Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums
Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.
timschochet's thread- Mods, please move this thread to the Politics Subforum, thank you (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter timschochet
- Start date
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Let's hear it for Tim.
That was a hell of an effort, lots of disagreements including quibbles and major flat out non-starters along the way but he closed fast and he put a ton of thought into it.
krista4
Footballguy
Let's hear it for Tim.
That was a hell of an effort, lots of disagreements including quibbles and major flat out non-starters along the way but he closed fast and he put a ton of thought into it.
Great fun.I
that John Muir was on the list.
timschochet
Footballguy
Never a question of not having Muir. But then I went on field trips to Yosemite all throughout my teens.
timschochet
Footballguy
Do you know the song "Conservative Christian etc" by Todd Snider?krista4 said:
krista4
Footballguy
Will look it up.
Bottomfeeder Sports
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
Scotsman
Great choice. A lesser known scientist who saved even more lives was Maurice Hilleman - he developed vaccines for MMR, chickenpox, meningitis and many others. Robert Gallo called him the most successful virologist in history. You could make a case for Linus Pauling, the father of molecular biology, to be on this list. The USA has most of the world's greatest universities and research centers, but science depends on so many people that it may be difficult for a scientist to take singular credit.timschochet said:
Bobby Fischer could've made the list if his end game hadn't included psychiatric problems.
hagmania
Footballguy
Where'd that leave off?
msommer
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
I apologize for leaving off the Russian history stuff. I will make an effort to resume that at some pint in the future. Unlike the World War II and Civil War threads in the past I had no good reference sources and wrote the whole thing myself which was exhausting. But I will get back to it.
timschochet
Footballguy
OK, on to novels.
Obviously, since these are favorites and not "greatest", this will be an entirely subjective selection based solely on my personal preferences.
I am 50 years old; I began reading "grownup" books, mostly novels, at the age of ten and have never since then not had a time, even more than a day, when I wasn't reading one. I read at lunch time, while waiting in line, while my wife and daughters shop, during commercials for sporting events I watch on TV, at various times all throughout every day, and, without fail, every night before I can fall asleep.
I have no idea but I would guess I've read close to about 1000 novels in my life. I've started but been unable to finish a few thousand more. I am an impatient reader; I need to get "in" to a book pretty quickly or I will discard it. (Though often I will try again, and yet again. At least one of the books on this list took 7 attempts before I was able to read it through.)
I would say my tastes are pretty eclectic and wide ranging, though like everyone I have favorites. I love history and politics. I enjoy family drama. I really like good thrillers. But all of this is unimportant compared to the crucial elements that I need for a novel to be for me: it's got to have suspense. It's got to have a good plot. It should have memorable characters. It should be a page turner. You give me all of those elements and you've got one of my favorite novels. You add to those elements the subjects that interest me most, perhaps some epic drama, and superb writing, and you're looking at my top 20.
Because I need to have a strong narrative, there's not going to be a lot of novels on this list that one might consider "literary". I respect the classics and literary novels; I can appreciate Faulkner and Nabakov and Joyce and Melville and Hemingway and Kafka etc, But I don't read them for pleasure. Frankly they're too well written and too concerned with elements other than plot for me to get into them. This list is filled with popular novels. This ain't classical music; it's rock and roll.
I have read every one of the novels on this list at least twice; a few as many as 20 times. I enjoy reading the great stuff over and over, just as I will see a great movie over and over.
I am doing this completely for fun but I would love feedback. I would ESPECIALLY love two things: if you have read or enjoyed one or more of these novels, maybe we can have a detailed discussion about it. And if you think I might enjoy something that you've read that is in any way similar to one of the ones I've selected, let me know. I am constantly on the hunt for more stuff to read. There's never enough.
Obviously, since these are favorites and not "greatest", this will be an entirely subjective selection based solely on my personal preferences.
