The Mist Unabridged

For years I have gotten emails and posts comments asking about the unabridged recording of The Mist.  I have audio tapes and the digital version of Frank Muller reading the Mist.  Turns out, for some reason that recording is  no longer in print.  That means that for years the only way to hear the Mist has been the 3D production.  The only problem is -- the 3D Sound recording just isn't the same as listening to the words themselves build the story.  It's like a radio play.  Super cool -- but just not the same.

I noticed today that audible has released an unabridged recording of Skeleton Crew.  And in the batch is The Mist.  It's not the Frank Muller recording, but it is The Mist unabridged.  Exciting stuff!

www.audible.com

Charting New Ground With Apt Pupil

With Revival behind me, and a long drive ahead, I dug through my giant case of Stephen King CD’s to find a book to listen to.  Surprising, there are some I just don’t want to go back to.  Misery was good – once, but it doesn't beckon me for more reads.  Same with Gerald’s Game, Desperation and Roadwork.  Good once, but not hungry to venture into that territory for a long period of time again.

I dug into a novel I knew nothing about, Apt Pupil.  And know what, I love it!  The book is driven by total psychological warfare here.

The basic plot is this: A thirteen year old boy discovers his neighbor is an old SS soldier who worked in the concentration camp.  How he puts the pieces together becomes a little contrived, but it works for the story.  He then uses his knowledge to extort the old man; but not out of money, he wants him to retell stories of the war days.  Only, the boy isn't just interested in stories, he wants gruesome details of how people died.

What’s scary is just how young King makes the main character; thirteen.  Often he responds with a confidence that far exceeds anything most thirteen year olds possess.

It is a crazy novel.  I mean crazy!  A thirteen year old gets the upper-hand on an old Nazi who used to torture people.  What’s amazing is that King makes this pretty believable.  And, King turns the old plot problem, “why don’t they just call the police” into his theme, what if they call the police?  The novel builds into a game of mental chess between the old man and the nasty kid.

In the world of Stephen King, kids can be brutal.  But Todd Bowden is easily one of Stephen King’s scariest characters.  Because he’s young, he’s unflinching and he’s brilliant.  King may have given his lead character too much emotional strength, resulting in a character that’s far more creepy than the likes of Carrie.  Of course, Carrie isn’t evil exactly, she’s persecuted.  Carrie lashes out at her persecutors.  But Todd is the persecutor.

The novel was released in 1982 as part of the larger book, Different Seasons.  I’ve always focused more on Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption and The Body, forgetting the other two novels.

The book takes us back a few years.  Obviously, through story telling, it takes us back to the dark days of World War Two.  But, because King writes in his own time, it also takes us back to the seventies.  Electric typewriters, no cellphones and most important, no internet.  I am curious when the novel itself was actually written.  Was it a trunk novel thrown in to Different Seasons?

One of the delights of going into a King novel I know so little about is that anything can happen.  Usually I have a pretty good idea if a novel is seriously dark, or a few tricks King has up his sleeve.  For instance, when Revival came out, the publisher was so stinking paranoid, they built a website to try and ease everyone into the right mood.  They didn't want anyone surprised that Stephen King could be dark.  GASP!  So I knew going into Revival that it was not going to be fun and games.  But when it comes to Apt Pupil, I'm taking it one blind curve at a time.  I know there's a movie.  But it's not the same as letting Frank Muller read it to me.

Star Trek:
For some reason, reading this book reminds me of that old Star Trek episode where the enterprise comes to a planet that has been fashioned completely after Nazi Germany.  It's not a good episode.  What is fantastic is watching Spock use  a strip of metal from his prison cot to focus light coming from a simple light bulb, turning it into a laser beam that blows the door open.  Yeah, that's how it works.

Interview With Kevin Quigley: What's Up With Frank Muller's Reading Of THE MIST

I am a fan of The Mist.  I think it's a great story.  It's also been adapted many,  many times.  By far, one of the things I've gotten the most  questions about over  the years of blogging is about the Frank Muller reading of the Mist.  Where is it?  Curious myself, I went to the best source I know of, Kevin Quigley.  Quigley is the keeper of the King website Charnel House and a contributor to fearnet.

Okay, let's talk about the Mist and all things Stephen King!

Talk Stephen King: Hey, I’m really excited to talk about the Mist with you. I loved your book, Blood In Your Ears, in which you discuss the audio version of The Mist. What do you think of the story itself?

Kevin Quigley: “The Mist” is one of my favorite King stories.  Quite a lot of King’s novella work stands as his strongest material – see also “Secret Window, Secret Garden,” “Apt Pupil,” “The Body,” “A Good Marriage,” “The Langoliers.”  It’s got the punchiness of a short story but you get character development and multiple show sequences like in a novel.  I also really loved the open ending.  King returned to that stylistic concept later in his career – with From a Buick 8, Cell, and The Colorado Kid – which pissed a lot of people off, for some reason.  I love ambiguity.

TSK: I loved the movie. It seemed to successfully capture the tone of the novella. What did you think of the film?

KQ: Most of the movie is terrific.  You’re right about the tone – it perfectly captures the 50s monster-movie feel, while also delivering on contemporary characters and scares. 

TSK: The novella left the story open ended. The movie, however, chose an ending scene that was rather controversial. King said he liked it. I hate it. Which of us is right?

