasingly distorted by the decisions of various other nations, and being a central banker is more of an art than a science.

Another major "Losing Control" point is that globalization works to increase inequality within nations, while decreasing it between nations. Chinese industrial workers' income rises and allows them to buy better food, raising the prices for those foods and lowering the 'real income' for its other workers. At the same time, U.S. industrial workers lose 'real income' vs. Americans with capital; in addition, they also lose ground to the Chinese. Income inequality in both China and the U.S. has increased in recent years. We have tried to mask this problem with easier access to debt (as well as increasing the proportion of two-income families), but those actions create new problems. Increasing the proportion with a tertiary education is another strategy - however, King does not see this as successful in the long run because the Chinese are doing likewise (6% in 1999 to 22% in 2006), and the cost of U.S. education is rising too rapidly. Citigroup and Pepsi-Cola are already run by Indian-born executives.

King sees the West in danger of following in Japan's deflationary footsteps, or resorting to the printing press to resolve their debt problems.

Summarizing, "Losing Control" presents some moderately scary examples about how Western governments are losing control of their economies, confirms that income inequality is rising sharply, and illustrates why "A rising tide lifts all boats" is no longer true. However, "Losing Control" does not fully cover all the ways we are losing control of our economies, nor begin to explore how low Western economies could descend if unregulated capitalists continue pursuing the 'race to the bottom.' Neither does he cover the likely economic impact of ever-increasing trillion-dollar U.S. deficits and unfunded liabilities accumulated from excess health care, defense, education, and public pension costs, or businesses' growing ability to collect bailouts, evade taxes, financial, and fuel economy regulation, and community, environmental, and safety safeguards, while also proposing to privatize government services such as road-building and maintenance, Social Security, education, and utilities service. (The latter, ironically, is bolstered by their continually weakening the economy through self-serving, ever-increasing offshoring of jobs.) In addition, King does not address the likely escalation of Western job losses as Asian economies move up the ladder into R&D, engineering and design, and a wide range of other service jobs. Finally, "Losing Control" also fails to communicate the range of high-paying skills and vital capabilities already been lost to globalization, explain how misleading GDP statistics (artificially boosted by population growth, illegal immigration, increasing foreign-held debt and current-account deficits) are used to mollify the masses, or depict the likelihood of future civil disorders motivated by rising income inequality.

Bottom-Line: "Losing Control" is an apt title that summarizes current trends in Western economies. However, the author's conclusions would greatly benefit from broader thinking, and possibly even emulating the writing style of that other Stephen King. We do need to stop living beyond our means, but we don't need to cede control over our economic future. ... Read more

Product Description
Two of the greatest storytellers of our time join forces to create an epic thriller of unsurpassed power; a twisting, compelling story of a small American town held in the grip of evil beyond all reason.French Landing, Wisconsin. A comfortable, solid middle-American town inhabited by comfortable, solid middle-Americans! and a serial killer.Three children have been lost -- taken by a monster with a taste for child's flesh nicknamed 'The Fisherman' after a legendary murderer. It's all way beyond the experience of the local police, whose only hope lies with ex-detective Jack Sawyer, the man who cracked their last case for them. But, plagued by visions of another world, Jack has retired to this rural retreat precisely to avoid such horrors -- and, having recognized the touch of madness on this case, he's keeping well away.Soon, he'll have no choice. Young Tyler Marshall, left behind one afternoon by his bullying friends, pedals past the local old folks' home and is accosted by a crow. 'Gorg,' it caws, and 'Ty.' What ten-year-old could resist a bird that speaks his name? Not Ty, that's for sure.And as he follows the mysterious crow, he's grabbed by the neck and dragged into a hedge.The Fisherman has made another catch!Amazon.com Review
In the seemingly paradisal Wisconsin town of French Landing, small distortions disturb the beauty: a talking crow, an old man obeying strange internal marching orders, a house that is both there and not quite there. And roaming the town is a terrible fiend nicknamed the Fisherman, who is abducting and murdering small children and eating their flesh. The sheriff desperately wants the help of a retired Los Angeles cop, who once collared another serial killer in a neighboring town.

Of course, this is no ordinary policeman, but Jack Sawyer, hero of Stephen King and Peter Straub's 1984 fantasy The Talisman. At the end of that book, the 13-year-old Jack had completed a grueling journey through an alternate realm called the Territories, found a mysterious talisman, killed a terrible enemy, and saved the life of his mother and her counterpart in the Territories. Now in his 30s, Jack remembers nothing of the Talisman, but he also hasn't entirely forgotten:

When these faces rise or those voices mutter, he has until now told himself the old lie, that once there was a frightened boy who caught his mother's neurotic terror like a cold and made up a story, a grand fantasy with good old Mom-saving Jack Sawyer at its center. None of it was real, and it was forgotten by the time he was sixteen. By then he was calm. Just as he's calm now, running across his north field like a lunatic, leaving that dark track and those clouds of startled moths behind him, but doing it calmly.

While The Talisman was a straightforward myth in 1980s packaging, Black House is richer and more complex, a fantasy wrapped in a horror story inside a mystery, sporting a clever tangle of references to Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, jazz, baseball, and King's own Dark Tower saga. Talisman fans will find the sure-footed Jack has worn well--as has the King/Straub writing style, which is much improved with the passage of two decades. --Barrie Trinkle ... Read more

Customer Reviews (424)

Black House
On September 15th, twenty years ago, twelve year-old Jack Sawyer received his first experience of the Territories - a fantasy land created by the great minds of Stephen King and Peter Straub.On September 15th, 2001 Black House was released; the compelling sequel to the 1984 bestseller, The Talisman.

The deal with sequels is that they tend to suck, especially when they are compared (Jackie Collins comes to mind), but Black House reaches in and grabs you by the guts from the start.Once again King and Straub have done what they do best, and Black House may well in face be their best yet.

We last left little Jack Sawyer on the shores of the Pacific, having saved both his mother and her twinner in the Territories, as well as defeating the horrid man Stoat.Black House starts you off with the omniscient guidance of its talented authors in the small, quaint Wisconsin town of French Landing - the same towns that have made it into King's books; a nice surprise here is that it isn't the unknown hinterlands of Maine.Jack Sawyer is a retired LAPD detective (the reason for his retirement gets explained later in the book) living in French Landing.He no longer has any recollection of having traveled to anywhere known as the Territories.

But French Landing is about to be struck by a serial killer who has a passion for kidnapping little girls and boys - and there's biting involved, ladies and gentlemen.The killer, whose identity is revealed early on, has a little knack that none of the others at the old people's home possess: he can skip into the Territories.As to what he becomes over there, I'll let you find out for yourselves.Meanwhile as the disappearances continue and the bodies begin to mount up.Jack is dragged into the investigation in various ways, all of which he doesn't wish to partake in.The killer also has some clues to give Jack about his past in the Territories, the very history he has tried so hard to forget for the last twenty years.

But that is not all.For you Dark Tower fans, King takes the helm at certain parts, throwing you lines of information along the way, revealing more of the enigmatic words: Breakers, the Crimson King, those darned Low Men in Yellow Coats, and yes, even the Beams get mentioned here.

Originally published on September 24th 2001 ©Alex C. Telander.

Originally published in the Long Beach Union.

For over 500 book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to [...].

Black House Audiobook on Tape is not awesome but adequate
Black House is one of the finest books written by Stephen King and Peter Straub -- and this audiobook is read by Frank Muller, no doubt the finest voice in audiobooks before his tragic accident a few years ago.

Black House is a sequel of sorts of the book Talisman and uses many of the same villians.The Crimson King, who makes appearances in Insomnia and The Dark Tower series is every bit as threatening.The Black House itself was a "black house" and Jack's destination in the Talisman where he fought one of his most heroic battles.

The fidelity is fine on this tape version of the audiobook.The only problem with it is ... well ... it's on tape, which means swapping in and out small audio cassettes, some 15-18 of them in the course of the book.

However you can't beat the price and all of that wonderful narrative is there to explore.

What Happened to the Black House?
This book was okay I suppose, but not my favorite of King's. I think "The Talisman" had a better plot and was more well written. The style of writing in this book, especially in the beginning, made it very hard to get into the story. I had to push myself to keep reading. This was definitely one of King's more gruesome and gory works. I haven't read anything of Straub's so I can't speak for his style. Definitely made me cringe a few times. The antagonist "Burny" was one of the most despicable villains I've ever read about, and Jack was a terrific, well-written hero. I loved him from the beginning.

My biggest grievance with this book is What Happened To The Black House?? The entire plot, the whole beginning three/fourths of the book, were a lead-up to when Jack actually gets to Black House. The whole storyline is driven by how Jack will find the house and who he will take with him and what will happen there. And then all the sudden, BAM! The whole gang is there and they are all the way through the house in just a few pages of this LONG book, and there was only ONE or TWO PARAGRAPHS actually describing what happened in the house. For goodness sake, the TITLE of the book is Black House, shouldn't the house have had a bigger part in the story?? That was why I kept reading, to see what was IN the house. Yes, I realize the house was just a gateway to the "other" place, but I just thought the whole last section, "Black House & Beyond," was a bit of a disappointment.

Black House
On the flip side of The Talisman(like Jack flipping into the Territories), this book appears to be mostly Straub and I suspect that Mr. Straub's nightmares and daydreams are far more terrifying that Mr. King's. The mystery and the horror are dead on.There is no chaff; only streamlined story that is racing towards a stunning end.I believe this is due to Straub.In fact, I think King should use Straub as an editor because I didn't find myself bored at any point(something I find in King's later works usually the middle). There is a rumor that Mr. King and Mr. Straub would like to do a third book about our friend, Jack Sawyer.I hope this is true and eagerly await it's arrival.

