I didn't realize The Gunslinger came out so early in King's career. I don't think I've read the revised version. I remember this book having a different tone than the rest of the series, more dark and dusty. I like the Wastelands best, too, I think, but I also haven't read the newest entry.

Wind through the keyhole was ok.

I will be re reading the dark tower series in the next few years.

I liked Wind Through the Keyhole, definitely worth reading if you're a fan of the series.

Wind Through the Keyhole was my favorite of the series. The Gunslinger is a close 2nd though.

Song of Susannah is probably King's worst book ever.

From a Buick 8 though.

From A Buick 8, no doubt.

It's the longest short story I've ever read.

I know I've read Buick 8, but I remember nothing about it. Lisey's Story is the only King book I've started without finishing.

Thoughts on Rage?

I think it's an excellent short novel that most people below the age of 30 have never heard of unless they happen to be a big King fan.

The hard part will be finding a copy if you don't already own one.

It was already reviewed early in the thread.

Define "hard part"? You can get it for like $4 shipped in "The Bachman Books" unless you have some weird thing against used books. Not to mention libraries.

I've read 80% of Kings books and for whatever reason skipped on the Dark Tower Series. Probably felt the value to the reader was too long to get and chose other King books in lieu.

I'm on Book VII and on the whole I'm a little disappointed. In my opinion the best books were the wastelands and wolves of the Calla where a mini sub-plot, or distraction from seeking the dark tower were the best parts.
Obviously at this point I'll finish but overall it's a little meh... I never grasped the Susanah/Mia thing... are they 2 separate people? Or a split personality. I read at night when tired so perhaps I wasn't focused as much as I should be.

^ Rage was a great book which any angry 13-18 year old would enjoy and hopefully forget the second they're done reading it. I'm glad it's out of print despite enjoying it 20 years ago.

Different Seasons: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (Hope Springs Eternal) is a novella by Stephen King, from his 1982 collection Different Seasons, subtitled Hope Springs Eternal. It was adapted for the screen in 1994 as The Shawshank Redemption, and in 2009, it was adapted for the stage as the play The Shawshank Redemption.

As a standalone novella, this is a wonderfully simple and concise piece of writing. It shares, with some of King's greatest work, the feeling you are reading something absolutely true and real, and King has this ability to put you inside the head of the characters involved. In this case, this is Red, the narrator who had dealings with Andy Dufresne throughout their time in Shawshank.

The book falls into several sections: Dufresne's arrival, his dealings with the 'sisters', when he first gets an in with the guards, his building of the library, his loss of hope when the Warden denies any chance of release when Andy gets evidence of his innocence (via another con, Tommy williams), his escape, and finally Red's parole.

It's a brief work, but King packs a hell of a lot of empathy and immersion into the world of Shawshank through the eyes of Red, and this is such a fine novella (it's barely a novella, more like a really long short story), and I think it's one of the finest novellas ever written - maybe coming third to A Christmas Carol and The Old Man and the Sea, in my opinion.

This is a 10/10 for me, it may be my favourite piece of work of King I've read so far - it's simply and beautifully written, and transcendent.

Shawshank Redemption (1994)

A very fine movie indeed - taking as its source a terrific novella from Stephen King and retooling a very solid basic story into a beautifully crafted and put-together screenplay, and then delivering a movie that, in its cinematography and performances, fulfils the potential of this great screenplay.

I have great difficulty finding any fault with this movie - it's a little slow, but I don't want it to end any sooner; it's a little sentimental, but I don't want it to be any less dispassionate; it's a little sugary, but I don't want it to be any more bitter - but I kind of feel like I should find more fault, because it isn't a stone cold classic in the way Casablanca or Seven Samurai or Lawrence of Arabia are... but it's still fantastic.

10/10

Apparently the Dark Tower movie / TV series thing has been greenlighted. Again. No names attached to it yet. Maybe this time it'll actually get made. I think they said January 2017.

I guess that means they finally figured out that Russell Crowe is too damn old to play Roland.

I've always felt that Clint Eastwood would be the best person to play the gunslinger. He's too old for it now, so how about his son, Scott?

I think that King actually has said that he wrote Roland with Clint Eastwood in mind.

I suppose that's better than the Whoppi Goldberg I always imagined Susannah as.

The woman who plays Michone(sp?) in Walking Dead would be a good Susannah

First 100 pages of The Drawing Of The Three was superb. I can't put it down. I hope it can keep up.

It does. Then Book III is just as good. Then Book IV is even better

Edit: When you get to the end of Book III, imagine the pain of waiting like 7 years for the next installment.

Ah, dreadful. Without any spoilers has he finished it with 7 books then?

Yes. 8 books in the dark tower series now.

I did some googling and see that there's a few dozen comic books that have been done fleshing out the Dark Tower story - anyone read these? Recommend them?

Waiting on book 3 in The Dark Tower arriving so I have started Carrie in the mean time.

Never read them, but King has info on them on his website fwiw.