Different Seasons

[Cody44]

This work has been so far amazing. I loved the Shawshank Redemption, and now that I have read it I know how good of an adaptation the movie was. I also have been really enjoying the story, Apt Pupil.

I also really loved the way that king incorporated Andy Dufresne into Apt Pupil. He was the banked who set up some stocks for Dussander.

I really love those little nods to other stories, and maybe the reason I am holding of on the Dark Tower until the summer. By then I hopefully will have more King books under my belt, and time enough to not be bothered with school readings. :glare:

What does everyone else think about Different Seasons?

[bryras]

It is one of my favorite collections of stories he has done. The movies for Shawshank and The Body (Stand by Me) were some of the best adaptations of his works in my opinion. The movie for Apt Pupil wasn't that great but what can you do? I also remember liking The Breathing Method but I can't remember that much about it. I guess I will have a re-read!

[Tyler13]

Different Seasons is the book I recommend to friends who think that SK is only a horror writer and are scared away by that. One of his best.

[Eva9]

I liked The Breathing Method too, but i can't imagine it being made into a movie. It would be too disturbing to see a pregnant woman get decapitated.:barf:

[dsurrett]

Different Seasons is great. If memory serves correctly, 3 of the 4 stories contain nothing supernatural (vampires, aliens, etc.) and showed that Sai King is definitely more than just a horror writer. The movies of Shawshank and The Body were great, but Apt Pupil didn't come close to living up to the story.

[Bluey Lunger]

Enjoyed them all, cody. Different Seasons. I've seen the film adaptations of the first story and the third. I think I saw that one before I ever picked up a SK book. Kind of a shame that I saw the movies first, cause I'm inclined not read something once I've seen a flick. Prob more inclined to see a movie after reading the story version. Haven't read a lot of HP Lovecraft, but that last story seems a bit like HP, the little I've read of him. There's other stories like that one, I think, those guys talking about stuff.

[Sterling]

I love all 4 novellas included in this collection. I would have to say my favorite is The Body because it just really gets you thinkin about your time as a 12 year old. Those are some of the best times of your life.

[Azrel]

It's also one of my favorite story collections by King. I loved the audio version (with Frank Muller narrating, I think it was) of Apt Pupil. It was, I dunno, more creepy actually hearing it, as opposed to reading it.
Haven't seen Shawshank though, and only snippets of Stand By Me. :blush:

[Agincourt Concierge]

Really enjoyed this collection of stories!

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

AWBS (And What Bryras Said).

Yes, a marvellous collection which has spawned three movies, two of them among the best ever adaptations of Sai King's work IMO.

Long days and pleasant nights

[Dark Reader]

Loved it and i think its a strong contender for my favourite short story/novella collection, i'm reserving my judgement on that purely because i've yet to read Everythings Eventual and Just After Sunset

[Cowboy]

One of the best.

[Matthew.Degnan]

I think that this is his best collection, the story The Body was so wonderfully crafted and The Breathing Method, which is underrated i think, was very good as well. I think the only novella that could stack up to The Body would be Secret Window, Secret Garden (i know loads of people won't agree with this)

Matthew.

[Sintify]

I just got the book Monday, I have already read the Shawshank Redemption from SK Goes to the Movies and I am really excited to start reading The Body can anyone tell me if it is any good or not?

[Cody44]

So, as I continue through the story Apt Pupil I found another, Ka-incidence. (Sorry John, but I had to steal that.) I have yet to read any of the Dark Tower series, but I have heard many people quote, "There'll be water if God wills it."

Well on pg. 205, in the first hardback edition Dussander says this, "There will be water if God wills it, and we will find it if God wills it, and we will drink it if God wills it. What happens is not up to us."

I also noticed another small ka-incidence in Apt Pupil. When Ed French threatens to have Todd's parents go to counseling, he says he will refer them to a man named Harvey Ackerman. It was funny, because before Different Seasons, I had read Just After Sunset. And Ackerman's Field is the field that N saw the stones. Possibly of no relation at all, but little things like this just get me excited while reading King books.

I guess I'll get my fill of coincidences when I read the Dark Tower this Summer... :biggrin2:

[Antony butterworth]

Hello fans of the king

i must say this is my best liked stephen king book which led to the production of my two favorite movies the shawshank redemption and the green mile

[Susanne]

I love this book too, esp. The Body. I love when Stephen writes about the good old time. That´s why I also love Hearts in Atlantis. I wished I was born in the 50s so I could have enjoyed the 60s.