Little Beat up but so Was Jack
I take long rides to Upstate NY on alternate weekends and I just got through listening to my favorite book of all time the Talisman and I thought I would follow it up with this. I am so glad I did. And it was in fine shape looks like it was loved and listened to once or twice, but well taken care of! ... Read more

Product Description
'Although it is difficult to believe, the 60s are not fictional; they actually happened' (from the Author's Note). "Hearts in Atlantis" comprises of five brilliant, interconnected, sequential narratives, each deeply rooted in the 60s and haunted by the Vietnam War: In "Low Men in Yellow Coats", 11-year-old Bobby discovers that adults are sometimes not rescuers but at the heart of the terror. In the title story, a bunch of college kids get hooked on a card game, discover the possibility of protest and confront their own collective heart of darkness. In "Blind Willie" and "Why We're in Vietnam", two men who grew up with Bobby in suburban Connecticut try to fill the emptiness of the post-Vietnam era. And in "Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling", Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart's desire may await him.Amazon.com Review
With his idiosyncratic blend of patrician airs and boyish charm, narratorWilliam Hurt provides a wonderful complement to this wildly imaginativecollection of short stories by author Stephen King. Hurt carefully weavesthe disparate elements into a cohesive whole, embracing the subtlecomplexities of each character; one moment a wizened sadness leaks into hisvoice as a haunted old man, pursued by demons, asks his 11-year-oldlookout, "You know everyone on this street, on this block of this streetanyway? And you'd know strangers?Sojourners? Faces of those unknown?"Then, in a profound yet almost imperceptible switch, he exposes the boy'snaive enthusiasm, "I think so." Right about here your neck hairs will standat attention. Hurt's peculiar vocal style is in perfect pitch to King'sdark, surreal vision of growing up amid the monsters of post-VietnamAmerica. (Running time: 21 hours, 20 CDs) --George Laney ... Read more

Customer Reviews (593)

Brought back memories!
What real cops do.
I'm 61 now and as I read through the pages of this book, finding it hard to put down, it brought back so many memories. The innocence of childhood. The carefree life of a child. Finding that simple things can be the most fun and exciting. It also brought back memories of Vietnam, or should I say that era. I was a soldier between 1969 and 1972. I did not serve in Vietnam, but I knew many that did and I know of those who came back messed up physically and mentally. I was drafted and I knew of those that managed to stay out of the draft by going to college or going to the National Guard. I also knew a few that failed in college and went anyway and of at least one person who did not attend Guard meetings as required on was activated.
It also made me think of my first love.
This is a great read, and I would encourage anyone to read it.

WARNING - King reads half the book!
Nowhere on the label does it say Stephen King is reading any of this book.If it did, I would never have bought the CD.The first story is read by a very good reader.The rest is not -- at least so far as I can tell.I listened to King read for 5 more disks and that was all I could stand.I don't know how much of it he actually reads.I feel this was trick labeling of the CD and I will never buy another Stephen King audio book for fear it will not tell the truth about who is reading.

Good Bedtime Reading..
..because it's seldom so interesting that you can't put it down, and sometimes just boring enough to make you sleepy!

Seriously, this was not an awful book, but neither was it great.In fact it could just as well have been 3 separate novellas as each of the stories is only linked by the faintest of threads.The first reads like sci-fi, the second long section like autobiography.The third section (Viet Nam) suddenly delves deeply into some characters we've not even met with in the first 2 sections in order to compliment the story of some secondary characters from the 2nd section who go to Viet Nam. And for the grand finalle, it wraps up with a quip of an ending relating back to the first story.The only thing that unifies this novel besides the somewhat distant relationship between characters of the 3 parts, is the 60s, how they got through it and what finally became of them.

In a nutshell, it could be a frustrating read for folks that care about the outcome of the first story which is the most interesting.On the other hand, if you're feeling more detached and you don't mind a casual (long) walk down memory lane (from the point of view of college students in the 60s and then Viet Nam), you may find something in the autobiographical tone of the substantial second section (not autobiographical in fact) and the sorrow and nightmare flashbacks of the vets in the third section, though this seemed like it had been done before in too many Hollywood movies.Finally, what seems like eons later, we get around to wrapping up the original story in a dozen pages or so (I did like the name of the last section "HEAVENLY SHADES OF NIGHT ARE FALLING" - and it does end on a somewhat satisfying note).

While overall the book has a number of good moments and as many or more than are occasionally tedious, I don't regret reading it - but neither would I recommend.For much, much better 'new millenium' Stephen King (not horror, but gripping all the same) check out "Bag of Bones".

Heart breaking
I pretty much quit reading Stephen King in the early eighties.But in the last few years I've become attracted to his less supernatural horror stuff, in part because of the superb film adaptations like Stand By Me, Shawshank Redemption and (for me) recently, the excellent Dolores Claiborne.A few years ago, I read some really good short stories, as well as The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon , which was gripping but didn't really move me that much.However, I just finished Hearts In Atlantis.Amazing.Just a thread of the supernatural is masterfully strung throughout these five separate pieces, though it could just as easily be considered a novel.It's about the 60's; the effects of the Vietnam war, the anti-war movement and the horrible things that human being do to each other, as well as the wonderful things that human beings are capable of.All the main characters fail at some point in realizing their ideals, and the book appears to be a subtle indictment of the baby-boomer generation.However it really seems to apply to all of us who have settled for microwaves, cell phones and PCs rather than trying to understand and perhaps heal the insanity that has become of western civilization.But it's also full of compassion, and I was moved to tears more than once.Although the first story/section, "Low Men in Yellow Coats", appeared to me to be the highlight of the book as I approached the ending, the last two stories recast the rest of the book in an unexpected and totally compelling light, and it made it clear that this may be his masterpiece. Highly recommended.

poignant and real
Just when you think you have Stephen King figured out, he surprises you again!! The characters who inhabit the places and times of this book are richly limned and lovingly detailed. Mr. King has done them the justice that only someone the calibre of a Harper Lee or a Carson McCullers can do..in that he captures them in prose that is achingly reminiscent of these two authors..He has proven himself truly a master..as far as I am concerned, this is his magnum opus... ... Read more

Product Description

For the first time in Stephen King's remarkable publishing history, the master storyteller presents an all-new, original tale written expressly for the television screen.

They're calling it the Storm of the Century, and it's coming hard. The residents of Little Tall Island have seen their share of nasty Maine Nor'easters, but this one is different. Not only is it packing hurricane-force winds and up to five feet of snow, it's bringing something worse. Something even the islanders have never seen before. Something no one wants to see.

Just as the first flakes begin to fall, Martha Clarendon, one of Little Tall Island's oldest residents, suffers an unspeakably violent death. While her blood dries, Andre Linoge, the man responsible sits calmly in Martha's easy chair holding his cane topped with a silver wolf's head...waiting.

Linoge knows the townsfolk will come to arrest him. He will let them. For he has come to the island for one reason. And when he meets Constable Mike Anderson, his beautiful wife and child, and the rest of Little Tall's tight-knit community, this stranger will make one simple proposition to them all:

"If you give me what I want, I'll go away."Amazon.com Review
Stephen King started writingStorm of the Century as a novel, but it evolved into theteleplay of an ABC TV miniseries. Set in Maine's remote Little Tall Island, the tale isall about vivid small-town characters, feuds, infidelities, sordidsecrets, kids in peril, and gory portents in scrambled letters. Thecalamitous snowstorm is nothing compared to the mysterious mind-readingstranger Linoge, who uses magic powers to turn people'sguilt against them--when he's not simply braining them with hiswolf-head-handled cane. Don't even glance at that cane--it can bringout the devil in you. Just as The Shining was concerned withmarriage and alcoholism as much as it was with bad weather and worsespirits, Storm of the Century is more than a horror story. It'screepy because it's realistic.

But it's also unusually visual. Linoge's eyes ominously change color,wind and sea wreak havoc, a basketball leaves blood circles with eachbounce. The 100-year storm no doubt hits harder onscreen than on thepage, but the snow is a symbol of the more disturbing emotionalmaelstrom that words evoke perfectly. And the murders of folks we'vegotten to know is entirely terrifying in print. The crisp disciplineof the screenplay format makes this book better than lots of King'smore sprawling novels--the end doesn't wander and the dialoguecrackles. Here's the real test: It's impossible to read parts 1 and 2and not read part 3, "The Reckoning." --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (169)

Very entertaining.
I love this screenplay! It's entertaining. I plan to catch the miniseries one day soon. The Linoge character is very creepy. Highly recommended.

THE ABSOLUTE BEST
HAVING READ A POT-FULL OF S. KING'S---THIS IS THE ONLY ONE THAT I HAVE KEPT
IN MY KEEPER COLLECTION---BACKED UP BY THE MOVEI!!!WHAT TO DO FIRST--READ THE BOOK---
WATCH THE MOVIE--WATCH THE MOVIE--READ THE BOOK???ANY WAY YOU DO IT---YOU DON'T LOSE.
GREAT, GREAT BOOK ((OKAY--SCREENPLAY FOR YOU PURISTS)).MY FEELINGS---I DON'T THINK
THAT IT IS NEARLY AS SCARY AS SOME OF THE OTHERS--BUT--IT HAS ITS MOMENTS.GREAT, GREAT
BOOK--GREAT, GREAT MOVIE.A REAL KEEPER.

Clive Barker is Better
I've read many of Mr. King's books and I believe the reason they are so long is because he spends a great deal of time talking about trivial things such as the color of eyes, shape of eyes, length of hair, color of pants, etc. In this book Croatan is mentioned at least twice (and in the movie), but neither explains what a Croatan is! It's a werewolf! If you want true horror and excitement, try Clive Barker and I would suggest your first experience with Mr. Barker be "The Damnation Game". It's FANTASTIC!

A very good effort by the King
First I need to say that I was not very excited to read Stephen King's "Storm of the Century" because I was afraid that the screenplay format would strip away all the character building I enjoy in Stephen King's writing.Secondly, I have never liked many of his works written for, or adapted for, the screen. I began this book with some serious concerns.

No worries were needed.After I got through living with the residents of Little Tall Island for two nights during the biggest storm ever to hit the island, and the visitor who chose this time to rip the island's community apart, I was more than satisfied that I picked up "Storm of the Century".

The characters were stock King characters, but the anti-hero, Linoge, was actually even creepier because the screenplay format would not allow a deep dive into Linoge's motivation.All his physical actions, with no understanding (until the end) of his intentions, made Linoge unpredictable and a very strong evil character.

I also enjoyed seeing how Stephen King structured the suspense visually.From the quick cuts showing scenes of a town slowly being swallowed by the storm (and Linoge), to the great scene where Mike is chronicling the crime scene at Martha's with a Polaroid camera and each flash of the camera reveals new details of the crime.I thought his creative use of a visual medium was very good.

There were also enough pure Stephen King lines in the screenplay that you never forgot who the author was.The dialogue was not great, but some of the throw away direction is priceless.For instance, when one of the characters gets an axe to the face, Stephen King describes how he wants it sound (the action happens of camera) "it's like someone slapping mud with the flat of his hand".Or when he writes how the Town Hall should be depicted as the final safe haven in Little Tall Island and then adds "Of course the Titanic probably looked the same way before it hit the iceberg".

The theme of guilt within the tight family of islanders was also interesting, and I am glad the ending had a glimpse into the future (present) so we could see what happened to some of the main participants of the final tragedy.

All in all I enjoyed it a lot.

