Does Stephen's Style Sometimes Frustrate You?

[Dark Reader]

I've been reading Stephen's work mostly in the order they were written starting with Carrie and i'm currently reading Needful Things. There are a lot of things about Stephen's writing style i love but after reading nearly 30 of his books in a row i'm starting to feel frustrated by small things.

For instance, Stephen rarely explains where certain weird things that happen in his novels come from, that didn't used to bother me but now i'm finding it does.

In The Stand i was left curious to know where the pulse came from and how it happened but i wasn't overly fussed about knowing, but after i read The Dark Half i was frustrated by not really knowing just how Stark came to be.

Take Four Past Midnight as another instance, The Langoliers is an epic tale but the ones that follow seem to thin on the explanation front, Secret Window was a tad confusing at the end.

It maybe me just not liking things left to my own interpretation i guess, do any others out there feel the same way?

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

No, there are more questions than answers, and I love that about his writing. Have you read DT7?

And don't you mean Cell about 'the pulse'?

Long days and pleasant nights

[Dark Reader]

Sorry John, yes of course i was thinking of Cell when i mentioned the pulse. But also Captain Trips poses the same ponderings from the Stand.

No i haven't sampled the mighty DT series yet, i'm planning on reading them last and i'm seriously looking forward to it.

Don't get me wrong, the vast majority of the books so far i've thoroughly enjoyed, but the ones that leave me with questions kind of spoils the enjoyment for me. Ones that Spring to mind are:-

The Stand
The Mist
Dark Half
Four Past Midnight (excluding The Langoliers)
Cell (which i read out of sync)

[Agincourt Concierge]

Then again, not everything can be explained away....that's the beauty of his writing...he wants us to feel some things are inexplicable...that's what makes them creepy!!!

[rjt65]

I love this about him.... why--it makes me think of the possibilities... Read the DT series (4 x plus!) the philosophies in there can help explain a lot.

Also reading the liner notes, and seeing his influences help explain alot IMO.

Re-reading lovecraft for instance.

Just like in the real world we do not have all the answers so the books mimic real life imo....

And dont feel sorry for posting some thoughts/ critisim of Sai King ...We all have opinions and some things that bug us in every thing.

[Dark Reader]

Hmmm thats not how it comes across to me sometimes Agincourt, in most cases all is explained enough, but in some cases it feels like gaping holes have been left by accident or it feels unfinished.

Leaving something unexplained does not make something creepy for me, a well written and macabre explanation has far more potential for creepiness

[mstay]

I think a lot of people felt that way about "Cell". I know I did.

But in the other stories, I guess to me that part of the fun is using my imagination to figure out where and what.

[LadyHitchhiker]

Sometimes SK gets a little longwinded for my adhd brain... But I love him, and just wait until my brain slows down a little bit.

[fulmoontat]

Only really one thing about Kings writing is the ability for most of the characters to know (usually) exactly what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. Sometimes it's explained as Ka, which I readily eat up, because, well, I freakin love it. Sometimes however it's simply explained as "I don't know how I know, but I think it's something I'm supposed to do.."
Which tends to get a little redundant. Is that going to stop me from reading King's work? Definitely not. Sometimes the things which few characters are required to do seem a little odd, ie. the sex in the sewer in IT. I suppose that is a means of transcending from innocence and vulnerability to an extent.. it's been 15+ years since I read IT but that scene seemed out of place. I should probably re-read the book, since I was 11 or 12 the first time around. (and how horrifyingly educational it was as well.)

All in all, it's the unseen drive which directs some characters in their actions. The "i know it, because i do" or "because that's what i think i'm supposed to do"

but then again, it's not like i could do better...

until i do however, i am content to leave my knuckles white and my jaw drooping as i paw through yet another one of his literary nightmares.

[DarkWriter]

For instance, Stephen rarely explains where certain weird things that happen in his novels come from, that didn't used to bother me but now i'm finding it does.

This is one of the things I like about his books. It leaves room for my imagination to take flight.
It also makes it to where you can read the same book twice and enjoy it just as much the second time around. If you read it with a different point of view or in a different frame of mind.

Of course this is just my opinion.




If you see a masked, blood soaked figure and it's not Halloween...RUN