I am 50 years old; I began reading "grownup" books, mostly novels, at the age of ten and have never since then not had a time, even more than a day, when I wasn't reading one. I read at lunch time, while waiting in line, while my wife and daughters shop, during commercials for sporting events I watch on TV, at various times all throughout every day, and, without fail, every night before I can fall asleep.
I have no idea but I would guess I've read close to about 1000 novels in my life. I've started but been unable to finish a few thousand more. I am an impatient reader; I need to get "in" to a book pretty quickly or I will discard it. (Though often I will try again, and yet again. At least one of the books on this list took 7 attempts before I was able to read it through.)
I would say my tastes are pretty eclectic and wide ranging, though like everyone I have favorites. I love history and politics. I enjoy family drama. I really like good thrillers. But all of this is unimportant compared to the crucial elements that I need for a novel to be for me: it's got to have suspense. It's got to have a good plot. It should have memorable characters. It should be a page turner. You give me all of those elements and you've got one of my favorite novels. You add to those elements the subjects that interest me most, perhaps some epic drama, and superb writing, and you're looking at my top 20.
Because I need to have a strong narrative, there's not going to be a lot of novels on this list that one might consider "literary". I respect the classics and literary novels; I can appreciate Faulkner and Nabakov and Joyce and Melville and Hemingway and Kafka etc, But I don't read them for pleasure. Frankly they're too well written and too concerned with elements other than plot for me to get into them. This list is filled with popular novels. This ain't classical music; it's rock and roll.
I have read every one of the novels on this list at least twice; a few as many as 20 times. I enjoy reading the great stuff over and over, just as I will see a great movie over and over.
I am doing this completely for fun but I would love feedback. I would ESPECIALLY love two things: if you have read or enjoyed one or more of these novels, maybe we can have a detailed discussion about it. And if you think I might enjoy something that you've read that is in any way similar to one of the ones I've selected, let me know. I am constantly on the hunt for more stuff to read. There's never enough.
Rich Conway
Footballguy
Alright, before you start, a question purely out of curiosity. How are you reading these books at lunch, in line, during commercials, etc.?
Amazon Kindle or similar, or physical book (or other)? Just curious what you're carrying around with you everywhere...
Amazon Kindle or similar, or physical book (or other)? Just curious what you're carrying around with you everywhere...
timschochet
Footballguy
Nowadays it's completely Kindle on my iPhone. Which makes things a whole lot easier. In the old days (up to 3-4 years ago) I always had a paperback, sometimes a hardback, near at hand. With the big stuff that could get unwieldy.
timschochet
Footballguy
Currently, for example, I am reading The Last Lion: Winston Churchill, Defender of the Realm. It's the 3rd volume of William Manchester's bio of Churchill, though not written by Manchester who died a few years back. It's 1300 pages. But Kindle makes that no problem.
Thorn
Footballguy
I just got a Kindle Unlimited trial for 60 days, and use it on my iPhone. Not sure I'll renew, but for the time being all books are very discounted and a fair number of classics are free. Knocked out a couple of Vonneguts I hadn't read in time that I would usually be playing Words with Friends. Very cool.
timschochet
Footballguy
100. Second Generation
Author: Howard Fast
Year published: 1978
576 pages
Category: historical family saga
Second Generation is the 2nd book in Howard Fast's 6 volume "Lavette Family Saga": (The Immigrants, Second Generation, The Establishment, The Legacy, The Immigrant's Daughter, An Independent Woman.) It's not really a family saga per se: only the first book features the "patriarch" of the family, Daniel Lavette: the remaining 5 volumes are all about his daughter, Barbara, a left wing San Francisco writer, much like Fast himself, as she lives throughout most of the tumultuous years and events of the 20th century. Only the first 3 books are worth reading; the final 3 are pretty dull. Only the first 2 made this list; these are excellent.
