Mr. King RE: Under the Dome

[carrie's younger brother]

Ahhh, thanks for the heads up. I didn't know that. Is it usually all at the same level as Under the Dome or is some of it milder than other books. If you've read a lot of them, that is.

I've read just about everything and the degree of profanity in Under the Dome is about par for the course. It pains me to say so, but I suggest you not read any more SK if you cannot abide profanity and the like.

And for what it's worth, the key to SK's writing for me is how real he makes the worlds in which he sets his stories. If everyone spoke the same way and without any cursing, etc., the stories would just not seem as real to me. But that's just this constant reader's opinion.

[fushingfeef]

I know this won't mean a hill of diddly squat beans to you

Geez, that's pretty harsh language right there, neighborino!

[Autumn Gust]

Vickilynn, I can understand how you might have been offended by the language in Mr. King's book if you innocently stumbled across it and weren't expecting it. I don't like a lot of vulgar language myself-- I mean we certainly don't talk that way at our house. But you've got to understand that pretty much the rest of the world operates in a different way. It's a lot grittier than the environment you are probably accustomed to. Mr. King does such a good job portraying "the common person" in his novels. He does it brilliantly and effortlessly; that's why people relate so easily to his characters. But, like society in general, those very same characters can be at times be vulgar, crude, sexist... Oh, and lest I forget-- downright evil!

[JordyVerrill]

Isn't this one of the reason why Amazon has the "Look Inside" feature on their site, so you can look inside the book before you buy it to see if it's something you might want to spend money on?

Also, I have a hard time believing that OP isn't just a troll. I mean seriously... how can anyone be shocked to find out that Stephen King uses curse words in his books?

[vickilynn]

Why would you even pick up an SK book if you're so picky? For goodness sake, he's the master of HORROR, not Christian lit. Were you just clueless about who he was? How is that even possible?

There are plenty of good reads for you in the religious section, I'm sure.

Sorry if you all think I'm funny or weird. Just because I'm Christian does'n't mean I don't like a good mystery/thriller/whodunit story. Guess I should know more about Mr. King than I do.

[vickilynn]

Vickilynn, I can understand how you might have been offended by the language in Mr. King's book if you innocently stumbled across it and weren't expecting it. I don't like a lot of vulgar language myself-- I mean we certainly don't talk that way at our house. But you've got to understand that pretty much the rest of the world operates in a different way. It's a lot grittier than the environment you are probably accustomed to. Mr. King does such a good job portraying "the common person" in his novels. He does it brilliantly and effortlessly; that's why people relate so easily to his characters. But, like society in general, those very same characters can be at times be vulgar, crude, sexist... Oh, and lest I forget-- downright evil!

Thanks, I get the picture though certainly not everyone in real talks every other word a curse word.

Isn't this one of the reason why Amazon has the "Look Inside" feature on their site, so you can look inside the book before you buy it to see if it's something you might want to spend money on?

Also, I have a hard time believing that OP isn't just a troll. I mean seriously... how can anyone be shocked to find out that Stephen King uses curse words in his books?

I'm not a troll but you're welcome to think so if you like. I wasn't exactly shocked, I just didn't realize he wrote so much of it so excuse me.

[Shasta]

Sorry if you all think I'm funny or weird. Just because I'm Christian does'n't mean I don't like a good mystery/thriller/whodunit story. Guess I should know more about Mr. King than I do.

I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude. I'm truly just shocked. The fact that one would not be aware of his style in the least, or even what his main writing style is, blows my mind. I was being 100% serious when asking how you were unaware.

[Lily Sawyer]

Hey Vickilynn,

Mr. King's works all contain profanity, with the exception of the ones mentioned above, and a few short stories, like "Jerusalem's Lot" (pre-cursor to his novel 'Salem's Lot).

I read The Shack recently and found it to be a good read. It's considered by many to be a very fair Christian mystery/suspense read, worth a look-see, in the sense that it's a Christian parent balancing doing the right thing with what he *wants* to do.

I'm sorry you had an adverse reaction to UTD. Most of Mr. King's works are full of lively, colorful, interesting characters, and not all of them swear like sailors or live their lives day-to-day needing exorcisms.

If we talked you out of your tree, would you consider reading other works of Mr. King's? It would be a shame to lose a Board member based solely on Mr. King's use of profanity. There are so many other redeeming qualities about his books that I think you'd be won over in a flash.
If you stay, you're always welcome here. If you leave, we will understand.

Have a good MLK holiday weekend in the meantime....

[shipwreked]

The world is profane. Life is riddled with evil and humans are dripping with sin. How much more the Christian, who fully realizes how awful they really are.

Encountering it, in life, in a book, doesn't taint you. The story is just that, a story. But if it can be imagined, it can potentially exist somewhere.

I am also a Christian but I still enjoy Stephen King's books. I don't relish the profanity but I value honesty and characters that are true to their nature. Some characters with clean vocabulary would be as interesting and credible as a sock puppet.

if you're starting to pick up bad habits, you should read something else ... but if you enjoy the story and it enriches your life, read on! I haven't read The Dome yet but I've read most of his others and love most of them.

[vickilynn]

Hey Vickilynn,

Mr. King's works all contain profanity, with the exception of the ones mentioned above, and a few short stories, like "Jerusalem's Lot" (pre-cursor to his novel 'Salem's Lot).

I read The Shack recently and found it to be a good read. It's considered by many to be a very fair Christian mystery/suspense read, worth a look-see, in the sense that it's a Christian parent balancing doing the right thing with what he *wants* to do.

I'm sorry you had an adverse reaction to UTD. Most of Mr. King's works are full of lively, colorful, interesting characters, and not all of them swear like sailors or live their lives day-to-day needing exorcisms.

If we talked you out of your tree, would you consider reading other works of Mr. King's? It would be a shame to lose a Board member based solely on Mr. King's use of profanity. There are so many other redeeming qualities about his books that I think you'd be won over in a flash.
If you stay, you're always welcome here. If you leave, we will understand.

Have a good MLK holiday weekend in the meantime....

Oh I'm not planning on leaving, I may not post that much all the time as I have another board I mainly go to. I have read The Shack and I can't say as it was pretty good. Not sure I cared for how they portrayed God but it was fiction. I will probably read more of Mr. King's work but I have 3 Star Trek novels and a mystery yet to read on my Kindle. I'm afraid I get kind of dowload happy since it's new.

The world is profane. Life is riddled with evil and humans are dripping with sin. How much more the Christian, who fully realizes how awful they really are.

Encountering it, in life, in a book, doesn't taint you. The story is just that, a story. But if it can be imagined, it can potentially exist somewhere.

I am also a Christian but I still enjoy Stephen King's books. I don't relish the profanity but I value honesty and characters that are true to their nature. Some characters with clean vocabulary would be as interesting and credible as a sock puppet.

if you're starting to pick up bad habits, you should read something else ... but if you enjoy the story and it enriches your life, read on! I haven't read The Dome yet but I've read most of his others and love most of them.

Good Advice. Under the Dome is a very very long book. The plot itself is pretty good. I'm getting close to the and and have figured out something of what's behind the Dome unless there's a big surprise.

Thanks for all the input.