OT: Anne Rice dead at 80
December 12th, 2021 at 7:33 AM ^
Probably better than Stephen King.
… said no one, ever
December 12th, 2021 at 7:43 AM ^
King has like five good books. His writing, his characters, his ability to make you feel what they're feeling, are all unlike anything else. But damn, his novels went downhill after [edit: Pet Semetary]. "It" has to be the most overrated book every written.
December 12th, 2021 at 8:43 AM ^
Thanks for your opinion.
December 12th, 2021 at 8:46 AM ^
My pleasure
December 12th, 2021 at 9:43 AM ^
Wrong, just wrong…The Green Mile is just one example of a good book that came after Pet Semetary
December 12th, 2021 at 10:29 AM ^
LOL this is why I'm terrible at internetting, I tend to talk in hyperbole and superlatives and it's hard to convey that over text. I'm not saying he didn't write any good books after that, just that his success rate dropped dramatically. I still think he's one of the top American authors ever, but he's had quite a few clunkers as well. For example, The Outsider was atrocious. But 11/22/63 is one of my favorites.
I think if he stepped back and took the Cormac McCarthy approach, coming out with a book every 3-5 years, particularly in his old age when he seems low on ideas, he'd do much better.
December 12th, 2021 at 11:25 AM ^
I could actually understand your position better if you didn’t say he is “one of the top American authors ever”. That is certainly debatable, but you can definitely find people who would agree with that assertion. In googling both, I was unable to find anyone who suggested that Rice was in that category.
Maybe it is like, some people think that Mel Tucker is the big ten coach of the year, but only the biggest MSU slappy thinks he should have been in the conversation for national coach of the year. On the other hand, it is clear to any but the most biased, Harbaugh belongs near the top in both conversations?
December 12th, 2021 at 11:48 AM ^
I believe the reason most people don't respect Anne Rice the way she's deserved is because from the beginning of her career she was marketed purely as a "women's fiction" author. And I'm not taking some man-hating position here, but I think a lot of male readers never bothered to pick up her books for thus reason. King has a broader appeal. Again, purely my opinion.
December 12th, 2021 at 12:18 PM ^
I really tried to like Anne Rice. I just found her books to be very long in a not good way. The length in King’s books seems a combination of character development and plot that are both about advancing the story. The length in Rice just seems to be piling detail upon detail that made at least Interview a real slog for me. Maybe I should give another one of her books a chance.
December 13th, 2021 at 8:02 AM ^
It could be that, kind of like how people keep trying to shame guys into Outlander, but I do think there’s a reason the “Womens author” thing gets tagged.
And I think it’s the way the romance gets written, similar for Gabaldon(whose short stories I have always liked better than Outlander, a series in which I made it halfway through the first book before I’d had enough). For my part I always liked Rice’s ideas and her lore better than the actual writing which I found stodgy and I could only make it through to Queen of the Damned and even that was only because I promised a friend I would. King, at least, keeps the writing moving and the characters don’t revolve into constant soliloquies about how the other characters are “Terribly Beautiful.”
December 12th, 2021 at 9:45 AM ^
Even if one agreed that King has only written five good books, I think that strongly suggests he is better than Ann Rice. I would argue that, The Shining, Misery and The Shawshank Redemption alone would be enough. I will admit that may be, because I only read part of Interview With a Vampire and had no interest in reading any more Ann Rice. King at his worst is better than that.
December 12th, 2021 at 9:58 AM ^
I find King a very mixed bag ranging from 2 to 5 stars. And I'm not even a fan of his writing style, but I still felt IT was a solid 4 stars. Sure he maybe did a bit too much coke while writing that one scene, but his thematic work was next level.
Now that time travel JFK book was utter drivel, and Dark Tower is very overrated.
December 12th, 2021 at 11:46 AM ^
I didn’t really like the JFK book. And Dark Tower has, I think, one issue: King was afraid he was going to die before he finished it. That crazy car accident spooked him bad. I say this because the first 5 books are quite good and then the pace for books 6 and 7 is blinding fast in comparison. And those stories suffer for it.
December 12th, 2021 at 8:02 AM ^
Stephen King writes some really disturbing/concerning shit about children in graphic detail. He's one creepy fuck.
December 12th, 2021 at 8:37 AM ^
Yes sir, king is a creepy dude, some absolutely sick stuff about children in his overrated books. His politics are just as bad. Anne rice RIP.
December 12th, 2021 at 9:07 AM ^
no politics.
-1
December 12th, 2021 at 9:28 AM ^
Yeah I hate general human rights as well. What a creep.
December 12th, 2021 at 12:27 PM ^
Goddamn you people are insufferable.
December 12th, 2021 at 9:36 AM ^
“Stephen King writes some really disturbing/concerning shit about children in graphic detail. He's one creepy fuck.”
Salem’s Lot comes to mind. I love that book but what happens to the baby…..
December 12th, 2021 at 9:55 AM ^
Must have missed Anne’s Sleeping Beauty books.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:32 AM ^
I wasn't going to say anything but when I saw this, Lasher came to mind.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:56 AM ^
I’ve actually never read them, only excerpts, but when you find out the girl you’re dating reads them, buckle up.
