Stephen King Hates Halloween


I was startled by the number of articles I came across recently that proclaimed that Stephen King would be "proud" of someone or something regarding their excitement for halloween. For instance, one news story said that Stephen King would be proud of a cuple who turned their garage into a Halloween haunted house.
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Hold on, I kept thinking -- would King really be proud? I thought S.K. hated Halloween. Where idd I read that? The STephen King Companion I think -- but don't ask me to reference it, I can't. A quick search reveavled that Mr. King does indeed hate Halloween.
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contactmusic.com summerizes the issue: The man behind horror classics like CARRIE and THE SHINING likes to take vacations around the spooky holiday - so he can get away from fans who think he'll treat them to a neighbourhood spectacular.
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He says, "It used to be we'd stay home and thousands of people, literally, would converge on the house and we gave out I dunno how much in candy and everything else.
"We got to the point where we were actually thinking about bringing in fog machines and putting up fake gravestones and I'm like, 'Hold on here a second, I'm turning into the Hallowe'en Santa Claus'."

UTD -- Another Review


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There's a lot out there by now about Under The Dome. But this one by horrorscope is outstanding.
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I was particularly excited by his comparison to Needful Things. "Reminiscent most of King’s Needful Things this novel demonstrates just how thin the veneer of civilisation can be, all the time humanising the horror to the individual level in a manner that shines a light on King’s empathy for the individual."
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Will we like it? "Fans of dark fiction will enjoy the book; King’s legion of fans will simply gobble it up."
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Deal with It


The Portland Phoenix has a great story titled "Deal With IT." In this piece Christopher Gray shared why the mini-series was so frightening.
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Now, I liked this because while I liked the mini-series, even as a teen I thought it was kind of cheap. But Gray points out that the real terror in it is the use of common objects. Note:
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"An abridged list: fortune cookies, sewers, basements, tea, sinks, balloons, boys’ locker rooms, showers, Beethoven’s “Fur Elise,” outdoor clothes hangers, stuttering, spiders, paper boats, gas stations, playing cards, photo albums. In It — available on DVD! — these things are all as much villains as Pennywise is."
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read the entire articlehere: http://thephoenix.com/Portland/Movies/92090-Deal-with-It/?page=2#TOPCONTENT

The Joy Of A Long Novel


My wife mentioned last night that the car was full of cd's. "I know. I'm listening to a bunch of things, because I'm afraid to start anything big because I know Under The Dome is coming out." I have even resisted the urge to start Duma Key again. Just lots of Garriosn Keillor and other short stuff.
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The Complaining:
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King gets plenty of razzing about the size of his novels. Doubleday even forced him to chop up The Stand. Naughty them! David Fried suggests that the "biggest concern" for most readers approaching UTD will be its "intimidating length."
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Jarrett Skorup at examiner.com has an article titled "The Horror of It All: Congress, the Founders and Stephen King."
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Now what does Congress, the Founders and Stephen King have in common? Skorup writes, "This bill isn’t just longer than a Stephen King novel, it’s also scarier, because aside from the title, this tome is all non-fiction. Congress could benefit from a good editor though, because in 800 fewer pages Stephen King wiped out 99 percent of Earth’s population, rebuilt society, created a dramatic good vs. evil confrontation and nuked Las Vegas. HR 3962 only manages to give the government control of 17 percent of the U.S. economy, and the health care choices of every American." http://www.examiner.com/x-17336-Midland-County-Public-Policy-Examiner~y2009m10d30-The-Horror-of-It-All--Congress-the-Founders-and-Stephen-King
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Interesting comparrison.
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To press his point on how big the healthcare bill is -- he put it next to a copy of The Stand (it towers over the novel).
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Strength of a longer novel
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One reason I'm looking forward to Under th Dome is because it is long. In a closing note to UTD, King thanks Nan Graham her editing his novel “from the original dinosaur to a beast of slightly more manageable size.” (Hopefully tis was not a Doubleday style chop job).
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I appreciate King's longer novels for several reasons. For one thing, King doesn't hold back. He writes on to what some say is self indulgance; but really he is giving the reader a gift. Chopped up stories are frustrating. If you don't really want to read -- then don't read! But don't complain that King let's the bowl of ice-cream spill over.
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King takes the time to walk us through the long tunnel with Larry Underwood. The ability to weave the story and pull lots of loose ends together is magnified when the story is longer. He takes time to set up his story, to give us detailed characters and then allows us to watch him play with them. And truth is, that's what a good novel does -- it allows us to watch a child play with his toys (in this case, toys he has built).
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King is certainly not alone in his super long novels. Charles Dickens consistently wrote huge books -- by hand! One of my favorite authors is Ken Follett (Pillars of the Earth and World Without End and both fantastic).
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A well written, long novel lingers in the mind. You live with that novel, think about the characters when you're not reading, and feel like you personally know a little group of people that other friends and family don't even know exist. When you meet another person who's read that book, you immediately feel a deep connection with them -- "Oh! You know Stu! And Larry? What did you think of Nick?"
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Specifically:
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My favorite long novels obviously include The Stand and IT. But also, right in their heels, is Needful Things. The reason the movie Needful Things fails so badly is that King's plot couldn't be jammed onto the screen. (Same reason King doesn't usually allow the audio edition of his novels to be abridged -- except for Thinner and Desperation.) Duma Key was a delightfully long read, as was Desperation. None of htese are short books -- all of them are worth every page.
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I suspect that those who complain about the length of King's novels are in truth lazy readers. Or overwhelmed. Of course a book reviewer is annoyed when handed a gigantic novel -- because they have other things thing need to be reading as well. But for the constant reader, a long novel is a gift.

Waiting For The Stephen King Diet Book

Joanne Eglash has an interesting article -- on an article -- by Stephen King. (did you follow that?) She shares a few of Mr. Kings favorite diet tips.

Here's a few diet tips you might want to consider: If you want to eat doughnuts, simply tap each doughnut before eating it -- thus causing the calories to "sink." Be sure not to eat the bottom of the doughnut, because that's where all the calories sank. I say. . . Add THAT to the Science of Stephen King!

Wait, there's more helpful advice from Mr. King. When craving candy, be sure to shake the box hard before opening it. "Shaking candy either knocks those pesky calories right out...or kills them. And it doesn't take a genius to understand that a dead calorie can't make you fat."

Now, I'm surprised King didn't mention one other weight loss plan. Get an old gypsy to point an angry finger at you and say, "THINNER!"

Or, another favorite diet plan from Mr. King was outlined in Survivor Type. Just check it out. -- Lady Fingers anybody?