[cfin5256]

In a happy ka-incidence in my own life ;), I had to run to our local country grocery store three days ago and came across a cardboard stand advertising used paperbacks 2/$3. I was able to find two SK books I've never read: Different Seasons and The Shining. I fininshed Different Seasons yesterday and have to admit that I didn't realize that three of the novella's from this book were made into movies.

I knew 'The Body' was, but didn't realize this book contained Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil. I had avoided watching Shawshank Redemption, but now realize I must! I guess I just had the wrong idea about what the movie was about. I had seen Apt Pupil when it was released but didn't even realize it was a SK adaptation. The novella is much, much better.

I do have a question about the 4th novella 'The Breathing Method': *possible spoiler* When the story teller is explaining what happened to the baby, he mentions taking lunch with the man the baby grew into and talks about him having the strong personality and hazel eyes of his mother; and that he became the head of the English Department at a college, and that the adoptive parents lived in Maine, is this a character from another story or book?

[JRLauer]

This was an amazing book, I loved all four stories. My favorite story out of this collection is probably Shawshank.

[candybait]

My mother in law gave Different Seasons to me when I was pregnant with my now 15 year old. I had never read King's work before. I enjoyed it very much and so my husband bought me the first 3 Dark tower books in a box set(at the time they were the only 3 he had written- which I didn't know and was crushed to reach the end of the 3rd and realize the story was far from over and had to endure years of waiting to devour the next chapter in the series). I was completely hooked after that and now own something like 45 of his books!

[kingricefan]

I had read every book that SK had published prior to Different Seasons, from Carrie to Cujo and loved them all. I was the ripe ol' age of 23 when the paperback of Seasons was released (1983) and snatched it up even tho it wasn't a 'horror' novel and that is what SK was known for back then, horror and only horror. And that's what I wanted from him again: horror. I wasn't expecting alot, didn't think I would like it since it wasn't 'horror' so imagine my surprise when I began to read a story about two middle-aged men in prison where nothing even remotely 'horror-like' happens and actually enjoying it! Then it was on to Apt Pupil and then The Body, which since I grew up in the 60's really brought it home for me! Now, seeing as how I had already read every King book up to that point, I knew the man could tell a story, but after finishing Seasons I sat quietly for some time and realized that this man could REALLY tell a story and was far more talented than the public or the critics gave him credit for!! That's when the 'light' went on in my head and I knew that King was going to be an important part of my life and that he would be known as an 'important' writer later on, after all was said and done. Seasons contains some of his best writing and best story-telling ever. Lots of people who have seen The Shawshank Redemption don't even realize it's by King and when they are told (and actually believe you) they are dumbfounded. Same with Stand By Me (The Body). For those couple of people who've posted on this link and say that they haven't seen Shawshank yet- GO RENT IT! There's a reason this movie is consistently ranked in the top 10 movies of all time on critics lists. It's a wonderful movie, beautifully filmed and outstandingly acted by everyone in the film. You can tell that there were alot of King fans who worked on and in this film. Their love of this story shines thru in every scene. Seasons is one of KIng's best works and I highly recommend it to anyone, even if you've just seen the movies, read the stories, you'll find alot more to them and love them even more!

[Teddy Duchamp]

I completely agree with you on this book.

The two stories I loved most were "the body" and "Shawshank Redemption", however the others were fab also - those two turned into great movies (I got my username from one lol!) - I thought that Apt Pupil could have been SUCH a good film also, if it had been treated properly.

Every time I hear the last line in "Stand by Me" I have a big lump in my throat

I never had friends like the ones I did when I was 12.........Christ who has?:sad:

[the_last_gunslinger]

I feel kind of out of place saying this, but I didn't like the collection all that much. Yeah, the stories were original, and well written, but the subject matter didn't interest me very much, and I found myself rather bored with some of them. I think my favorite from the collection is "The Breathing Method" which is the only supernatural story in the set, and that is probably the biggest reason I didn't like it. A lack of the paranormal-something King generally writes very well-was mostly absent.

I would probably still recommend it to a friend, especially one who doesn't like horror, based merely on its literary merit. But as for personal preferences, it didn't do it for me.

[michal]

A true profe of that good story tellers can tell any kind of story.