Storm of the Century
I havn't read it yet, but I've seen my dvd of it (at least) 3 times already. Let alone, on tv a few times too. ;)

~a Stephen King Constant Reader ... Read more

Product Description
Stephen King leads off with three stories, including 'Sneakers', about a very unusual haunting, and 'Dedication', one of the most powerful and unsettling of all his works. Dan Simmons pays homage to Philip K Dick with 'Metastasis', one of three highly accomplished stories. And George Martin rounds off the book with the brilliant werewolf novella, 'The Skin Trade'. Dark Visions is a brilliantly original showcase from three masters of the macabre. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Dark Visions - awesome book
This was an awesome book and I would love to find more along these lines.seller had this to me quickly and in mint condition

great collection of stories
the book kept me interested throughout.Not the finest collection of Kings works, but entertaining.Worth reading.

Not Free SF Reader
A strong anthology, with a 3.57 average, with the Simmons being the weakest part in general.However, the Martin 'hard boiled werewolf' novella is excellent.

Dark Visions : The Reploids - Stephen King
Dark Visions : Sneakers - Stephen King
Dark Visions : Dedication - Stephen King
Dark Visions : Metastasis - Dan Simmons
Dark Visions : Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell - Dan Simmons
Dark Visions : Iverson's Pits - Dan Simmons
Dark Visions : The Skin Trade - George R. R. Martin


Tonight show replacement appearance.

4 out of 5


Music biz mule dunny ghost.

4 out of 5


Spoof eater curse signing time.

3 out of 5


Cancer monster suspicion.

3 out of 5


Bolgia's televangelist transformation torment time.

3.5 out of 5


Officer's holey end.

3 out of 5


Mirror mirror on the wall, werewolf killer, blood will call.

4.5 out of 5




3.5 out of 5

One of the best horror anthologies around
I purchased this collection of works originally in its 1988 "Night Visions" release, primarily for its Stephen King contributions - and promptly work the cover off reading and re-reading the absolute masterworks by Dan Simmons and George R.R. Martin. I was literally jumping out of my chair when I happened across this new edition!

First off King's works are as good as always, both entertaining (Reploids, Sneakers), disturbing (Dedication) and thought-provoking.

Dan Simmons' contributions were an unexpected surprise. "Metastasis" had me on the edge of my seat, and "Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell" had me laughing out loud and shouting triumpantly at the same time. Bravo, Mr. Simmons!

George R.R. Martin's "The Skin Trade" definitely saves the best for last. This short story has become my favorite horror tale of all time, hands down. As of my writing this, I have read it at least twenty times, and it hasn't lost a bit of its appeal. For those of you who only know Mr. Martin through his "Song of Ice and Fire" series, this will show you why he is one of the greatest storytellers of our generation. It is a must-have for any reader's shelf.

Seven horror stories. Three lackluster entries by Stephen King. One great story by Dan Simmons and one by George R.R. Martin.

"Dark Visions" (2000) is a new edition of a 1988 anthology called "Night Visions 5: The Skin Trade."

It includes 3 short stories by Stephen King, 3 more by Dan Simmons, and one by George R.R. Martin.

King's contributions are "Reploids", "Sneakers", and "Dedication." Reploids is very short and goes nowhere. "Sneakers" is okay. Some parts are pretty cool. It's basically about a haunted men's room. (I kid you not.) "Dedication" is pretty gross. (As part of a black magic spell, a woman eats a man's congealing semen off of his sheets.) It gets points for the originality of its disgusting premise, but it's not a great story. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, all three stories are reprinted in King's collection "Nightmares & Dreamscapes."

Dan Simmons' contributions are "Metastasis" -- which is great -- "Vanni Fucci is Alive and Well and Living in Hell", and "Iverson's Pits." Metastasis is about supernatural slug-like creatures that cause cancer. They're usually invisible. Only one man is able to see them, and he invents a technique for drawing them out of their victims. "Vanni Fucci" is about a damned man and is slightly comedic. It's an okay story. A lot of Dan Simmons' fans think "Iverson's Pits" is the best of the three, but I liked it least. It's about Civil War ghosts, I think. (It's been a while since I read it.) Like Stephen King's stories, these three Dan Simmons stories were reprinted elsewhere. I think they're in the collection "Prayers to Broken Stones."

The best story is the last and also the longest. It's George R.R. Martin's werewolf story "The Skin Trade." I don't remember the whole plot, but I remember the story was *good*. And I don't think this story is available in another book.
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Product Description

Long before he gave us "a one-of-a-kind classic" (The Wall Street Journal) with his bestselling memoir On Writing, Stephen King crafted a nonfiction masterpiece in Danse Macabre, "one of the best books on American popular culture" (Philadelphia Inquirer).

The author whose boundless imagination and storytelling powers have redefined the horror genre, from 1974's Carrie to his new epic Under the Dome, reflects on the very nature of terror -- what scares us and why -- in films (both cheesy and choice), television and radio, and, of course, the horror novel, past and present.

Informal, engaging, tremendous fun, and tremendously informative, Danse Macabre is an essential tour with the master of horror as your guide; much like his spellbinding works of fiction, you won't be able to put it down.Amazon.com Review
In the fall of 1978 (between The Stand andThe Dead Zone),Stephen King taught a course at the University of Maine on "Themes inSupernatural Literature." As he writes in the foreword to this book,he was nervous at the prospect of "spending a lot of time in front ofa lot of people talking about a subject in which I had previously onlyfelt my way instinctively, like a blind man." The course apparentlywent well, and as with most teaching experiences, it was asinstructive, if not more so, to the teacher as it was to the students.Thanks to a suggestion from his former editor at Doubleday, Kingdecided to write Danse Macabre as a personal record of thethoughts about horror that he developed and refined as a result of thatcourse.

The outcome is an utterly charming book that reads as if King weresitting right there with you, shooting the breeze. He starts onOctober 4, 1957, when he was 10 years old, watching a Saturday matineeof Earth vs. the FlyingSaucers. Just as the saucers were mounting their attack on"Our Nation's Capital," the movie was suddenly turned off. The managerof the theater walked out onto the stage and announced, "The Russianshave put a space satellite into orbit around the earth. They call it ... Spootnik."

That's how the whole book goes: one simple, yet surprisinglypertinent, anecdote or observation after another. King covers thegamut of horror as he'd experienced it at that point in 1978 (a periodof about 30 years): folk tales, literature, radio, good movies, junkmovies, and the "glass teat". It's colorful, funny, and nostalgic--and also strikingly intelligent. --FionaWebster ... Read more

Customer Reviews (50)

Great book, but a bit out dated.
This is a great book, for its time. Just wish he would write a more recent one.

What Scares Stephen King?
This book, written using the author's notes from a college course he taught, explores the techniques that horror writers, filmmakers, and television producers use to scare us, entertain us, and keep us coming back for more.Along the way, King explores the horror genre from the 1950's through the 1980's and traces several key influences on his development as a horror fan, then author.

The author finds the roots of modern horror in three "tarot cards" or character archetypes, each represented by a key literary work.Our expectations about "The Vampire" were formed by Bram Stoker's Dracula; we see the essence of "The Werewolf" in the protagonist of Robert Lewis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde; and experience "The Thing Without a Name" as recurring versions of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein.He traces the influence of these themes in written fiction, radio, movies, television and in popular culture.

Most interesting is King's three-level taxonomy of fear reactions.The most refined is "terror" as the suspenseful anticipation of fright which can be induced by a skilful writer with the monsters off-stage.He believes that finely-tuned terror is best achieved through books and radio because they require more active engagement by their audiences."Horror" is secondary, as we recoil from the hidden monster as it is revealed."Revulsion" is the lowest, most visceral reaction triggered when we are "grossed out" by slime, gore and vomit.King admits that as an author he makes unrestrained use of all three.

This book is recommended for horror fans, Stephen King fans, and all those who work to improve their writing.Readers can learn more about the author's writing style and process in his subsequent nonfiction works On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and Secret Windows: Essays and Fiction on the Crafts of Writing.

An interesting and brilliant thesis on the field of horror
Danse Macabre, to me, is the singular book that showcases Stephen King's prowess as a writer, more than the novels and the short stories. It is the singular piece of work that made me sit up and take notice. It showed me what kind of a writer King really is beneath the surface: a complex yet infinitely understandable author with a well honed style which is well liked by both the young and the old, an author with a unique voice, a multifaceted voice that is logical and yet surreal at the same time, an entertaining author capable of hooking us in with a single sentence. In many ways, Danse Macabre is the definitive introduction to King's work as a whole and maybe even to King himself.

He draws us into a journey into a genre and field he so excels in, which is Horror. Just from the two forenotes alone, we can see and feel his passion for Horror: his references to Dracula and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, among many, sets the tone and feel for what's to come next. He starts off introducing us to terror, using the horror movies of the 1950s to explain just what terror means to him, putting it under the microscope, dissecting its pieces. He tells us why we, as a human race, tend to gravitate towards the genre. He then moves on to describing the various archetypes of the genre citing the three important books which have shaped it: Dracula, Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde. There's even a brief autobiographical chapter explaining how he came to like the genre, which should interest the fans. But, the bulk of the book, the portion of the book I loved the most, is King's thesis on the various conventional mediums Horror appears on: Radio, TV, Movies and literature. That portion of the book fascinated me the most.

King does such a good job, describing every work or example of horror fiction in those chapters with such amazing detail, that I read all of it straight through. It was that engaging, smooth flow of logic in his words that hooked me. The macro-dissection from the earlier chapters had carried into the later ones: he delved into such disparate works as Peter Straub's highly successful Ghost Story and The Exorcist, bringing us all, horror fans and non-fans alike, into an amazing path down the cornerstones of the genre. This thrilled me: I credit this book for renewing my love for the genre to a point where I even started picking up alot of the works King described here.

Which, I think, was King's ultimate motivation for publishing Danse Macabre in the first place. This book overwhelms and exhilarates the reader at the same time, which can be said for the rest of his work in general. And that is why I think you should pick this book up, especially if you are a person who hates Horror to the bone...

SK's thoughts on the horror field, 1950-1980
Stephen King must have gotten tired of answering the question `Why do you write such horrible stuff (and why do we read it)?'

Danse Macabre is sort of a wildly expanded version of the introduction he wrote for his first short story collection: Night Shift. Here, he discusses his love for the horror genre and explains what he finds valuable about it. This leads him to a survey of horror in the source of novels, films, radio and comics from the 1950's through the '80's.

Reading through the book, it is pretty dated. If you're an oldster like me who can remember the seventies and eighties the book ought to give you a heady dose of nostalgia and maybe remind you of some books and movies that should be checked out again, or some books you wanted to read back then, but have forgotten about.

However, if you are younger and can't remember stuff like Dark Shadows then the book's examples could come off as too unfamiliar for enjoyment. He is mainly focused on the years 1950-80 (with detailed side trips to praise the three horror bedrocks Dracula, Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) so depending on your age/interest in what the state of horror was at that time, your mileage may vary.

