Tag: Lists

Stephen King: #60 – Under The Dome

On By Luke FlorenceIn Books, Lists, Stephen King, Uncategorized, WritingLeave a comment

#60 – Under The Dome

Plot

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day, a small town is suddenly and inexplicably sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and rain down flaming wreckage. A gardener’s hand is severed as the dome descends. Cars explode on impact. Families are separated and panic mounts. No one can fathom what the barrier is, where it came from, and when—or if— it will go away.

Now a few intrepid citizens, led by an Iraq vet turned short-order cook, face down a ruthless politician dead set on seizing the reins of power under the dome, but their main adversary is the dome itself. Because time isn’t just running short, it’s running out.

Review

When I was in high school, I wrote a short story about a bubble that encapsulated a small town. You can imagine my reaction as I discovered King had penned a massive 1100 page epic centered around the same premise eight years later. And you know what? I loved everything about the book. It has tremendous character development, tells a wide – and yet focused story. However, it clocks in at #60 because it has – hands down – the single worst ending I’ve ever experienced.

My first gig when I moved from Madison, Wisconsin to Columbus, Ohio was at Delaware County Bank in Marysville, Ohio. It was a brand-new branch – super slow – and staffed with too many bodies. A lot of down time was available – much of which I spent reading this novel. Work smarter, not harder folks.

“Big Jim” is one of my all-time favorite literary characters as I despised him to no end. In my mind, I pictured Donald Trump while reading about James “Big Jim” Rennie.

This is a great novel and a masterpiece in storytelling, but after reading 1000 pages its conclusion left me upset and betrayed. All the collateral that it had built was instantly ruined.

Details

Pages: 1074

Dates Read: January – March 2010

Quote: “She can’t help it,’ he said. ‘She’s got the soul of a poet and the emotional makeup of a junkyard dog.”

Best Part: Everything about “Visitors Day” was outstanding.

Hint for #59: Its initials match a common smoke-signal for help.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #61 – Roadwork

On By Luke FlorenceIn Books, Lists, Stephen King, Uncategorized, WritingLeave a comment

#61 – Roadwork

Plot

Barton Dawes’ unremarkable but comfortable existence suddenly takes a turn for the worst. Highway construction puts him out of work and simultaneously forces him out of his home. Dawes isn’t the sort of man who will take an insult of this magnitude lying down. His single-minded determination to fight the inevitable course of progress drives his wife and friends away while he tries to face down the uncaring bureaucracy that has destroyed his once comfortable life.

Review

I put the “Dates Read” section for two reasons. One, I wanted to convey how much time it took me to read the novel. Novels that you enjoy are often ones you read faster. And two, to showcase that the time and place that you consume art matters.

I began reading Roadwork after starting a brand-new job in 2020 and didn’t finish it until three months into the global pandemic. Life got in the way, and it slowed my reading consumption.

King wrote several novels under the pseudonym, Richard Bachman, including Roadwork. This had the bones of a decent book, but King’s writing let me down. It’s not that I didn’t understand what was happening, it was that I didn’t care. And ultimately, that lethargic energy was a constant throughout.

King mentioned in the prelude of this novel that it is his least favorite Richard Bachman book, which soured my opinion before I even started. I have very little doubt that if I were to go back and re-read this novel, I may have a completely different stance.

Details

Pages: 320

Dates Read: January – June 2020

Quote: “All places are the same unless your mind changes. There’s no magic place to get your mind right. If you feel like shit, everything you see looks like shit. I KNOW that.”

Best Part: The main character – Dawes – picks up a hitchhiker in the middle of this book, and it’s the most compelling part of the story.

Hint for #60: Think Syracuse basketball.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #62 – Dreamcatcher

On By Luke FlorenceIn Books, Lists, Stephen King, Uncategorized, WritingLeave a comment

#62 – Dreamcatcher

Plot

Once upon a time, in the haunted city of Derry, four boys stood together and did a brave thing. Certainly a good thing, perhaps even a great thing. Something that changed them in ways they could never begin to understand.

Twenty-five years later, the boys are now men with separate lives and separate troubles. But the ties endure. Each hunting season the foursome reunites in the woods of Maine. This year, a stranger stumbles into their camp, disoriented, mumbling something about lights in the sky. His incoherent ravings prove to be disturbingly prescient. Before long, these men will be plunged into a horrifying struggle with a creature from another world. Their only chance of survival is locked in their shared past – and in the Dreamcatcher.

