Regarding some complaints about Sai King`s works

[Srbo]

There is a lot of complaints lately that Sai King`s work is not as good as it used to be, prior to the accident he had.
Not only on the MB, but also in everyday life, when I talk to people who are ( were ) his avid fans, or just simply browse the net and read reviews from this or that site.
Nothing wrong with that, and it may or may not be true.
They say he changed, his writing style changed, he`s not sharp like he used to be, lost his edge, whatever, you can complain `till tomorrow.
What caught my eye though - it`s mostly coming from people who are reading his works for the better part of their lives, for the last 30 years, give or take.
The younger crowd, who is just getting to know the SK Universe, are - surprise, surprise, delighted with his later work.
Especially with UtD and Duma. They simply love those books. They started there and are going backwards and that crowd is as satisfied as ever.
Here is something that also caught my eye - not once, not one single time have I read, from his old time fans, the ones who are really sharp with their critiques, that they have ever considered the fact that they have changed as well.
People change, lifestyles change, the way of thinking changes, it`s normal. Not all people do, but a good part of them ? Of course.
But, instead of considering that option, to look at themselves, to think about the possibility that they might have changed - they don`t do that, they look at Sai King and say he`s the one who changed.
What if Sai King hasn`t changed at all ? It certainly looks to me like he didn`t.
Every artist, writer and such has only a couple of masterpieces, not everything they ever created turned to gold and to be timeless. The most mentioned work in Sai King`s opus are of course, The Stand, IT and the Dark Tower books. He does have written a lot of super good other books, but I think it`s safe o say that these are timeless classics, almost everybody in the whole wide world knows about them.
I think it`s pretty clear to him that those are his best books, but that is not to say that he stopped striving to write something better. Will he do it? Who knows, and it doesn`t matter. Not one bit.
It`s just like, lets say with AC/DC ( I`m taking them as an example, since they are my all time music faves ). They also know they will never-ever make an album again that is even remotely close to Highway to Hell and Back in Black. It`s not gonna happen, but do they try? Yes.

The main point of this rant is this one, though – some people really change. They "outgrow" stuff, as they like to say. They "outgrow" Sai Kings work and maybe go on to read Nietzsche. They "outgrow" AC/DC and all the head-banging, and maybe go on to listen to Bach and Mozart. They outgrow jeans and tee shirts and go on to wear suits instead. They “outgrow” maybe everything they loved when they were kids, maybe they think they will be more important now that they have changed, to whoever, or that they "matured". I don`t know, and it`s all good with me, whatever makes their hair blow back, and all this is a big "maybe". I just assume all this stuff..
What is not a "maybe" at all is that I didn`t "outgrow" any of that. Not Sai`s work, not AC/DC, not the jeans, not whatever.
I like being a kid and living in a fantasy world. I like being a dreamer and believing I live in a fairy tale. I still like my old faded jeans and to bang my head when I hear some heavy riffs coming.
And all I ask from all those who did "outgrow" all that stuff and did become some other person in whose skin they feel better – by all means, you have every right to do so, I`ll listen to your opinion, all the benefits that come with “the change”, but in the end, I will shake my head and say “ thanks, but no thanks”.
And please don`t pressure me to do otherwise or judge me for the way I am.

`Cause I really like being a kid.
And, so does Sai King.

At least, I like to think so.

Cheers.

[Bryan James]

My dog is almost fourteen but still finds her own ass interesting.

Sometimes I have to yell at her to "GET OUTTA THERE."

I love my dog, I just don't let her lick my face anymore.

Mediocre artists ("fingernailers," I've named them) HAVE to change, evolve, and adapt...they have to "Borg Out," we can call it. Great Ones (like Stephen King) don't. Sometimes when Those Few doubt themselves and try, they fail, but then move on back to the good stuff that made them great.

[Spideyman]

Ok Srbo, I am one of those who has been reading Sai King for over 30 years. Started with Carrie and never stopped. And yes, I have changed. You do not get to be my age and not have changed. For the better I hope. You made me smile, my early life was structured- I'm the one who went from Bach and Mozart to AC/DC and Rush, from suits to jeans and remained a kid at heart and in mind. Indeed, when alone, I too crank up the music and let it vibrate off the walls. Critters think I'm nuts. My taste in reading has changed over the years. I loved the early SK books filled with horror and mystery. Grew to love the ones that brought romance- Bag of Bones, Lisey's Story, Duma Key. I will forever treasure The DT journey. Stephen King remains, to me at least, constant. Like you, I have not outgrown SK. To me, Sai king will always be a kid at heart, and I'll be right there with him.

You bring a very valid point about people changing and their reading material changing also. That is something everyone should consider when making a statement about any writer.

Now go put on your fav CD, grab a SK book and let it rip................

[Dana Jean]

Srbo, I've always said that what we read is colored by a number of factors. Age is one, maturity level, what's happening in a person's life at the time of the reading. Did the reader really give the work and the author their full attention, or were they planning a wedding? a funeral? reading 4 other books at the same time?

I love most of Stephen's portfolio of work, but there are ones I haven't cared for. From all ages of his writing career and my reading career. Of course his writing has changed. He's growing older. He's still learning things. He's seeing the world through different eyes. He writes about fears of an older person, Stationary Bike anyone? I mean, who can take cholesterol and make it creepy? SK can.