I enjoy the way the book was written, because even in his non-fiction he still has the gift for the gab and I enjoy his writing persona. Other reviewers that I respect didn't enjoy that so much, so maybe it depends on how much you like King's style.

You'll also get more horror book and movie recommendations than you can shake a stick at. He gives some interesting analysis of The House Next Door, The Haunting of Hill House, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ghost Story, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Doll Who Ate His Mother and The Incredible Shrinking Man.

This book also deserves credit for sparking my interest in Richard Matheson. King is fairly generous in recommending other horror writers and gives clear explanations of why he thinks the good ones are good.

I do wish he would do a companion book. Hey, in 2010 he could cover the 80's, '90's and '00's. That would give him another thirty year block. That would be cool.

danse macbre
I bought this book when it first came out and continued to purchase
Stephen King....now I am collecting them for my daughter for her birthday.
She will enjoy them too..... ... Read more

Product Description
Bobbi Anderson and the other good folks of Haven, Maine, have sold their souls to reap the rewards of the most deadly evil this side of hell. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (188)

A Bit Different
The structure of The Tommyknockers is a bit different than any other Stephen King novel that I've read.Basically, it's King's take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers.More Sci-Fi than horror.I'm on a bit of King marathon right now and this is the fourth one I've read in two months.The first three being The Stand, It and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.The first 200 pages deals with the development of the two main characters before he takes us anywhere else.Quite unlike The Stand or It or any other I can remember from my youth.I agree with the most popular review for this title in that, if you can stick with it, you'll have a good time.Not that I felt like I was trudging through the beginning but the likability of the two main characters (Bobbi Anderson and Eric "Gard" Gardener) isn't as great as one like Stu Redman from The Stand.Bobbi and especially Eric have quite a lot of flaws and you have to accept that or you just won't care.In a way it makes them quite real to me.I enjoyed the book and didn't mind many of the left wing views of "old Gard" concerning nuclear energy or the "Dallas Police."It's just part of his character and I accepted that.On a side note, I loved the little references to It, The Dead Zone and Firestarter as well as King himself that were scattered throughout the book.

Not up to King's usual standard
Many people have problems with this novel, and I certainly agree with them, but in terms of laying blame I hold the editor almost as responsible as King. The book is ludicrously overwritten, indulgent, tangential and full of plot holes, and while King created it, I think not reining him in was a horrible disservice both to his talent and to his fans.
Inside the 752 pages of The Tommmyknockers is a wonderful novel of about half that length. The story has numerous memorable moments and King is great at creating a feeling of impending doom. But the fact that his editor didn't make needed cuts and demand some simple rewrites is a real shame.
This is a strange and beautiful book that's buried, much like the flying saucer itself, under a massive pile of debris.

Technical matters
Well... what can I say? There were some technical matters in the book that put me off. There was the place when they were talking about a garden tractor and mentioned the "husky 4 cc engine. 4cc is about the size of a model airplane engine. And a not very big one either. Then there was the old man's gun. It seemed to flip-flop between being a revolver and an automatic. But i think this might have just been a slip of the pen. He mentioned there being 4 rounds in the chamber. I think he meant in the clip. However, King's made mistakes like this before - lack of continuity. Then too there is the matter of the saucer. He kept reiterating how huge it was. However he said the circumfrence was about 300 yards (estimated). Thats only about 100 yards in diameter. Thats only about the length of a football field - hardly titanic. Later on in the book I think the size was estimated up to about 200 yards across. Twice as big but still not in the titanic range. Also when Bobbi was making the sketch to estimate the size, I think it would have been impossible to draw it to scale on a pad of paper and compute the size. At that time I think they only had a chord of 20 or 30 feet. the drop would have been only a couple of inches for a circumference of 300 yards. I guess King must have been asleep in geometry class when they were talking about the circle. Well anyway - the book was OK. I think King should stick with horrer & leave the science fiction to people that know science.

**SIGH**
Once in a while, Stephen King writes something that makes me swear off Stephen King for awhile.This was the first time I had read something by Stephen King that I didn't like.The vast majority of Stephen King books are great or at least good.In this one, King creates likeable characters - then kills them off.The protagonists left over are completely unlikeable.There is also an improbable, unhinted-at plot twist: the aliens lack common sense.It felt like King wrote the story into a corner, then had to throw in a way to beat the omnipotent baddies.

I am not saying that this book is bad or not worth reading - nothing Stephen King writes meets that description.I would start with something else and put this at the bottom of the pile, under The Stand, It, Salem's Lot, The Dead Zone . . . and just about everything else King wrote except Cell (which has the same plot problems, albeit with likeable protagonists).

The Horror of Evolution and Regression
The Tommyknockers, by Stephen King, was released in 1987 and is a thick tome that keeps you enthralled throughout the whole novel.It follows Bobbi, a western genre novel writer, who trips upon a metallic object in the woods that she inherited.As Bobbi uncovers more of this mysterious object, the reader is directed to meet Gard, Bobbi's alcoholic former lover and poet.Gard travels a long and dark road to help Bobbi and they start to discover the truth about what was hidden in the ground.Sinister things start to occur as more is revealed and changes take place to the little town of Haven where Bobbi lives.

Stephen King is the master of character development; he draws the reader into his stories whether they like it or not.His characters are fully formed in this book, but I have to admit that I wasn't all that empathetic with them.I feel like I should have cared about them more in this book and I would have enjoyed the book more for it.As it was, I was rooting for the good guy in the end, but didn't really care what happened to most of the characters.Given that statement, I think that an emotional separation from these characters was fitting for this book.In essence, I, as the reader, was mirroring Gard's relationship with Bobbi by the end of the book.An emotional detachment from a person he's attempting to help.The Tommyknockers is about evolution and regression at the same time and maybe the reader shouldn't be empathetic to a character that becomes something new.

The Tommyknockers is a product of its time with a heavy hand on the topic of nuclear power and what Gard refers to as the "dallas police".I liked this book, but I won't read it 10 times like "It".
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Product Description

On a six-mile hike on the Maine-New Hampshire branch of the Appalachian Trail, nine-year-old Trisha McFarland quickly tires of the constant bickering between her older brother, Pete, and her recently divorced mother. But when she wanders off by herself, and then tries to catch up by attempting a shortcut, she becomes lost in a wilderness maze full of peril and terror.

As night falls, Trisha has only her ingenuity as a defense against the elements, and only her courage and faith to withstand her mounting fears. For solace she tunes her Walkman to broadcasts of Boston Red Sox baseball games and follows the gritty performances of her hero, relief pitcher Tom Gordon. And when her radio's reception begins to fade, Trisha imagines that Tom Gordon is with her -- protecting her from an all-too-real enemy who has left a trail of slaughtered animals and mangled trees in the dense, dark woods....Amazon.com Review
With a convincing mix of youthful optimism and world-wearyresignation, reader Anne Heche adds resonance to this unabridgedrecording. Heche is especially effective as the 9-year-old heroine,Trisha McFarland, who makes a fateful decision during an afternoonhike with her dysfunctional family. "The paths had forked in a 'Y.'She would simply walk across the gap and rejoin the main trail. Pieceof cake. There was no chance of getting lost." As one might suspect,there is every chance she'll get lost--or worse--and taking theshortcut turns out to be a very bad choice indeed. At times Heche'sreading may be too measured, but her narration is generally quite goodand her steady portrayal of a young girl lost renders this tale allthe more frightening. (Running time: 6.5 hours, 6 cassettes)--George Laney ... Read more

Customer Reviews (860)

Got a free afternoon?
Then take the time to read this short (for King anyway) book about a young girl named Trisha who ends up lost in the woods.It's not incredibly gruesome but I felt Trisha's fear and was always rooting for her till the end.Anyone who's ever gone hiking on the more rural areas of the Appalachian Trail (or in the deep woods for that matter) can sympathize with Trisha with just how much everything looks the same.Trees, plants etc.It can all look very similar.And when night comes so does the wild imagination of a scared child.Definitely not the best of King but a page turner that you'll just want to plow through to the end.

Decent read for King fans, though nothing special
I've read an awful lot of Stephen King, and liked most of it. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is not his best, but it's far from his worst. It's got all the usual King themes, but he goes relatively light on the horror and mayhem in this one, since it's essentially just a story about a little girl lost in the woods. It's a quick read with a fairly unremarkable ending.

I Don't Know if I Should Recommend This or Not
"The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted. Trisha McFarland discovered this when she was nine years old. At ten o' clock on a morning in early June she was sitting in the back seat of her mother's Dodge Caravan, wearing her blue Red Sox batting practice jersey (the one with 36 GORDON on the back) and playing with Mona, her doll. At ten thirty she was lost in the woods. By eleven she was trying not to be terrified, trying not to let herself think, This is serious, this is very serious.Trying not to think that sometimes when people got lost in the woods they got seriously hurt."

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is a near perfect book for the first two thirds of its narration. In the first pages, Trisha walks away from the path while on a family hike in the Adirondacks. The story follows over Trisha's shoulder as she struggles to survive and find her way back. Every word in these scenes bleeds tension, and the book is impossible to put down.

After a time, we reach the middle section. Trisha's story to survive is no longer quite as urgent - it's become clear that she's not going to be rescued in the next five pages, but she's not going to be fed to a bear in them, either - but this isn't necessarily such a bad thing. Building a narrative based on monotony's always a dangerous move, for rather obvious reasons, but King successfully walks a fine line and manages to convey the crushing, deadly tedium of a world where you're the only thing who's had a thought more complex than "grrr" today, without the text becoming an exercise in willpower.

It's in these sections where we see the first hints of the supernatural, but, whatever the monster that's pursuing Trisha is, it stays well out of the limelight here. If the cover didn't say Stephen King in such big letters, you might even think the beasty was just a reflection of Tris-ha's terror and loneliness, the need for there to be some other agency at work in such a lawless place, even a malicious force being better than simple bogs and trees and flies.

During these pages the focus of the story is still very much Girl in the Woods, not Demons Killing Stuff. Now that the sheer terror of the earlier sections have subsided, King takes the opportunity to show segments of beauty as well as plight, further drawing the reader into Trisha's journey through the wilderness. King cuts back on the flashbacks as the story progresses, while simultaneously deepening Trisha's character considerably.

And then we get to the ending, and - who's surprised? - it all goes to hell. At the end of a chapter two-thirds of the way through the book, I put the book down after reading for the past hour, absolutely enthralled. I have no idea where he can possibly go from here, I thought to myself. Well, it turns out that Stephen King didn't know where he should go either. In a few dozen pages literally all tension bleeds out of the narrative. Maybe it's yet another horrible obstacle, yet more hundreds of miles of forests, that breaks it, piling on one too many catastrophes for the result to still hold together. Or maybe it's just that something like this couldn't be kept up forever. I don't know, but while I read the first two-thirds of the book in two sittings, this part took me four or five to muscle through.