KQ: King and I often disagree about movies.  The ending of The Mist is atrocious.  It’s going for shock value and succeeding at that, but it doesn’t do much for the film itself.  It’s a complete shift in tone and intent, one that feels incongruous with the rest of the movie. 

TSK: The audio 3D version of the Mist was awesome. It seems to have been commercially successful. Do you think that format will be utilized for King stories again?

KQ: Well, there have been other King dramatizations.  There’s one for Misery and Pet Sematary, one for ’Salem’s Lot.  Most are unsuccessful, I think in part because they’re unable to reimagine the work from the ground up.  King’s cinematic sequences in his novels work because he’s terrific at describing scenes with punch, but much of that works on the page, where exposition and imagination holds sway.  It’s the reason why so much of King’s filmed adaptations work less often than they should. 

I also think, though, that a number of King’s more plot- and situation-driven work could benefit. I’d love to hear an adaptation of “The Langoliers,” for instance.  I think “The Breathing Method” would work very well, and maybe “Big Driver” and “The House on Maple Street.”  For novels, I think they could really kill The Regulators. 

TSK: One of the things people ask me about is the Recorded Books 3 tape set read by Frank Muller. In your book, Blood In Your Ears, you pointed out that this was out of print. What exactly does that mean? That seems crazy in the King world! Nothing goes out of print. Is there a copyright problem or something that you know of?

KQ: King’s novels don’t go out of print, but versions sometimes do.  For example, when was the last time you saw a copy of The Dead Zone with the movie cover?  Same with audio books.  Sometimes they make a new version that they deem is “better,” and the old one goes away. 

Skeleton Crew is a frustrating instance, because a perfectly terrific version of Skeleton Crew on audio simply doesn’t exist anymore.  The collection Skeleton Crew: Selections is the only version available on audio, which is insane.  Sure, the narrators are fine – King reads “The Raft,” and it’s awesome – but there are only four stories.  Why let the terrific Frank Muller version rot in purgatory?

TSK: One fan emailed to tell me that Recorded Books told them that they no longer held the copyright, that it had gone to Muller’s estate. Any way to verify that? Do readers actually own the work?

KQ: As far as I can tell, readers do not own the work at all.  From what I understand, the author of the work retains all copyrights to the book.  An audiobook is one way of “copying” the book, so a person can’t replicate the work without permission from the author.  It’s not that different from a publisher doing a limited edition work; the limited edition doesn’t become that publisher’s book just because they manufactured it.

TSK: Do you think that with everything going digital that there is a chance a publisher like Audible might pick it up?

KQ: Well, Audible doesn’t generally publish professional books themselves – they’re more a distributor for established publishers’ audio arms, or publishers like Recorded Books – but they do have a healthy business in amateur recording.  But I get your point, and I hope they’ll do right by Skeleton Crew.  In 2010, there was an audio onslaught of King books that had only previously been available as Library of Congress recordings.  Penguin brought out new, professional recordings of Christine, Firestarter, Cujo, Danse Macabre, The Eyes of the Dragon, It, and all the early Bachman novels except Rage: The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man.  Soon after, Random House released the mammoth recording of The Stand – over 47 hours! – read by Grover Gardner. 

At current, the only full Stephen King books you can’t get on audio are Pet Sematary and Skeleton Crew.  I am assuming that Sematary is tied up in rights issues, but I don’t know about Skeleton Crew.  And unfortunately, while there are terrific unabridged versions of The Regulators read by Frank Muller and Desperation read by King himself, those were only available to libraries.  The commercial versions – not-bad recordings by Kate Nelligan and Kathy Bates – are fine, but horribly abridged. 

TSK: Have you heard the Muller reading? What did you think?

KQ: I have, and it’s terrific!  As assured and sonorous as his later recordings.

TSK: Any new projects we can be expecting?

KQ: Well, we can reasonably expect new audiobooks of Mr. Mercedes and Revival coming this year, but King has also been pretty liberal with audiobooks of his short stories lately, so we might see more of those popping up.  I’d love to see the unabridged recordings of Desperation and The Regulators, and of course Pet Sematary make it to Audible soon.  I’ve been on a King audio kick lately – The Dark Half, Misery, and Christine in rapid succession – and I want more.

TSK: Okay, some quick fire questions while I have you here. Answer like it’s gunfire. . .

TSK: What did you think of:. . . 

–Carrie remake?  Not bad, but too close to the original.

–Doctor Sleep?  Pretty good, but I was far more involved in the characters than the plot, and wanted more of Danny and Abra than the True Knot.

 –Joyland? One of King’s best books of the last decade.

 –Under The Dome television?  I watched the first half of the season, then lost the thread. That might have more to my schedule than the show, though.

TSK: Which is better,  

--Joyland or Doctor Sleep? Joyland!

–Carrie or Carrie 2013?  Original!

 –Doctor Sleep or The Shining? The Shining!

 –Wetware or Blood In Your Ears?  My babies!  I took a little longer with Blood in Your Ears and I like the finished product a little better.

 –Ink in the Veins or Chart Of Darkness? Chart of Darkness. I love Ink in the Veins, but Chart of Darkness was a passion project, AND my first book for Cemetery Dance.

