I'm planning on reading it (no pun intended), so all of you people who have either read "It" or have read any Stephen King: Is "It"/Stephen any good (I assume they are, but I'm always very critical of others' work)? And what are some of your favorite horror novels or authors of horror? I don't really have any established yet... :redface:
I haven't read It but I have read some of his other works. I think he's a mediocre writer at best. He wrote a few good things, but the majority are not so good. But despite what I say, you should read some of his work to get a feel for it. He does write short stories if you don't feel like reading his novels.
Like too many of King's works, I found much of the build up of It interesting and tense, but the end was underwhelming.
Everyone's answers to this will be subjective. The best way to answer, would be to get a copy and start reading. In terms of Horror, I'd recommend you look at: Joe Hill - One of the best horror writers writing at the moment. And also, coincidentally, Stephen King's son. His novels Heart Shaped Box and Horns are outstanding, as are his short stories. H.P. Lovecraft - The old master. His work may be a bit old, but really it is still top notch. I'd recommend reading any of his short stories. Creepy stuff. Gary McMahon - One of the newer horror writers, I reviewed his latest novella, The Harm, in my blog last week. If you're new to horror, then I'd heartily recommend that, as it's a fantastic example of the genre, and is brief enough to be great for dipping your toe. Stephen King - Of the man himself, I'd recommend some of his early books, when he tended to write pure horror, e.g. The Shining, Salem's Lot, Carrie, Misery, etc. I haven't read It, but it was from around the same time. Though it is a bit hefty.
In my opinion the book title should have had two extra characters at the begining, being 'SH'. I really didn't like this book at all - I found it too long, too silly and the language oftan stated in 50 words things that he could have only said in 10, as with much of King's work. If you like King, I suggest the novels Salem's Lot, Misery and The Tommyknockers.
Hi Ink Lord. Ignore the negativity, and just read without prejudice. "It" is a fine novel, and was (at least subconsciously) a definite influence when I wrote my own first novel. SK remains the modern day master of horror, in my opinion, but, as someone else said, his earlier works were his best, such as "The Dead Zone" and "The Stand". As for other horror authors, I'd take a look at Peter Straub, Robert McCammon, Dean Koontz etc. All have something to offer. Happy reading.
Marvellous.. but I'm a die hard Stephen King fan, so my opinion might be biased. He does have better work... such as Misery, The Long Walk, his Dark Tower series, but IT definitely ranks amongst the better, despite its size and strange ending.
I'm not a major Stephen King fan, but I thought It was one of his better horror novels. I can agree with Lemex on it being overly wordy and long, but I enjoyed it anyway.
I also enjoyed It. And like others have said it could have been shortened up quite a bit - like 99% of his work. And I agree wholeheartedly with banzai about Joe Hill. He has all of his father's good traits and seemly none of his bad ones. Heart Shaped Box was a top notch book imo. My advice would be to read it and decide for yourself. It's definitely worth a read. I wouldn't waste my time on his newer stuff, though. Duma Key and Under The Dome were excellent sleeping aids - if you're needing that then they're the books for you. I haven't even been able to finish the latter. For some reason I keep thinking he's gonna churn out something worth reading and buy whatever is latest on the shelves. I wish someone would give me a quick kick in the carcass when I'm thinking about it. Or whisper in my ear, "Duma Key...Under the Dome."
