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closeupready

(29,503 posts)

38. Stephen King's books are popular, but as a critic, he sucks.

Sun Sep 22, 2013, 09:43 AM

Sep 2013

I recall reading Danse Macabre years ago - he explains writing, the horror genre of fiction, his theories about culture, etc. None of that is so bad, but at the end of the book, he lists what he felt were the best works of writing and film in horror, and while some of them are spot on, many others (probably most) were just really either mediocre or even boring.

And then of course, publishers put his positive critiques on paperback covers as an aid to sales. Like an Oprah Winfrey Book Club selection, those books are to be avoided as a rule of thumb.

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Stephen King slams Twilight franchise as 'tweenage porn' [View all] steve2470 Sep 2013 OP

I love Stephen King but really don't care what he thinks about Twilight or Hunger Games or any other liberal_at_heart Sep 2013 #1

I'm guessing you like one of those he criticized tkmorris Sep 2013 #7

Stephen King himself often recycles his own plots. A group of people are cut off liberal_at_heart Sep 2013 #8

Under the Dome (both book and series) exboyfil Sep 2013 #30

Tower is the best series ever but yeah.. the very end.. well.... dionysus Sep 2013 #41

The Anubis Gate is the greatest time travel novel ever imho frylock Sep 2013 #14

Replay. bravenak Sep 2013 #37

Seconded. haele Sep 2013 #40

Well, he did more than I would, in actually reading those books quinnox Sep 2013 #2

I'm a visual person so I watch more movies than read books. I watched Twilight and Hunger Games. liberal_at_heart Sep 2013 #3

We all have different tastes quinnox Sep 2013 #9

Hunger Games ripped off Battle Royale frylock Sep 2013 #15

okay. Doesn't bother me. I still enjoyed it. Maybe people who like the Hunger Games will go read liberal_at_heart Sep 2013 #16

battle royale comes in novel, film, or manga.. frylock Sep 2013 #18

Twilight doesn't even deserve to be called 'pretender'. X_Digger Sep 2013 #4

sometimes the villains are more interesting because they are more complex. liberal_at_heart Sep 2013 #6

Well, no, they were as one-dimensional as the heroes.. X_Digger Sep 2013 #10

yeah character development was definitely lacking. liberal_at_heart Sep 2013 #13

the hunger games was pretty good but the last book kind of dragged JI7 Sep 2013 #5

I like King detest Twilight, but in "It" a ten year old girl Agnosticsherbet Sep 2013 #11

I agree with that. Aristus Sep 2013 #48

I have a guilty pleasure for "The Stand" longship Sep 2013 #12

i think that "Christine" was my fav.. frylock Sep 2013 #17

Bachman books exboyfil Sep 2013 #43

The Stand is probably my favorite post-apocalyptic works of all time NuclearDem Sep 2013 #46

I re-read the stand about once a year. X_Digger Sep 2013 #49

I don't read it that often MuseRider Sep 2013 #51

I think "The Stand" was one of his best novels. RebelOne Sep 2013 #59

I'm happy to see kids reading A Little Weird Sep 2013 #19

I wasn't sure if my autistic son would ever become a reader. He would only read liberal_at_heart Sep 2013 #20

That's great! A Little Weird Sep 2013 #21

Yes, he did write the Percy Jackson series. liberal_at_heart Sep 2013 #22

I went and read the whole article. ladyVet Sep 2013 #23

+1 to all you said. Union Scribe Sep 2013 #24

King's written plenty of garbage, too. LuvNewcastle Sep 2013 #25

Twilight and Hunger Games are schlocky. HappyMe Sep 2013 #26

Lestat alone would eat all the Twilight vampires for breakfast. LuvNewcastle Sep 2013 #27

Hell yeah, it would be hilarious. HappyMe Sep 2013 #28

But Anne Rice's later work is very Twilight-ey. Loved LeStat and the rest, but the recent Squinch Sep 2013 #39

I haven't read any of her more recent books. HappyMe Sep 2013 #50

I think Blackwood Farm was the last one I read. X_Digger Sep 2013 #53

She dropped the jesus-y stuff, and then tried to go back to Squinch Sep 2013 #57

Shame, really. X_Digger Sep 2013 #58

Neither Library of Congress nor Amazon class "Twilight" as horror Android3.14 Sep 2013 #29

It shouldn't be. It's a Romance. LuvNewcastle Sep 2013 #31

The last B&N I went to had a shelf marked "supernatural teen romance" Recursion Sep 2013 #44

Different tastes and all... pipi_k Sep 2013 #32

Children should definitely not be encouraged to admire, or kiss, either vampires or republicans. Zorra Sep 2013 #33

Says the author who wrote an extended scene of a bunch of 12-year-olds having sex. Brickbat Sep 2013 #34

Great point. I guess that was porn for pedophiles. LuvNewcastle Sep 2013 #36

If he could go back in time and excise that exboyfil Sep 2013 #42

I totally agree. It makes such little sense. Brickbat Sep 2013 #45

This message was self-deleted by its author seaglass Sep 2013 #56

I read all of the books he spoke of. bravenak Sep 2013 #35

Stephen King's books are popular, but as a critic, he sucks. closeupready Sep 2013 #38

I didn't really care for Twilight. NuclearDem Sep 2013 #47

King knows his shit. PeteSelman Sep 2013 #52

I don't know much about porn...the only gay porn movie I ever saw... joeybee12 Sep 2013 #54

somthing that i am surpised gets under the radar DonCoquixote Sep 2013 #55