Thoroughly loved this story. Castle Rock is visited by Leland Gaunt who opens the shop Needful Things. The 790 pages flew by with all the wonderful chThoroughly loved this story. Castle Rock is visited by Leland Gaunt who opens the shop Needful Things. The 790 pages flew by with all the wonderful characters. Polly with her arthritic hands, Alan the Sheriff with his wife and son’s death, Nettie and poor Raider, Buster,Ace and all the rest.
What I liked was the build up and how Gaunt played on people’s dreams and desires be it a baseball card for young Brian to carnival glass for Nettie. The ending is also good. Entertaining, enthralling and a definite page turner.
Recently watched the 1993 movie. Oh dear, it felt rushed and the script missed the mark. Ed Harris as the sheriff was miscast and Max Sydow was excellent but the script was awful and failed to raise any suspense. It would be good if they did a remake and followed the book more closely. ...more
**spoiler alert** I really like Holly. I read this book after binge watching The Outsider on tv which I enjoyed but would have used better lighting. T**spoiler alert** I really like Holly. I read this book after binge watching The Outsider on tv which I enjoyed but would have used better lighting. The idea for Octogenarian serial killers is unique and their insanity breathtaking. I have met a lot of people in academia and they do get fixated on theories.
I didn’t mind the Covid references and it fitted the story. Bonnie Dahl’s disappearance and Holly’s investigation into the seemingly respectable retired academics eventually reveals a horrible secret. ...more
**spoiler alert** I last read Cujo in the 1980s. The story of a St Bernard bitten by a rabies infected bat stands the test of time. Although if writte**spoiler alert** I last read Cujo in the 1980s. The story of a St Bernard bitten by a rabies infected bat stands the test of time. Although if written now your mobile phone would have to be broken.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Donna is married to Vic and a PR man with their young child Tad. She has just finished an affair with Steve Kemp a man with a great body but anger management issues. She ends the affair and Vic wants to save their marriage but has to leave to save his company over a PR fiasco with their biggest account.
A dodgy carburetor has Donna trapped with Tad in her Pinto after Cujo goes rabid killing Joe Camber and his friend Gary. They are trapped in the cafe in the middle of summer and a cat and mouse game goes on between Donna and Cujo.
I liked the book ending more than the movie ending where Tad survives.
Apparently Kung cannot remember writing Cujo during the worse phase of his alcohol and drug addiction. Cujo is a story about man's best friend gone bad, it can also be viewed as a metaphor for addiction.
Donna and Tad are trapped by n the car facing dehydration due to a rabid dog with little chance of escape. This is similar to This premise is similar to how families who are impacted with a loved one’s addiction can be driven to feel. Is this how King saw his family when he was addicted to drugs. ...more
Excellent story with echoes of the sixth sense. King’s tale of a boy growing up able to see and talk to dead people was spellbinding. I enjoyed the twExcellent story with echoes of the sixth sense. King’s tale of a boy growing up able to see and talk to dead people was spellbinding. I enjoyed the twist at the end. Well worth a read. ...more
A wonderful read. I like the Dark Tower connections snd how King drew all the five stories together. Other reviewers have better descriptions of the tA wonderful read. I like the Dark Tower connections snd how King drew all the five stories together. Other reviewers have better descriptions of the themes and connections of the story. Vietnam, the 1960s, war and life on campuses during that period.
One critic described Hearts in Atlantis as "the Great American Baby Boomer Novel". King at his best with Bobby, Carol and Sully with the elderly mysterious Ted. Peter Riley and Carol with the addictive Hearts card game and the burgeoning protests on campus over the Vietnam War. ...more
An enjoyable read with Stephen King’s interpretation of fairy tales. Charle Reade saves Howard Bowater’s life and funds a new world with the entrance An enjoyable read with Stephen King’s interpretation of fairy tales. Charle Reade saves Howard Bowater’s life and funds a new world with the entrance in a shed. I liked Radar the dog and Charlie’s quest to save her life in another world of poppys, monarch butterflies, zombielike creatures and monsters.
The quest through the city is labyrinth like with hidden traps and horrifying monsters. ...more
Fourteen short stories. A couple related to the Tower series. Everything Eventual with the breaker children introduced. The Little Sisters of Eluria aFourteen short stories. A couple related to the Tower series. Everything Eventual with the breaker children introduced. The Little Sisters of Eluria and the gunslinger Roland escaping death thanks to Jenna but Roland’s luck with woman is not good.
Autopsy Room Four and waking up unable to move is scary especially when they are about to do your autopsy.
The Man in the Black Suit where an elderly man remembers escape as a kid from the Devil.
All that you love will be carried away a story of graffiti and whether to commit suicide.
The Death of Jack Hamilton and the slow lingering death of a pal of Johnny Dillinger.
In the Death room I enjoyed this Central American tale of a captured spies thoughts as he us about to be tortured to death. Will he escape or not?
L.T’s Theory of Pets about a man who tells the story of how is wife went missing with his pet dog and how he kept her pet cat. Did a serial killer get her or did she disappear.