In inverse proportion with the amount of tension there is in the narrative, you have the supernatural presence. When the Lost in the Woods episode begins to lose its luster, King brings the bogeyman to the fore - and everything falls totally flat. Not for the first time, a monster is what takes the sails out of King's horror, beginning with the nothing-short-of-painful scene where Trisha talks to the representatives of the three gods, the intangible sub-audible, the loving God of Tom Gordon, and the evil-horror-terror God of the Lost.

In addition to the growing demonic presence, as The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon progresses, the endless procession of sayings - ranging from those obnoxious faux-adages, to TV jingles - only intensifies. King's love of euphemisms is pretty well established by now, stretching back to his earliest works (remember the capitalized DIVORCE, in The Shining, for instance?). It's not a bad thing in and of itself and is even quite endearing, at times. The problems come to the fore when clichés replace description, and truisms replace thought. As far as I can tell, Pepsi is the suburban equivalent of a fortune cookie generator, an utterly blank slate, save for an endless parade of prepackaged sayings. Acknowledging that something is hollow and cliché doesn't make it meaningful again, and ironic winks grow tiresome when repeated ad nauseam.

I haven't even mentioned the actual climax yet. [The rest of this paragraph has SPOILERS; if you want to be totally chaste entering the book, skip to the line break.] You know when you're reading a book, you stop at the one quarter-or-so mark and laugh to yourself about how poorly the author could end it? The problem with reading a newer Stephen King book is that you'll have a prediction...and then it'll actually come true. For instance, what's the worst way that a book about a girl being lost in the woods could end? Her being randomly found through no effort of her own, of course. To make matters worse, it comes right after what could've been a great ending. It was horribly cheesy, of course, but it worked. It was the kind of ending that tugs your heart strings so hard you just can't complain. But no, cheesy-but-excellent wouldn't be climactic enough, so let's bring in the gun toting hunter. Why the hell not? Ugh.

The first two thirds of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon are among the best pages that Stephen King has ever written. As I was reading them, I was mentally listing The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon alongside great works like The Shining and It. And then, I read the ending and was forced to watch as everything I loved about the book was ravished and discarded. I don't know whether I should recommend this book or not. It's not the worst thing that King's written, Everything's Eventual takes that dubious honor with ease, but it disappointed me more than anything else he's done. In the end, I think my recommendation goes like this...

Wait a minute. Haven't I said all this before? Right here (Duma Key: A Novel), in fact?? You know, I don't know if I can even blame Stephen King anymore. The formula for his later books is pretty damn blatant by now: excellent characterization and pacing, followed by lackluster horror and a god awful ending. I should know what I'm getting into by now, right? By this point, writing that a late era King novel disappointed me makes me feel like I'm going to a restaurant I've always hated, every single night, and complaining that the same dish I've always despised hasn't changed. Well, duh. I think it's time to stop coming back. Next time I'm in the mood for King, I think I'll reread Salem's Lot.

The guy who loved Patricia McFarland.
This book was not what I expected from Stephen King, one look and hold of the book made me decide that. Its roughly 220 pages, pretty sparse for one if his novels. But I was itching for a new King book after Under the Dome.

I was intrigued by the setting and the beginning of the story, and soon that wavered, and at times I was downright bored. But King has a special way of delivering his stories, he gives his characters a lot of dimensions, he breathes life into them, and none more so than Tricia. She is 9 years old, and it always felt that way. As I was reading this novel, and especially now afterward, I believe she's a real person.

She is quirky, and downright weird sometimes, the way we all are in private. She recalls memories and distorts some, just like we all do. This was my absolute favorite aspect of the book, and it never failed to cheer my up to peer into the mind of this lost 9 year old.

The book is not frightening, nor do I think it tries to be. Although reading the book won't take long, the journey inside it sometimes did. As much as I liked the main character, you got the sense that there really wasn't much to write about or to really progress the story at times.

I must admit I am a huge fan of the very ending, it was truly satisfying for me and made the whole experience worthwhile, however short it was.

Stephen King Light
This is a great book that differs a bit from King's usual horror-fiction.Events
are told from a single character perspective and we are left at the end wondering whether they actually occurred or were a figment of a young girl's imagination.The book is fast-paced and short making for a quick read.It should appeal to younger readers and those who like a suspenseful story with horror elements without a lot of 'blood and guts' killing. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (14)

ok, but not his best

I'm about to finish these tales and have determined that they are not as interesting (or as good) as many of his other collections, mainly Night Shift and Nightmares and Dreamscapes. The stories seem to touch on ideas he has already used (kind of like Tommy knockers and Dream catcher). The story of The Road Virus Heads North is very similar to the Sun Dog in Four Past Midnight (I did enjoy Virus though). And he throws in a silly story about a mobster dying of a gunshot wound, please (not so enjoyable)! It is worth reading, especially if you check it out of your local library or wait and buy the paperback. Three of the stories are available on audio in Blood and Smoke. They are great when read by the Master himself.

Why Did I Wait So Long?
I read this book last year, after watching the movie 1408.My friend commented that the story was in Everything's Eventual by Stephen King. I was shocked. I used to own this book but had never gotten around to reading it.In fact, I hadsold the book in a garage sale the summer before, and, although I once devoured all things Stephen King as soon as they were published, I have slowed down on reading in the last 10 years.Well, now I had to have that book! I ordered the book from Amazon the very next day, and read it from cover to cover.Why did I wait so long?

Like other reviewers, I really enjoyed his introductory chapter to writing, very insightful of the author, and the ever changing business of story telling (such as old time radio), book selling and e-book reading (love my Kindle).

These stories are what I love about Stephen King's writing, no one can match him in the "good scary story" department.

One story I really enjoyed was The Death of Jack Hamilton.I think about that story now when I see the trailer to Johhny Depp's new movie, Dillinger.I wonder if the account will be in the movie?One of the Dillinger Gang, Jack Hamilton, is shot while running away from the cops.Told by a member of Dillinger's gang, the story recounts Jack's last days, from the detailed account of his shooting through the next few days of the gang on the run, hiding out with friends, and Dillinger's attempts to keep Jack alive and entertain him through it all, as well. (Especially Dillinger's talent with flies!)

Strange, I thought, to include the prequel to the Dark Tower series.This is more of a Desparation or a Richard Bachman-type story, which I don't enjoy as much.Strangely interesting, the story did not inspire me to commit myself to the full series of books, but, at least now I know what the story is about.

My favorite Stephen King novels?It and Carrie.

Stephen King: Three Complete Novels: Carrie; Salems Lot; The Shining

Some of King's Best Short Stories
As a prominent King fan, this book harbors several of what I would consider his best pieces.Not always frightening, its great to see how King explores other genres and topics as only he can.

Some good, some bad
The number of stars references the closest average for the thirteen stories in this book that I read. I didn't bother with The Little Sisters of Eluria, because I am not a fan of the Dark Tower Saga, and I didn't really want to spend the time reading an eighty page "short story" that I wouldn't enjoy anyway.

For each of the rest, a star value is below, along with any thoughts that I had on them.

Autopsy Room Four 3
The Road Virus Heads North 3
That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French 3
Riding the Bullet 3

Pretty average stories, all told. Nothing new, original, or particularly well done in any of them. The third of these has a particularly obnoxious title, as if the author thought that it was cute to say Deja Vu in 11 words. Not for that, I would have given it four stars, as the ending is slightly unexpected. As even the author references, Riding the Bullet (a hitchhiker gets picked up by a ghost), Autopsy Room Four (autopsied alive), and That Feeling... (the temporal quantum bubble of repeitition) are pretty standard fare for horror novelists and writers in general. The Road Virus Heads North is an interesting enough story, or it would be, if it didn't strike me as stolen from a movie or television show, I can't remember which, featuring a painting of a house with a fence out front, where a boy is, and then isn't. For some reason, the latter was way scarier, and the story in this book is pretty dull by comparison.

L. T.'s Theory of Pets 2
The Death of Jack Hamilton 2
Luckey Quarter 2

These three stories have little to recommend them. The first is, like the first four stories, a retelling of what happens in a classical urban legend. In this case, though, it is more about what happened BEFORE that. Unfortunately, what happened BEFORE that is boring. The second is about a friend of John . Not particularly good, but quite boring. The third is just lacking in real detail. It has no horror, it has little enough fiction. If anything, it seems like a vignette from The Dead Zone mixed with a little bit of Everyday America. Boooring.

The Man in the Black Suit 3

I'm not surprised that this story won an O. Henry award, per se. Rather, I am surprised that Stephen King wrote it. It is a good story, although it, again, feels like something that is taken out of IT. It was fun to read, though.

All That You Love Will Be Carried Away 4

This was one of the better stories in the collection. This one focuses on a purveyor of Latrinalia (look it up). This was well-written and believable. This is what short stories should be. I liked the ending, as well.

In the Deathroom 4

This was also really interesting. In a way, it departed, quite a bit, from normal King-esque horror. Instead of the quotidian fears, this one is quite reasonable. That doesn't stop it from being interesting, though. I particularly liked the ending. I thought that it was nice that he stuck with the optimism even through the end, rather than the more obvious ending of having the character wake up screaming and having the whole story his imaginings as he is tortured.

Everything's Eventual 4

The titular story of the collection, and one of its longer offerings as well. It also happens to be one of the best. Imagine what you would do if you received seventy dollars every week (in addition to free rent, no bills, all the food and frivolities you can write on a white board), but you had to spend it all? This is an interesting question, and the story could easily have been expanded into a novel akin to something that Bentley Little would write. The fact that it is a tight little short story makes it all the saucier.

Lunch at the Gotham Café 4

This is a good example of how the quotidian can be quite good. And disturbing. An unpleasant lunch spoiled by the deranged, psychopathic snap of a Mideast Side New York maitre d. It was funny, particularly, when the divorcing wife and husband are forced to confront a non-quotidian event, and are not brought together by it, but driven further apart. There is some real characterization here, and it makes the collection worth reading.

1408 4

This story gets a special mention solely because it nearly scared me into a bowel movement. It is also a pretty uninspired tale of the horrors of a haunted hotel room (again, a rehash of old ideas). It did not scare me on any of its own merits, but in conjunction with the Dolphin Hotel from A Wild Sheep Chase and Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami. As anyone who has read these two novels knows, there is a haunted, of sorts, hotel in them. It is called the Hotel Dolphin. That is the name of the hotel where room 1408 is. Creepy coincidence? Perhaps.

