Tag: Writing

Stephen King: #45 – The Talisman

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

#45 – The Talisman

Plot

On a brisk autumn day, a thirteen-year-old boy stands on the shores of the gray Atlantic, near a silent amusement park and a fading ocean resort called the Alhambra. The past has driven Jack Sawyer here: His father is gone, his mother is dying, and the world no longer makes sense. But for Jack everything is about to change. For he has been chosen to make a journey back across America–-and into another realm.

Review

My Aunt JoAnn suggested I read this book once I finished The Dark Tower since it was one of her favorites. “You got to read about Travellin’ Jack,” she told me. There was no other synopsis given – but she hadn’t steered me wrong yet, so I bumped up The Talisman in my queue.

Honestly as I sit here and type my thoughts, I’ve realized that The Talisman is likely too low on this list. It has all the makings of a great King novel. Fantasy, good vs evil, coming-of-age, different worlds, great character development. It likely ended up in the bottom half of this list because I found the plot a tad confusing and hard to follow. The “twinners” and convoluted rules about how you can die in one world and not the other were too much for my young mind to comprehend.

I have a couple of Stephen King books that could really benefit from a re-read – and The Talisman would be near the top of that list. Speedy Parker is a phenomenal character, there’s a great villain in Morgan Sloat, and twelve-year-old Jack Sawyer is beautifully crafted.

Details

Pages: 735

Dates Read: Pre-2012

Quote: “He began to cry, not hysterically or screaming as people cry when concealed rage with tears, but with continuous sobs who has just discovered that he’s alone and will be for long. He cried because safety and reason seemed to have left the world. Loneliness was a reality, but in this situation, madness was also remotely a possibility.”

Best Part: Our very first introduction to Speedy Parker.

Hint for #44: Stranger Things supposedly was inspired by this novel when coming up with its title. Not surprising, consider they have one word in common.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #46 – From a Buick 8

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#46 – From a Buick 8

Plot

The state police of Troop D in rural Pennsylvania have kept a secret in Shed B out back of the barracks ever since 1979, when Troopers Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox answered a call from a gas station just down the road and came back with an abandoned Buick Roadmaster. Curt Wilcox knew old cars, and he knew immediately that this one was…wrong, just wrong. A few hours later, when Rafferty vanished, Wilcox and his fellow troopers knew the car was worse than dangerous — and that it would be better if John Q. Public never found out about it.

Review

From a Buick 8 does a lot of things well – but the best trait of this novel is that at times it is just pure story. Stories that add incredible detail from the past and provide a better framework for current events. The problem with this novel is that it too often deviates from storytelling.

I previously wrote during The Colorado Kid about the idea of a “Mystery Box” and while From a Buick 8 subscribes to this notion, it’s more of a half-measure. Too much time was spent showing the incredible things this car could access. It honestly would have made for a more suspenseful novel if we hadn’t seen the creatures/plants that are born from this special vehicle.

One of the best parts of this story is when one of the characters (Ned) starts to obsess with the Buick Roadmaster. King parlays this into a satisfactory ending, but Ned’s obsession could have been used to tell a much deeper story about a variety of topics (mental illness, closure, etc).

Details

Pages: 356

Dates Read: February – March 2016

Quote: “It’s funny how close the past is, sometimes. Sometimes it seems as if you could almost reach out and touch it. Only who really wants to?”

Best Part: Sandy attempting to save Ned from the Buick Roadmaster.

Hint for #45: The main character – a young boy – shares the same first name as my son.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #47 – The Dead Zone

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#47 – The Dead Zone

Plot

Waking up from a five-year coma after a car accident, former schoolteacher Johnny Smith discovers that he can see people’s futures and pasts when he touches them. Many consider his talent a gift; Johnny feels cursed. His fiancé married another man during his coma and people clamor for him to solve their problems. When Johnny has a disturbing vision after he shakes the hand of an ambitious and amoral politician, he must decide if he should take drastic action to change the future.

Review

The Dead Zone is one of the few Stephen King books I ever received as a gift – and the only King book ever given to me by a co-worker (as part of our Secret Santa during my time at U.S. Bank). Thank goodness we didn’t do Yankee Swap that year.

