Stephen King Audio Books

One thing that's wonderful about Stephen King is that he allows his work to be put on audio. "Audio" has gone from tape to CD to MP3. (I'm still on that CD thing).

I remember my 18th birthday being great because King released Needful things -- in 3 parts. And as I recall, it didn't all come out at once. I used bithday money for part one, and within a week the store had part 2. I spent a lot of money back then to buy all three parts -- and read the whole thing. (Listened to the whole thing) I loved it!

Listening is nice because, for those of us with ADHD, we can do something else at the same time. I have built lots of lego houses!

No Abridgements Please!

As far as I'm concerned, an abridgement of a book is about as helpful as the Readers Digest Bible! If the author meant for the words to be there, then I was reader want to read them! I listened to the original stand and was disappointed by how dry it was compared to the uncut version. (That and Grover Gardner's reading voice is awkward)

I think one reason I really stuck with Stephen King is that he puts his stuff on audio. As a teenager audio books were a new thing, and I found quickly that one thing I hated was an abridged book. But thankfully, my favorite author also hated chopped up books. There is nothing like listening to a 3 hour version of a 900 page book (Tom Clancy!). After King heard his book Thinner on tape, he was upset with the many deep cuts made in his novel. So he made a rule: No more abridgements.

Of course, there have been a few abridgements. For instance, I bought a copy of Desperation from Amazon and was surprised when it arrived as a "longer" abridgement. It wasn't the 3 hour hack job that publishers used to love, but it still wasn't everything!

Frustrating

It drives me crazy when there is a King book I want to read, but I actually have to read it. My time is usually spent with my nose in study books for work -- I read for the fun.

Top books I'd like to see on audio:

• The mist (It's out there, but you can't buy it!)



• IT (If they can do Under The Dome, then give us IT!)



• The Stand



• Eyes of the Dragon (Come on, this one should be EASY!)



• Cujo



• The Dead Zone



• Christine



• Pet Sematary



• The Dark Half



• The Running Man.



• The Tommyknockers. (Okay -- they can abridge that one!)

I see download options for something called "torrent" but I think it's illegal. They seem to have several of the above titles.

Sometimes audio can be confusing

When could a Stephen King audio book ever be confusing? When reading a book of short stories! I find myself sometiems thinking: "Now what story am I on?"

Also, the audio is frustrating when it's not really the book being read. For instance, I just listened to Pet Sematary -- the British Dramatazation. Fun, kinda -- but it's not the book! One reason I like Stephen King is his mastery of the language. That can't be enjoyed when it's put into a drama. Same thing with the Mist -- fun drama, 3D and all, but not the same as having the words brought together into a story. I want to know HOW king described that mist and the stuff in it.

Read by the author:

At the beginning of the Gunslinger (the original one) King explained that he thought there was good reason for a writer to read his own work. I agree. He alone knows how to make certain sections flow. He knows where to put energy and emphisis.

Going from memory, King has read:

• Dark Tower 1



• Dark Tower 2 (Drawing of the Three)



• Needful Things

Best translations to audio:

• Needful Things. (King does a great reading. The introduction and conclusion is something only King could have really pulled off.)



• Misery.



• Dolores Claiborne



• Bag of Bones



• Cell