See:
http://www.examiner.com/x-12516-Celebrity-Weight-Loss-Examiner~y2009m10d29-Stephen-King-serves-up-scary-diet-tips

See also Stephen King's article, The Terror Diet. (Just for fun)
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1219884,00.html

Worst Stephen King Movies


Movies and books -- we all know that movies don't usually live up to the book. I mean, think of all those terrible Bible movies (guys in bath robes -- I'll never forget Orson Wells trying to play King Saul). The Bible isn't the only book that doesn't usually translate well to screen -- Stephen King movies are often a "miss" as much as they're a "hit."
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Sure, there is the occasional wonder movie -- The Mist, The Green Mile, Carrie -- but just as often we are offered up a Children of The Corn.
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Sean Cunningham at Esquire.com has an interesting post titled: The 10 Least Horrifying Horror Movies Ever. Surprisingly, only one S.K. adaptation made the list: Thinner. Cunningham writes, "Stephen King adaptations can't all be The Shining. Writing under his Richard Bachman pseudonym, King penned a novel about a fat-ass scumbag lawyer who just can't keep a diet. Then he runs over an old Gypsy woman. At this point the man has some good luck (he dodges proper justice in a court of law) and some bad (the Gypsy's father — who's one hundred or so and, like most Gypsies, has magic powers — puts a curse on him). Rapid weight loss and not terribly convincing special effects ensue, plus Joe Mantegna's a mobster." http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feature/top-ten-horror-movies-list-102809
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If I may humbly offer the worst of list from the cannon of Stephen King movies. I will do this without commentary. And by the way, I liked ALL these books, so this says nothing at all about Mr. King's writing. This is about how Hollywood struggles to tell a good story. And, I offer these without much real concern for their order -- except #1.
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10. Sleepwalkers
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9. The Langoliers.
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8. Needful Things
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7. Thinner
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6. Graveyard shift
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5. Salem's Lot, new.
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4. Creepshows.
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3. The Runningman
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2. The Lawnmowerman
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1. Children of the Corn. (all of them)



Is The Shining The Greatest Horror Film?


Total Scifi Online has put out a list of the 100 Greatest Horror Movies Ever. There's a lot of lists like this going around as Halloween nears. To my surprise, The Shining was listed as the Greatest Horror Movie ever.
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Interesting, since I recently watched the Shining and noted how much I really did like the film. But is it the Greatest? It didn't just "make" the list -- it topped the list! That means it beat out Psycho, The Exorcist, Silence of the Lambs and Bride of Frankenstein.
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Total Scifi Online writes:
"Perfectionist auteur Stanley Kubrick seemed an unlikely choice to adapt Stephen King’s pulp novel, yet the result was this towering horror masterpiece. Though King wasn’t satisfied with the result, Kubrick skilfully turned the story of a hotel caretaker slowly cracking up into an opulent study of isolation, madness and paranoia. It’s full of iconic moments, including the spooky twin girls in the hotel corridor and Danny’s mutterings about ‘Red Rum’, and Jack Nicholson gives one of his finest performances as the struggling author who lurches from caring family man into axe-wielding psycho."
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Also on the list were:
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Carrie, #33
Misery, #63
Salems' Lot, #88
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I've never seen the 1979 version of Salem's Lot.
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I will note that there is a LOT of interest in the Shining and the Stanley Hotel at this time of year. But what exactly makes Kubrick's telling of The Shining so powerful? Well, frankly, I don't think it's better than others on the list. That's the danger, of course, in actually ranking the list. The Shining is not better than The Sixth Sense. Though, it is much better than Blair Witch Project and Saw.
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HEY! Why is Maximum Overdrive not on the list?
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We All live Under The Dome


popeater has posted an interesting interview with Stephen King about Under The Dome.
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Here's some of my favorite quotes:
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"The good ideas never really leave your mind. Like a baseball player saying: I missed a really fat pitch. I'd like to have another chance at that hanging curve ball."
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"To the best of my memory, the image that caught my mind was the image of these people giving ap ress confrence to the outside world. From what you see, there's nothing between them and the camaras. Until someone reaches out and knocks on thin air. I thought to myself: What a story that would make. What an image that is. The idea of the whole world watching these people who are as out of touch as people who are stranded on a desert island."
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"From the very beginning, with under the Dome, I saw it as a chance to write about the serious ecological problems we face today. I don't want to get real heavy about this, the novel should be entertaining and people should have fun with it -- and Ithink they will. The fact is, we all live under the dome."

S.K. Not So New To Comics


Before the newly announced American Vampire comic book, or the Dark Tower comics, or the Stand -- Stephen King had already broken into the world of comics.
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1. X-men, Hero's of Hope. Stephen King wrote about 3 pages of this -- as I recall. I own this. . . somewhere. But since it's not on my bookshelf it could be. . . anywhere. I'm afraid my 3 year old has found it. Sigh.
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2. King also wrote the introduction to Batman #400.
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3. OF COURSE, there was Creepshow.
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4. Bizarre Adventrues #29, 1981, Marvel Comics horror. Included an adaptation of The Lawn Mower Man. I don't have this. . . but I suspect teh comic book was much better than the movie.

Stephen King Calendar


A fun website is the Stephen King fan page. Probably my favorite part of it is their Stephen King Calendar. Now, this isn't a desk reference or something like that -- it's actually a lot cooler. Someone should actually print this up -- I think it would sell.
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What it is is a calendar relevant dates from Stephen King books. How did they get all that info? A lot of work! And smart people. No surprise that Bev Vincent played a part in it.
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Here's the month of October. But seriously. . . go look at the whole thing. Say "wow" a lot, because it was a ot of information gathered up. I was surprised that so little happened on Halloween in the Stephen King universe. Goes to show that every day can be scary in the world of Stephen King.

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OCTOBER
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6 Hubert Barclay Marsten is born (1889) (Salem's Lot)

8 Brian Rusk does business with Leland Gaunt (Needful Things)

8 Barlow gets the stake (Salem's Lot)

9 Needful Things opens in Castle Rock (Needful Things)

13 Wilma and Nettie duel to the death (Needful Things)

15 The end of Castle Rock (Needful Things)

19 Gerald gets kinky (Gerald's Game)

28 Annie Wilkes sets fire to an apartment building (1954) (Misery)

28 Thad Beaumont has brain surgery (1960) (Dark Half)

29 Johnny Smith's accident (The Dead Zone)

29 Frank Dodd murders Etta Ringgold (1975) (The Dead Zone)

30 John Smith goes into a coma that will last almost five years (1970) (The Dead Zone)

31 Sarah Hazlett gives birth to son, Dennis (1974) (The Dead Zone)
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WHAT -- A New Stephen King Audio Book?

