Veeky Forums's Stephen King Verdict

Making a post about stephen king to me feels like an unwelcome thing for Veeky Forums but I need some recent opinions on his works as the more and more I look into what his horror stories are about I get more and more hesitant to delve into any of it. I admit I've only watched some of the movies and am reading The Shining right now, but if they hold any kind of merit in terms of judging the general story of what he's written, it's not very good.

One thing I don't particularly like is his seemingly relentless projection of his "alcoholic anger issues writer" self-inserts he puts in all the time. Self inserts can work, but holy shit does it seem just hardly bearable levels of lack of creativity.

Another thing I really don't care for is that King really really tries to make a supernatural story but tells it entirely as a grounded, realism story and thus all the supernatural elements have no merit whatsoever and feel forced and otherwise used as a plot device. In The Shining, for example, The Shining power hardly adds anything to the story and is used merely as a plot device to move the story or have things happen in a lazy way. For example, Danny's communication to Hollorann that prompted him to go to the Overlook Hotel towards the end. The idea of weird telepathy is completed unneeded for The Shining to be good, as the story is about the mental degradation of Jack Torrance, and that drives the whole story along, no supernatural anything does that or adds any merit to anything for why I think the Shining is attractive. Stephen King just seems to do this to have the reader "question what's real" but it's just enough proof to prove there's something supernatural but not important or frequent enough for it to matter whatsoever and it's intensely frustrating. He just seems to force in supernaturalism just because.

These are all the thoughts that came immediately to me and for him being the prolific writer that he is I don't want to jump the gun and just never consider reading him. But, from what I can gather as common themes, ideas, characters, and so on with any story that is based on his writing, it just seems to be put together in a less-than-stellar manner. Am I way out of line and should just finish reading The Shining and then pursue other quintessential stories because the movies are that different or am I picking up on the memeshit that King as gotten away with because from what I can tell nobody really reads his writing but watches movies based on his stories because he's a household name?

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huh?

Stephen King Good/Bad y/n

Um sweetie Stephen King and you are big REDDIT FAGGOTS and should both be ignored. End of discussion. (Incoming /thread)

lmao I was inquiring thanks hon

>alcoholic anger issues writer
seems like a common thread between pseuds. Alcoholism is something they use to feel like outsiders creatively, despite having the most normie tier "disorder" possible. Writing should be left to schizos and users of non-faggot drugs like amphetamine or opiates

You don't have to read anything you don't like. Stephen King has some good books and some bad books. He's no James Joyce. But that's not what he's trying to be. If you want a light fun read you could do worse that pick up a Stephen King book.

I've never finished anything from him, as I ended up getting bored by the repetitive prose and uninteresting plot. The only Stephen King "fans" I know are people who, after watching, the movies adaptations, buy the books but get bored by the first 20 pages and never finish them.

Oh wow a scary mansion. I am so edgy.

I get that, but my whole point is that I haven't honestly read much of King but have experienced what are his "stories" several times and I'm not liking the trend. However, I was posting here to see what people would say about why my distaste for him is growing in an honestly not totally fair way to King.

What are some book you enjoy from him and why?

I so far am hating the narrator of the Shining, but King's descriptions of scenes and motions I enjoy a lot actually, but as I've mentioned, The Shining power doesn't seem like it's going to add up to anything for what is the actual driving force of the story.

I think Carrie is his best. It's reallt focused, doesn't give too much time for King to ramble on, and foregos most of the cliches you find in later King novels. Maybe the first half of The Stand.

I agree with you about the supernatural elements feeling out of place, but it worked pretty well in that one.

Wow, it's only 200 pages. I'll consider this as I could blow through it easily.

blessed post

I enjoy the stand, im 600 pages in, there's a lot of detail

ST Joshi makes the same complaints about King's supernaturalism. King's probably at his best without it, but he sometimes employs it well in a realistic setting (Carrie, Lisey's Story, Duma Key).

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samefag detected

I love the first half of the stand. I haven't actually read the 2nd half. The last 40 or so pages of the 3rd dark tower book with the train are really engaging.

Well not to discourage you but it's kinda all downhill after the first half. Weak ending IMO