My two favorite parts of this book were the initial set-up and then the riveting ending sequences. The middle of this book lacked a character development/plot movement setting. The lack of plot development is likely by design as Johnny comes to grips with his new reality, but because I wasn’t that invested in Johnny upfront, I simply wanted the story to move forward.

Had King focused more on Greg Stillson and provided some more background/details into why he became who he was, this would have skyrocketed up my list. Instead, King decided to talk more about Johnny’s coping with his powers, including a ridiculous premise around a tabloid reporter.

I’ve never seen the movie, but Rotten Tomatoes tells me it has an 88% approval rating, so it must not be horrible (unlike so many other King converted movies).

Details

Pages: 426

Dates Read: Pre-2012

Quote: “Some things were better lost than found.”

Best Part: Stillson decides to get creative for his choice of body armor when ambushed.

Hint for #46: Another automobile novel – but this one has an American car company in the title.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #48 – Duma Key

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#48 – Duma Key

Plot

An extension of his earlier short story, “Monday,” Duma Key follows Edgar Freemantle, a construction worker from Minneapolis who narrowly misses death in a freak accident, losing an arm and suffering brain damage. After the accident, Edgar moves to a sparsely inhabited island off the coast of Florida, where he starts to develop psychic powers.

His hope for a peaceful year away from home is undermined by his inexplicable bouts of rage and other extreme behaviors that drive away his wife and soon start to change his life in other ways.

Review

When I decided to read the entire Stephen King bibliography, it was 2009 and my plan was rather simple. After finishing the Dark Tower series and a few recommendations, I would read his newest book (at the time it was Under the Dome) and then work my way up his bibliography, meaning I would read Carrie – his first novel – last. Later I would tweak this strategy, but it meant that I read Duma Key – which was published right before Under the Dome – rather early in this process.

Stephen King’s rich history of character development is on full display here. He truly captures Edgar Freemantle and all his inner workings. He also spends time fully developing minor characters such as Jerome Wireman and Elizabeth Eastlake. When the stakes got high – I was truly invested in the outcome for this group.

The issue I have with Duma Key was the lacking plot and how slowly it moved in the middle. This book clocks in at 600+ pages, but easily could have been cut in half without losing anything from a character development perspective. Yes, I found it interesting how Edgar discovers and ultimately wields his new powers, but the entire Eastlake mystery never captured my full attention.

Details

Pages: 611

Dates Read: Pre-2012

Quote: “Talent is a wonderful thing, but it won’t carry a quitter.”

Best Part: Edgar’s final painting was the perfect – if not altogether obvious – ending.

Hint for #47: Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen star in this 1983 film adaptation.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.

Stephen King: #49 – The Dark Tower 4.5: The Wind Through the Keyhole

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#49 – The Dark Tower 4.5: The Wind Through the Keyhole

Plot

Roland Deschain and his ka-tet—Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy, the billy-bumbler—encounter a ferocious storm just after crossing the River Whye on their way to the Outer Baronies. As they shelter from the howling gale, Roland tells his friends not just one strange story but two . . . and in so doing, casts new light on his own troubled past.

Review

Nearly eight years after King finished The Dark Tower series, he returns with another installment – this one slated to fit between books #4 and #5. Fortunately, I did not have to wait eight years as I had only recently finished the series and found myself excited to revisit Roland and his ka-tet.

The nostalgia was ever-present as Roland told his crew another story from his past, and this time that story involved another story, so it was basically a story within a story within a story. And yes, that sentence breaks my personal record for most times using the word ‘story.’

Nothing essential happens in this novel. The Wind Through the Keyhole doesn’t create any canon for The Dark Tower series and we know none of the major players are at any risk since we already know how everything ends up. Instead, this acts as a pleasant reminder of how well Roland can tell stories.

The Wind Through the Keyhole doesn’t resonate with me as much because I had just finished the series a couple months prior and wasn’t necessarily missing these characters as much as some other Constant Readers. The story Roland tells is captivating, but it falls short when compared to some others he has told along the way.

Details

Pages: 309

Dates Read: February – March 2012

Quote: “In the end, the wind takes everything, doesn’t it? And why not? If the sweetness of our lives did not depart, there would be no sweetness at all.”

Best Part: Watching Roland perform his old ammunition/hypnosis trick once again.

Hint for #49: This book introduced me to Salvador Dali – a name I still haphazardly throw out for every Jeopardy question about painters.

 

Until next time, peace be the journey.