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NO, THERE IS NOT REALLY A BOOK TITLED BURNING BRIDGES. . . READ ON --
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I was looking through the wonderful selection of Stephen King audio books at audioeditions.com. They have it all! Even a discounted audio edition of Under The Dome. (But, I'm holding out for Walmart, Target and Aamazon to come up with a $5 edition of the audio).
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What should I find as I searched? A new audio book! A book I'd never even heard of. It's called, "Burning Bridges." You remember that one, right? No? How could constant reader not remember a King book called Burning Bridges?
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Probably because this book is supposed to be titled: "Building Bridges."
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BUT. . . I only noted this because how the mistake came about is understandable. I mean, who would think of King giving a speach called Building Bridges. It seems much more likely he would write a novel called: Burning Bridges!
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Yes, Trashcan man -- burn them!
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By the way, notice that even the picture (on the audioeditions website) is titled: "Burning Bridges."
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Unfortunately, audio editions pulled this title. I don't know why! Anyway, the link used to be here:
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It begs the question: Anyone out there want to make up a synopsis for this?

What's They're Saying About Under The Dome


I'm reposting this with some added reviews.
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David Fried: "The Airplane and the Woodchuck, for me, was one of those moments I’ll remember for a long, long time. And as the complications ensue – first with the onion-like peeling back of this main obstacle, the dome, and then with the introduction of the villain (who jumps right out of the gate with actions that could, themselves, have launched their own full-length novel) are enough to keep our interest piqued for a long, long time. The first 25 pages are so strong, you’d forgive a lot of meandering finally giving up the epic novel.
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As it turns out, that’s not entirely a bad thing. It’s a good 250 pages between turning points, and not all of the space between is filled with action sequences. That’s not to say that it’s all boring – far from it. King’s writing is characteristically graphic and suspenseful, and Constant Reader is regularly rewarded for his effort. But on the flip side, I did spend a lot of time wondering why this particular chapter was lasting as long as it was, felt as though the author veered all-too-often to the path of self-indulgence.
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My wife tells me I’m biased and impatient; a fan of the Harry Potter series, she likes stories that take their time and go into every detail. Me, I’m a screenwriter, and one who likes the shorter screenplays, at that. I’ve never read something longer than Needful Things – and if you do the math, that means I’ve avoided what are often considered to be two of King’s greatest works: The Stand and It. On the one hand, that may make me an unreliable reviewer, since I can’t make an informed comparison to his other two books of comparable length. On the other, these reviews aren’t really written for the diehard fans, who will go out and buy the book anyway – they’re written for the people who are on the fence, trying to figure out whether money – and equally important in this case, their time – in this particular arena.
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My sense is that people will say that Under the Dome doesn’t quite measure up to his mid-career epics. I could go into more details about my thoughts on the ending, or whether the plot measures up, or why King’s villains always get erections when they perform violent acts, but I want to avoid spoilers, and there will be plenty of opportunity for those discussions down the line.
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(This entire review is interesting and worth the full read)
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See also: http://ozhorrorscope.blogspot.com/2009/10/review-stephen-king-under-dome.html
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Alden Graves: "I was lucky enough to have the opportunity read an advance copy of Under the Dome. In Second Selectman James “Big Jim” Rennie, King has created a villain who can stand proudly beside Reverend Lowe, Pennywise the Clown, Kurt Barlow, and Christine, with her uncanny ability to effect her own body work. It’s a big book with many sharply drawn characters, a compelling narrative drive, and even a potent warning against powerful men who would like you to believe that they really have your best interests at heart." http://www.northshire.com/blog/?p=451
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Dan Simmons, author of DROOD: " Ican say today as I near the end some 1400 pages of manuscript, with almost no fear of being disagreed with in November (except perhaps by a few NYTimes sparrowfart reviewers with a big chip on their shoulders), that King readers and fans—and readers new to Stephen King—WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. What’s amazing to me is that UNDER THE DOME is the kind of huge, generous, sprawling, infinitely energetic novel that we (or at least I) associate with gifted young novelists in their 20’s—all energy and enthusiasm, the young author having not yet learned a long-distance novelist’s greedy trick of holding back characters or plot or techniques for future novels—and yet here with a master’s total control of the telling, myriad of characters, tone, and effects."
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Simmons went on: "I finished the 1400-page (in manuscript) behemoth late last night and most definitely was not disappointed. Few writers pull out all stops near the end of a novel the way King does. I suspect that everyone who’s ever enjoyed THE STAND will love UNDER THE DOME. And that’s the last I’ll say about that book as long as grass grows and water flows."
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http://forum.readerville.com/viewthread/104/P30/
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Bev Vincent: "I was reading How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely but I had to put it aside to read King's Under the Dome. I'm 900 pages in (out of 1074), and enjoying every minute of it. . . It's a full-tilt boogie, that's for sure. In the afterword, he says that any time the tension or pace flagged, his editor scribbled "Faster, Steve, Faster" in the margins of the manuscript. I read the whole thing in less than 4 days. "
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http://thebigadios.yuku.com/reply/4091/t/Re-What-are-you-reading-.html
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And. . . "I finished Under the Dome this morning. Took me less than four days. My right shoulder is a little sore from holding the book up while I lay in bed reading. I’m going to recommend that people work out to prepare themselves–the hardbound copy will no doubt be even heavier than the ARC." http://bev-vincent.livejournal.com/?skip=20.
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Ken F. "I've made it to page 230 of the new Stephen King. I think he's introduced most of the characters so now he can play with them. My advanced copy doesn't have a dust jacket and I'm interested in knowing what the book is going to look like. Nothing on Amazon to give me a clue either." http://www.shelfari.com/hobbit1737
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The Bookcase: "I can say that the Stand comparison is not too much of a stretch. After the jump, more on my impressions of the book so far (no real spoilers or plot details beyond those given in the published summary, but if you don’t want to know anything about this one before you buy, stop here).