The Road Virus Heads North a story of a painting and its subject that follows a horror writer. Great story.
Lunch at the Gotham Cafe where a maitre’d goes insane during a meal with Steve meeting his estranged wife Diane to discuss their divorce with her lawyer.
That Feeling, You can only say what it is in French a very good story where hell or purgatory is repetition.
1408 adds up to 13 about a supernatural room in a New York hotel holds a horrific secret. A skeptical horror writer tries to stay a night and enters madness. Will he escape or join the other guests.
Riding the Bullet when a young man hitches a ride with a ghoul and makes a deal. Strangely the deal doesn’t happen as he expects.
Luckey Quarter a poor chambermaid gets lucky but not the way she expects.
A good collection of short stories which were entertaining and with a few great twists.
Great story. Well characterized with John Coffey, Tom, Brutal, Del, Mr Jingles, Billy the Kid aka William Wharton and of course Percy Wetmore and all Great story. Well characterized with John Coffey, Tom, Brutal, Del, Mr Jingles, Billy the Kid aka William Wharton and of course Percy Wetmore and all the rest. Cold Mountain and the penitentiary with Green Mile in 1932 is captured beautifully.
Good versus evil and Coffey’s magical powers capture the imagination. I plan to watch the movie again to see Mr Jingles play with the spool. ...more
**spoiler alert** Stephen King does it again. How he can create a world in a police station with just a shed and a supernatural Buick is amazing. The **spoiler alert** Stephen King does it again. How he can create a world in a police station with just a shed and a supernatural Buick is amazing. The car is mysterious, scary and intriguing. The troopers who in a way are its guardians or guards are all involved in keeping it a secret from the wider world.
Ned the son of Curtis is told the story of the Buick by Sandy, Shirley, Arky, Eddie and Hubbie. How its driver disappeared and one of the troopers Ennis. How over the year mysterious creatures came out of the trunk and how they dealt with them. Mr D the dog, Benny the high domestic abuser and close shaves with the mysterious Buick and its light quakes.
King draws you in to the story with the day to day happenings in the police barracks and the Shed where the Buick is kept. The only thing I found hard to swallow is all the troopers over the years keeping the secret. ...more
Thoroughly enjoyed the sequel to The Talisman. Jack Sawyer now an adult goes to live in Wisconsin, French Landing. Here he becomes friends with the suThoroughly enjoyed the sequel to The Talisman. Jack Sawyer now an adult goes to live in Wisconsin, French Landing. Here he becomes friends with the super cool blind Henry a DJ and Dale the local police chief. A serial killer called the Fisherman is killing children.
We then embark on an adventure with Jack as he tries to save Ty the latest kidnapped victim. We cross over to the territories and find the Black House a portal to another dark horrific world.
A real page turner with lots of links to the Dark Tower series. ...more
**spoiler alert** A reread. Its been forty years ago since I read about the unlucky Johnny Smith. King is such a page turner and this story brought ba**spoiler alert** A reread. Its been forty years ago since I read about the unlucky Johnny Smith. King is such a page turner and this story brought back memories of the 1970s. The baddie Greg Stillson needed perhaps a bit more fleshing out.
Johnny in a coma for four and a half years wakes up to find his girlfriend Sarah married and with a little boy. His mother Vera a religious crackpot with Herb his long suffering father patiently tolerating her.
Johnny’s ability to see glimpses of the past and future allow him to find a serial killer and save some students from a fatal fire. His biggest task though is whether to kill the insane politician Greg Stillson.
I liked the slow build up and this trip down memory lane. The movie though was disappointing. ...more
This book grew on me. Blaze the giant simple soul and the ghostly George. This is a homage to Mice and Men with more detail and an explanation of BlazThis book grew on me. Blaze the giant simple soul and the ghostly George. This is a homage to Mice and Men with more detail and an explanation of Blaze’s past growing up in a orphanage. The abuse and happy times are described in flashbacks as Blaze is on the run with the kidnapped baby.
A thought provoking story. It made me think about nature versus nurture and the importance of your early environment. How Blaze or George never had a chance and their fate was preordained. ...more
**spoiler alert** Gwendy at the age of 64 becomes an astronaut. She has a mission to rid the Earth of the button box with its tasty chocolate animals **spoiler alert** Gwendy at the age of 64 becomes an astronaut. She has a mission to rid the Earth of the button box with its tasty chocolate animals and black button to destroy the world. Derry makes an evil appearance and a billionaire called Winston also on the space mission has his own agenda.
The story follows Gwendy’s mission to send the button box into space. There is a twist though in that she has early Alzheimer’s and it’s becoming worse. This is better than the second in the series. I enjoyed the story with its links to the tower and the flashbacks. The ending was good. ...more
**spoiler alert** Great chilling line at the end. ‘Darling, it said�. Pet Semetary is a great horror book and is King at his best. Louis and Rachel wi**spoiler alert** Great chilling line at the end. ‘Darling, it said�. Pet Semetary is a great horror book and is King at his best. Louis and Rachel with their two children Ellie and Gage move to the Maine countryside for an organization idyllic life. Louis is head doctor at a nearby university. There elderly neighbors Jud and Norma are friendly and Louis develops a friendship with Eighty old year Jud. Sipping beers on his porch during the summer months.