 –Haven or Under The Dome?  Under the Dome!

TSK: Do you have a novel?

 KQ: Yes! Cemetery Dance is releasing I’m On Fire this year as an ebook.  But I also have 18 other novels waiting in the wings.  Most aren’t horror, which is why I’ve had some issue with placing them, but you might be seeing more of them sooner rather than later.  The book I’m working on now is a coming of age story called Roller Disco Saturday Night!

TSK: Thanks Kevin.

KQ: Thanks!

 -- 

Kevin Quigley is author of I'm On Fire, Stephen King Limited, and Roller Disco Saturday Night

Producer and Host of Johnny D's Comedy.  He is a Columnist at FEARnet.com

Still No Audio

reposted from 2012

 

Here are 3 books that still have not found their way to the world of audio books:

1. The Dead Zone
2. Pet Sematary
3. Rage
. . . of course, I'd even listen to The Cannibals on audio, if it existed. I was enjoying that book!

4 books that are endangered species:
(That means they are hard to find, almost disappearing off the face of earth)

1. The Mist, read by Frank Muller. Muller did a recording of The Mist unabridged, and it was great! However, there seems to be copyright problems with the recording, and who knows if it will ever be seen available to the public again.

2. The 1978 edition of The Stand read by Grover Gardner. I think these only existed as tapes.

3. The original King readings of the Dark Tower 1-2. These were great! King's reading was a joy, even though it was obvious he was nervous.

4. An actual physical CD copy of The Stand. It's available on audio through audible, but difficult to find as a CD.

Regarding audio books, I think the happiest I have been was when Needful Things came out.  I bought each set of tapes and spent hours in my room listening while I played solitary monopoly.  (Yes, I'll tell you the rules if you ask).

THE MIST JOURNAL #1: Listening To The Mist

I started re-reading The Mist today.  I had  a long drive to Walmart (because when you live in the sticks,  it's a long drive!) and put in an old CD of Frank Muller reading The Mist.  I bought the tapes years ago and had them digitally remastered because they were in terrible shape.  Strange thing, I never listened all the way through.

I can't express how much better the actual unabridged reading of The Mist is to the 3D sound version that is pushed right now.  I don't know exactly what happened with the Muller recording, why it's not available, but it is far superior to a dramatization.  Words have power, and when we dramatize everything we lose something in the transmission.

Muller's narration is actually a little bland compared to the actors studios hire today.  But I like it a lot.  Sometimes over-acting gets in the way of the words as much as dramatizations do.  Muller's words are crisp, well paced and he always gives the right emphasis.  But he doesn't try to become the characters.  He's not an actor, he's a reader.

My wife noted that the way Muller read the chainsaw scene really did sound like a chainsaw -- and he never reduced himself to making artificial sounds.

The novella itself is all the more interesting since I've seen  the movie several times.  The movie really did bring the feel and tone of the book to the screen.

Some quick notes:

1. The story is told in first person. And interesting choice, since I think it probably boxed him in at the end.

2. I feel like I can tell that this was written quickly.  There is a certain energy about the book that is delightful.  From the first lines you can sense that King is excited to tell this story.  Did he stay up late writing this one?  I'll bet he did.

3. David's dream the night of the storm is quite interesting.  I've never seen any discussion about it.

In the dream I could hear the rending crack and splinter of breaking trees as God stamped the woods into the shape of His footsteps. He was circling the lake, coming toward the Bridgton side, toward us, and behind Him everything that had been green turned a bad gray and all the houses and cottages and summer places were bursting into purple-white flame like lightning, and soon the smoke covered everything. The smoke covered everything like a mist." (From The Mist, by Stephen King)

4. The first person narration also gives King the chance to give some ominous narration.  Get these lines:

Steff was standing on the cement path which leads to the vegetable patch at the extreme west end of our property. She had a pair of clippers in one gloved hand and the weeding claw in the other. She had put on her old floppy sunhat, and it cast a band of shadow over her face. I tapped the horn twice, lightly, and she raised the hand holding the clippers in answer. We pulled out. I haven’t seen my wife since then. (THE MIST, by Stephen King)

Couple  of things worth noting here.  One is just the line, "I haven't seen my wife since then" grabs the readers attention.  We now know something really bad is about to happen.  Second, king went to a lot of detail to describe David's wife, only to dismiss her in the same paragraph.

5. I like the way David and his wife pass notes back and forth. Today they would text one another, though the storm would have probably knocked that out.

6. Unlike some child characters, Billy really does come across as a kid.  I love the scenes where his dad keeps letting him have sips of his beer.  Not because I really think this is in anyway a good idea, but it seems real.  It's the kind of detail many writers would avoid.

7.  King makes the reader feel a bit of despair at the loss of Norton's 1960 Thunderbird.  Why is that strange?  Because it never existed!  I mean, the car is real -- but THAT car, Norton's car, never existed.  Yet I felt a bit of pain when I read about the tree falling on it.  I thought, "This is crazy.  I feel sad about a car getting destroyed by a tree -- and neither the car nor the tree ever existed.  This is all just stuff coming from Stephen King's messed up head."