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Since Under the Dome takes place in a small town sealed off from the world, it lacks the epic feel of The Stand. However, as in The Stand King uses his characters’ predicament to address some major questions about human nature. The Stand asks if humans can avoid repeating their mistakes, and King’s answer is ambiguous. In Under the Dome, the emphasis here is on compassion—or, sparing that, pity. What could force us to feel these emotions for the people we hurt, or see being hurt? What makes us stop seeing people as people, and why? The world watches as the situation in Chester’s Mill goes downhill fast, and then turns away once the novelty of a town sealed off from the rest of the world fades and other news stories take top billing, recalling tragedies like Hurricane Katrina.
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Under the Dome also contains signature King moments—images you’ll remember, for better or for worse. And though the cast is huge, the characters manage to stand out as individuals. King fans should definitely mark November 10 on their calendar.
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http://bookpage.wordpress.com/tag/stephen-king/


Clarification About Under The Dome e-Book price


The moderator of the Stephen King message board published this comment about the recent price war and surprising high cost of the e-book edition of Under the Dome:
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From Scribner:
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ABOUT THAT UNDER THE DOME eBOOK
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We want to clear up a misconception that has made its way into news stories regarding the eBook of UNDER THE DOME: the ultimate price paid by a customer for a book -- whether in print or digital form -- is actually (and has always been) set by retailers. While publishers can *suggest* a list price, retailers frequently discount from that, and neither the author nor the publisher has any say over the final cost to the consumer.
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[Bottom line: any news story or internet chat that emphasizes the eBook list price of UTD overlooks the likely reality that it will be sold at retail for much less].

Stephen King Is Everywhere!


Are all things King worthy of a Stephen King fan's attention? I don't know. I like to read Stepen King. Sometimes I like Stepen King movies. Audio books are good. What about. . . dollhouse books? Liljas Library has an interesting article on them. But those are still in the realm of his written work.
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Carrie The Musical:
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What about a Stephen King musical. . . again? Variety.com has an article that suggests "Carrie" might be coming back to Broadway. I really don't know what to say!
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The blog unsungmusicals.blogspot.com has a great entry on Carrie the musical. Here's just a bit of it, but go on over and read the whole thing, it really is funny:
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There is one musical that is considered the ultimate in flops. The ultimate in disasters. This show failed in every category above: Expectations were high (The composers of Fame, a Tony winning actress and choreographer, a bestselling author for source material), critics hated it, it closed in five performances and it lost around $7 million. And it has developed the ultimate of cult followings. Because the music is believed by many to be great. (I find there is a lot of unmotivated belting, but nonetheless there are several haunting melodies)
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Musical theatre geeks now know that I'm talking about Carrie. Yes, THAT Carrie. The one based on Stephen King's 1970s novel about a tormented high school girl with telekenetic powers. The 1979 film made stars out of Sissy Spacek and John Travolta. The musical version was developed by Michael Gore (music), Dean Pitchford (Lyrics) and Lawrence D. Cohen (book). The team was responsible for "Fame". They then teamed up with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Fame + RSC=CONFUSED.The show inspired the wonderful book "Not Since Carrie", which details the disaster of this show.
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A few highlights of the train wreck include a book very difficult to follow, an assault on eyes and ears with special effects to make up for said bad book, the fact that the high school kids were played by overworked thirty year old actors, and the insanity of the music (at the time audiences weren't as accustomed to mega belting, which Carrie was full of)...but it is hard for me to sum up his account here. It sounds like a "You had to be there" situation to really understand. Below is a link to one account of the show that I found.
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Pet Sematary Video Game:
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And, on the headlines today is that there is a new Pet Sematary video game. Interesting, indeed. Of course, it does cause me to roll my eyes. Why? I'm not sure. But I think a poster at Pocketgamer nailed it. "Spooky" wrote: "This seems like a bizarre choice for a Stephen King adaptation- surely a Pac-Man stye game in which an axe wielding Jack Nicholson pursues you through a maze would have been more fun? Or perhaps a twin stick shooter based on Carrie, complete with telekinetic powers and a townfull of enemies to exact your revenge upon... the possibilities are endless.."
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There's Stephen King comic books, Stephen King plays (Misery seems to be a favorite), Stephen King Monopoly, and so on.
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Now here's what I find myself wondering: If I really really like Stephen King's writing, but that doesn't always translate into enjoying the other venues that King's work leaks into -- does that make me less of a fan? Probably. Becuase the interest on my part is the story.
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Links:
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Scary Vampires Please


A new brand of Vampire has arrived -- a kinder, gentler breed. But, does anyone remember when the Vampires were the bad guys? My daughter loves Twilight. Why is that bad? Because Vampires are supposed to scare you! She won't watch Salems' Lot, but can't get enough Twilight.
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English Teacher Sharon Gerald gives a list of three Vampire novels that are actually scary. What a breath of fresh air! Salems' Lot topped her list. She writes: Stephen King's "Salem's Lot." King is the master of horror. What more do we need to say? "Salem's Lot" is, after "Dracula," the best vampire book ever. Vampires invade small-town New England, and a few Bela Lugosi fans are onto them.
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The best vampire book -- ever! Now in my experience, English teachers tend to downplay King's mastery of the modern novel. It's nice to hear somene like Gerald rave about King.
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King broke new ground with Salems' Lot. He didn't put his vampires in some distant country, long ago -- he didn't even base them on real people -- he moved the entire thing to America. What if Dracula was in America? This is important because it cuts to the heart of WHY King's novel is actually scary. We don't identify with characters in far away castles. And Vampires who go to highschool is -- ridiculous. King gives us the haunted house, the mysterous vampire and moves it all to a landscape we're familiar with. A landscape it's actually reasonable to find vampires. (Can I just ask. . . why do vampires in Twilight need to attend High School?)
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I like how Gerald wraps things up: Leornard Wolf, in his introduction to the Signet Classic "Dracula," calls the book a Christian allegory with God's warriors fighting Satan's own demon. Romanticizing of the vampire, he says, is a secularization of the tale. That thought is probably not going to stop me from catching an episode or 10 of True Blood. It's just part of how I sort out the "trash" and the "bad trash" of vampire books, as Stephen King tells us his mother did with his library books. Vampires are supposed to be dangerous, and I prefer a little moral purpose in the characters who encounter them. I'm just not sure I can ever be comfortable with a world where they've turned sweet. That said, who wants to go see New Moon?"
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Gerald also recommends Elizabeth Kostova's "The Historian" and Dan Simmons' "Children of the Night."
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Stephen King At The Center Of A Price War


For about half a week, a major story in publishing world has been the price war over major bestselling books. How would you like that next Stephen King book for $10? A Koontz book for $9? Sounds good, huh?
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The price war was started by Walmart.com and followed by Amazon. What's the problem? Well, it's a legal one.
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Reuters reports:
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The American Booksellers Association has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a recent price war on books sold online between such retail giants as Wal-Mart Stores Inc,
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Amazon.com Inc and Target Corp ahead of the holidays.
Recent price cuts "constitute illegal predatory pricing that is damaging to the book industry and harmful to consumers," the trade organization's board of directors wrote in letter sent to the department on Thursday.
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Now, of interest, the ebook edition of Under the Dome does not follow this trend. Released directly from the publisher, it will have the same price as the hardcover book.
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Simon & Schuster's Adam Rothberg said, "Given the current state of the marketplace and trends in digital book pricing, we believe that this is the most appropriate publishing sequence for this particular 1088 page work of fiction." http://www.gloucestertimes.com/pulife/local_story_294225808.html?keyword=secondarystory
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But wait. . . there's more! What does the King say? A note to the constant reader on King's website says:
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Dear Constant Readers,
Please don't believe the press reports that the e-book reader price for Under the Dome will be $35. This was the result of confusion from a press release from the publisher, what Big Jim Rennie would call a clustermug. It is true that you cannot order the book as an e-download until December 24th, but the physical book, which is a beautiful thing, you can pre-order for less than $9--so who's better than us?
Steve
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Interesting that this comes from King himself. Also interesting that he doesn't say how much the ebook will actually cost -- just mentions the low price of the hardcover.
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Ka Is Wheel -- It's A GAME!