The second volume begins with Barbara, who was little seen in the first volume, as a young heiress to a great San Francisco fortune at the height of The Great Depression. Liberally minded, she involves herself in the Harry Bridges longshoreman strike, then travels to France and gets caught up in the Spanish Civil War. A trip into Nazi Germany inevitably follows, evocative of Lilian Hellman's Julia. Arriving back home Barbara is briefly seduced by Hollywood before becoming a war correspondent and uncovering a dastardly plot by the British to create a famine in Bengal, killing millions, in order to maintain their rule there. (This last story must have had special meaning to Fast as he mentions it in at least 3 of his novels, unconnected.)
Barbara is beyond progressive; she flirts with pacifism and socialism (in the next volume she refuses to give up names to HUAC in the 1950s and is blacklisted and sent to jail). Some of this is apparently autobiographical; Fast was a member of the Communist Party, a leftist idealist throughout most of his life. Nonetheless, he is a spectacular writer, the historical drama is well told, there are lots of good characters and some interesting subplots carried over from the first novel (especially the history of a California winery in Napa.) I recommend reading The Immigrants first. But stop after the 3rd book.
Author: Howard Fast
Year published: 1978
576 pages
Category: historical family saga
Second Generation is the 2nd book in Howard Fast's 6 volume "Lavette Family Saga": (The Immigrants, Second Generation, The Establishment, The Legacy, The Immigrant's Daughter, An Independent Woman.) It's not really a family saga per se: only the first book features the "patriarch" of the family, Daniel Lavette: the remaining 5 volumes are all about his daughter, Barbara, a left wing San Francisco writer, much like Fast himself, as she lives throughout most of the tumultuous years and events of the 20th century. Only the first 3 books are worth reading; the final 3 are pretty dull. Only the first 2 made this list; these are excellent.
The second volume begins with Barbara, who was little seen in the first volume, as a young heiress to a great San Francisco fortune at the height of The Great Depression. Liberally minded, she involves herself in the Harry Bridges longshoreman strike, then travels to France and gets caught up in the Spanish Civil War. A trip into Nazi Germany inevitably follows, evocative of Lilian Hellman's Julia. Arriving back home Barbara is briefly seduced by Hollywood before becoming a war correspondent and uncovering a dastardly plot by the British to create a famine in Bengal, killing millions, in order to maintain their rule there. (This last story must have had special meaning to Fast as he mentions it in at least 3 of his novels, unconnected.)
Barbara is beyond progressive; she flirts with pacifism and socialism (in the next volume she refuses to give up names to HUAC in the 1950s and is blacklisted and sent to jail). Some of this is apparently autobiographical; Fast was a member of the Communist Party, a leftist idealist throughout most of his life. Nonetheless, he is a spectacular writer, the historical drama is well told, there are lots of good characters and some interesting subplots carried over from the first novel (especially the history of a California winery in Napa.) I recommend reading The Immigrants first. But stop after the 3rd book.
Last edited by a moderator:
Ilov80s
Footballguy
Enjoyed your Americans series, but I'm worried I'm worried about this list since your book interests are very different from mine. I can't imagine a top 50 without multiple Hemingway books. That said, I will definitely check it out. I'm sure there will be some new books that will catch my eye.
timschochet
Footballguy
It's probably going to be a lot different from most people. If even a few of the books I mention either are ones you have enjoyed, or ones that intrigue you enough to try them out, then I will consider that a success.
hagmania
Footballguy
tim, I have a historical fiction suggestion for you to check out.
Widder's Landing by Eddie Price - he was my high school history teacher, and wrote a historical fiction set in our neck of the woods in Kentucky. It's made very apparent that he is a history teacher and not an English teacher through his writing, some of it is a struggle. The book's strength lies in how well-researched it is, and that enabled to pull me through some of the rougher stretches of prose.
