Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I think this is the perfect epilogue for the book.
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Official Stephen King Publication Countdown - 58. The Tommyknockers, 57. Cujo (9 Viewers)
- Thread starter turnjose7
- Start date
60. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
2000
Non-fiction
0/5
This is the only non-fiction book to break into the top 100. As noted in the first few posts of the thread, King has published several non-fiction books but really has two main non-fiction works: this and Danse Macabre. The latter is an exploration of the concept of horror and why people enjoy it. It’s definitely interesting, but unless one has a really extensive knowledge of the genre including being familiar with essentially every horror novel ever written and every horror movie ever made, parts of it will probably be lost on the reader.
On Writing is the opposite. It is something that I would imagine almost anyone can appreciate. The content has two major parts. Half of it is about King’s philosophy on and approach to writing, getting into nitty gritty details like his hatred of adverbs. That may sound dull, but he does it in a way that is fascinating. The second part is a mini-autobiography of King’s life.
It is really interesting to see how King’s life has influenced his writing. This is especially true when it comes to one of the most significant events, a near-death experience. For those who don’t know, on June 19, 1999 King was taking a walk near his rural Maine home when he was struck by a van and was nearly killed. He had a prolonged recovery, and the impact of the experience significantly influenced his writing. The tone of his works changed, and the plots of some of his stories even allude to the incident. Reading this can really help one appreciate his works more, especially the final three books of The Dark Tower.
2000
Non-fiction
0/5
This is the only non-fiction book to break into the top 100. As noted in the first few posts of the thread, King has published several non-fiction books but really has two main non-fiction works: this and Danse Macabre. The latter is an exploration of the concept of horror and why people enjoy it. It’s definitely interesting, but unless one has a really extensive knowledge of the genre including being familiar with essentially every horror novel ever written and every horror movie ever made, parts of it will probably be lost on the reader.
On Writing is the opposite. It is something that I would imagine almost anyone can appreciate. The content has two major parts. Half of it is about King’s philosophy on and approach to writing, getting into nitty gritty details like his hatred of adverbs. That may sound dull, but he does it in a way that is fascinating. The second part is a mini-autobiography of King’s life.
It is really interesting to see how King’s life has influenced his writing. This is especially true when it comes to one of the most significant events, a near-death experience. For those who don’t know, on June 19, 1999 King was taking a walk near his rural Maine home when he was struck by a van and was nearly killed. He had a prolonged recovery, and the impact of the experience significantly influenced his writing. The tone of his works changed, and the plots of some of his stories even allude to the incident. Reading this can really help one appreciate his works more, especially the final three books of The Dark Tower.
59. “Mrs. Todd’s Shortcut”
1984
Short story from Skeleton Crew
Fantasy
1/5
- Castle Rock story
The owner of a vacation home in western Maine, obsessed with finding the shortest possible route between two points, seems to defy the laws of physics.
This short story could fly under the radar as it is different from almost everything else in Skeleton Crew, and most of King’s work in general, but I really like it. There isn’t anything remotely scary or suspenseful here. But it’s a really fun modern fairy tale that captures the spirit of rural Maine while leaving the reader with a sense of wonder.
1984
Short story from Skeleton Crew
Fantasy
1/5
- Castle Rock story
The owner of a vacation home in western Maine, obsessed with finding the shortest possible route between two points, seems to defy the laws of physics.
This short story could fly under the radar as it is different from almost everything else in Skeleton Crew, and most of King’s work in general, but I really like it. There isn’t anything remotely scary or suspenseful here. But it’s a really fun modern fairy tale that captures the spirit of rural Maine while leaving the reader with a sense of wonder.
58. The Tommyknockers
1987
Novel
Horror, science fiction
3/5
- Derry/Haven story
Inhabitants of a Maine town begin to change in dramatic ways after a local resident seemingly uncovers a buried spaceship.
This is the other book that I was talking about when I said there were still novels to come with both good and bad parts. Among King’s more widely known works, The Tommyknockers is generally considered one of his weakest novels. King himself has criticized it, indicating that his heavy drug use at the time was negatively affecting his writing abilities. To be sure, the last third of the book has parts that are completely ridiculous. The ending is among the worst stuff I’ve ever read by King. But he also has claimed there is a good novel in there, and I agree. The first 2/3 of the book slowly build in a good way. There are some fantastic early scenes, and I actually think it is one of King’s most effective novels at creating a sense of dread. Unfortunately, the payoff just isn’t there in the end.
