DAMN YOU STEPHEN KING!!

[Boozer]

What is it about a book that can completely and totally enthrall you to the point of forgetting about time? The kind of book that when you've finally decided to put it down for the day, you look up and see that 4 hours have passed and you feel like it's only been a half an hour?

I've never been much of a fan of Stephen King. His books just never grabbed my attention and held it. If a book doesn't do that within the first chapter, I normally toss it into my desk or on my book shelf and forget about it. About 6 months ago, I stopped into an old, run down book store and grabbed a bunch of books. Mostly books from the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley (http://www.brianlumley.com/). While I was there, I saw The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King and decided to grab it. I read it, and quickly went out and bought the entire Dark Tower series, save for the final book, The Dark Tower.

In less than a day, I got half way through The Gunslinger, and later tonight will finish it, then move on to The Waste Lands. What is it about books that can totally capture our attention and make us forget about the outside world? Is it the fact that these books can make us use our imagination much like we did as a child? Is it just the story? What is it about books that can make us go, "Holy crap! It's been 3 hours and I haven't done anything except read?"

[Bones]

It is excercise for the mind. Brains need to workout just as much as a body does.
I love to read books. I have always enjoyed reading. The one thing I can thank my Mom for is that she made sure that I learned to read. It's the best gift she ever gave me.
I just finished reading The Talisman by Stephen King last night. Great book. Tonight I'm going to start rereading Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard.

[joepa]

I started reading Stephen King when I was younger... and after the thrid book I thought I was reading the first book again... its like he writes from a mad lib outline.... but if I may be so bold I would like to recommend Tom Robbins.... I am reading Skinny Legs and all for the 5th time and each time I find something new and interesting .......... maybe we could start a reading thread where people can give a brief review of a book they read.... and we could even share books around.. okay back to sleep for me

[trekbugging]

i have always read books-- i remeber seeing a Family circus cartoon a few years ago-- billy and his sister were talking and he told her-- TV is OK, it puts the pictures and aduio in your head, radio is better, they give you the audio and you have to imagine the pictures, but books are the most fun as you read it and imagine the setting and how people look and speak-- i know it's not verbatium but you get the idea--
i have read since i was small, loved the book "the king and his six friends"-- and normally read 2-5 books a month- many i re -read, but i do go to my local library-- i read many styles and genres, from sci fi and fantasy to horror and thrillers-- i actually got to interview Piers Anthony, was trying for Dean koontz, but couldn't get past his publisist-- and have read just about every book from both authors-- i also bring some books to local book trader and can get lower priced books-- and on long trips love books on tape or CD-even listening to old radio programs on cd
so get reading and enjoy yourself

[Fire]

I've been telling you all how great that book is! Sheesh! lol - that IS my book - that story that I can just read and read - and over and over and never get bored or tired. I have to admit though that The Gunslinger took me a bit to get into. I love that Stephen King makes sure you KNOW your characters...but sometimes I just get anxious to get to the story, so to speak. I just have to get the last book...then I'll be done with the whole series....ah....And Boozer - each book is better than the one before it...I don't know how - but it is!

[Fire]

Oh! A new favorite writer is Chuck Palahniuk. Never heard of him till I got with Jarrod - I read part of one of his books - OMG....completely crazy shit, I highly recommend it for those "horror" enthusiasts.

[JakeD]

Palahniuk's okay, but his book "Survivor" annoyed the shit out of me. I totally get that you're trying to parody culture and yadayadayada, but when your writing style could be best mimicked by a group of sex-crazed bonobos on methamphetamine group-fucking a typewriter, I might not want to finish your book. :P

"Choke" and "Guts" were pretty good, though. As was "Fight Club", but that's a given.

EDIT: Guess I'd better answer the thread. :P
The most captivating thing about books is that they do make you use your imagination. That's not to say that a reader should have to use their imagination all the time, though. A lot of that should rely on the author, because the main purpose of truly good writing is to relate something to an audience, and to do it well. Too many writers nowadays just throw shit down on paper and hope it makes the N.Y. Times bestseller list.