Definitely, the world changes, we change and his writing changes and I love when Stephen takes some bit of the publishing business and plays with it, tweaking it here, molding it there. Stephen is always an innovator and leading the pack. Lead, follow or get out of his way! I think it's fabulous. I've always said, he's the Madonna of authoring, minus the cone boob things. I think that's dating me and him though. Maybe he's more like the Lady GaGa of authoring? Minus the hermaphrodite rumors.

[psj77]

I agree with most of what you said. I think everyone changes in some ways as they get older even Mr. King. I started reading his books with Bag of bones. I've still got a few left to read, but I can tell a difference in his work. As it stands now I see five periods in his carrier. 1) The beginning Carrie - It 2) The middle Eyes Of The Dragon - Wizard & Glass 3) The accident era Bag Of Bones - Everything's Eventual 4) The end of the Dark Tower Wolves Of The Calla - The Dark Tower 5) The new era The Colorado Kid - Under The Dome. I can see subtle differences in his writing in each era. I think some of his best writing has come out of the new era. I do feel that UTD isn't his best work, but it's not his worst either.

[tuttle300]

Actually, (in my opinion), King has been changing (or a better word could be growing or experimenting) through his whole career before and after the accident

Sure, he did the basic genre work like Salem's Lot, early on.... but (and my timeline may be a little off) WHILE Salem's Lot was on the shelves being read...one of his most experimental (and more advanced for a kid his age when it was written--) works that had yet to BE published because he wrote it BEFORE Salem's Lot...was The Long Walk. Nothing like that work had ever been done before and even today it rarely gets an anniversary
"look back" Long Walk still stands today as a rare, overlooked achievement by an author ahead of his time

There was also his few attempts to tell a tale from a woman's point of view like Delores Claiborn as well as Gerald's Game


And while it can be argued (you all may have your own individual points of reference ) that most works POST accident haven't been as well written as the 'classics', the man has NOT sat back and delivered formula cookie cutter drivel like other writers.

Take American Vampire for one. This comic book series of 5 issues (4 are out now) is a brand new take on vampires and the only bad part about that is it will be dismissed by critics (and many of King's fans as well) as "just a comicbook" when in fact it's right up there with what MANY consider to be his best works of the past.

I look forward to all of his works (well, aside from the Dark Tower-but thats me) as I know that each piece he does (for the most part) is a stretching of his skills and talent. Hopefully he will stay healthy and active for at least a dozen more years because I think he is actually just warming up folks. He may not be applauded for his ability to challenge himself in this lifetime, but hopefully his amazing efforts can be appreciated several generations from now. He has certainly earned some (respect)

[Doc Wilson]

I find their arguments uncompelling because SK, like every other artist, has always produced some works that weren't as great as others. I see no credible trend towards a lessening of his gifts. I can name half a dozen pre-2000 works that don't hold a candle to either Duma or Lisey.

[Dana Jean]

I don't want Stephen to stay stagnant. I love to see the evolution of his work. From young boy, to desperate father trying to support his family, to successful, popular author, to whatever is next, I'm along for the ride. If you haven't read it, everybody should get Bev Vincent's book The Stephen King Illustrated Companion. It is a fascinating treasure chest of tidbits that really give a person an appreciation for where he started and where he is, here and now.

He can capture a moment in time better than any author I know and make me feel it. What an amazing thing to be able to do!

[Champ]

Speaking for the younger crowd, my first SK novel was Duma Key and it was hands down the best (detailed, consuming, well thought out, etc.) story I had ever read. Having no previous SK works to compare it to, I would still say it is in my top 3 after reading 15-20 of his novels. All this from a post-accident work!

On the other hand, there are other novels from this period such as Cell that were missing that certain something that helps his books stand above those of other authors. Cell was, in my opinion, a good book just not a good Stephen King book. Since the accident there have been great books and there have also been some not so great, with the not so great ones being worse than his novels that weren't quite his best before this new era, if you follow me. Sorry if that is confusing.

But

You have to think about all the novels and stories he has written, 95% of which are absolutely amazing as I'm sure a lot of you would agree. He's getting older and it must be hard to be original and come up with new ideas. Yet every time, he brings something new to the table and that alone is worthy of praise. Sure, maybe some of those ideas weren't as good as his early ones, and that is all that some of his casual fans will take away from his new work, but I for one am satisfied with what he has done since turn of the new millennium.

[kingricefan]

I have been reading Sai KIng's books since 'Salem's Lot was published in paperback wa-a-a-ay back in the 70's. Has he and his writing changed over the years? Hell yes! But then again so have I. None of us are the same person we were a year ago, let alone 30 years ago. I have changed and hopefully grown as a person and so has King. I've been there with him the entire time, and thru his books, he's been there with me. I agree not all of his later books are stunners, but the King who was back in the early 1980's could never have written Bag of Bones or Under The Dome. Bag of Bones is a classic, in my eyes, and it will stand the test of time and be regarded as one of his best ever, right up there with The Stand. Under The Dome is a great read and is a sounding board as to what was going on in this country politically at the time it was published. There were times when I was laughing out loud from some of the thinly veiled descriptions of the previous president's shinanigans. The 'sounding board' effect is what will make King's works stand out among his contemporaries and will be read a hundred years from now. King may not be the best writer we have or the smartest but he is HONEST with his works and that is what makes a true and brilliant writer.