1987
Novel
Horror, science fiction
3/5
- Derry/Haven story
Inhabitants of a Maine town begin to change in dramatic ways after a local resident seemingly uncovers a buried spaceship.
This is the other book that I was talking about when I said there were still novels to come with both good and bad parts. Among King’s more widely known works, The Tommyknockers is generally considered one of his weakest novels. King himself has criticized it, indicating that his heavy drug use at the time was negatively affecting his writing abilities. To be sure, the last third of the book has parts that are completely ridiculous. The ending is among the worst stuff I’ve ever read by King. But he also has claimed there is a good novel in there, and I agree. The first 2/3 of the book slowly build in a good way. There are some fantastic early scenes, and I actually think it is one of King’s most effective novels at creating a sense of dread. Unfortunately, the payoff just isn’t there in the end.
57. Cujo
1981
Novel
Horror
3/5
- Castle Rock story
A rabid dog terrorizes the people of Castle County.
Not a lot to say about this one. It is one of King’s more famous works and I think everyone has a good sense of what it is about. It’s a solid story, reasonably scary, but lacking anything to really make it stand out as one of his best works. Maybe the most important thing about it is that it is the first of his novels to take place primarily in Castle Rock (the town was seen in The Dead Zone but wasn’t the primary setting for that book). Its events are also referenced in more stories than probably any of his other books: The Body, The Dark Half, Pet Sematary, and a number of others all make direct reference to it.
Maybe an interesting bit of trivia: the dog was named after Willie Wolfe, one of the perpetrators of the Patty Hearst kidnapping (a subject for which King seems to have endless fascination).
1981
Novel
Horror
3/5
- Castle Rock story
A rabid dog terrorizes the people of Castle County.
Not a lot to say about this one. It is one of King’s more famous works and I think everyone has a good sense of what it is about. It’s a solid story, reasonably scary, but lacking anything to really make it stand out as one of his best works. Maybe the most important thing about it is that it is the first of his novels to take place primarily in Castle Rock (the town was seen in The Dead Zone but wasn’t the primary setting for that book). Its events are also referenced in more stories than probably any of his other books: The Body, The Dark Half, Pet Sematary, and a number of others all make direct reference to it.
Maybe an interesting bit of trivia: the dog was named after Willie Wolfe, one of the perpetrators of the Patty Hearst kidnapping (a subject for which King seems to have endless fascination).
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I found this book fascinating. I'm not a lit major or anything, and don't know how widely accepted some of King's opinions are among the literati, but it was an easy read even for me that made sense. I think it's essential for King fans.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I didn't hate this one as much as many King fans did. Maybe that's because I was......um...... ingesting a lot of the same things Kings was at the time
It's a wild ride, though I agree that it gets pretty silly at times.
Uruk-Hai
Footballguy
I would have had this higher if I made this list. One of King's best traits - to me - is that he can come up with these single-concept ideas that smash. This is the novel version of a bottle episode on TV. The problem with it is - again, to me - that the book is too damned long. This should've been a novella or short story.
zamboni
Footballguy
Agreed - could have been shorter but definitely terrifying. The movie adaptation with the kid from Who’s The Boss was terrible in comparison.
timschochet
Footballguy
Cujo is IMO your first major error in ranking. It’s a top 20 King story, possibly top 10. I don’t think it needed to be shorter either because the characters are all interesting and add to the suspense. Also no one has mentioned yet the shock ending- this isn’t a case of everybody lives happily ever after. I thought that gives the story added depth as well.
Wanted to add that in 3 King novels- Cujo, The Stand, and Gerald’s Game- he offers narrative from the perspective and mind of a dog. He’s very good at it; in all instances it comes off as believable.
Wanted to add that in 3 King novels- Cujo, The Stand, and Gerald’s Game- he offers narrative from the perspective and mind of a dog. He’s very good at it; in all instances it comes off as believable.
Others as well. Under the Dome comes to mind. Yeah it's impressive; it should come across as silly but it doesn't.