Check out my article,
"Hunting The Mist Unabridged" (talkstephenking.blogspot.com)
"The Mist, Transferring Tapes To CD" (talkstephenking.blogspot.com)

Books Read By Stephen King

Who is your favorite reader of the Stephen King audio books?  I have two non-King favorites.  First Frank Muller is great.  His pacing is fast, which I like!  Also, I have come to appreciate Mr. Grover Gardner.  At first I really struggled with what some said was a "dry" reading style.  But I came to see that Gardner is precise and clear in his reading, giving power to the words themselves to tell the story.

I also think Craig Wasson is an excellent reader.  He takes almost the opposite approach of Gardner.  If Gardner wants the words to speak for themselves, Wasson wants to bring them to life!  He reads with energy, passion and sometimes his passion becomes distraction.

I really like it when Stephen King reads his own stories.  I'm not sure I would want to listen to him read Ken Follett novels!  But he's a great Stephen King narrator.

1. The Gunslinger.  I recently bought the audio tape of Stephen King reading The Gunslinger.  I love it!  King is awkward at first, but gains confidence as he goes.  He starts with a short introduction, pointing out that he is not a professional reader, but he thinks there is value for a writer to read his own work.  I generally agree -- if the writer is a good reader!  Some writers should stick to writing.  Frank Peretti comes to mind!  The author of the Christian classic, "This Present Darkness" has the frustrating habit of breaking into falsetto.
By the way, the photo of a young Stephen King with a mustache is great.
2. The Drawing Of The Three.  I like the cover of this audio book a lot,  by the way.  I can't find the artwork  anywhere else, but it is great.
3. The Wastelands.  I've never seen this, but according to King's site (Ms. Mod), he read the first three books of the Dark Tower series.
4. Bag of Bones
5. On Writing (nonfiction)
6. Building Bridges.  (Speech)
7. Blood and Smoke (Lunch at the Gotham Cafe, 1408, In The Deathroom)
8. It Grows on You (story)
9. Needful Things.  This is my favorite Stephen King reading.
10. Harvey’s Dream (story)
11. Hearts in Atlantis (w/ William Hurt)
12.  LT’s Theory of Pets (live reading)
13. Head Down (essay)
14. The Wavedancer Benefit
15. Rose Madder (the part of Norman Daniels)  (?)
16. The Wind Through The Keyhole
17. Home Delivery (story)

Quigley Review Of Audio WTTKH

Hey,  I loved Kevin Quigley's review of the audio edition of The Wind Through The Keyhole at fearnet (HERE)   It is titled, “Listening to the Wind: Stephen King, the Dark Tower, and 'The Wind Through the Keyhole' on Audio.”

Quigley offers a teriffic “history” of the Gunslinger as a book – an audio book in particular.  He also reviews King as a reader,  and in particular his reading of the Dark Tower novels.   I really enjoyed this portion.  Those of you complaining that King should have given the floor to professionals who have previously recorded the Dark Tower audio books, would do well to note that Stephen King is the first true audio reader of The Dark Tower.

Quigley gives us one big helpful tip: There is a preview, only available on the audio edition of WTTKH, of Doctor Sleep.  SWEET! Quigley writes, “While there's no word on whether King will read the entire novel on audio, his take here is spooky and unsettling. If this excerpt is any judge, Doctor Sleep is going to be one scary book.”

The full article is here at fearnet.com.

Full Dark No Stars heads into sunlight

Reviews are popping up everywhere. Along with them, Dread Central posted news that a third trailer has been released on youtube. All very nice! I can hardly wait.

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So here are the necessary links to get yourself ready for a serious reading frenzy this coming week.

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Third trailer: http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/40785/third-official-trailer-stephen-kings-full-dark-no-stars

Here's a rather cranky review. You know, you should read cranky reviews of King sometimes, just to remember how messed up critics are. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8111101/Full-Dark-No-stars-by-Stephen-King-review.html

The peninsulaqatar is much kinder to King's latest offering. After musing about the possibility of another set of four novels in another 20 years or so, the review dives in with almost gleeful joy. "These are stories of retribution and complicity: of crimes that seem inevitable, of ways that we justify the world to ourselves and ourselves to the world. Powerful, and each in its own way profoundly nasty." Ah, we all hope so! http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/saturday-editions/131592-stories-of-retribution-and-complicity.html

Comparing It To Different Seasons:

All the reviewers cannot help but hearken back to Different Season's and Four Past Midnight. Often they come away feeling Full Dark No Stars is a lesser work. But I would suggest that at least in the case of Different Seasons, the stories have gotten better with time. First, many of us have been endeared to them because of great audio performances by the likes of Frank Muller. Then they were brought to life before the camera. As I recently read Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, I came away thinking the movie made the story better. The stories get better with age.

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Comparisons To Four Past Midnight

Four Past Midnight is getting a lot of lumps these days. I do not think it has necessarily aged as well as Different Season's has. The reason? Same as above. But instead of getting better with age, Hollywood has caused some of these stories to spoil in our minds. In particular, The langoliers is a great novel that is painful to watch on screen. But, as King has pointed out, no matter what they do in the movie, the book is still there to read. The story is not hurt one bit.

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I once heard someone complain that The Sun Dog showed King's obsessive editing. I read that story as a teen, and loved it. I gulped it down. It was literally a page turner for me. And being young, I wasn't paying attention to how the story was crafted, how the meal was cooked, I was just enjoying the meal. I liked it a lot. I came away saying, "This thing is just like a Twilight Zone!" In fact, it might be worthy of one of those hour long Twilight Zone's!

