Posted my reads last year and might as well do it again, seeing that the Reading Corner only has it a few posts down. I bet both will still be on the front page for next year's. My rating system for books is just as arbitrary as your storygames, but it should go without saying that anything 9 or higher is something you should stick your nose in. Also, it's worth knowing that Richard Bachman is actually Stephen King.
Ass: 9/10
That was a test. Hopefully you passed.
The Dark Half: 8/10
Once again Stephen King has a writer protag. You'll notice I copy his style with degenerate main characters in the Sterling adventures. The premise, a writer's villain comes to life and terrorizes himself in, well, real life. Interesting. If only EndMaster could bring Semra to life heh heh heh.
Different Seasons: 10/10
A collection of four short stories by Stephen King, one for each season. Heard of Shawshank Redemption? Yeah, it's from this collection. The movie has been rated the best of all time by various critics. I'll let you in on a little secret: the book's better.
Lisey's Story: 8.5/10
Hey it's Stephen King, and nope, wrong guess: the main character isn't a writer, but a widow of a writer. Nice try though. Like many of King's characters, the late husband has a dark past that is slowly uncovered by his wife after death. Despite through the eyes of the wife, the husband steals the show through some really incredible flashbacks. Flashbacks, hard to make interesting; however, it's King, and it's wonderful.
Insomnia: 8.5/10
An old guy can't sleep after his wife's passing and starts seeing things, like midget doctors killing people. This book is most known for it's big impact in The Dark Tower universe, being mentioned by title in the epic series and events taking place simultaneously as the gunslingers are effing ess up. Also contains the only poem I've ever liked. There's a copy of it hanging on my wall as I write this.
Cell: 6/10
This is the only Stephen King I dare rate at a 6 because it gives heavy boomer vibes. Using cell phones cause people to turn into zombies. Written in the mid-2000s there's some humor in watching "state of the art" technology ruin society.
I, Robot: 6/10
Movie's better. Rather watch Will Smith in CGI.
Ender's Shadow: 10/10
What does EndMaster say, not a prequal or sequal but an equal? Truer words have never been spoken.
Hearts in Atlantis: 9/10
A collection of King stories, including one about vulgar college kids addicted to the card game, Hearts, during the Vietnam War. It's got great lines like "fighting for peace is like fucking for chastity" and "It was the kiss by which all the others of his life would be judged and found wanting." Woaaaah.
Carrie: 7/10
Maybe it's because I don't much relate with high school girls or care about high school drama, but King's first publish didn't capture me. Blasphemy, I know.
The Regulators: 7/10
A Bachman novel, and a real weird one. A dark spirit living within a retarded kid brings a children's TV show to life to massacre a small town.
Eyes of the Dragon: 6/10
This is the only OTHER Stephen King I dare rate at a 6, mostly because it's a slow fairy tale using the same character names from the glorious Dark Tower series. Now I have a hard time thinking of names too, but it's just too confusing and wrong.
Dolores Claiborne: 10/10
An elderly woman is questioned for the murder of her employer, and instead she confesses the murder of her husband from several decades past. If you want to experience true character voice, I highly recommend. The entire thing takes place within an interrogation room. I'd be lying if I didn't say I borrowed the idea for True Life.
The Running Man: 9/10
A Bachman novel, perhaps the most well known. It's nonstop action and suspense. Real short one too. It's like if Hunger Games were a reality show and took place among real civilization, and any good citizen could turn bounty hunter for a sweet reward at any given time, made even more difficult with the games rules requiring The Running Man to send a vlog daily else prize money is forfeit.
Blaze: 9/10
A Bachman novel. A lovable, borderline retard with giant strength sees the ghost of his late crime mentor and is convinced to performed the heist of a lifetime, the score that they couldn't capture during life. Really interesting dynamics with this one.
The Long Walk: 8/10
A Bachman novel. Walk at 4 MPH for as long as you can go or else soldiers put a bullet in your brain. How long could you last? 100 kids start the long walk, only 1 wins. Entertaining but wasn't enthralled by the characters. Weird for King.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy: 8.5/10
Probably will get some heat for this one. Writing was the best I've ever read from a literary standpoint. Enjoyment and entertainment weren't on the same level. After the Stephen King bookakke until this point in the year, it might just be sudden change from short, fast-paced reads into an ocean of fantasy lore. And yes, it was my first time. Pop.
Roadwork: 8/10
A Bachman novel. An elderly man choked out of home and career takes it out on the highway displacing both. It's a slow crawl into self-destruction, reaching a point of no return. The solution: kamikaze, bitches.
The Dome: 8.5/10
This is a big boy. The hard copy I borrowed was like carrying around a bible. It's like a mix of Lord of the Flies and the Stanford Prison Experiment extended to an entire town in Maine, all summed up with a single idea: humans think nothing of ants and play, destroy, watch them at our whim: what if humans were cosmic ants? Mind blown.
Pet Sematary: 10/10
An exploration on death with an emotional rollercoaster. You think you know the story, and you probably do, but the execution is tremendous and thrilling all the same. The ending is probably the creepiest thing I've ever read, and of course it was the first book I finished alone in my new place. I'm leaving the night light on, thank you very much.
The Mist: 7/10
I didn't realize the story was a novella. About as entertaining as the movie. The thing that gets me is the main character slays some bimbo when they're trapped by the mist in the supermarket. Ok, dude. It's been like a day since you saw your wife.
Man and His Symbols: 9.5/10
I'm normally too dumb to read nonfiction, but this was a good one, a real thinker. Jung explores the conscious and unconscious self, their relation to one another, and universal human symbols (especially in dreams). Puts everyday life into an interesting perspective.
The Institute: 7/10
Kids. Telepathy. Telekinesis. Maine. Typical King story. This one felt too long and dragged during the middle. Still, it's King, and high quality nonetheless.
On Writing: 10/10
Second time running through King's writing memoir, and it's just as banging. I highly recommend site users get themselves a copy.
Beyond Order: 9.5/10
Yeah, yeah, I know Jordan Peterson is a meme. Still, he has some thought-provoking ideas, and being that we are into storywriting, his take on myth, narrative, and archetypes are useful tools. Being from a psychology background, the aforementioned topics are relative to human characteristic and trait aka potentially helpful for writing believable fictional characters.
Cujo: 8/10
Rabid dog traps a mother and son inside their car, stalking outside, waiting, daring for them to make a break for it. Since you know all roads lead there, it's not as suspenseful, but thrilling all the same.
Bag of Bones: 8/10
Stephen King, and hey, yup, the main character is a writer. Rather than mental powers, Bag of Bones is traditional horror with haunted houses and ancient grounds. So far, this is the only book that's ever jumpscared me like it was fucking Paranormal Activity.
Later: 8/10
Kid sees dead people. Sound familiar? Only when he speaks to them, they have to tell the truth. With his single mom being a literary agent and her only client turning up dead, Mr. Sixth Sense ghost writes (heh) the final story. Will they get away with it? Find out for yourself!
Night shift: 7/10
Collection of King stories. These ones are reeeeally short, and a lot from way back in the day, including a haunted washing machine and basement of dog-sized rats. The coolest bit is a Dark Dungeon-esque take on 'Salems Lot, which I think sparked the full novel. I think the short story came first. Pretty sure. Kinda sure. Idk.
Full Dark, No Stars: 9/10
Never before has a title been named as perfectly. This book contains four stories by Stephen King and each are the darkest bits of writing that I've read. It's downright amazing how he sets the tone without getting graphic. After reading you'll want to hug ma and pa and tell em you love em.