I’m going to take a break until tomorrow morning before posting any more entries, but I thought now would be a good time to say a little bit about The Dark Tower for those who aren’t as familiar with King. Several upcoming entries are important in the Dark Tower storyline so it probably would be helpful for people to know what that means.
King has long had an idea for an epic story combining elements of fantasy and western, inspired by Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” along with The Lord of the Rings and Clint Eastwoods “Man with No Name” films. He started writing the story in 1970, before he had ever published a novel, and over the next dozen years published excerpts in various magazines. The first full novel in the series, The Gunslinger, was published as a limited edition in 1982. Over the years King alternated between setting the story aside and being called to finish it. Eventually, the accident I mentioned in the On Writing entry changed the direction of the story and spurred its completion, with the final three volumes all being written and published over the course of a few years.
King’s official website refers to it as his magnum opus. The series proper is about 4,250 pages and consists of seven core novels, one side novel, and a novella. But the series features connections to multiple other King stories and many of his stories include elements that relate to the series. In a sense, all of King’s works are part of a larger Dark Tower story. The series explains why many of his works feature similar elements but with slight inconsistencies and why so much weird and scary stuff seems to happen in small towns in Maine.
Opinions will vary about the best way to approach the series and what other works are critical to read to understand it. Here is the approach I would recommend:
The Stand --> ‘Salem’s Lot --> DT1: The Gunslinger --> (The Eyes of the Dragon) --> DT2: The Drawing of the Three --> DT3: The Wastelands --> Insomnia --> DT4: Wizard and Glass --> (“Little Sisters of Eluria” from Everything’s Eventual) --> “Everything’s Eventual” from Everything's Eventual --> Hearts in Atlantis --> (The Talisman/Black House) --> DT5: Wolves of the Calla --> DT6: Song of Susannah --> DT7: The Dark Tower --> (Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Story)
The stuff in parentheses are nice supplements that tie into the story but aren’t essential to understanding the main plot so you could technically skip them. Everything else you should probably read, or else parts of the main plot will be pretty confusing. ‘Salem’s Lot is the weird one because within the story itself there is nothing that makes it seem like a Dark Tower work, but you absolutely need it to understand books 5-7. So, you should read it, but it alternatively could be done after Hearts in Atlantis even though chronologically it’s much earlier.
King has long had an idea for an epic story combining elements of fantasy and western, inspired by Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” along with The Lord of the Rings and Clint Eastwoods “Man with No Name” films. He started writing the story in 1970, before he had ever published a novel, and over the next dozen years published excerpts in various magazines. The first full novel in the series, The Gunslinger, was published as a limited edition in 1982. Over the years King alternated between setting the story aside and being called to finish it. Eventually, the accident I mentioned in the On Writing entry changed the direction of the story and spurred its completion, with the final three volumes all being written and published over the course of a few years.
King’s official website refers to it as his magnum opus. The series proper is about 4,250 pages and consists of seven core novels, one side novel, and a novella. But the series features connections to multiple other King stories and many of his stories include elements that relate to the series. In a sense, all of King’s works are part of a larger Dark Tower story. The series explains why many of his works feature similar elements but with slight inconsistencies and why so much weird and scary stuff seems to happen in small towns in Maine.
Opinions will vary about the best way to approach the series and what other works are critical to read to understand it. Here is the approach I would recommend:
The Stand --> ‘Salem’s Lot --> DT1: The Gunslinger --> (The Eyes of the Dragon) --> DT2: The Drawing of the Three --> DT3: The Wastelands --> Insomnia --> DT4: Wizard and Glass --> (“Little Sisters of Eluria” from Everything’s Eventual) --> “Everything’s Eventual” from Everything's Eventual --> Hearts in Atlantis --> (The Talisman/Black House) --> DT5: Wolves of the Calla --> DT6: Song of Susannah --> DT7: The Dark Tower --> (Wind Through the Keyhole: A Dark Tower Story)
The stuff in parentheses are nice supplements that tie into the story but aren’t essential to understanding the main plot so you could technically skip them. Everything else you should probably read, or else parts of the main plot will be pretty confusing. ‘Salem’s Lot is the weird one because within the story itself there is nothing that makes it seem like a Dark Tower work, but you absolutely need it to understand books 5-7. So, you should read it, but it alternatively could be done after Hearts in Atlantis even though chronologically it’s much earlier.
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