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I do think that the story Secret Window was made better on screen. It was sweetened. Some seeming loose ends were tied up.

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My point in all that is simply to suggest that anyone reviewing a book before it's even been released to the public might judge it too quickly. Give a book time to settle into our culture.

The Shawshank Redemption

Finished reading Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption. I've seen the movie several times, and enjoyed the novella very much. A few short notes on the story.

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Title:

The book uses the name "Rita Haywroth" while the movie is only titled "The Shawshank Redemption." The audio is also only marketed as "The Shawshank Redemption." Of course, Rita Hayworth has a very important role in both the movie (where she is actually given screen time) and the book. Rita Hayworth was a movie star who rose to fame during the Great Depression. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000028/

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The narrator:

Probably the thing I liked least about the book was the narrator. Red is locked in a prison cell, so the story relies more on his ability to pick up bits of gossip than on first hand information. This gets really wild when the actual prison break takes place. He's not there! So how Andy got out is left to Red's imagination. The constant guessing instead of story-telling gets tiresome.

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Of course, in the movie, this isn't a problem! Because the movie isn't locked in to Red's point of view. It is able to pull away. By the way, in the movie Red was masterfully played by Morgan Freeman.

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I did enjoy Red's recital of various prison breaks. And I also enjoyed it when the story seemed to end, then picked up again. Since I was listening on CD, this actually caught me by surprise since I didn't know how many pages were left.

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The book is more a tale of escape than the more complicated elements of revenge that the movie introduces.
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The Whistle
As noted in a previous blog, Shawshank bears similarities to Escape From Alcatraz. King, via the narrator Red, mentions that in the movies a whistle always goes off when there is an escape. Well, I was watching "I am a fugitive from a chain gang" (1932) in which there are two prison breaks. The first time they are in a field, so there is no whistle to go off. Instead the score itself blares with trumpets -- making almost the exact sound! The escape in that scene is brilliant. Later int he movie there is another prison escape, and sure enough, the whistle goes off. (By the way, Shawshank has a much better ending)

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The writing
The first person narrative also tends to talk over the story, instead of building it scene by scene, the way King usually does. I actually like this kind of writing, since it is more direct. King is good at making decades slip by in this book, without feeling like they've just been skimmed by. He doesn't belabor the time elements, but as time passes the reader feels it go by. The reader ages with the characters.

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What I liked:

1. The story is great.

2. The writing moves the story forward at a pretty fast pace.

3. The movie. I think the movie advanced the story in some very key ways, actually making it better.

4. I listened to this on CD. I really liked the reading by Frank Muller. He is absolutely awesome! Audio file says, "Muller's flawless reading enriches King's powerful story, providing a superlative audio program."

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Editions:

1983, a story in Different Seasons.

1983, a large print book.

1995, a audio recording.

1994, a major motion picture.

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See my post: Escape From Alcatraz & The Shawshank Redemption here, http://talkstephenking.blogspot.com/2010/09/escape-from-alcatraz-and-shawshank.html

Pillars, Follett And Stephen King

A favorite author of mine is Ken Follett. But here's the deal, I don't like everything he writes. What I do like of his, I really like! I usually take a pass on the spy novels (Key to Rebecca and so on), even though they are always a cut above normal spy stories. What Follett writes that I'm really passionate about is some really good historical fiction.

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One of my all time favorite books (right next to The Stand, of course!) is Follett's lengthy novel The Pillars Of The Earth. Talk about epic! This book is the gigantic tale of the construction of a great Cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. Follett's heroes are both human and heroic. His villains are fully worthy of our hate, true scoundrels. And the story is brilliant. By the way, I was raving about Pillars long before Oprah was. It used to be one of those books I made an effort to read at least once a year.

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So how happy was I when I saw that the 900+ Pillars of the Earth had been turned into a series on Starz. Only problem, I don't have Starz! I called my wife in desperation. Please, please, I begged, fix this injustice and restore order to the world. I must, must, must see this! She told me not to make an idol of it, and then ordered Starz. Relief. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1453159/

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Place In The Stephen King Universe:

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So what's this got to do with Stephen King? Well, first off I always want to encourage King fans to read far beyond the King universe. Not just horror, but classics and different genres. And if you're going to read historical fiction, Follett is the best.

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Ken Follett lists Stephen King as one of the authors he reads. How cool is that?! Follett also did the introduction for the special edition of The Shining. Both King and Follett have books on Wikipedia's "Most Commonly Challenged Books In The United States." Follett for Pillars of the Earth, King for Carrie, Dead Zone, Christine and Cujo. So by that list, I guess King is four times as offensive to some people as Ken Follett. And, worthy of note, Frank Muller did audio editions of both authors works. For Follett, it was his novel Code To Zero.

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I think the two have a similar style of writing. To be sure, their subjects are quite different, but both write with an episodic style. Scene builds upon scene. They don't "tell" you someone is bad, they show you. Both men write as if it were television.

