Posts tagged ‘stephen king’

May 12, 2012

Book Review: #26 – The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (audio)

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King (audio; book #2 in the Dark Tower series)

Narrator: Frank Muller
Source
: Sacramento Library
Finished: 4/25/12
Rating: 7 out of 10
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Length: 12 hours, 42 minutes
Pages
: 480 pages (print version)
Published: 1987
Challenges: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

Synopsis (from Publishers Weekly) The second volume of King’s post-Armageddon epic fantasy presents the equally enigmatic quest of Roland, the world’s last gunslinger, who moves through an apocalyptic wasteland toward the Dark Tower, “the linchpin that holds all of existence together.” Roland enters three lives in the alternate world of New York City: junkie and drug runner Eddie Dean, schizophrenic heiress Odetta Holmes and serial murder Jack Mort.

Overall Impression: I enjoyed the first in this series (The Gunslinger), mostly because I’d read that it was really just an introduction to Roland and his character. I knew it wasn’t going to be the best in this series, and because of that I had fairly low expectations and was pleasantly surprised. And for The Drawing of the Three, I enjoyed it as well. I was afraid there would be more trekking through the desert, but quite a bit of it took place in New York, and was really well done. I loved the concept of Roland collecting his new companions on the way to the Dark Tower, and how he went about getting them all onto the beach with him (I just realized this review probably makes no sense if you haven’t read it. It’s such a weird concept.). I particularly liked the play between Roland and Eddie Dean, and although I liked the schizophrenic Odetta, sometimes her language got a little too much. Overall, though, I was entertained and I’m looking forward to seeing where the three head in the next book in the series.

Positives: Seeing Roland’s character grow into something a little more three-dimensional. There was also a lot of excellent dramatic tension. Also, the “lobstrocities,” which were some of the most terrifying creatures I’ve ever read about.

Negatives: Still a little slow and uneven. You can tell that King hasn’t yet perfected his storytelling technique.

Narration: I really loved George Guidall for the first book in this series, and I thought Frank Muller did almost-but-not-quite as well. Had I not heard Guidall, I would have given Muller all the praise.

Other books I’ve read by Stephen King:
11/22/63 (review
The Gunslinger (review)
On Writing (read before I started writing reviews)

Other blogger opinions:

Shelf Love: “One last thing I want to mention is that I found the suspense in this book to be almost unbearable at times.”

So Many Books, So Little Time: “It’s definitely weird and I swear Stephen King had to have been high when he wrote it, but the story is really good.”

For Love and Books: “This book was FAR better than it’s predecessor, and I had to rush out immediately upon finishing and purchase the entire series.”

March 7, 2012

Book Review: #12 – 11/22/63 By Stephen King (audio)

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Narrator: Craig Wasson
Source
: Audible
Finished: 2/18/12
Rating: 9 out of 10
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: 30 hours, 44 minutes
Pages: 849 (print version)
Published: 2011
Challenges: 2012 Audio Book Challenge

Synopsis (from Barns & Noble): It begins with Jake Epping, a thirty-five-year-old English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching GED classes. …his friend Al, who owns the local diner, divulges a secret: his storeroom is a portal to the past, a particular day in 1958. And Al enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

So begins Jake’s new life as George Amberson, in a different world of Ike and JFK and Elvis, of big American cars and sock hops and cigarette smoke everywhere. From the dank little city of Derry, Maine, to the warmhearted small town of Jodie, Texas, where Jake falls dangerously in love, every turn is leading eventually, of course, to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald and to Dallas, where the past becomes heart-stoppingly suspenseful, and where history might not be history anymore. Time-travel has never been so believable. Or so terrifying.

Overall Impression: It’s such a pleasure to end a book and think, “Woah. Just…woah.” At the end of 11/22/63, I found myself pretty much blown away by King’s writing, research, and ability to craft a damn fine story. This alternate history / time travel was probably the best I’ve ever read, primarily because King is able to weave a story so full of characters that you love, only to mess with it in ways I won’t elaborate on here — just suffice it to say that there’s some wicked stuff that comes up.