There's got to be a line drawn between "descriptive enough" and "too descriptive", though. Dickens is the perfect example of an author who's waaaaaay too descriptive, and his books suffer for it. Sure, he was a skilled writer, that's why he's listed as one of the classic authors. But I don't want to read two goddamn paragraphs about the wood patterns in a door. It's tough when you're paid by the word, but for god's sakes, don't write like you're paid by the word.

But effective writing is what should yank you in and keep you hooked, and that's what does it for me.

[Boozer]

I've never been a fan of Stephen King because he overly-described everything. Leave me something for my imagination to fill in. These books have captured me completely, and I'm sure I'll end up finishing them within the next week, then it's off to the book store to get the last one.

[JakeD]

I do like King's knack for characterization, though. He's definitely better at it than a lot of authors I've read, but sometimes he goes a bit too far with a character's little habits/catchphrases and makes them supremely annoying, like Tom Cullen in The Stand. Yes, he's said "Moon" for the 99th time in this chapter. We understand that he's retarded. Can't you just write his speech in as being a bit stunted and leave it at that?

[joolcool]

i normally don't have nightmares... but i still have some nightmares with the clown from 'it'... man, that clown scared me more than when it turned into a spider...

[Diva]

Welcome to NCT, Joolcool! I feel the same way about clowns... EXPECIALLY It! That book gave me nightmares. I watched the movie and had more. Tim Curry did a great job as Pennywise the Clown. *shudders*

[joolcool]

thanks diva. tim curry played the clown? holy clown basher batman! i didn't know that he played that... hmm... go figure... ^_^

[Diva]

thanks diva. tim curry played the clown? holy clown basher batman! i didn't know that he played that... hmm... go figure... ^_^

I was surprised when I first heard it. He definately did a good job at giving me more nightmares!

[trekbugging]

my new favorite author is raymond feist-- and his riftwar sagas--whehee

[LizardKing]

Trek, if you haven't read it yet, try Raymond Feist's Faerie Tale. It's probably my favorite book of his.

I recently finished Wolves of the Calla and I am currently VERY frustrated as I wait for the next book to come in the mail. I've read almost everything by Stephen King and I am starting to think that I may like the Gunslinger even better than The Stand.

While I am waiting I have been reading the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, this is an excellent fantasy trilogy which reminds me a lot of Patrick O'Breins Master and Commander series, only with talking dragons.

[Bones]

Note to self: Never invite Diva, Marsbert or Joolcool to the circus.

Ya'll really shouldn't be scared of clowns. It's those rat bastard mimes you need to worry about.

Oh yeah. I'm reading W.E.B Griffin By Order of the President. He writes some really good books.

[Amaurote]

I've never understood why so many people have such a downer on Stephen King: his weaknesses are trivial when you consider the tremendous quality of his output over the years - the only comparable producer of horror fiction is Dean Koontz, and from what I've seen he can't write for shit. Apart from the fact that his novels are all dilatory and discursive at times, which is a matter of taste, his only weakness is the Uncle Stevie/ersatz Harlan Ellison personas that have crept into his latest work - and he's the first person to admit those vices. I've pretty much grown up reading King - one thing I will say as a non-American is that he's probably the best writer on America, not that he knows it: you can do a lot worse than come to an understanding of what drives America through his early novels, gremlins, ghouls and vampires aside.

Having said all that, I must say Nightmares and Dreamscapes is the weakest of the King collections I've read to date (I haven't read Everything's Eventual, but I hear great things about it): I'm about half-way through it and the style, mordant humour and the authorial charisma are there, but "Dolan's Cadillac" aside, most of the ideas are very prosaic and undeveloped, even comic-bookish in places, which is shocking considering how unrelenting, deep and reflective Skeleton Crew and Night Shift were. I liked the concept behind "The Night Flier", though - I'm tempted to watch the film, even though I fail to see how you can make cinema out of a story and a punchline that thin.