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King Inspired By Follett:

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On tampabay.com, Colette Bancroft has an article titled, "Bush White House inspired characterizations in 'Under the Dome,' Stephen King says. Thankfully for all of us, King had more inspiration than just politics! Bancroft quotes King (speaking of the development of The Cannibals to UTD), "'People seem to like the long ones. So I tried another version, called The Cannibals, about people trapped in an apartment building. But that didn't work because the space was too small.' Then King read Ken Follett's historical novels The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End. 'Those are huge books, but I really liked the narrative drive.' That moved him to return to the dome idea in 2006. 'I felt I finally had the chops to do it. You never stop learning if you keep your mind open.'"

http://www.tampabay.com/features/books/bush-white-house-inspired-characterizations-in-under-the-dome-stephen-king/1052401

Some of my notes on Pillars of the Earth:

(WARNING: There are probably spoilers here!)

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Favorite characters:
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Tom Builder: The novel opens with Tom and his family struggling to survive. Tom loses a baby boy and soon his wife. He is left to take care of his children in a hard world. Soon Tom finds steady work when the old Cathedral burns to the ground. What I really love about Tom Builder is that he can only really work on churches. He feels that working on a house or any other building doesn’t require the best of him, because it isn’t for God. But a church has to be our very best, because it is given to the Lord.
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Prior Philip: I wish Philip was real, then I wouldn't feel so strange loving him. Philip is a genuine man of faith who checks his own heart to avoid sins of pride and abuse of power. Follett does present a corrupted system of church government, but he also shows priests who are good and ready to stand up for what is right. Surrounded by corruption and immorality, the faithful Prior Philip shines. One of my favorite scenes is Philip walking along the castle wall with the King of England. (Uh... "King Stephen" not Stephen King!)
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Jack the Builder: Jack is probably Follett’s intended "hero." Picked on as a child by his step brother Alfred, Jack grows up in the shadow of his step father Tom Builder. It is to Jack that Tom's mantle falls.
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Alfred: Tom Builder's son who hates Jack. Alfred will do anything to destroy Jack and promote himself.
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William Hamleigh: One of the most vile, despicable, wicked villains ever created. He’s terrible! In fact, he’s so bad, you really do love to hate this guy. Murder, rapist, and utterly corrupt; this guy is depraved.
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Aliena: Daughter of Earl Bartholomew, she dedicates her life to avenging her father and restoring his fortune. Even when it means helping her self obsessed brother, Richard, or giving up romance with her true love, Jack, Aliena will do anything to honor her father.
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A few of my favorite scenes:

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–Prior Philip arriving at his new church and forcing the monks to submit to his authority.

–Tom Builder and his family working together to capture the thief who stole their pig.

–William storming earl's castle.

–Prior Philip exposing Waleren’s secret castle.

–Jack accidentally burning down the old church.

–The monks surrounding the workers in the stone quarry to protect them.

–Ellen coming to Tom Builder in the forest.
--Prior Philip buys Aliena's wool for full price when the merchants refuse to sell to her at the same rate because she is a woman.

–The final scene as Follett connects fiction to history.
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The cathedral city of Kingsbridge is fictional, and is the site of Follett’s sequel World Without End. Pillars of the Earth is one of those long, wonderful reads that you feel sorrow when it’s done. Like losing an old friend you’ve walked a long way with. The characters live on in the mind even when the book is finished.
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What makes the Pillars of the Earth so gripping is that even though it’s a epic historical novel, it’s written at the pace of a spy story. Follett doesn’t waste a lot of time -- he simply presses the plot forward with a steady hand.

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http://www.ken-follett.com/faq/index.html

An Evening with George Guidall

Have you heard George Guidall? If you listen to books on tape, you probably have! He's recorded more than 900 audio books. In the Stephen King universe, Guidall picked up on the Dark Tower series after Frank Muller's accident.
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Lackawanna Country Library is holding a "evening with George Guidall."
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Thetimes-tribune has this interesting quote from Guidall -- regarding people's tendency to prefer a certain reader:
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"Once they latch onto that person, they rely on that person to give them a vicarious experience they can't otherwise have," he said. "They feel like that person is talking to them."
It makes for some very interesting encounters. Once, he was at a library in West Virginia and a librarian kept pointing out to him the tapestries she had made while listening to his audio books.
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"That's me and you doing 'Crime and Punishment.' That's me and you doing 'Frankenstein,'" she told him.
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"People go into a library and ask for a book by George Guidall," he said. "People are writing me from all over the country. They've all experienced that book the same way, because I'm the one who told them the story. They're in a tribe all by themselves."
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What: "An Evening with George Guidall," presented by the Lackawanna County Library Lecture Series
Where: Scranton Cultural Center at The Masonic Temple
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.Details: Admission is free with a library card.
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http://thetimes-tribune.com/arts-living/books-on-tape-narrator-geoge-guidall-next-library-lecture-series-speaker-1.777909

FRANK MULLER DAY!

Hello, and welcome to Frank Muller day at Talk Stephen King. Please do post your thoughts on this amazing artist. Below you'll find my posts on Muller.
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Frank Muller is important to the Stephen King community because he put so many of King's books to tape. For many of us for many years, he was the voice of a Stephen King book. Of course, King himself and many others have done wonderful work putting King's stories to audio. Muller's voice was distinct.