Widder's Landing by Eddie Price - he was my high school history teacher, and wrote a historical fiction set in our neck of the woods in Kentucky. It's made very apparent that he is a history teacher and not an English teacher through his writing, some of it is a struggle. The book's strength lies in how well-researched it is, and that enabled to pull me through some of the rougher stretches of prose.
timschochet
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
99. Psycho
Author: Robert Bloch
Year Published: 1959
208 pages
Category: Suspense thriller
A note on the category: many critics place this novel in the "horror" category. But Stephen King wrote that horror should, by definition, involve some sort of supernatural event. Since this story doesn't, suspense thriller seems more appropriate, though it's an extremely frightening novel.
I'm not going to say that it's better than the movie, which of course is an all-time classic. The plot almost matches the movie to a tee, with the one notable exception that Norman Bates in the book has very different physical characteristics: in the novel, Bates is a heavy, overweight homely middle aged man, as opposite to Anthony Perkins as you could imagine.
The other difference to the film is that the book allows us to get into the mind of Norman Bates much more, which makes it more of a psychological thriller. But none of the shock or suspense that made the movie great is missing from the novel. This is a timeless piece of thrilling suspense, and a very quick read.
Author: Robert Bloch
Year Published: 1959
208 pages
Category: Suspense thriller
A note on the category: many critics place this novel in the "horror" category. But Stephen King wrote that horror should, by definition, involve some sort of supernatural event. Since this story doesn't, suspense thriller seems more appropriate, though it's an extremely frightening novel.
I'm not going to say that it's better than the movie, which of course is an all-time classic. The plot almost matches the movie to a tee, with the one notable exception that Norman Bates in the book has very different physical characteristics: in the novel, Bates is a heavy, overweight homely middle aged man, as opposite to Anthony Perkins as you could imagine.
The other difference to the film is that the book allows us to get into the mind of Norman Bates much more, which makes it more of a psychological thriller. But none of the shock or suspense that made the movie great is missing from the novel. This is a timeless piece of thrilling suspense, and a very quick read.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
The Top 100 Americans was supposed to be fixed as it relates to Andrew Carnegie. You have Alexander Hamilton way way too low. You have Jefferson way too high. There are too many pop culture people that have little influence of substance but a lot of influence of romance that a list like this shouldn't reward. Your bottom 50 was a mess but your top 50 was better. If I did a list like this we might have 45 similar people give or take a handful.
I would grade it a B-. Much of the better part of the grade coming from the fact that you undertook the work. The result was less than pleasing. To me. But we've seen what I do to this things.
I would grade it a B-. Much of the better part of the grade coming from the fact that you undertook the work. The result was less than pleasing. To me. But we've seen what I do to this things.
facook
Footballguy
As you said Tim, the novels will be completely subjective (novels you "enjoy") so there's no room for judgment, maybe just difference of opinion.
I'm an avid reader, but I know from your love of Pat Conroy our tastes will diverge. However I am excited to see your list and hopefully get some ideas for novels I could read that I may have missed in the past.
I'm an avid reader, but I know from your love of Pat Conroy our tastes will diverge. However I am excited to see your list and hopefully get some ideas for novels I could read that I may have missed in the past.
phatdawg
Footballguy
Really enjoyed the 100 Greatest Americans list. I wish the summaries at the end of the countdown would have been as detailed as the earlier ones, but I'm not going to complain because you clearly put in a tremendous amount of time.
Now, it's time to go back and read all of Yankee's stuff in this thread. Talk you guys in another week or so!
Now, it's time to go back and read all of Yankee's stuff in this thread. Talk you guys in another week or so!
timschochet
Footballguy
98. 11/22/63
Author: Stephen King
Year Published: 2011
849 pages
Category: alternative history/horror
Stephen King is one of my favorite novelists, so there's going to be a few of his works in this list. IMO, King's output was steadily brilliant from about 1974 to 1990; after that he became hit and miss, and as time has passed, the misses have dominated. This book, however, was one of the hits.