Then one day their cat Church is killed by a car. Then Jud shows him a secret and Louis is on a path to insanity. Past the pet semetary is another one which has supernatural powers which should be left alone. I enjoyed the way the suspense developed and the dark atmosphere of the story. So glad I reread this story which was published in 1988. ...more
Another great story. Billy Summers an assassin or hired killer with a conscience does one more hit. He only kills bad people. Yes, a bit farfetched. TAnother great story. Billy Summers an assassin or hired killer with a conscience does one more hit. He only kills bad people. Yes, a bit farfetched. The story includes Alice a young woman who Billy rescues after she is sexually assaulted.
A roller coaster crime novel with lots of killings along the way. Greed and a media tycoon are in the background and for some reason the name Rupert sprung to my mind. ...more
This stand alone book is 4.5 in the Dark Tower series. Roland and his companions Oy, Jake, Eddie and Susannah must wait out a storm in a stone buildinThis stand alone book is 4.5 in the Dark Tower series. Roland and his companions Oy, Jake, Eddie and Susannah must wait out a storm in a stone building. During the wait Roland tells two stories. One about when he was young and sent to catch a shape changer murdering people. The other a form of fairy tale. Both good stories....more
**spoiler alert** Another great read. Mike Noonan a best selling writer wife Jo dies suddenly. He then suffers writers block and after four years he g**spoiler alert** Another great read. Mike Noonan a best selling writer wife Jo dies suddenly. He then suffers writers block and after four years he goes to his lakeside Maine summer home called Sara Laughs. There mysterious things begin to happen when he makes an enemy of octogenarian millionaire Max Devore. This is through meeting his three year old granddaughter Kyra and her widowed mother Maddie.
The story revolves around an event that happened in the TR many years ago. It has haunted the area and people living there ever since. Mike uncovers the mystery eventually and finds out his dead wife had been secretly investigating the past as well.
Lots of entertainment. The hot summer in Maine and the backdrop of the lake are atmospheric. Max Devore is a wonderful geriatric insane character with his sidekick Rogette a madwoman if ever there was one. The rock throwing at Mike in the lake and his escape was entertaining and chilling. Their lakeside confrontation was unexpected.
King once again has lots of ghosts and the title of the story becomes clear on page 622. An enjoyable read....more
I struggled to read this story and put it aside for a month. The second time the story with its short chapters captivated me. First this is a fantasy I struggled to read this story and put it aside for a month. The second time the story with its short chapters captivated me. First this is a fantasy fairy tale for kids with all the usual suspects.
The stupid gluttonous King murdered apparently by his handsome perfect son Prince Peter. The second not the sharpest card in the deck jealous Prince Thomas and also easily manipulated. The evil demonic magician Flagg with his two headed parrot.
The King dies horribly from poison and all the evidence points to Peter. He is imprisoned in the 300 foot high Needles tower. His brother takes over and Flagg creates a Kingdom that will turn but not in a French Revolution way more a Cromwell way with the King reinstated.
The story has a dog called Frisky and the faithful servants. I fear in Delain democracy will never come and they will eternally serve the few at the top with their embroidered napkins.
Still an entertaining read and great story for kids and countries with monarchies in control like the UAE, Brunei and Bhutan....more
Four great short stories. The unstoppable iphone. The sequel to the Outsider and a very complicated elevator! Holly is back with all her eccentricity Four great short stories. The unstoppable iphone. The sequel to the Outsider and a very complicated elevator! Holly is back with all her eccentricity fighting another monster. Interesting the television reporter who feeds off people’s fear and terror.
The rat was an interesting story and a form of scary fairy tale. An author makes a pact with a rat in his remote cabin.
Mr Harrigan’s Phone tells a spooky tale of young Craig’s friendship with the retired business tycoon. Craig introduces him to an iPhone and its technological wonders. When Harrigan dies and Craig slips the iPhone into the pocket of the suit he is buried in some spooky events occur to a bully and drunk driver.
The Life of Chuck is in three parts from when Chuck dies to his childhood. This story is fascinating and thought provoking. The cupola in his grandparents house and the glimpse of the future. Are we all a universe within ourselves? Great stories....more
There were some great stories and also some mediocre ones. I could not see the point of the baseball story except as a homage to King’s son Owen. 23 sThere were some great stories and also some mediocre ones. I could not see the point of the baseball story except as a homage to King’s son Owen. 23 stories. I liked many of them the moving finger, Chattery teeth and the hitchhiker who got his just desserts, Dolan’s Cadillac was excellent and the complex equations, Umney’s last case in the style of Raymond Chandler with time travel was entertaining. Crouch End with scary monsters a dimension away. All kept me entertained and glad I found this book....more
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