So, in general, nothing here is particularly inspired. Most of the stories are unoriginal, at best. All of them are readable, though. There are a lot of retellings, granted, but all fiction consists of similar motifs, and you just have delightful differences in the familiar to separate your favorites from those you loathe. In this case, most of them are pretty tepid.

If you are looking for short fiction by Stephen King, pick up the Skeleton Crew or Nightmares and Dreamscapes. If you have them, and the rest, grab this one too. There isn't much that is disappointing, just a lot that is familiar.

C

Harkius

Disappointing
By the third story I had to say out loud what I had been thinking after the first story - Stephen King did not outdo himself with this book. I was disappointed in that the stories did not grip me. I had been salivating to borrow the book from a friend. At the end of each story I was left wanting (in a bad way) and it had nothing to do with the usual ambiguous endings that i love. It just left me feeling unsatisfied. The hardest one to get through was 'The Little Sisters of Eluria' followed by'Death of Jack Hamilton'. Those really made me want to give up. If i didn't have a touch of OCD which compels me to finish a book, i would have done just that. In fact i crossed the Dark Tower series off my wishlist after that. The former story went on longer than it should and didn't deliver and the latter was just plain boring.

After seeing the other reviews i had to ask myself - am I the only one who felt like this? Fortunately a friend of mine, an SK fan also felt the same way.

Still excited about the 5 SK books I have waiting on the bookshelf.

Alana ... Read more

Product Description
The editors of the acclaimed Borderlands anthology series deliver a new collection of 25 all-original tales of terror by today's acclaimed masters, including Bentley Little, John Farris, and Tom Piccirilli, along with "Stationary Bike," a new novella by Stephen King. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Was hoping for more
When I ordered Borderlands, I was anticipating a great collection of Horror short stories.What a got was an OK collection of a hodgepodge of short stories.Not surprisingly Stephen King steals the sow with his contribution.I would only reccomned the book to someone wanting to read an ecliptic mix of stories from Authors, or die hard King fans that must have everything he writes.

Favorite author
Stephen King has done it again.I find myself anxiously awaiting his next masterpiece.

From The Borderlands
I hated this book. It was almost like the people that published the stories in this book where trying to hard to be different. The stories did'nt really make sense at all. The only good short story in this book was stationary bike.

Want Something to Read Whilst in a Waiting Room?
This is an anthology of a number of short stories all of which deal with terror and madness.

A nice book to have for planes and waiting rooms where you might get interrupted.

Borderlands
Most of the stories in this book are good.A few of them were just downright ridiculous and I skipped over them but, for the most part, this book is worth the read. ... Read more

Product Description

Now known worldwide for his horror creations in best-selling books and popular film adaptations, Stephen King spent years in obscurity trying to find his voice and his audience. For much of his career he chose to remain in the small-town Maine of his youth, far from glittering publishing and film centers, yet few American writers can now equal his hold on audiences worldwide. This biography traces King's evolution from would-be pulp magazine writer to master of his craft, whose work both epitomizes and transcends the horror genre.

Customer Reviews (3)

Don't waste your money
I am a huge Stephen King fan and was excited about reading this book. However this book reads more like a wikipedia page than a biography. It is poorly written and didn't shed any new light on Stephen's life at all.

Do not waste your money!

A fine book- for a high school student
This is a great book for "just the facts, ma'am" reading.
If I had to do a report on Mr. King (my favorite author,)
for school, this book would come in handy! Has the obligatory, though interesting photos. Other than that, there's no real substance to it. If you can get it cheap, and you're a big King fan, buy it. Maybe I'll resell mine!

A must
Congratulations to Greenwood and Dr. Rolls for a comprehensive, well-written, and exhaustively researched volume. A must for all King fans and scholars. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

King's early novels were his best
I had never read "Salems Lot", nor had I seen the movie.So when I noticed the recent publication in trade paperback I thought I would try it out.It was great.The plot, characters, setting and mood were wonderfully created, and Kings descriptions are magic.It brought me back to the early King works and it seems to me that most of these early books ("Christine", "The Dead Zone", "Different Seasons", "Cujo", "Carrie", "The Firestarter" and "The Stand") were written with better plotting than some of the later stuff. Maybe I'm just showing some disappointment with "Hearts in Adlantis", "Bag of Bones""Needful things" and "Four Past Midnight" which were not as enthralling.The recent exception is "The Green Mile".Keep writing Mr. King and I'll keep reading.

Simply a great story
Ive never been scared by any of King's novels, but have been fasinated by them, unable to put them down in this case.Salems Lot is a story of a town and the people that live in it.Eventually, a vampire comes to town in a manner that is told in an amazing way.It doesn't seem like your typical fantasy/horror story.This seems real!!!Its a great story that proved to me that King is a superb story teller.

a must
This book is just great.I have never been one to go for the full vampire thing, but this book really is the best vampire story ever!PERIOD. I have now read it twice. Again King's prose is so lucid, once you get involved,becomes something more than a reading experience. There are at least twoscenes in this book that will leave you clutching your chest in dread, asimilar sensation to those who have seen the exorcist and clutched thiernecks at the neck operation scene. Just read it and you will see what Imean.It also offers itself as an accurate social commentary on modernliving, as is the case with many king subplots. Basically its a raw, darkand intense novel in parts.If you like books that get thier teeth in toyou, then this is for you. ... Read more

Product Description
From the Publisher: This book takes a critical look at Stephen King's most iconic works and reads between the lines to uncover the personal influences and demons as reflected in each monster, epidemic, and depraved character. Unseen family photographs and 16 pieces of previously unpublished ephemera - such as handwritten manuscript notes, typed early drafts, lengthy journal entries, and doodles for King's college newspaper - complete this tangible tour. Packed with fascinating biographical details, literary interpretations, and personal memorabilia, The Stephen King Illustrated Companion is a must-have addition to any true fan's library.About the author: Bev Vincent is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Road to the Dark Tower, an authorized companion to King's Dark Tower series. Vincent has published more than fifty of his own short stories. He lives in Texas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An insightful and fun read - a must-have for Stephen King fans
I chanced upon this at a local chain bookstore and promptly bought it (good thing too since there were only two left). "The Stephen King Illustrated Companion" by Bev Vincent contains manuscripts, correspondence, drawings, and memorabilia associated with the renowned author of the macabre. This book provides a critical analysis of some of King's more iconic works such as "The Shining", "The Stand", "The Dark Tower" series, "It" and many more. There are also some rare photographs of the author, including photographs from his childhood, and also 16 pieces of previously unpublished ephemera (as claimed by the publishers) such as reproductions of typed early drafts, journal entries,handwritten manuscript notes, etc.

The chapters:
Introduction: Mr Horror USA
The Early Years - inserts include "The 43rd Dream" s story by King written for his High School newspaper, a submission letter by a 14-year-old King, and a story written by King for the Comics Review. There are lots of photographs of King from early childhood onwards, cover art for various novels including a Doubleday Hardcover edition of "Carrie".
Room 217: The Shining - includes inspirations for some of King's stories such as the Marsten House in Salem's Lot, the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, publicity campaign for The Shining, and inserts include three pages from the original manuscript about how King changed his mind about Danny's encounter with the fire hose outside room 217 in Ch. 19.
The Walkin' Dude: The Stand - inserts include the final galley page from The Stand.
Welcome to Castle Rock: The Dead Zone - inserts include a copyedited page of The Dead Zone's prologue, a page from King's first draft of The Dead Zone, and four handwritten pages of the first draft of Cujo.
Sometimes Dead is Better: Pet Sematary - inserts include manuscript pages from Pet Sematary
Pennywise Lives: It - inserts include copyedited pages from It.
Number One Fan: Misery - insert is a reproduction of the inaugural issue of Castle Rock, a newsletter published by King's staff with the objective of coping with the fan mail.
The Night Journey: The Green Mile
Things That Go Bump: Bag of Bones - highlights include candid shots of King at work and play in his office, c. 1990s
The Accident - covers the 1999 accident that King was in, his self-publishing (on the internet) of his novella "Riding the Bullet",etc.
More Worlds Than These: The Dark Tower Series - inserts include a handwritten ledger of a section of an unpublished story that is reminiscent of The Dark Tower.
The Thing With The Endless Piebald Side: Lisey's Story
Conclusion: The Test of Time - among others,a full-page color photograph of King's office in Bangor which showcases fan art etc.

There's a selected bibliography at the end, as well as endnotes. To conclude - I found this book to be a treasure trove of photographs and ephemera, and though the information provided within may not be altogether comprehensive, it is well-compiled and beautifully presented - a loving tribute to a great author, and a wonderful souvenir for the 'ardent reader'. ... Read more

Product Description
Unabridged CDs, 9 CDs, 11 hours

Read by TBA

A tale of archetypal heroes and sweeping adventures, of dragons and princes and evil wizards-here is epic fantasy as only Stephen King could envision it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A fine fantasy springs to life
Stephen King's THE EYES OF THE DRAGON enjoys a fine narrative style by Bronson Pinchot, known worldwide for his fine TV and film work, and provides an engrossing story as it tells of a kingdom in chaos after the old king dies and his successor is imprisoned by an evil prince. A fine fantasy springs to life in a new presentation, highly recommended for fantasy libraries.

Viewing Stephen King through The Eyes of the Dragon
Once again Stephen King has created a world that begins as a fantasy of a Mediaval time and grows to become the reader's reality. His ability to create characters and environments through his wordsmithing is so great that the reader steps from his or her own time and place to a new world within the blink of an eye (or in this case ear). Pinchot, the narrator, is excellent at changing voices to match the characters so you really feel you are listening to a play rather than just being read a story. You will cheer for the heros and shiver at the voice of the vilain, whose voice slithers over you.I am not going to outline the story for you but you really must look through"The Eyes of the Dragon" for yourself! ... Read more

Product Description
"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." With those words, millions of readers were introduced to Stephen King's Roland -- an implacable gunslinger in search of the enigmatic Dark Tower, powering his way through a dangerous land filled with ancient technology and deadly magic. Now, in a comic book personally overseen by King himself, Roland's past is revealed! Sumptuously drawn by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, adapted by long-time Stephen King expert Robin Furth (author of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Concordance) and scripted by New York Times Best-seller Peter David, this series delves deep into Roland's origins -- the perfect introduction to this incredibly realized world, while long-time fans will thrill to adventures merely hinted at in the novels. Be there for the very beginning of a modern classic of fantasy literature!Amazon.com Review

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." With those words, millions of readers were introduced to Stephen King's Roland - an implacable gunslinger in search of the enigmatic Dark Tower, powering his way through a dangerous land filled with ancient technology and deadly magic. Now, in a comic book personally overseen by King himself, Roland's past is revealed! Sumptuously drawn by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove, adapted by long-time Stephen King expert Robin Furth (author of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Concordance) and scripted by New York Times bestseller Peter David, this series delves in depth into Roland's origins - the perfect introduction to this incredibly realized world; while long-time fans will thrill to adventures merely hinted at in the novels. Be there for the very beginning of a modern classic of fantasy literature! Collects Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born #1-7.