One thing I like about a lot of King novels is that he doesn't waste a lot of time trying to explain the inexplicable. For instance, in this story, the time travel is just there- you walk downstairs and you're 50 years in the past. There is no long attempt at some kind of scientific explanation. (I have to make an example here of Michael Crichton's Timeline. in which Crichton spends close to a hundred dense pages trying to explain the science of time travel. So many people enjoyed Crichton's novels but for me, there were always sections that were unspeakably dull. And, I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me, but it's the same for me with Neal Stephenson and Kim Stanley Robinson, both of whom I've tried to read on several occasions, and both of whom I just cannot get into no matter how I try, because it feels like I'm trying to read a high school science textbook.)
When King is on, he tells a great story. The what-ifs surrounding the Kennedy assassination are always a fascinating subject. King offers some startling insight on this, especially about the "smallness" of Lee Harvey Oswald, which explains why so many people over the years rejected the obvious explanation of JFK's death and insisted that there must be a conspiracy theory instead. I also love King's time travel theory about how history is difficult to alter. Another great part of the book is the middle story of the high school which is reminiscent of Mr. Holland's Opus, and just beautifully written. It was also a really neat touch to encounter some of the characters from It.
But none of this would work without King's masterfully suspenseful storytelling skills; his ability to keep you guessing and turning the pages.
Author: Stephen King
Year Published: 2011
849 pages
Category: alternative history/horror
Stephen King is one of my favorite novelists, so there's going to be a few of his works in this list. IMO, King's output was steadily brilliant from about 1974 to 1990; after that he became hit and miss, and as time has passed, the misses have dominated. This book, however, was one of the hits.
One thing I like about a lot of King novels is that he doesn't waste a lot of time trying to explain the inexplicable. For instance, in this story, the time travel is just there- you walk downstairs and you're 50 years in the past. There is no long attempt at some kind of scientific explanation. (I have to make an example here of Michael Crichton's Timeline. in which Crichton spends close to a hundred dense pages trying to explain the science of time travel. So many people enjoyed Crichton's novels but for me, there were always sections that were unspeakably dull. And, I know a lot of people are going to disagree with me, but it's the same for me with Neal Stephenson and Kim Stanley Robinson, both of whom I've tried to read on several occasions, and both of whom I just cannot get into no matter how I try, because it feels like I'm trying to read a high school science textbook.)
When King is on, he tells a great story. The what-ifs surrounding the Kennedy assassination are always a fascinating subject. King offers some startling insight on this, especially about the "smallness" of Lee Harvey Oswald, which explains why so many people over the years rejected the obvious explanation of JFK's death and insisted that there must be a conspiracy theory instead. I also love King's time travel theory about how history is difficult to alter. Another great part of the book is the middle story of the high school which is reminiscent of Mr. Holland's Opus, and just beautifully written. It was also a really neat touch to encounter some of the characters from It.
But none of this would work without King's masterfully suspenseful storytelling skills; his ability to keep you guessing and turning the pages.
Bottomfeeder Sports
Footballguy
timschochet
Footballguy
Jack White
Footballguy
Abe Lincoln is number one?
What's the category, "Responsible for the most deaths"?
What's the category, "Responsible for the most deaths"?
Bottomfeeder Sports
Footballguy
Exactly!timschochet said:
Oh, well I guess I already explained too much for this to be anything other than a failure.
timschochet
Footballguy
97. The Rosie Project
by: Graeme Simsion
Published: 2013
304 pages
Romantic comedy
Great conceit for a novel: the narrator has Asperger's syndrome. He is not aware of it. He decides he needs to find a girl to marry him, and plans it out in great detail. Things go wrong from the outset. Still, he meets a sweet girl, they fall in love, have a strange relationship. I won't say too much more because the fun is in the reading. And it is very good fun. This is an Australian novel, but the society presented is close enough to America for us to relate to. Romantic comedies are NOT my typical read, but there are a few on this list and this is one of the more entertaining for me... I read it in half a day.
by: Graeme Simsion
Published: 2013
304 pages
Romantic comedy
Great conceit for a novel: the narrator has Asperger's syndrome. He is not aware of it. He decides he needs to find a girl to marry him, and plans it out in great detail. Things go wrong from the outset. Still, he meets a sweet girl, they fall in love, have a strange relationship. I won't say too much more because the fun is in the reading. And it is very good fun. This is an Australian novel, but the society presented is close enough to America for us to relate to. Romantic comedies are NOT my typical read, but there are a few on this list and this is one of the more entertaining for me... I read it in half a day.
