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re: Better Horror Writer: King or Barker
Posted on 5/16/16 at 10:51 pm to LSUZombie
Posted on 5/16/16 at 10:51 pm to LSUZombie
I have read Gaiman and he's great. I lov AnaziBoys and the Graveyard Book. Not a huge fan of American Gods (I found it a bit incoherent and boring) and I started the Oceans At the End of the Lane but I didnt finish it. I just didn't find it interesting. I do have Stardust and Neverwhere on deck and am looking forward to those. But I don't really consider Gaiman To be a horror writer and his writing style varies too much from book to book.
Back to Lovecraft. Characterization and dialogue aren't the point. You're reading them with 21st century sensibilities it sounds like. I think the lack of characterization is actually beneficial. You seldom hear much from the speaker and that allows you to put yourself in the shoes of the speaker. I think most of the issues come from when he's doing hard sci fi and his ideas are so out there and behind the times it's a little hard to go back to. Some of the aliens are ridiculous. ,
But his stories about New England hill country are absolutely some of the best horror stories ever. In particular: The Whisper In Darkness and The Color Out of Space.
I don't like all the dream stuff though.
Back to Lovecraft. Characterization and dialogue aren't the point. You're reading them with 21st century sensibilities it sounds like. I think the lack of characterization is actually beneficial. You seldom hear much from the speaker and that allows you to put yourself in the shoes of the speaker. I think most of the issues come from when he's doing hard sci fi and his ideas are so out there and behind the times it's a little hard to go back to. Some of the aliens are ridiculous. ,
But his stories about New England hill country are absolutely some of the best horror stories ever. In particular: The Whisper In Darkness and The Color Out of Space.
I don't like all the dream stuff though.
Posted on 5/16/16 at 10:56 pm to athenslife101
Both are very worthy writers.
We, the readers, should not judge the works against one another, because their works contain too many flavors...
Like judging a cooking show when someone doesn't obviously F'Up.
We, the readers, should not judge the works against one another, because their works contain too many flavors...
Like judging a cooking show when someone doesn't obviously F'Up.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:31 am to athenslife101
quote:
You're reading them with 21st century sensibilities it sounds like.
What makes you think that characterization and dialogue are limited to the 21st century?
Lovecraft was a genius that more talented actual *writers* have endlessly ripped off, but he himself was a hack when it came to writing. It's bad. Compare to Poe, who had both brilliant ideas AND the ability to write.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 10:04 am to BR Tiger
quote:
I like King. I appreciate the way his stories are not really about monsters and things that go bump in the night. I mean they are, of course, but at the root of them most are stories about what it means to be human. They are much bigger.
It is one if my favorites. Sure it is about an evil clown, but it really is about growing up and the things we leave behind as we do.
The one thing he can't do worth a crap sometimes is end the story. He has written some questionable endings to his stories. It, again, for example. The ending seemed so simplistic and literal compared to the rest of the book. I give it a new ending in my head, one that was more satisfying to me. Not much changed in the action, but the nature of the evil was different.
You and I have the exact same opinion of King, it seems.
King is a better prose stylist than people give him credit for. It's smooth and flows well. It's easy to read and paint your own mental picture to as you flow along.
King's always writing about the human condition at heart. The "horror" is just window dressing to explore themes like growing up, abandonment and isolation, addiction, abuse, relationships, marriage, a lot of childhood issues, etc. As a reader, you're (royal you) either down with that, or not. If not, and you want straight horror instead of horror as a guise to explore people, then King isn't your guy.
King's endings are terrible. I pretty much universally dislike his endings. I too feel like he ends things too simplistically and literally. I think most of the time that endings that are open to some extent with things left unexplained are preferable to King's tendency to dumb things way down all of a sudden and explain everything in one really basic blunt and unsatisfying way. He'll have this big meta mystery going on the whole story, filling you with puzzlement and wonderment, and then end it with "It was all the doings of an evil alien named Jim. Then end."
This post was edited on 5/17/16 at 10:07 am
Posted on 5/17/16 at 8:21 pm to Cooter Davenport
I'm just going to say no offense but I think you're dead wrong.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 8:40 pm to athenslife101
quote:
I'm just going to say no offense but I think you're dead wrong
Please elaborate. I feel the same way he does and am very interested in your view on King.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 8:41 pm to Cooter Davenport
Yes- we do share the same opinion of King.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 8:51 pm to BR Tiger
I meant his opinion on Lovecraft which again, is just wrong in my opinion.
I haven't read king in awhile. So I hesitate to offer this. I do think he's good but I can find his writing annoyingly distracted. i don't buy the color a lot of time. But then, I have that issue with a lot of books. I really did like Dreamcatcher (I might be the only one) but the way characters kept repeating songs over and over and the delusions and it all runs together with it not being clear what's really happening.
I haven't read king in awhile. So I hesitate to offer this. I do think he's good but I can find his writing annoyingly distracted. i don't buy the color a lot of time. But then, I have that issue with a lot of books. I really did like Dreamcatcher (I might be the only one) but the way characters kept repeating songs over and over and the delusions and it all runs together with it not being clear what's really happening.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:16 pm to athenslife101
Love King, great stories that get into the psyche of the human condition, agree with the above the endings are sometimes a let down.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:18 pm to athenslife101
I love The Dark Tower series, and have read it three times.
i can't wait to watch it on HBO, but the meltdown at the ending of the show will be epic.
i can't wait to watch it on HBO, but the meltdown at the ending of the show will be epic.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:23 pm to Cooter Davenport
quote:
ng's endings are terrible. I pretty much universally dislike his endings
What have you read of his?
The Talisman?
Salems Lot?
Pet Cemetery?
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:25 pm to bird35
quote:
I love The Dark Tower series, and have read it three times.
i can't wait to watch it on HBO, but the meltdown at the ending of the show will be epic.
What's this about the Dark Tower series on HBO?
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:29 pm to fr33manator
You aren't excited to see Idris Elba as Roland and Melissa McCarthy as Detta?
I fricking hated myself for typing that and threw up when I did.
I fricking hated myself for typing that and threw up when I did.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:30 pm to athenslife101
Off topic but I think heavy book readers are great bullshitters. Thats it. Apologies to whomever.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:31 pm to BayouFann
quote:
Off topic but I think heavy book readers are great bullshitters. Thats it. Apologies to whomever.
What does this even mean?
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:31 pm to Breesus
Wait...it's gonna be a series on HBO? I thought it was gonna be a movie they were gonna frick up.
That's even worse.
I guess Detta is gonna call a D'roland a ******* Muthafricka?
That's even worse.
I guess Detta is gonna call a D'roland a ******* Muthafricka?
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:38 pm to BayouFann
What an enlightened opinion.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:41 pm to fr33manator
Does this site block out the word cracka?
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:52 pm to Breesus
No, it doesn't.
Or Honkey
Peckerwood
Dago
Wop
Hick
Coonass
Paddy
Kike
Woongah
Neehaw
Polack
Kraut
Guido
Goombah
Paisano
You get the drift.
I just type in asterisks to avoid typing any sort of banned word. Safer that way
Or Honkey
Peckerwood
Dago
Wop
Hick
Coonass
Paddy
Kike
Woongah
Neehaw
Polack
Kraut
Guido
Goombah
Paisano
You get the drift.
I just type in asterisks to avoid typing any sort of banned word. Safer that way
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