Notes from frankmuller.com

As I was listening to the Mist on tape the other day, I found myself drawn back in time. The reader is Frank Muller, and his narration was good. Really good. I wanted to learn more about this guy. I've heard his voice for horus upon hours, but know literally nothing about him. So, I decided to do a little research.

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A natural place to start is http://www.frankmullerhome.com/ This website is very well done.

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My favorite quote: "(When Frank reads) the blind will see, the lame will walk, and the deaf will hear." - Stephen King (Humm... I thought that was another guy...)

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The website notes, Claudia Howard, an Executive Producer at Recorded Books, estimates that for each of the titles Frank has recorded there are at least 5,000 copies in existence in public libraries today. Frank has recorded over 200 books for over 100 authors, so that suggests there are 1,000,000 copies in existence! Libraries report that popular audio books circulate 10 to 15 times annually, so each of Frank's performances could be reaching between 50,000 to 75,000 new listeners every year. Multiplying that estimate times the number of copies would conservatively suggest that 10,000,000 readers are reached each year. If you then multiply that by the number of years each author's audio books have been in existence, you begin to get an inkling of the incredible number of individuals who have experienced literary works through Frank's skills as a storyteller.
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here's a great video from the muller site, includes comericals Muller was in, clips from soaps, and more. . . so just check this out, because it's neat! http://www.frankmullerhome.com/videopage.html

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see also: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/gvpages/muller.shtml

Muller Jenkins and King

In a short article on the Christianity Today website, author Jerry B. Jenkins reveals his friendship with Stephen King. Jenkins is the co-author of the popular series of Christian fiction novels "Left Behind." The series speculates as to what would happen if God's people were raptured out of the world. '

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This quote grabbed me, "The two authors, one specializing on God and the other on the devil, are sharing the cover of the next issue of Writer's Digest." Really? Though King's work might be darker, it certainly has deep redemptive themes. And, I might point out, that Jenkins novels deal an awful lot with the devil. I mean, it is about Anti-Christ, the Beast of Revelation and the ultimate destruction of planet earth.

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Christainity today says that Jenkins and King became friends because they shared the same voice actor, Frank Muller.

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This is from Jenkins blog:

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Several years ago my assistant buzzed me and said, “Stephen King on the line for you.”
I have any number of friends who would pull such a prank, but I fought the urge to say, “John Grisham here.”
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It turned out that it was really him. We happened to have the same audio reader (a brilliant voice actor named Frank Muller) who performed our books on tape and disc. Frank was about my age but had married late and had kids the age of my grandkids. In the fall of 2001 he’d had a horrible motorcycle accident and was left severely brain damaged. I showed up on Stephen King’s radar because we were both trying to help out. He had called to suggest other ways we could assist the family, including visiting Frank in rehab.

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During the conversation I said, “It may surprise you to know that I’m a reader of yours.” I told Stephen that while I wasn’t into horror fiction, I had read many of his short stories and that The Green Mile was one of my favorite novels.

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He said, “It may surprise you to know that I’m a reader of yours.”
Surprised doesn’t begin to describe it. Frank had given him copies of some of the Left Behind series.
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Stephen and I enjoyed a nice chat and then spent a day together a few months later at Frank’s rehab center. We began an e-mail relationship that continues to this day, and we still laugh about having our driver swing through McDonald’s drive-through so we could enjoy Big Macs on the way back to the airport.

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http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctliveblog/archives/publishing/

http://www.jerryjenkins.com/2009/03/

Lilja's Library Interview With George Guidall

In an interview with George Guidall, there was some interesting discussion of Frank Muller. By the way, Lilja notes that Guidall has put over 800 unabridged books on tape.

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Lilja: You are picking up after Frank Muller who read The Dark Tower books before you. First by reading the revised and expanded edition of The Gunslinger and the three last books. How did this happen and do you feel Muller's shadow hanging over you? Many fans thought he was "the" King reader.

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George Guidall: Frank Muller and I have been friends since before I began audiobook narration. We shared the stage in a production of a Faydeau farce, entitled Flea in Her Ear back in the '70s. It's a strange feeling recording "his' material. He IS "the" King reader, as you say, and it is not my intention to minimize that fact. Actually, recording this material brings me closer to him in a way. I think of him constantly while I do it. It's unavoidable. His tragic accident has deprived many people of extraordinary listening pleasures. Anyone wishing to contribute to his long and arduous recovery can contact the Wavedancer Foundation for information. The funds would be greatly appreciated.

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http://www.liljas-library.com/showinterview.php?id=15

Recorded Books: Frank Muller Reader Review

This is a re-post frm recordedbooks.com, with permission.

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Frank Muller earned critical acclaim as a superstar of audio. His narration of Pat Conroy’s Beach Music won an Audie Award. His performance of Jack London’s brawny, masculine classic The Call of the Wild gained the attention of listeners and reviewers alike, placing him at the pinnacle of the audiobook industry.

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Conroy and audiobook listeners across the country love Muller’s narrating style. “Muller’s rendition of The Prince of Tides,” one listener wrote, “allowed me not only to hear with my ears, but also to feel with my heart.” Kliatt’s review of The Call of the Wild echoes that listener’s sentiment: “Actor Muller reads with expression and variety that match the varying moods, feelings, and attitudes of all the characters, dog included, and that lend plausibility to almost unbelievable events.”

