A friend suggested I read Salem’s Lot so I did, and I loved it.
Then I read the Dark Tower series, and yes I do mean I slogged through all seven books. I could probably write a whole separate post on that, but the long and the short of it is I thought some parts were fantastic and the storyline as a whole had a lot of promise; however, King’s editor could’ve condensed the good stuff down to two or three books at most (and probably should’ve advised him to lay off the crack).
After that, I made an attempt at Holly. Couldn’t get past the kidnapping scene. The narrative style was incredibly dull and flat.
So, I decided to give it one last shot, and here I am procrastinating finishing The Shining. Now I will admit, I found the story to be engrossing, but again, I don’t care for the narrative style, and on top of that the scary stuff just isn’t…scary. Like, at all. The only part where I felt the slightest twinge off suspense was when Hallorann was driving up the mountain in the middle of a snowstorm. Other than that, I’m left scratching my head as to why so many people consider this to be a masterpiece. To each their own, I guess.
Anyway, I’m done with King.
King is a bit of an acquired taste, IMO. Though I will say he might be the most prolific writer who can actually delve into the psychology of characters from all walks of life. He’s basically a savant when it comes to writing the meticulous analyses of each of his character’s minds. They seem so fully formed and alive, even side characters. I love a lot of his books. But despite this, I tire of King as well. I can read him for a bit then I’m good for a straight decade before I do another round. His stuff is heavy and, at times, oddly paced.