I thought maybe, jsut maybe, Ka Is A Wheel referred to a new book coming out or perhaps the new comic book series based on the Gunslinger. It appears it was about a video game.
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A VIDEO GAME! Come on. This takes some soul searching. Am I really ready to stop playing Civilization 4? How about a Dark Tower game built on the Civ engine? (Of course, that bombed with Cilivization)
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Eric Caoili writes, "the project looks like an online interactive game (my guess) centered around the Tet Corporation's secret war with North Central Positronics and Sombra Corporation, both companies under control by Insomnia/The Dark Tower villain Crimson King."
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He also notes that this will probably be the first in a series of games.
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Robin Furth is the director of the game, which makes it a hopeful offering since she wrote the Stephen King companion. In other words -- she'll get the details right! And when it comes to the Dark Tower, there's a lot of details to keep up with!
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But my hopes were up for another book. Maybe a tie in book. I mean, it was possible, right? Maybe? Just because Mr. King has been busy finishing that massive novel and other projects this year, you never know what 1,000 page nugget he came up with on his free time.
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How about a Dark Tower book that opens, "Let's just pretend the last 20 pages of Dark Tower 7 never happened. . ."

Under The Dome snippets invade the Internet

Martin Belam of currybet.net has an interesting post on the Under the Dome publicity effort.

Belam writes: "I think it is a really interesting idea. My initial misgiving was that 5,196 pieces is a huge number, which I'd suggest renders it virtually impossible for anyone to actually assemble the whole novel in time. However, once a piece is found by somebody, it is found for everybody, so it isn't like you have to find 5,000+ snippets yourself."

http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2009/10/stephen_king_under_the_dome.php

Fact Check

Who does Stephen King ask when he's got a question? According to Steven Leckart, He asks Russ Dorr. Dorr is a physician’s assistant who has been answering King's strange questions since 1974.

And just what kind of questions does King have? According to the article:
How does a guided missle work?
What does a 20-year-old Geiger counter look like?
Where would you go to find a B-52 bomber?
How do you cock crystal meth?

Funny, Dorr says. “It’s amazing the stuff you can find on Google."

Anyway, this one's pretty good. Check it out at http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/pl_print_stephenking/

Big thanks to Lilja's Library for the link to this article. http://www.liljas-library.com/

Stephen King Movies -- For Conservatives?

John Hawkins at townhall.com has an interesting post titled: "10 Horror Movies For Conservatives To Watch This Halloween."

Interesting, Stephen King movies made the grade twice. First for the Dead Zone, at number two. And then for The Mist at number six.

I don't really understand what makes either of these "conservative" appealing. ? But now it's interesting that King would make the list twice, since he's pretty well known as a liberal.

http://townhall.com/columnists/JohnHawkins/2009/10/20/10_horror_movies_for_conservatives_to_watch_this_halloween

Stephen King's The Cannibals : Another Incomplete Revew




Actually, this is not a review at all, just some notes I made as I read:
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Sorry to say, no one gets eaten in act 2 of the Cannibals. The read was, again, delightful. I continue to like the cultural references (ie: Barnie Miller).
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Apartment dwellers discover not only are they stuck inside their building -- they cannot call out. Though they seem to be able to hear what's happening on the other end.
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I like this description: "her face white. Her eyes are eating up her face, Jo thought, and shuddred. (haha, Mr. King -- that's good)
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The typed underlining throughout the text is interesting. I think it means italics -- but not sure.
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It is ovious that the text has not been edited much. A lot of following people around -- up stairs, down stairs -- that would probably be tightened up in a edit.
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I also like this line: "He probably feels a little like a guy who got a bunchof his friends to hep him drive a battering ram against the castle door and found out it was papier-mache"
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In terms of plot forwarding, not much happens.
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I feel like Oliver Twist, cup in hand, "Please sir, may I have some more?"
"MORE!" Someone at stephenking.com will yell, "this constant reader wants more!"

Why The Stand is better than IT

I have a very simple opinion about the ranking to Stephen King novles -- The Stand is his best work. That's not to say other novels are not wonderful, but the Stand contains a certain magic that seems like it cannot be recaptured.

While IT is a good book, it doesn't come near touching The Stand. Now, a clarification on that. I mean the new version of the Stand. I find the original version of the Stand a little bit dry. Of course, I read this version on tape -- read by my favorite reader, Grover Gardner. Okay, he's not my favorite reader!

Why is the Stand such a better book?

1. Destruction of America. It's a joy to ride along as King deconstructs the America we know so well.

2. Travel. The scenes through the tunnals, or on motorcycle as characters move about familiar -- but now different -- landscapes.

3. Rebuilding society. Starting the power plants, clearing buildings of bodies.

4. Use of supernatural. It is now an America filled with monsters. The super-natural elements are rare and convincing.

Okay, that's just a starter list on why the Stand is so good. But what makes it better than IT?
  • Well, It is uneven. Good, but almost over-written. The scenes with the kids are tremendous. As adults -- ahhh, not so much. My opinion only. But the Stand is strong beginning to end.
  • It has the strange -- freaky scenes I described in another post. That messes with the chracters in my head; devalues them. I don't think real people do that -- not at 11 years old.
  • The strength of IT is the monster and the children. We all had childhood monsters. The strength of the stand is chracters in a unique situation. The plays out throughout the book.

Bottomline: Both are good novels -- but the Stand will always top the list. So, the only question in my mind is: When will King give us the next updated verison of the Stand? (Change references to AIDS to H1N1). Come on, we all know it would be cool, and give just another reason to read the book one more time. AND. . . if they released it new at this point, they'd put it on audio for us.

Examiner.com interview -- Children of the Corn

Though Children of the Corn bombed out in my opinion, Examiner.com has a worthwhile interview with composer Jonathan Elias.