McGarnicle
Footballguy
It's a crime that I'm just getting around to reading this thread.
timschochet
Footballguy
43% of Republicans think Obama is a Muslim. 43 ####### percent. How can we hope to work with this party?
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Link?
This is Pew 2010.
In 2009 when Obama came to office 47% of Republicans though Obama was a Christian.
In 2010 17 months later 46% of Democrats thought he was a Christian.
http://www.pewforum.org/2010/08/18/growing-number-of-americans-say-obama-is-a-muslim/
What is it now?
timschochet
Footballguy
SaintsInDome2006
Footballguy
Based on the linked poll the GOP and Democrats at least in 2010 had very similar views.
timschochet
Footballguy
Here are my priorities for the upcoming Presidential election:
1. Trump loses.
2. Cruz loses.
3. Hillary is elected.
4. A Democrat is elected.
At this point, though I support Hillary, I will be satisfied so long as neither Trump or Cruz is our next President.
1. Trump loses.
2. Cruz loses.
3. Hillary is elected.
4. A Democrat is elected.
At this point, though I support Hillary, I will be satisfied so long as neither Trump or Cruz is our next President.
timschochet
Footballguy
96. Jackdaws
by Ken Follett
2001; 612 pages
historical romantic thriller
Before turning to writing epic histories in the style of James Clavell and James Michener, Ken Follett was best known for his romantic World War II and period piece spy thrillers: The Eye of the Needle, Triple, The Man From St. Petersburg, The Key to Rebecca, etc. These are all fun, pretty light novels to read. But in 2001 Follett returned to his earlier theme with Jackdaws, a World War II thriller which tops them all. The plot is formulaic, with a twist: a group of soldiers has to parachute into occupied France to blow up a radar site in order for D-Day to work; but in order to sneak in, they all have to be women. So much like The Dirty Dozen. suitable women are found all over England. They're subjected to training, and then they're finally ready to go in. Will the mission succeed? Will they be betrayed?
Sure it's hardly original. But it's a great read, Follett is very good at keeping up suspense and introducing interesting (and villainous) characters, and the whole thing works about as well as any World War II escapade thriller. If you loved The Dirty Dozen, or The Guns of Navarone, or Inglorious Basterds, etc., you should really enjoy this novel. A great yarn.
by Ken Follett
2001; 612 pages
historical romantic thriller
Before turning to writing epic histories in the style of James Clavell and James Michener, Ken Follett was best known for his romantic World War II and period piece spy thrillers: The Eye of the Needle, Triple, The Man From St. Petersburg, The Key to Rebecca, etc. These are all fun, pretty light novels to read. But in 2001 Follett returned to his earlier theme with Jackdaws, a World War II thriller which tops them all. The plot is formulaic, with a twist: a group of soldiers has to parachute into occupied France to blow up a radar site in order for D-Day to work; but in order to sneak in, they all have to be women. So much like The Dirty Dozen. suitable women are found all over England. They're subjected to training, and then they're finally ready to go in. Will the mission succeed? Will they be betrayed?
Sure it's hardly original. But it's a great read, Follett is very good at keeping up suspense and introducing interesting (and villainous) characters, and the whole thing works about as well as any World War II escapade thriller. If you loved The Dirty Dozen, or The Guns of Navarone, or Inglorious Basterds, etc., you should really enjoy this novel. A great yarn.
