>I know this isn't a valid argument, but considering I don't like any of the movies based on his books (with the exception of The Shining), then I can't find a reason to read any of his work when instead I could be reading something better.
Wtf? The movie adaptations blow ass in comparison to his books.
King is the perfect example of a writer ruined by success. He hasn't written much of anything good since the mid-80s mainly because:
1. He was such a best seller no editor would reign him in when he needed it.
2. He wasn't hungry anymore. It seems a lot of his creative energy was fueled by the impoverished and marginal lifestyle he had as a kid up until his early 30s. Yeah, he still evokes it quite often, but it's not *in* him anymore.
3. He got self-important as fuck both in his writing and ego. Yeah, self-importance is good fuel for some writers, but for him it just makes him banal and pompous as hell.
4. He sticks with a certain set of formulas now, mostly revolving around meandering ham-fisted novels on dwelling on clear cut good and evil. You read his early short stories and you can tell he had quite a bit of range and subtlety that he is no longer willing and or able to explore anymore.
He's never been much of an aesthetic or complex writer, but back in the day he could certainly write a damn good evocative little yarn of a story