Elias gives this insight to Children of the Corn, "I was hired with the understanding that they wanted to freshen it up – to use the old themes but in a fresh light. The producer/director Donald [Borchers] is an old friend of mine. He was actually the producer of the first one. So it was understood what I was walking in to. And part of the fun was that I got to have my daughter involved, singing on the score. She is one of the Children of the Corn choir singers."

Read full interview: http://www.examiner.com/x-12873-Soundtracks-Examiner~y2009m10d17-Exclusive-interview-Children-of-the-Corn-Vamp-and-Prayer-Cycle-soundtrack-composer-Jonathan-Elias?cid=channel-rss-Arts_and_Entertainment

Under The Dome $9


Wal-Mart and Amazon.com trade price cuts on books
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Assocaited press says that Amazona and Walmart.com are in a "full gledged price war." This is good for readers. Walmart is cutting prices on highly anticipated hardback books to $9. When Walmart announced that it would be selling Dean Koontz' new novel "Breathless" and King's "Under The Dome" for $10 (each!) -- Amazon soon followed. Then the price went down to $9. WOW!
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That's almost the price Barnes and Novel sells them for at the discount rack -- the cheap once best sellers that now have the big black mark at the bottom.
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Halloween At The Stanley Hotel

Ready for Halloween? One fun place to get inthe mood might be Estes Park, Colorado.
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Suzy Blackhurst of Estes Park Trail Gazette has an interesting article on the Estes Park website.
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Blackhurst writes, According to park ranger Tom Danton, ghosts return to the Stanley Hotel because they remember it as one of the most splendid times of their lives. He says things mysteriously move around the hotel and museum, and Mr. and Mrs. Stanley are often spotted on the grand staircase overlooking the lobby at the hotel. Danton mixes interesting elements of history into the ghost stories, and audiences depart with more knowledge about Estes Park and the hotel than they had before.
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Under the heading, "Ghost Tour of the Stanley Hotel" Blakhurst says:
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Of course, Estes Park is known for the Stanley Hotel -- named as one of the top ten haunted hotels in the United States, inspiring Stephen King to write his famous novel, "The Shining." The hotel has several ghostly opportunities available during this season. Visitors can take a historic Ghost Tour of the Stanley Hotel where they'll learn about the history and haunting of the hotel during this 90-minute tour.
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On the fourth floor, which used to be the servant's quarters, visitors may hear the squeals of children playing echoing down the hallway. The tour includes the music room where Flora Stanley often is heard playing her piano and the billiard room where the aroma created by smoke from F.O. Stanley's cigar has been noticed. Guides take sightseers into the underground tunnel used by servants and employees over the years. Many a visitor has returned from the Stanley with photographs of orbs and ghostly apparitions -- and even audio recordings of melodic harmonies from Flora's antique grand piano.
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For an even more extensive exploration of the hotel and possible apparitions, join the Stanley Hotel's professional ghost hunter to explore the paranormal world at the hotel. Investigations are held from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and participants must be at least 18 years old. Reservations are required.
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The Stanley Hotel's annual costume party -- for those 21 and over -- the Shining Ball, is Saturday, Oct. 31 from 8 p.m. to midnight. Prizes will be awarded to the sexiest couple. The scariest couple, most original couple and the best character from the movie, "The Shining."
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http://www.eptrail.com/ci_13560433?source=most_viewed

Gunslinger Comic


Digital Spy reports that The Dark Tower, The Gunslinger will be adapted into a comic book. This would be the first of the actual Dark Tower books to be adapted into a comic book.
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Now, I've pretty much taken a pass on the comics thus far. And as long as Marvel was just messing around with the back story, it really had no pull for me. But to now move into the actual Dark Tower storyline is pretty exciting. BUt, this won't come out until 2010.
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The Gunslinger is probably the weakest of the Dark Tower books. What does that mean? The likelihood of Marvel ONLY making the weakest novel is pretty slim. I suspect this will be followed by The Drawing Of The Three, and incredibly engaging book.
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Staged Reading of MISERY


This comes under the heading of: "I wanna go! I wanna go!"
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On Octoer 22 TheatreWorks New Milford, CT, will present a staged reading of Stephen King's Misery by playwright Simon Moore. This will be followed by a wine and cheese reception -- exactly what you feel like after a nice good reading of Misery!
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broadwayworld.com writes: "Misery is a roller coaster ride into the darkness and torment of obsession. Audiences can expect the unexpected in this compellingly cruel thriller. After an auto accident, best-selling romance novelist, Paul Sheldon, is lucky to be alive. Or is he? This stunning stage adaptation of Stephen King's masterpiece is a true nail-biting suspense thriller. The story is well-known for the 1990 screen version starring James Caan and Kathy Bates, which garnered Ms. Bates an Academy Award for her role as Mr. Sheldon's "Number 1 Fan," Annie Wilkes.
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Misery is under the direction of Jackie Decho-Holm of New Milford with a cast including Vicki Sosbe (New Milford), and Jonathan and KC Ross (both Thomaston).
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The event is free, but reservations must be made by calling (860) 350-6863or by visiting the website at
www.theatreworks.us. TheatreWorks is an award-winning, professional non-Equity theatre company located on 5 Brookside Avenue, just off Route 202, in New Milford, CT.
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O.C. Weekly Review of THE SHINING


CHRIS ZIEGLER at O.C. Weekly writes about The Shining:
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"As a novelist, Stephen King—on whose book the film was based—never quite drops into the sort of unprocessable insanity Kubrick deploys here in snapshot moments: the blood flood from the elevator; the evil twins with their evil eyes; the friendly bear-suit buddies. It’s what writer and world-famous chronicler-of-the-forbidden Charles Fort called “high strangeness”—the horror not of the unknown but of the unknowable—and its part of why history and initial critic King both have come to accept the film as a classic." (October 15, 2009 http://www.ocweekly.com/2009-10-15/calendar/the-shining)
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Right! "Short unprocessable insanity". . . I guess that's one way to see it. One of the nice things about King's brand of horror is that it's not just "insanity." It is a carefully built story. Truly creepy. Interwoven with plot and rich character. Where as Kubrick seems at times to have just strewn scenes together.
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Now, the posted image above is pretty freaky. But the fact that the film is unnerving doesn't make it in anyway superior to King's work.
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And I liked Kubrick's version! But, as King rightly said. . . it's not his story! King's novel is, frankly, better.

Simon and Schuster Cuts Libraries

David Rothman reports that Simon and Schuster will not be supplying e-books to public libraries—but 5,400 public libraries are lending other publishers’ e-titles.

Rothman writes, "You may be out of luck if you want to borrow a library e-book by Stephen King or Bob Woodward or other titles published by Simon & Schuster."