The story itself — Jake preventing the Kennedy assassination — is the perfect framework for setting up a story within a story, of love, redemption, failure, morality, and ultimately the choices that we make. At first I thought this would be primarily about the Kennedy assassination, and King’s attempts at either proving or disproving some of the conspiracy theories. But it wasn’t at all — it was just an incredibly plotted, meticulously researched, rousing good time. It was a love letter to the late 50s and early 60s, with King managing to transport me to a time I never knew, and fill me with a nostalgia for something I’ve never experienced. It also had me guessing all the way through, wondering what the past might throw at Jake in its effort not to be changed.

If you’ve shied away from King because you thought he only writes horror, I beg you to give this one a shot. While there are some darker parts, it rarely strays into anything that would be off-putting to a reader who doesn’t like to be scared.

Positives: Beautifully plotted! Surprisingly sweet! Meticulously researched!

Negatives: It felt a little bloated in places, and there was some repetition that got a little tiresome (the past is obdurate…the past is obdurate…).

Narration: Craig Wasson really nailed this, with the exception of Sadie (Jake’s love interest) — she seemed slow, not Southern.

Other books I’ve read by Stephen King: On Writing (read before I started writing reviews), The Gunslinger (review)

Other books I’ve listened to narrated by Craig Wasson: none

Other blogger opinions:

Book Journey: “For me I can not stress enough that you must take time to read or listen to this book.”

Outgoing Signals: “I finished this one completely satisfied.”

Steve Betz: “I think King aficionados will very much enjoy this book and if you’re one of those who’s stayed away from King and are looking for an introduction,11/22/63 would be a great place to start.”

January 27, 2012

Book Review: #6 – The Gunslinger by Stephen King (audio)

The Gunslinger by Stephen King (audio; book #1 in the Dark Tower series)

Narrator: George Guidall
Source
: Audible.com
Finished: 1/22/12
Rating: 7 out of 10
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Length: 7 hours, 24 minutes
Pages
: 264 pages (print version)
Published: 1982, revised in 2003
Book Club: Book Eaters
Challenges:
 2012 Audio Book Challenge

Synopsis (from Library Journal): The Gunslinger introduces protagonist Roland as he pursues the Man in Black through bleak and tired landscapes in a world that has “moved on.” Roland believes that the Man in Black knows and can be made to reveal the secrets of the Dark Tower, which is the ultimate goal of Roland’s quest. They journey through imaginative landscapes, over astounding obstacles, and meet with and confront a unique and fully drawn cast of characters, both human and nonhuman. 

Overall Impression: I had absolutely no idea what The Gunslinger was about when we selected it for book club. All I knew was that it was fantasy and not horror, so I was down to read it. Then Audible had it in their $7.95 sale the other day and…win!

I thought it started off a little slow for me, mostly because I didn’t know what to expect, or even what was happening. The book has a slow, sort of western-y, meandering feel to it, and it took me a while to get acclimated to the style. The world, as well, that King has created is very similar to Earth, but has some striking differences as well. A parallel universe? I think so, but I’m not sure. The plot sort of chugs along, alternating between Roland’s (the Gunslinger) current search for the Man in Black and flashbacks that explain how Roland came to where he was in the present day. The action came in short, satisfying bursts, breaking up the slow hunt that was characteristic of the rest of the novel. Roland still needs some fleshing out as a character — and as there are at least six other books in the series (I believe a seventh is due out this year?), I think that will come in due time. Really, this felt like a prequel to me more than anything. Like it was telling the back story for some great tale that is to come.

Positives: King is really great at showing and not telling — I could picture the book in my mind easily.

Negatives: A slow start, and a lack of character empathization (I just made that up). In other, non-made-up words, the characters, specifically the stoic Roland, were hard to empathize with.

Narration: George Guidall is a wonderful narrator (I read that King selected him personally for this book). I swear I’ve listened to something he’s narrated before, but none of the 900 books he’s narrated seemed familiar. Perhaps he’s done some other voice-over work that might be familiar.

Other books I’ve read by Stephen King: On Writing (read before I started writing reviews)

Other blogger opinions:

Theresa at Shelf Love: “As fans of the whole series, we’re going to naturally view this book as an exposition to a larger story, but there’s some darned impressive storytelling in this single volume.”

Jenny at Shelf Love: “I do think, though, that the tone of the book — its style — is different from what I consider “normal” Stephen King.”

Opinions of a Wolf: “I’m shocked to discover, I like a Stephen King book.”

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