Last edited by a moderator:
Rich Conway
Footballguy
jwb
Footballguy
I enjoyed this book a lot. I especially enjoyed the high school part, and how he's just a little different than everyone else, and doesn't truly belong. One of the better time travel stories I have read.
timschochet
Footballguy
95. Under the Dome
Stephen King, 2009
1,074 pages
Horror
Another of King's later "hits". At first I actually ranked this below 11/22/63, because it's more sprawling and has some unnecessary scenes IMO. But it's also wider and more epic in scope. In fact, outside of the The Dark Tower series (which I found to be overall disappointing), Under the Dome is probably King's most ambitious novel since It and The Stand. (Those are my highest rated King novels and will be on this list much later.)
King has written several books about small town America. In these novels, he uses horror to study the effects on the residents of the small town: the terror brings out their hidden emotions. The Tommyknockers and Needful Things were both examples of this, though in both books the horror eventually dominates all other aspects of King's theme. Here, in Under the Dome, it doesn't: the dome is just there, and in itself presents no immediate threat to the residents of the town other than locking them in; the rest of the terror is from themselves. That's what makes it so entertaining, IMO, much more so than the other two books mentioned in this paragraph.
In Big Jim Rennie, King presents one of his greatest villains- in my mind, top 5 all time. Here they are:
1. Annie Wilkes
2. John Rainbird
3. Randall Flagg
4. Gregg Stillson (or as I like to call him these days, Donald Trump).
5. Big Jim Rennie
I know some people are going to say, "What about Pennywise?" The answer is not enough of a personality to rate a great villain. Trashcan Man also just misses the top 5.
I only watched a few episodes of the TV show but it seemed cheesy. It works better as a novel.
Up next: A Greg Iles countdown thriller...
Stephen King, 2009
1,074 pages
Horror
Another of King's later "hits". At first I actually ranked this below 11/22/63, because it's more sprawling and has some unnecessary scenes IMO. But it's also wider and more epic in scope. In fact, outside of the The Dark Tower series (which I found to be overall disappointing), Under the Dome is probably King's most ambitious novel since It and The Stand. (Those are my highest rated King novels and will be on this list much later.)
King has written several books about small town America. In these novels, he uses horror to study the effects on the residents of the small town: the terror brings out their hidden emotions. The Tommyknockers and Needful Things were both examples of this, though in both books the horror eventually dominates all other aspects of King's theme. Here, in Under the Dome, it doesn't: the dome is just there, and in itself presents no immediate threat to the residents of the town other than locking them in; the rest of the terror is from themselves. That's what makes it so entertaining, IMO, much more so than the other two books mentioned in this paragraph.
In Big Jim Rennie, King presents one of his greatest villains- in my mind, top 5 all time. Here they are:
1. Annie Wilkes
2. John Rainbird
3. Randall Flagg
4. Gregg Stillson (or as I like to call him these days, Donald Trump).
5. Big Jim Rennie
I know some people are going to say, "What about Pennywise?" The answer is not enough of a personality to rate a great villain. Trashcan Man also just misses the top 5.
I only watched a few episodes of the TV show but it seemed cheesy. It works better as a novel.
Up next: A Greg Iles countdown thriller...
ScottNorwood
Footballcutie
99. Russel Weiner
Donald and Russell Weiner founded the original Donruss company in 1954. At first, they were the owners of the Thomas Weiner Company located in Memphis, Tennessee. They manufactured hard candy, suckers and Super Bubble gum. Combining their first names, Don and Russ, they renamed their company Donruss and continued to produce candy and gum.
It's still unclear whether Russell or Donald came up with the concept of "Rated Rookies". The world may never know the truth.
Donald and Russell Weiner founded the original Donruss company in 1954. At first, they were the owners of the Thomas Weiner Company located in Memphis, Tennessee. They manufactured hard candy, suckers and Super Bubble gum. Combining their first names, Don and Russ, they renamed their company Donruss and continued to produce candy and gum.
It's still unclear whether Russell or Donald came up with the concept of "Rated Rookies". The world may never know the truth.
Similar threads