Spokesman Adam Rothberg said, “We have not found a business model that works for us and our authors.”

I'll say! Remember the frustration Betts Bookstore expressed in Simon and Schuster's decision not to sell any of their limited copies through bookstores. Bookstores got no special rate (making it pointless to sell King). Now the latest on S&S radar, Libraries.

S&S has a right to desire to make a healthy profit. However, by cutting out bookstores and libraries, they may be biting the hand that feeds them.

http://talkstephenking.blogspot.com/2009/08/betts-bookstore-comments-on-publishing.html

http://www.teleread.org/2009/10/15/why-simon-schuster-isnt-supplying-e-books-to-public-libraries-nyt-writes-up-5400-public-libraries-leading-e/

Literary Monsters Link

I enjoyed this October 14 blog posting on literary monsters. In particular, it deals with massive works and their ability to keep us glued for hours to the written page. Christ Deal writes:

"Under the Dome, by Stephen King. Just a hair shorter than the expanded edition of The Stand, Under the Dome will prove to be King’s longest single novel in quite some time at 1088 pages. Based on a 450 page abandoned novel from the 1980’s, Under the Dome returns to King’s home turf, Maine."

http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/theclog/2009/10/14/literary-monsters/

It's Just An Opinion

At the end of a blog that offers very little new, Dave Rosenthal at the Baltimore Sun gives a quick p.s. . . . "The controversy that he kicked up months ago by criticizing Stephenie Meyer stills rages on Read Street. We've had more than 700 comments on the issue, some applauding him, others saying he's just jealous."

What did King say? I already cited it once, but I was startled to see that people are still talking about it. I'm actually surprised King didn't back down, since it is kind of hurtful. (He siad Meyer can't write) But, may I also say: That's his opinion. It's not my opinion. It's not necessarily his families opinion, his friends opinion. . . who knows -- it's just his opinion. And at least on this planet in this country, he gets to say what his opinion is.

Here's where it get creepy: Some people seem to think his thinking it makes it true! If King thinks Meyer can't write. . . then it must be! Or, maybe he just doesn't like her writing.

There's a lot of modern art I don't like. Does my opinion lessen that work? Not really. My opinion says more about ME than it does the person or thing I have an opinion of. So what do I know? Nothing much about Meyers writing. What I know is that King doesn't like it.

Or, maybe, the Sun has some interest in keeping the story alive. either way, it seems like a pretty dead issue.

Lilja's Library -- Keep Finding More


So Lilja's Library is part of a contest to find the text of Stephen King's new novel hidden all over the web. At least 2 texts are at Lilja's. Which, has meant, I've spent bunches of time digging around on that website. Usually I check the news and always enjoy reading the insightful reviews.
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But,t he contest has caused me to dig a bit deeper. I THOUGHT I knew was was over at Lilja's Library, but I was wrong! Entire pages, sections, I had previously overlooked. This thing is huge! I know the upcoming book is also massive, and the depth of the website certainly lends credibility as a Stephen King scholar.
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So, here's just a bit of what I found I didn't know was there:
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1. The "International King" page is outstanding. Bookcoves from foreign editions. I was surprised how much I liked this page. Interesting, often the international bookcovers are a lot better than the American. (Polish Nightmares and Dreamscapes is pretty good)
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2. The "History" page is cool. Several images that show what the web used to look like, and in particular Lilja's Library.
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3. King's Columns is also interesting. Not just links, but row after row of Entertainment Weekly covers. Also, links to King's Garbage Truck, 1969 and 1970. Wow -- like keeping history on the web.
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So, did I find the hidden text? Nope. But, when it comes to King fans, I realized even more why Lilja's is the best. From a sheerly historical point of view, it is lightyears ahead of King's own site.

Cell: The Mini-Series

Originally Stephen King's novel Cell was slated to be a feature film directed by Eli Roth. However,
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Fangoria reports: "Harrison is scripting Cell for the Weinstein Co., which had originally planned to turn the book into a theatrical feature (with Eli Roth attached at one point to direct), but decided to abandon those plans and will be shopping the project to networks instead. Having served as assistant director/composer on the King-scripted Creepshow and helmed Tales From the Darkside: The Movie (including an adaptation of the author's "Cat From Hell"), Harrison considers Cell one of King's best recent books, with opening chapters that will make an incredible first 30 minutes on screen. The filmmaker adds that he doesn't see this as a zombie story so much as a Village of the Damned-esque chiller and enjoys the fact that the infected populace possesses a hive mentality."
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http://www.fangoria.com/home/news/9-film-news/3203-stephen-kings-cell-will-now-ring-as-tv-miniseries.html
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http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/07/13/stephen-kings-cell-now-to-be-a-miniseries-from-john-harrison/

10 Scariest Stephen King Novels


scifiwire posted "10 scariest Stephen King novels." http://scifiwire.com/2009/10/10-scariest-stephen-king.php So here it is. See if you see a problem:
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1. The Shining (1977)
2. 'Salem's Lot (1975)
3. Pet Semetary (1982)
4. Cujo (1981)
5. Misery (1987)
6. The Stand (Complete and Uncut Version) (1990)
7. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999)
8. Cell (2006)
9. Gerald's Game (1992)
10. Carrie (1974)
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Do these people read Stephen King very often? Are these the only books they've read?
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As Halloween approaches, the most frustrating thing is that everyone publishes their scary book list on Halloween. Kinda misses the "season" -- doesn't it? You aren't going to read 10, or even 1, scary book just on Halloween. And after Halloween, let's all face it, Christmas season begins. Now that's truly scary!
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First of all: Geralds Game and Cujo, while intense and well written, are not exactly scary! That was the list, right? Scary. So, let me offer my list of truly scary King books:
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1. It. Why didn't IT even make their list? A monster stalks little kids -- and scifiwire wasn't scared? Come on! I was shivering under the sheets. This book is the true face of horror.
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2. The Shining. A haunted hotel. This was great
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3. 'Salem's Lot. Dracula comes to America. True Halloween stuff
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4. Needful Things. The fight in the street, knifes and such -- wonderful. Gory. Truly scary
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5. Pet Semetary. A dead child buried in ancient Indian grounds comes back alive. . . and ready to kill mommy and daddy. Anyone not scared? It's like a haunting version of Christianity. Resurrection gone bad!
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6. The Stand. This one has scenes that are scary. The tunnel, other Abigail and the wolves, etc
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7. Desperation. A book that opens with a crucified cat should be on anyones list of most scary King novels. And Tac the Demon Sheriff deserves a little more credit for his scaryness.
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8. Cell. First King brought Vampires to America, then modern America got a cell phone call: The zombies are coming!
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9. The Dark Half. What if your alter-ego was alive and well -- killing people? I thought it was scary.
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10. Carrie. Short and to the point, I think this book is really more a novella. However, it is definately spooky. It rightly set the stage to typecast the author as the King of Horror.
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Anyone want to offer their 10 scariest King novels?
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It can't possibly be worth THAT much!


