Biggest Stephen King Letdown

[mercop14]

For me it was definetly The battle with the crimson king at the end. I wish Roland had a bigger part in It. Also the crimson king didn't seem to have any powers.

[karend3]

The entire novel From a Buick 8

[SharonC]

THE biggest let down for me occured in the movie Dreamcatcher. When Duddits turned into a stupid alien I almost flipped my lid! That was the maddest I have ever been at a movie! It was like the doorbell rang and they said Oh, lets finish this first *type, type,type* and were done. It had absoulutely NOTHING to do with ANYTHING in the book and was a big ole copout as far as I'm concerned! I will NEVER NEVER NEVER watch that movie again1

That was no fault of Mr. King. If you buy the DVD of Dreamcatcher you will find a more satisfying alternate ending on the special features. Much better, believe me.

[SharonC]

Ummm....that would be an eraser for those of us in the States. A rubber has a whole other meaning!

When I was a kid, way back when in grade school, how many times did I hear, "Hey, lend me your rubber . Mine's all used up". Now that's not something you hear today, is it?

[wendymartt]

I dont personally have a let down, i feel like you cant have a let down ..when u made the book..."the Mist"

[Doc Wilson]

When you're working with addicts there is this concept of "euphoric memory". When a smoker gets a craving, he doesn't think about the crappy tasting butt he rubbed out five minutes ago that burned his throat. He's thinking of that great cigarette he had 5 years ago right after thanksgiving turkey, the one that hit all the right notes in his pleasure receptors and left him feeling immensely satisfied. Similarly, a junkie chases the memory of the best high he's ever experienced, the one that hooked him.

I think a similar thing goes on with SK junkies. We rush out and buy every new book, we're in our heart of hearts thinking about that one book where SK hit all the right notes and seemed to pull directly from our own psychology to create this masterpiece, this greatest experience fiction can offer. We compare every book to the Stand or It or The Talisman and so it is inevitable that some of them can't quite hit that mark. I can't be mad at him for not being able top his own masterpieces every single time he picks up his pen.

[fushingfeef]

I don't know if I'd call it a let-down, but the first time I read "Insomnia" it seemed like Stephen King was making a deliberate attempt to make a Clive Barker-esque universe. It's a good book (I think I have read it 3 times) but for the first time I felt as if King was chasing after another writer or something.

[Snaggletooth]

The biggest letdown for me was when the DT series ended; perhaps not a letdown, but "tower withdrawl". I thought that DT7 was a great ending to the series and I try not to second-guess the author's choices. They're his books, not mine. That's why I'm glad he's returning with Wind Through the Keyhole (if indeed that remains the official title).

[rjt65]

FF-- have you read the DT series? I was lost a little with the "universe thing" and did not enjoy insomnia as I read it before i read the DT series After reading the DT series you will understand and (maybe like me) probably enjoy Insomnia more.

cheers

[TPG555]

I hated the demise of the Crimson King. He was the ultimate bad guy, laid waste to castle, nearly destroyed all of the universes and how does he die? He locks himself on a balcony and is erased by a character that was never part of the series with the ability to draw things that come to life...deus ex machina. All the while, the CK is throwing Harry Potter bombs screaming "EEEEEE!!!". Probably the worst ending to any bad guy I've ever read.

With that being said, I loved Roland's ultimate fate. His climbing the tower and ending back in the apotheosis of all deserts with his mind erased was the perfect ending and greatly redeemed the series after the last 1/2 of book 5, all of book 6 and all but the end of 7.