[creator]

Something interesting you may have noticed while reading Art pupil:
The german veteran gets frightened by the thought of Todd's name. And that's Stephen King's hint about it, because Tod means death in German. Great idea! I'm very fascinated by King's knowledge of foreign cultures and languages, allowing him to make associations.

[jlessl]

I saw all three movies and loved them all (Stand By Me being one of my all time favorite movies!) and based on reviews here on SKMB regarding the short story Apt Pupil being better than the movie, plus all the great reviews on this thread about this collection, I just purchased it from Amazon. I am so excited about reading it ... can't wait 'til it arrives!

I just recently got interested in SK's short stories, was always a fan of SK's novels, but I really enjoy them. SK is indeed much, much more than a horror writer. He certainly does not receive the appreciation, accolades and credit that is his due as an accomplished, prolific and wonderful author.

[Girl87]

I liked Different Seasons. Best storie was Body. I have't read Different Season with Apt Pupil and Shawshank yet. Because I don't find it in our library.

[cwalrus]

I'm reading Different Seasons now for the first time. I just finished Shawshank Redemption yesterday and really enjoyed that. Even though I haven't seen the film in a long time, I'd have to say that the film did a wonderful job. The way it expanded on the story mostly worked conisdering the fact that the story is short of 100 pages. Even though Red is an Irishman in the book, I kept envisioning Morgan Freeman in the role, which I really didn't mind. Usually I try to resist casting the actors from the movies in my mind's eye while I'm reading but for some reason, Morgan Freeman just felt right so I went with it.

What works about the story for me is that I think almost everyone has someone in their lives like Andy even if you've never been in prison. Whether it's in school or at work, I think everyone has encountered and Andy-like figure in their lives, someone who rises above the bullshit of everyday life. After-all our day to day lives can become a prison of sorts if you think about it. Once in a while you meet someone who rises above it and you admire him or her because they exude a confidence and wisdom beyond their years. Maybe they don't "escape" in quite the same way Andy does, but they manage to impress us and challenge us in their own way. Sometimes you may even find yourself talking about them the way Red talks about Andy, as if they are more myth or legend rather than flesh and blood human beings, but that too is all part of the human experience.

I'm just starting to read Apt Pupil and one coincidence I noticed is that Dussander used Andy as his banker before Andy went to prison. That was something I didn't expect. of course from Dussander's view, Andy was guilty of killing his wife, but at least he made his money before all that happened.

[jlessl]

I recently finished Different Seasons and if I had to pick a favorite (which is near impossible), I'd pick Shawshank, and if I had to pick a least favorite, it'd be the Breathing Method. Reading the Body, I must say, was like reliving the movie, Stand by Me. Man, did that movie stay close to the story or what?! The Apt Pupil was the longest novella in the book, followed closely in length by The Body. I enjoyed them all really. I would recommend this collection, in fact, I'm loaning it to my daughter, who is a SK fan as well. This would be a good book to give to folks who think SK is "merely" (the dismissive that some people use) a horror writer.

[aptpupil]

The "novella" is very strange territory, falling between the short story and the novel, and depending on your viewpoint, either encompassing the best of both formats, or alternatively failing to be as compulsive as either.

I was a big horror fan, almost to the exclusion of all other fiction genres, when "Different Seasons" was released, and I struggled with it initially, particularly Shawshank and Apt Pupil, although I had an instant love affair with The Body. Now, however, in retrospect, I see the book as one of SK's masterworks, and thank God he wrote Shawshank and the Body, because they eventually became two of my very favourite movies.

[Albie]

I just got the book Monday, I have already read the Shawshank Redemption from SK Goes to the Movies and I am really excited to start reading The Body can anyone tell me if it is any good or not?
The movie "Stand by Me" is from "The Body". If not sure, get or rent the movie. It is a good adaptation of "The Body".

[Albie]

I completely agree with you on this book.

The two stories I loved most were "the body" and "Shawshank Redemption", however the others were fab also - those two turned into great movies (I got my username from one lol!) - I thought that Apt Pupil could have been SUCH a good film also, if it had been treated properly.

Every time I hear the last line in "Stand by Me" I have a big lump in my throat

I never had friends like the ones I did when I was 12.........Christ who has?:sad:
Just begun "Different Seasons". "Stand By Me" is the reason I got the book. Are you talking about the typed line concerning having friends like you did when you were 12? If so, I was surprised that this was a throw way line in the middle of the Nouvella (as if there ever could be a throw away line from a Stephen Kings Novel!)