Under the heading of -- "no way!" and "seriously?" and "is that really the price" -- is another auction on ebay. My favortie place to look and watch people who have no idea what things are really worth.
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So here's one: "Stephen King SIGNED DELUXE ZIPPERED SKELETON CREW."
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Price: $3,900.00
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But, before you say that's too much -- remember, it does come with free shipping!
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Seller writes: "This is the leather-bound lettered edition of Skeleton Crew, "PC" copy of 17 copies (out of 69 copies, 52 of which were lettered) divided between the author, artist and publisher. One of the scarcest and most elaborate lettered editions, this copy is bound into a black leather zipper case. The book's pages are bound into the leather itself. The book is signed in silver by King and the artist. The page edges are covered with silver gilt, and are protected by the case when fully zippered. The book is in excellent condition absolutely gorgeous production. The fold-out poster is present. Includes the publisher's letter, as shown in my photograph, designating the rarity of the PC copy. This is one that MUST be included in the finest King collections and it has been lovingly cared for as long as it has been in mine. Collectors know the value of this book. It is extraordinary."
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Extraordinary indeed. If only I could strike oil. Is it WORTH that? Well, same as your house, anything is worth what someone else will pay for it. Of course, like flipping houses, you may not want to be the last person willing to pay that price.
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3 questions:
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1. These are the same stories that are in the $6.00 paperback. Or, the $31.00 first edition hardcover.
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2. If that's true -- why do I want it so bad? Why do I think an asbestos covered Firestarter would be cool? Or a leather bound copy of The Stand? If it's about the stoires, why am I so attracted to the special bindings and stuff? But I am.
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3. If I owned it, would I read it? No way! I wouldn't even let my children breath toward it.
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So, at least for me, ownership of such items isn't about the literature. It's not about the story. I got the stories! Loved them. But there's something more. A desire to elevate the stories above other paper back novels and cheap hard copies. To say: These stories are special. They have meaning to me.
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Examiner: Another Interview With Bev Vincent

This interview is pretty good. It's with Bev Vincent, author of The Stephen King Companion.

When asked what made his book different, Bev gave a pretty detailed answer:

That’s an easy one. There’s never been a book about King that is so much fun to play with! The book has a bunch of envelopes that contain little treats for fans and readers. You never know what you’re going to find when you open one up. Maybe it’ll be a copy of a high school newspaper that has one of King’s earliest works of fiction, or maybe it’ll be a reproduction of a journal containing several different story/novel fragments in King’s own handwriting, or a fan letter King wrote when he was a kid. Not to mention all of the photographs, many of which have never been seen before. This is like a kid’s activity book for adults. Beyond reading the words, you can spend time with it simply discovering what’s hidden within. It’s a book I’m immensely proud to have been a part of.


Read the full inverview here:

Stephen King's Maine


What does a California kid know about Maine? Well, nothing, actually. See, I've been totally messed up by Stephen by a place called: "Stephen King's Maine."

My Impossible Stephen King Wish List



Or. . . why my wife is crying.
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So, here it is. The great dream list all in one place. If I just had another thousand. . . ten. . . twenty thousand. . . well, about fifty thousand dollars to shop at Betts.
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THE STAND - 1991 Signed and numbered Limited Edition - As New In The Wooden Box - ($2,600) So what if a Charles Dickens first edition of David Copperfield is half the price. . .
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CARRIE - UK First Edition - FLAT SIGNED - Hardcover in Dust Jacket as issued. On title page: Flat signed by Stephen King in blue felt tip pen. ($2,500)
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Dark Tower Series - Donald M. Grant - Complete set of signed and numbered limited edition Dark Tower Books I - VII Signed Fine ($9,500)
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The Plant - Philtrim Press 1982, 1983 US - Proof Publisher's proof manuscript set for Parts I & II with hand corrections by Stephen King & Michael Alpert. ($4,250)
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Legends Package received from Robert Silverberg, book editior & contributor. It contains a copy of edited unbound manuscript that would be used for setting the book in type. Includes the original submission manuscripts from all contributors including, King's story "The Little Sisters of Eluria", edited & assembled by Silverberg. Proof copy with corrections by Silverberg before being transferred to master galley proofs. The manuscript that was delivered to TOR in agents (Ralph Vincenza) box. Complete SK correspondence file between King & Silverberg including letters, hologram letter from King talking about his story, copy of fax from King (on thermal paper, very fragile) discussing editorial comments. Signed. ($19,000) -- see why my wife is weeping?
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The Green Mile - Numbered Edition. ($1,600)
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Danse Macabre Everest House 1981 US - Proof Master galley proofs. Unbound long sheets with hand corrections by King and the proofreader throughout. ($5,000.00)
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Desperation - Grant Gift Edition - In maroon slipcase - Fully illustrated ($75.00)
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The Colorado Kid - Signed and numbered limited Edition ($1,600)
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DOLAN'S CADILLAC - #230 of 1,000 ($450)
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Skeleton Crew - S/L Scream Press ($900)
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ROADWORK - US First ($75.00) Of course, I'd like all the Bachman books in their original state. Actually, these are surprisingly well priced.
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CHRISTINE - S/L - #813 ($1,250)
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HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, Proof Copy ($50.00)
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ART: GUNSLINGER ON THE BEACH- 32" X 22" - signed and numbered ($195.00) Wouldn't my walls look pretty? Actually, I'd probably hang it in the closet. . . wouldn't want it stolen. ?
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British edition: SKELETON CREW Macdonald 1985 1ST EDITION BOOK ($150.00)
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FANGORIA #28 - On the Dead Zone Set ($10.00)
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FANGORIA #130 3/94 THE STAND ($8.00)
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PEOPLE 12/9-1/5/81 KING TOP 25 1980 TWO PAGE ARTICLE ($15.00)
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Oh yeah, and one impulse item:
Betts Bookstore "Stephen King Tote Bag" ($10.00)
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And. . .
License Plate Frame: "My Other Car Is Christine" ($2.95)
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Oh yeah, and 1 Stephen King magnet. ($2.50)
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_________________________________________
Total: $49,243.45
Tax: ?
Shipping ?
Grand Total: TOTALLY WORTH IT!

My wife is getting superly ticked.

But hey, lookie there: I'm still under the $50,000 mark.