Questions for The Dark Tower Illustrators, Peter David and Robin Furth

Amazon.com: How closely did you work with Stephen King on this project?

Peter David: Robin worked far more closely with Steve before the fact, as it were, working out the overall story arcs and beats.My association was more after the fact: I wrote the scripting, which then went to King who provided the line edits and tweaks.

Robin Furth:I’ve been working with Steve King (and Roland!) for about seven years now, so the three of us have quite a long history.While working on The Gunslinger Born, I ran my outlines by Steve King and Chuck Verrill (Steve’s editor) at the same time that I ran them by our Marvel editors.After all, The Dark Tower is Steve’s child so it’s only right for him to have first dibs on any changes.I feel it’s really important that Steve has final say about The Long Road Home. Hence, I always try to make sure he sees everything as soon as I can send drafts to him, and that includes the articles I write and which are at the end of each issue.

Steve has been really supportive of this whole project which has been great.I was lucky enough to be with Steve while he looked through some of Jae’s early sketches for The Gunslinger Born and his reaction was a lot like mine—it felt as though somebody had reached into his imagination and had taken his characters and given them a physical existence.I think that’s pretty high praise, don’t you?

Amazon.com: Roland is one of the most iconic characters King has ever created. How hard was it to get him (and the other characters) "right" on the page? Did any iterations get vetoed by King?

Robin Furth: We were really lucky with The Gunslinger Born because we could adapt scenes directly from Wizard and Glass.We could really stick to Steve’s descriptions.(Occasionally we dipped into other Dark Tower novels, but on the whole, Wizard and Glass was our template.)The Long Road Home was a little more complicated since we spun the story from scattered tales that Roland tells about his youth—stories that are found throughout the Dark Tower books.(As you can imagine, I used my Concordance quite a lot while I was working on the outlines!)

To tell the truth, Roland has such a strong personality that he feels almost human. I even dream about the guy, and once or twice I swear I’ve seen his shadow pacing past my writing room door.(No joke.)But even when it comes to writing about someone you know well, every person has their own perspective. As long as Steve King feels like we’ve caught Roland’s youthful self, I’m happy.If longtime Dark Tower fans feel we have, then I’ll be INCREDIBLY happy.So far Steve has been pleased with our approach.Fingers crossed that the fans will feel the same way!

Peter David: King was very supportive of the license we took in terms of both the story compression and narrative stylizations that Robin and I undertook that were required to take a work of such massive scope and transform it into something that works as a graphic series.

Amazon.com: What was the most challenging aspect of this particular project?

Peter David: For me?Stage fright.Steve had stated that, as "a words guy," he was awaiting the scripts with great anticipation.That's pretty daunting, knowing that Stephen King is going to be going over my interpretation of what is arguably is most personal work.

Robin Furth: I suppose the biggest challenge has always been (in Mid-World speak) to stand true.In other words, to remain true to our original mission and to translate the Dark Tower universe from novel form to comic book form.The Dark Tower universe is so big that we have to do a lot of condensing.It’s both scary and exhilarating.

Amazon.com: Robin, I imagine it is challenging to fit a several thousand page series into a graphic novel. As the DT aficionado, was it hard to adapt this series? What parts of the book did you wish you could include but had to cut because it just wouldn’t fit?

Robin Furth: It certainly has been challenging (you should see the state of my fingernails), but it has also been a really great experience.I have learned huge amounts about comics and about storytelling.I have always loved Roland, Alain, Cuthbert, and Susan so it has been wonderful to work with them again. There’s something very moving about working with young Roland—the boy who grew into such a hard and (at times) unforgiving man.You see the wounds that later become calluses, if you know what I mean.

As for the parts of the book I had to cut—there are many! When we first started working on these comics, The Gunslinger Born was supposed to be six issues long.I handed in eight issues!In the end we managed to cut back to seven, which worked well.In retrospect, I guess the greatest challenge has been to know when to stick to the plot of Wizard and Glass and when to borrow from other books (or occasionally even other parts of the Dark Tower universe) in order to fill out Mid-World for those who don’t know the novels, or to make the comics ring true for long-term fans.That takes a lot of careful planning and sometimes it means taking risks, but if it works it’s really worth it.

Amazon.com: Peter, What was it like to work with Robin and King on this project? Have you worked closely with writers before on adaptations of their work?

Peter David: It was both exciting and daunting: exciting being part of something as ambitious and potentially groundbreaking as this endeavor, and daunting in that King is a writing god whom I desperately wanted to please with my interpretations.No, I've never worked with a writer adapting his work before, which is why this was new territory for me:And what a place to start, huh?It's difficult to imagine any subsequent experience with adapting someone's work measuring up to this.

Amazon.com: What is your favorite panel?

Robin Furth: I must say I like them all, so I don’t know if I could choose.However Jae recently sent me the cover for the first issue of The Long Road Home, and I think that would be in my top ten!

Peter David: I'm torn on that.In terms of story narrative, the one where Roland and Susan give in to their passion.In terms of pure iconic power, that two-page spread early on where we first see Roland, as the gunslinger, in pursuit of the man in black.You never have a second chance to make a good first impression, and Jae and Richard just absolutely nailed it.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (81)

Gelati's Scoop
Let me just start off by saying that what piqued my interest in this series is that it is being made into a movie and television series simultaneously. The graphic novel put out by Marvel Comics has many hands in its production and creation, here goes: Stephen King- Creative & Executive Director, Peter David -Script, Jae Lee & Richard Isanove- Art. The number of novels I have read by Stephen King is zero; this is my first one. He is definitely out of my comfort zone, but I am trying to get into the mystical, paranormal, mythological genres more and more, so I thought if Opie (Ron Howard) can direct the movie and television show, I can certainly read it.
I like what he has done here in conjunction with Marvel. He has taken a very original concept and made a very nice series of graphic novels with it. I am a big fan of authors that cross over mediums to get their stories told; this is no exception. The written word is a powerful thing, but added to the artwork for me, makes it that much more tangible and lifelike. I can now see in a clearer sense the author's vision of the world he created. Stephen King has created a gritty, mystical cowpoke in Roland the Gunslinger. The path and his journey are an interesting one in The Gunslinger Born.Is he better than his father or just an insolent youth trying to make his way? Can he be an asset for the good guys or is the dark force too strong and easy? The trials and tribulations he goes through make for some excellent reading. The characters are original, the dialogue is fresh and witty, and the action is intense. The plotline he has crafted and the world which these characters inhabit can go on for a very long time without getting tired and old.
Do I plan on starting to read Stephen King now? Maybe, but I think I will follow this story first before moving on to others. The Dark Tower has captured my interest and I am curious to find out where the story goes and what happens to Roland in future stories. Besides that, they are making both movies and a television series out of the story so I want to get up to speed as much as I can on this. I am a fan of Ron Howard's work, both in front of and behind the camera. Here is a link with more info on the different pending platforms for Stephen Kings The Dark Tower:
[...]
What are some of your favorite Stephen King novels? If I were to start reading his work, what should be my first novel?

My review of the "Gunslinger Born"
The art in this graphic novel is gruesome, yet so amazing.......There are four sets of The Dark Tower graphic novels before it gets into the actual storyline that follows the books, so don't get discouraged if you think that it doesn't have anything to do with the books if you are a fan of them (Gunslinger Born, Long Road Home, Treachery, Fall of Gilead, & the Battle of Jericho Hill serve as a prelude to the actual storyline......The one after these Gunslinger: the journey begins is the graphic novel adaptation of the "Gunslinger" by Stephen King)

Awesome
Great experience from this seller. The graphic novels are all excellent work and good reads too.

Origins of Roland
I've loved all of the Marvel / Dark Tower graphic novels. Adds even more to SK'd dark tower universe(s).

Worth buying if your a fan of the series!

Gunslinger Born in Graphic Form
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RQO7DDHOJY8HF Anyone who is a fan of the novels must pick this up. The story is clearly Stephen King. The artwork alone is reason enough to pick this book up. There is a sketchbook attached at the end that gives vision into how the characters were designed. [...] ... Read more

Product Description
At the turn of the twentieth century, Ellen Rimbauer became the young bride of Seattle industrialist John Rimbauer, and began keeping a remarkable diary. This diary became the secret place where Ellen could confess her fears of the new marriage, her confusion over her emerging sexuality, and the nightmare that her life would become. The diary not only follows the development of a girl into womanhood, it follows the construction of the Rimbauer mansioncalled Rose Redan enormous home that would be the site of so many horrific and inexplicable tragedies in the years ahead. The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red is a rare document, one that gives us an unusual view of daily life among the aristocracy in the early 1900s, a window into one womans hidden emotional torment, and a record of the mysterious events at Rose Red that scandalized Seattle society at the timeevents that can only be fully understood now that the diary has come to light. Edited by Joyce Reardon, Ph.D. as part of her research, the diary is being published as preparations are being made by Dr. Reardon to enter Rose Red and fully investigate its disturbing history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (272)

Not impressed
Pretty boring for the first 100 pages of details of the "authoress" writing about her life in 1900's Seattle, then her 'round-the-world honeymoon. Parts of it within the house itself are okay, but there are much better haunted house stories around. Lots of skimming, as with most Stephen King books.

Are you smarter than a fifth grader?
If so, don't bother with this sad excuse for a book.I'm guessing that the author(s) spewed this thing out of damaged brains in order to squeeze a few more dollars out of the TV presentation of Stepen King's "Rose Red".

My Life at Rose Red - book
I really did like this book...wish there was a little more towards the end.There was so much in the beginning and the latter part was few and far between.Just wish there was more.But I liked it and will most likely read it again.

Great Gift!
Ordered for my son and he loved it.Arrived on time.Will order from here again!

Diary of Ellen Rimbaur
This was a most intriguing book read. I saw the show on TV twice, so I was curious about the book. If you like diary versions, this is very good. Her life was most interesting, going so far back in those days, women did not have alot of say in the household. Her life was sad, most revealing, some very drawn into this house. It took her to a place we sometimes escape in our dreams, but for her it was very real. Very Good Book! The Stephen King Movie Rose Red follows after her passing, it was the house. How it came alive and took her in when she needed love. ... Read more

Product Description
For over a decade now, Lilja has been one of the leading voices on the Internet when it comes to covering and reporting on Stephen King's books and movies. His website, Lilja's Library, is the die-hard fan's source for information about new King projects and breaking news, but Lilja has also featured his own in-depth interviews with the most important people in King's world, including Stephen King himself.


