So you haven't really read all his work then, wasn't The Stand his fourth published book?

I was pretty disappointed in it as well, really didn't like the ending. I don't get all the love for that one. I enjoy his writing style though and usually enjoy his work. There's a few I haven't liked though.

I read all kinds of them after that - but after a while I stopped - didn't like them at all ..
including the Bachman stuff.

the last one I read was Cell .. ugh.

i'll be honest - there's very little horror fiction I like.
especially 'modern' horror.

I like Richard Layman and Jack Ketchum and Gregory Lamberson

I'd like to check out more F Paul Wilson (I loved the Keep as a movie - I cant remember how I felt about the book)

From time to time I try new stuff and I'm usually bored as hell and cant finish it.
As a rule - terrible character development... most horror writers want to rush to the 'set pieces' which mean absolutely nothing without well sculpted characters.

I'm far tougher on literature than I am on film and music ... I guess because of the time you need to invest before you find out if it was worth it or not ..

Yeah I wasn't big on The Bachman stuff either except for The Regulators. I threw The Long Walk across the room.

Love Laymons stuff, big inspiration for my own writing. Ketchum is also very good.

I get what you mean about character development. King has done a good job with that in some of his work though I would say.

but his is too rich .. (the overripe fruit)

The thing I loved about Dickens is that he could put a very clear image of a person in your mind with very few brush strokes ..

King will describe the last hair on a person's head ... he will lock a character into a speaking style (usually some folky good old boy dialogue soaked in history and culture)

I can't articulate this very well (i'm not the writer) but I find everything is overdone .. overexplained ..

plus he keeps regenerating the same characters over and over and over again.
He clamped onto the advice 'write what you know' like a pitbull on a bone

I know it works for a hell of a lot of people .. I just suffered from over exposure too long ago. Black House - with Strawb - was the one that made me never want to read him again. I couldn't even finish it.

Salems Lot remains the one novel of his I still like

I agree that he does over describe his characters. Sometimes he puts in elements that to me see unnecessary.

I'm more interested in the story though and a writers voice. Its hard for me to get into a book if I can't stand their particular style. Kings writing flows nicely for me and I can get lost in his books.

He does utilize the sane character type over and over again though. Writer from Maine seems to be his go to move.

Character development is important to me too just not the number one thing I look for.

I locked Salem's Lot. One of my favorites from him.

character development and prose are my big things ..

I like to be surprised ...I like to find things I can relate to and I like to find a voice I haven't heard before.
Sometimes you get one or 2 things but not all of them.

richard laymon's night in the lonesome October really got to me because I've always been intrigued by the concept that our world changes at night .. we don't own or understand anything outside of our homes at 2AM - 5AM He wrote a book about it and I was captivated.

Jack Kechum writes in a gritty no nonsense way ... it's like watching the most horrible news you've ever seen. That style works for me because most horror writers can't properly handle the alternative.

Greg Lamberson is similar .. straight forward - just the facts ma'am - very linear and economical - and entertaining.

I read a book by Cody Goodfellow - John Skip's pal. Some of the best prose I've ever read - (but the story just didn't move forward)

I'm also a 3rd of the way into the 3rd book in The Strain series and I cant continue - I've lost all interest in the characters and couldn't give a toss what happens to them anymore

Been meaning to read that Laymon book. Good to know its good.

Currently reading Doctor Sleep, 150 pages in and have a list of 10 books I wish to read after that for the year ::cool::

Got several books going but none are from my core collection, that decade and a half frenzy of white hot book collecting where I bought way more than I could keep up with if I read constantly 24/7, and this is my attempt correct it by squeezing it between UNDAUNTED COURAGE and THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN HATTERAS.



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Kevin O'Donnell always impressed me when I came across a story of his when I was reading Analog on a regular basis in the late seventies. Picked up six or so of his novels as they came out but put them on hold for some reason I can no longer remember. Only a handful of pages into it but I like it and it feels promising.

Looks interesting. sfear, do you feel guilty about unread books, like they are neglected children?