December 12th, 2021 at 9:30 AM ^
Stephen King is a genre unto himself.
December 12th, 2021 at 9:32 AM ^
"… said no one, ever"
Ironically, one person, you know, just said it.
December 12th, 2021 at 2:11 PM ^
Speaking of Stephen King, if you like him, check out his short stories in "Skeleton Crew" and "Different Seasons" as well as his novella, "The Mist." Really entertaining. Looking back at his work, I had forgotten about Shawshank Redemption and The Body (which was the basis for the movie "Stand By Me").
December 12th, 2021 at 7:36 AM ^
she transitions into the vamp world. "dead" is not the preferred nomenclature, dude.
December 12th, 2021 at 8:24 AM ^
+1 for the Interview with a Lebowski reference
December 12th, 2021 at 9:19 AM ^
You simply can not compare Anne Rice (RIP) with King. They are in different solar systems.
December 12th, 2021 at 9:27 AM ^
Anne Rice is not a better author than Stephen King. It’s not even close. But she did write some decent creepy books
December 12th, 2021 at 9:56 AM ^
Gunslinger series. The body, Rita Hayworth and the Shaw shank redemption. These are non horror that are awesome. Misery. I mean. Common.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:03 AM ^
Username checks out
December 12th, 2021 at 9:32 AM ^
When it gets into questions about comparing one thing to another or one person to another, I avoid it like the plague, somebody always gets diminished. They're both good. They're both great. - Jim Harbaugh
December 12th, 2021 at 9:35 AM ^
Could have sworn I typed in Mgoblog and not CNN....
December 12th, 2021 at 9:46 AM ^
RIP
I've never read Rice or King, but I've been thinking about giving King a shot recently. Any suggestions on best books to start with for either author? I imagine it would be Interview for Rice, but maybe someone has a suggestion for a better starting point. King just has so many books that it's hard to choose one to start with, and I don't want my first experience with him to be a bad one.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:02 AM ^
The Stand was my first and is still my favorite King book. It's really long though so if you aren't a voracious reader, might not be a good place to start.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:23 AM ^
Thanks! That one was also recommended by a friend so maybe I'll start there.
I don't have an aversion to longer books as long as they keep my interest, but I guess that's the case with a book of any length. I just don't want my first experience with King to be bland because then I might miss out on some really good books. I remember that I almost swore off reading any more Henry James after The Ambassadors, but was so glad that I didn't because then I would have missed out on Portrait of a Lady...
December 12th, 2021 at 3:11 PM ^
+1 for Portrait of a Lady, maybe the best book I read while majoring in American Culture.
December 12th, 2021 at 11:28 AM ^
Im with you on The Stand, just outstanding
December 12th, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
Especially after the later, less edited editions. He republished a longer version a few years later.
FWIW, to me they are different writers, with not too much overlap for comparison. Vampire series is a bit of a slog, Cry to Heaven a fascinating look at an unusual subject. Interview With the Vampire movie with Cruise/Pitt was one of the worst adaptations ever. RIP.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:14 AM ^
King has so many different styles of books, recommending one is hard. You might consider one of his short story anthologies, but even those have wildly different tones.
Books I particularly liked include:
Misery, Different Seasons (which includes The Shawshank Redemption and The Body (which became the Movie Stand by Me) and the Stand. The Green Mile mentioned earlier was also very good.
December 12th, 2021 at 11:58 AM ^
King has so many different styles of books, recommending one is hard.
That's also what makes it difficult to find a starting point. I think I'll go with The Stand as it seems like a consensus reply.
Thanks all!
December 12th, 2021 at 10:44 AM ^
The Stand is considered at the top, as well as IT.
I absolutely love The Stand. Great character development, great take on what can be viewed as a “typical story”. One of my favorite fiction books I’ve read.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:25 AM ^
My wife was a huge Rice fan about 20 years ago, and we have most of her early works. I tried reading “Interview” but gave up after a few pages because vampires and vampirism are boring as hell to me.
As for King, the only novel I’ve read is “The Shining” which is great. The only other King piece I’ve read is “The Jaunt”—a short story about teleportation. The premise is basic science fiction, but what he depicts is psychologically horrifying.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:33 AM ^
My experience with Rice was similar. I don’t know whether I found vampires boring or Rice’s writing boring, but the book certainly sucked the joy out of reading,
December 12th, 2021 at 11:24 AM ^
I was really into Rice’s vampire and witches series but eventually I found her writing too descriptive and the books were really long and drawn out. The only King book that I read was Carrie and it scared the s*#$ out of me.
December 12th, 2021 at 10:44 AM ^
The Jaunt is absolutely one of his most terrifying short pieces.
December 12th, 2021 at 11:43 AM ^
I’ve been reading SF since I was a 9-year old when I started reading my dad’s SF collection that he amassed in the 1950s and early ’60s, which included Asimov, Clarke, Pohl, Bester, Simak, and numerous short story anthologies by the best editors of the era. “The Jaunt” is every bit as good as anything written by those SF giants.
December 12th, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
“Longer than you think.”
December 12th, 2021 at 12:51 PM ^
I agree in general about modern vampire books/movies (same as werewolf and zombie stories). But Dracula was an amazing read, especially for someone that's not a huge fan of classic lit...