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It was his ability to bring great literature to life that made him the natural choice to narrate The Old Man and the Sea, A Christmas Carol, and other classics. Muller’s masterful interpretation enhanced the majesty of these texts and his narrative voice delivered power and insight beyond the printed word.

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Muller, who Library Journal called “the first true superstar of spoken audio,” narrated over 12 dozen titles for Recorded Books. In addition to classics, look for his performances on works by horror master Steven King, gripping thrillers by John le Carré, the mesmerizing vampire chronicles of Anne Rice, the quirky suspenses of Elmore Leonard, and even some comedies.

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On November 5th, 2001, Frank Muller was in a very serious motorcycle accident near Los Angeles, California. John Grisham and other authors held a benefit on his behalf in New York on February 2nd, 2002. On June 4, 2008, Frank succumbed to injuries suffered in the accident, leaving behind a legacy of fine audiobook performances to be cherished by listeners young and old.

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Average Narrator Rating: 5 Stars

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Here are some of the things others have said about Frank Muller and the books narrated by Frank Muller : “All-star reader Frank Muller effortlessly slips from the French strains of Bogus’ fussy Parisian urologist to the guttural Germanic tones of angry Austrian skiers.”

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According to Recorded Books, Muller has read about 118 books for their company.

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reposted from: http://mapleleafaudio.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=rb.show_narr&narr_id=2365

Random Frank Muller Links

USA Today: Stephen King scares up support for fallen friend http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2002/02-01-king-spotlight.htm

Audio files: Golden Voices
http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/gvpages/muller.shtml

Recorded Books review of Muller's reading the Green Mile. Also audio clips.
http://mapleleafaudio.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=rb.show_narr&narr_id=2365

Wavedancerdotcom, memory of Frank Muller
http://www.needcoffee.com/2008/06/13/frank-muller-rip/

List: Frank Muller reading Stephen King

Apt Pupil

Dark Tower 1

Dark Tower 2

Dark Tower 3

Dark Tower 4

Different Seasons (Box Set)

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

The Body

The Breathing Method

The Green Mile

The Little Sisters of Eluria

The Mist

The Night Flier

Black House

The Talisman

AWARDS (for King readings):

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption* - Publisher's Weekly Listen Up Award (1995) & AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award

The Green Mile* - Audie Award - Best Unabridged Fiction (1997)

The Talisman* - AudioFile Magazine Earphones Award

Links:

http://www.bitchen.com/muller/audlist.html

http://www.frankmullerhome.com/booklist.html

Frank Muller Day -- This Saturday

Hi all,

After listening to some recordings this week, I'm going to have a "Frank Muller day" this Saturday.

Reason: I've listened to this guy for hours, but don't know much about him. So, I'm going to dig around and find out what I can. If anyone wants to offer posts, thoughts or has ideas, let me know.

See ya Saturday for Frank Muller Day.

Hunting The Mist Unabridged -- Alas

Well, at last, I found a copy of The Mist Unabridged. Not the 3D version, but the old audio tape edition read by Frank Muller. An ex-library copy that came from a collector. So how did I find it? Well, it turned out not to be so hard.

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David at Betts bookstore has the amazing ability to find Stephen king books. He had posted recently that he likes helping people find books, so we sent him an email. A tough order, he acknowledged, but he might know a source. Sure enough, he came through! The tapes arrived today, with very kind instructions on how to properly transfer them to CD for personal use. So, from me, a big thanks once again to Betts bookstore. Not sure if he could ever find another copy of the Mist, but if you're looking for a particular King book then Betts is still a great place to start. http://www.bettsbooks.com/w95020ai.html

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I know, the masses are eating up the 3D edition and the movie. But I really like this edition for a couple of reasons reasons. First, it's read by Frank Muller. He was absolutely the best reader ever when it came to Stephen King. Frank reads with a clear voice that keeps a steady pace without rushing. He doesn't give long pauses or play with words, but he also doesn't ram right through it. His reading was truly unique.

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I also like this recording because it's King's words building the story, not special effects (either audio or visual) And, when it comes down to it, that's why we read Stephen King, because he has the ability to draw pictures in our minds that cameras just can't catch. As the New York Times put it, "The first sentence starts the reader's internal movie projector humming."

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Take special note of the Publishers Weekly quote. If ever there is a case for bringing this edition back, they have hit a home run. "Muller's reading is one of the best audio adaptations of king's work that has yet been done and there are moments in it that are truly frightening even without special audio effects and eerie music. Relying only on Muller's talents, Recorded Books has made a movie for the mind and given a sometimes unsettling life to one of the best horror stories of the last 25 years," Publishers Weekly.

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"King's classic tale of a nightmare invasion of monsters receives a vivid, memorable narration by Frank Muller: It's hard to stop listening to this compelling psychological thriller."

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Just an FYI, it was published in arrangement with NAL. which means that if anyone wants to write and ask that this be re-published on CD, best to contact NAL.

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Seems like Recorded Books was primarily selling to three groups in the 80's and 90's (when this was in print) 1. Libraries. 2. The Blind. 3. Lending club. They had a popular system where you could rent books on tape. Remember, audio books really didn't get super popular until the late 80's, at least as a product for mainstream sales.

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http://talkstephenking.blogspot.com/2010/03/hunting-mist-unabridged.html