Review

Stephen King was involved in a near-fatal car accident in 1999. While recovering – and heavily partaking in Oxycontin – King wrote Dreamcatcher. It shows. This is a clunky and underdeveloped novel. As King himself said, “I don’t like Dreamcatcher very much.” Either did I.

On the surface – there’s a lot to like about Dreamcatcher. It involves four childhood friends. It reads from multiple perspectives. It includes flashbacks. It’s set in Derry, Maine.  However, the way King both paced and layered this book was clumsy. Clearly the publishers were just happy to keep printing King books that they overlooked the editing process.

An observant reader will notice a theme with several of the books at the bottom of these rankings: too long. (That’s what she said.)

Details

Pages: 621

Dates Read: February – April 2022

Quote: “SSDD. Same Shit Different Day.”

Best Part: Only Stephen King could come up with what happens to the stranger in the cabin bathroom.

Hint for #61: Typically, if you encounter this while in your car it will slow you down.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #63 – Cell

On By Luke FlorenceIn Books, Lists, Stephen King, Uncategorized, WritingLeave a comment

#63 – Cell

Plot

The event became known as The Pulse. The virus was carried by every cell phone operating within the entire world. Within hours, those receiving calls would be infected. A young artist Clayton Riddell realizes what is happening. He flees the devastation of explosive, burning Boston, desperate to reach his son before his son switches on his little red mobile phone.

Review

Cell was one of the first Stephen King books I read (after finishing up The Dark Tower series) and it started off with a fantastic opening scene. However, the book drops off significantly afterwards and turns into a dystopian trainwreck. The premise was too silly, and the payoff was severely short.

Not only does Stephen King fail to write aliens well – but I would add zombies to that short list as well. This book is not well paced as it falls flat throughout the middle sections. Characters are not brought into focus and the zombies are just along for the ride.

Had a similar feel as The Stand – but would have been better served as a short story.

Details

Pages: 709

Dates Read: Pre 2012 (before I started tracking)

Quote: “Man has come to dominate the planet thanks to two essential traits. One is intelligence. The other has been the absolute willingness to kill anyone and anything that gets in his way.”

Best Part: The massively chaotic opening scene.

Hint for #62: You likely made one during summer camp – and if you’re anything like me – returned home and threw it in the trash (instead of its proper place by the bed).

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Luke’s Favorite Films Take Two: #63

On By Luke FlorenceIn Favorite Films, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Lists, Movies1 Comment

#63: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Segel and Mila Kunis
Plot: “Devastated Peter takes a Hawaiian vacation in order to deal with the recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah. Little does he know, Sarah’s traveling to the same resort as her ex – and she’s bringing along her new boyfriend.”
Stock: Holding
Previous Ranking: #60

“When life gives you lemons, just say ‘Fuck the lemons,’ and bail.”

While I’ve seen all of the films on this list multiple times, repeat showings at the movie theatre are rare. It happened with Saw, and again with Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The second trip was highlighted by my first time sneaking beer into the theatre. My buddy waited until there was lots of laughter to crack open his cans while I waited until it was dead silent to open mine. Needless to say, it was a great evening.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall tells a story about a girl breaking up with a guy who cannot accept the heartbreaking news. He goes on vacation to try and forget about her only to discover she is at the same hotel with her new boyfriend. Hilarity ensues.

There’s something about Jason Segel playing a vulnerable guy that really resonates with me. Some of his one-liners were absolutely perfect. “I came here to murder you.” Paul Rudd does an excellent job as the wacky-surfer guy, “You sound like you’re from London,” and Russell Brand is terrific as the new boy-toy.

It is one of those movies where you will find a new one-line everytime you watch it, and it’s also one of those films where if you don’t enjoy it then we are going to have some problems getting along.

UPDATE

While the “sneaking beer” experience really cemented Forgetting Sarah Marshall as a top-100 film, there’s also a reason I paid eight dollars to go see it a second time. It’s a really funny movie, one that will continually get me laughing even as the years go by.

Fun Fact: In a panel at San Diego Comic-Con on July 19, 2013, Kristen Bell told the audience that she learned Veronica Mars (2004) was canceled the day before she shot the scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall where her character learns her show was canceled.

Hint for #62: I’ll give you three actors that are in it, but I bet that you’ll have to use Google to get the answer. Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich and Amy Ryan. Good luck!

Peace Be The Journey