Lilja's Library: The World of Stephen King is a brand new massive collection of over 150 of those reviews, over 40 of those interviews, and other special features of interest to King readers everywhere. If you've never been to the website, you're in for a real treat as you catch-up with over 500 pages of articles and features that are sure to please any kind of Stephen King fan, from the general reader to the die-hard collector. And for Lilja's constant readers, there's original material in this special volume that has never appeared anywhere on his website before, and every article and review has been updated and revised for this release.


You have to see the table of contents to understand just how much great material is in this massive book, but just a few of the interviews include: Stephen King (twice!), Frank Darabont, Marsha DeFilippo, Mick Garris, Peter Straub, and many other people who have been involved in King's prolific career. The reviews include detailed commentary on well-known works by and about Stephen King, along with details about the rare works you might not have heard of, including the original scripts for Hearts in Atlantis, Stud City, and dozens of others; the original pilot for The Dead Zone that never aired on TV; Walking The Mile: The Making Of (a book that has never been released); the Pet Sematary and Secret Window, Secret Garden UK dramatizations; the dozens of Dollar Babies, and more!


There are also dozens of brand new features written exclusively for this volume, including interviews with Lilja himself and Glenn Chadbourne; reviews of short films such as Here There Be Tygers, Boogeyman, Walking Ghost,The Secret Transit Codes of America's Highways, Night Surf, Stephen King's Gotham Café, Sorry, Right Number, Night of the Living Dead, and others; reviews of the script for The Mist and scripts that are currently in development (including Black House and From a Buick 8); reviews of books such as Stephen King: A Primary Bibliography, Stephen King: The Non-Fiction, and others; and much, much more!


If you're new to the world of Lilja's Library or already a constant reader, this special volume is a must-have for your collection! An exclusive Cemetery Dance Publications release, there are no other editions planned anywhere in the world for this incredible book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

excellent!
I got even more than I wanted and on time even though the seller had to send the package priority mail. I really appreciate the extra effort!

Good and scary
I really enjoyed Desperation and it was good to see King get back to his horror "roots".I wasn't sure about Regulators at first because, although I knew it somehow tied in to Desperation, I thought it might gettoo corny.And although it is a tad corny, the way King has created twocompletely different stories with the same characters is amazing andingenious.I recommend them both.(Remember Cynthia Smith from RoseMadder?)

Typical Bone-Chilling King Style
This is one of King`s finest. Kept me on the edge of my seat, not wanting to put it down but yet terrified to turn the page!! I have read everything that King has written, both as himself and as Bachman. Desperation is oneof his finest.It is a book to add to the collection of Stephen Kingtreasures!!

Stephen King is truly the Master of Horror!!
After reading both books, I was glad to see that the Stephen King I know, love, and have been reading for upwards of twelve years is back.. Gone is the commerciality of previous books.Your imagination has to do sometwisting to be able to fully reap the satisfying rewards of this set, butreap you will!!Wonderfully gruesome, expertly written, and marvelouslymind twisting.Highly recommended!!

A Suprising Twist On Stephen King's Work!
I gave these books 4 stars but Desperation alone would probably get 2 from me. The Regulators displayed that fantastic twist I loved so much. And how the horror mixed in with the peacful suburban backdrop...wow! After readingthe other reviews on this page, I realize not a lot of people will agreewith me, but I don't care. The Regulators is up there with The Stand,Thinner and Misery. Stephen King/Richard Bachman's reign lives on. ... Read more

Product Description
The year is 2025. The Running Man is America's favorite television game show. Ben Richards is the program's latest contestant-and the Hunters' latest target in a rigged game of death.Amazon.com Review
Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) crafted The Running Manearly in his career, though after such mega-hits as Carrie and The Shining.A bit of adeparture from the supernatural horror that is most frequently associatedwith his work, the novel describes a science fiction dystopia where marketcapitalism and television game shows have spiraled out of control, and theseparation between the haves and the have-nots has been formalized withseparate currencies. King establishes characters quickly, creating sympathyin the first few pages for Ben Richards--whose 18-month-old baby girl issuffering from a horrible cough, perhaps pneumonia.Not able to affordmedicine, Richards enters himself in the last-chance money-making scheme ofthe Free-Vee games. The games include Treadmill to Bucks, in whichheart-attack prone contestants struggle to outlast a progressivelydemanding treadmill, or the accurately named Swim the Crocodiles. After a rigorous battery of physical and mental examinations, Richards isassigned "Elevator Six"--the path of a chosen few--that leads to TheRunning Man game.In this game, the stakes and the prizes are raised. Success means a life of luxury.Failure means death.Unfortunately,few ever win the game; in fact, as the producer tells Richards,in six years no one has survived.

The Running Man is a short book, tightly written to be read andenjoyed quickly.The future world it depicts is vividly captured with afew essential details. The action is also fast paced and, though the noveldiffers from much of King's other work, the sardonic social commentaryreveals a pleasing glimmer of King's characteristically twisted sense ofhumor. --Patrick O'Kelley ... Read more

Customer Reviews (104)

Fantastic! a real page turner!
i have been reading king novels for years and this is by far one of his best. avoid the intro because it spoils the ending. luckily i skipped it and saved it till i finished the book. this book goes a milea minute. if u like fast paced thrillers then this is the book for you.

A metaphor for workaholics
I LOVE YOU STEPHEN!!!!! It dawned on me that we are all running men, being followed by guards who keep us in line - buying the right cars, living in the right homes, spending, spending, working, working. . . When we get to the end will we be afraid to stop and collect our winnings?

WARNING
So this would have been the first Stephen King book I read cover to cover. I was REALLY excited with the story line and could not wait to start reading it. The mistake I made and am warning you about is that during the introduction "The Importance of Being Bachman" King gives away the ending!!! Not just a "Oh, and then something negative happens" but "Blah, blah, and then he blah blah" specifically. If you want to enjoy the book (as I am CERTAIN I would have) DO NOT READ THE INTRODUCTION!!!!

Who does that?? Yes, I get it, it has been republished so you want to add a note, but for those who would have picked up the book for the first time (never had seen the movie either so I don't know if it tells the true ending) the book has been ruined!!!. . . I always pictured Stephen King as a smart man. . . WRONG!

So please! Add a HUGE SPOILER warning before you give the ending of a book before the story even starts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I should have read this years ago
What an idiot I am.I never read this because I've seen the movie.But this is a great thriller action packed short story.

This books just reinforces King is the thriller master.
(on a side note - also showcases the talent screen writers have to be able to to adapt a short story to a film and not copy the book.)

They are not the same story, but have the same premise.

Sit back and enjoy.

You won'tfind Arnold in these pages
In the history of good books, people have created good movies using the books title (but have nothing really to do with the book).BLADE RUNNER and DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP is a good example of this.RUNNING MAN is another fine example of this.When I was a teenage, I loved the Arnold movie.Now that I am way past a teenager, I decided to read the source material.I was shocked and thrilled that I stepped into almost an entirely different world.

The Ben Richards of the novel is not a criminal, fabricated or otherwise.The Ben Richards in the novel is a desperate man trying to find a solution to a nightmare many fathers face.Richards is a character in this book faces a far greater challenge than that of the movie.The game arena is the USA.The foes are the good people of the United States of America.In this Dystopia, Richards finds himself struggle to find commrades and figuring out who to trust.

To give too much away would tell major parts of the book.Don't read this book expecting an action adventure film.Read this book expecting a character study of a man who would do anything for those he loves.The writing is not King's best, I thought some of it was a little unbalanced, but the story is captivating. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

THX :)
received fast and in great condition - awesome book!A must for SK fans.

For all constant readers of Stephen King
The Complete Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of Stephen King
The perfect book to read for every constant reader, this book examines all of the works of Stephen King (up to the time of publishing) and details the continuity and discrepancies between the worlds Stephen King has created.Truly a must for those which Stephen King refers to as constant reader.

Great for everyone..
This is a great book for everyone interested in Stephen King's works. I have read a great deal of his work, so I imagine that I am one of those that falls under the 'Constant Reader' title, and this book had me noting that I had missed some of the overlaps and complexity of his many books. I look forward to reading his books again, and catching even more, thanks to this book.

However, this is also good for the more casual Stephen King reader, as it guides you through his worlds and his books. The authors give very good analyses of each book and each world, sorting through the myriad of characters and ideas that Stephen King uses (quite deftly, in my opinion).

Educational
This is the most helpful book I have read regarding writing. This information has everything from first writeto the way to get it published.

The only thing I found missing was a word/page index.

This is a book I would recommend to others.

A must read for Stephen King fans
Many fantasists or fantasy authors create their own parallel universes, which stand as back drops for their stories. H. P. Lovecraft did this with his Cthulhu Mythos, creating a pantheon of dark gods who have the ability to slip into our universe from time to time and sunder reality. Cthulhu's theme is to eradicate all humankind from the face of the earth.

Stephen King's parallel universe, however, appears to be a multitude of intertwining dimensions comprising malefic and beneficial cross-over characters and deities whose conflicts influence these various dimensions for good or for evil. According to authors Hank Wagner, Christopher Golden, and Stanley Wiater, in this, their definitive reference entitled THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE: A GUIDE TO THE WORLDS OF STEPHEN KING, Mr. King's DARK TOWER series stands as the central and unifying dimension from which his parallel universe emerges and ultimately returns. CSKU defines and describes all of Mr. King's stories and novels to date, tying events and people together in each of the over-lapping tales--but the fun does not stop there, readers. At the end of every chapter, the authors reveal interesting trivia about the characters and events that make-up Stephen King's world, sometimes pointing out that people in our so-called "reality" also have a share in his universe, the most obvious person being author Peter Straub, co-author of THE TALISMAN, one of my favorite novels of all time. (Speaking of Peter Straub, an interesting observation is the creepy character in his novel MR. X, who seems to make a brief appearance--at least in this reader's opinion--in Mr. King's novel FROM A BUICK 8, when he delivers the vintage Buick, then disappears behind the gas station where he abandons the car.)

If you are a fan of Stephen King's work, and the author himself, you will enjoy reading THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE. This fascinating and literate guide brought many details of Mr. King's overall work to my attention, details I was not aware of before reading CSKU, and has inspired me to read his stories and novels over again. (No mean feat, I would like to add; although a pleasurable one!) One of the more interesting pieces of information in THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE involved the accident in which a drunk driver struck and nearly killed Mr. King in 1999, while he was out jogging alongside a country road near his summer home in Maine--bizarre stuff, life imitating art.

THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE is highly recommended reading!
... Read more