[Abyss]

Feathersmith, on 20 July 2011 - 04:55 PM, said:

...Also I thought the lobstrosities were f-ing horrifying, actually. Creepy creepy. (multi-quote hates me)

You need to eat more seafood.

[acesn8s]

Ceda Cicero, on 20 July 2011 - 04:36 PM, said:

Abyss, on 20 July 2011 - 04:34 PM, said:

Bauchelain the Evil, on 20 July 2011 - 03:32 PM, said:

Abyss, on 20 July 2011 - 03:30 PM, said:

Among others.

But arguably the best ones were where someone took the King material and went with it. I have no stats, but i'm pretty sure the weaker films and tv series' had King directly involved.

This.

King hated Kubrick's Shining and made a tv series that ,according to him, was closer to his work. It was horrible.

Oh god that tv version was awful. I actually think the Kubrick film is untouchable for scare value and sheer mindfuck. King tells brilliant stories most of the time, that in the hands of someone who knows tv or film can be awesome, but i wish he would leave it to them.

Sticking too close to the source material would guarantee failure for a TDT film or tv project. A lot of what works in the books on a textual level won't work in a 'show me don't tell me' medium.

Consider the central plot device of DRAWING OF THE THREE... Roland wanders through a wasteland finding random doors that lead him to certain people in our world. Ummm. what? How did those get there? Who left them there? Why THOSE people? Was he on a plane? What's with the subway sociopath anyways? Now consider that in the mindset of a non-book viewer... "just go with it" doesn't fly. it's going to take a certain deft hand to make that work on screen, or work around it. King would just leave it in as is.

And let's be honest... the lobstrocities were just silly.

Did-a-chuck?

Dumma-chum.

Before there were Dragon-Cows there were Lobstrocities.

[Gust Hubb]

 Picture 3.png (302.1K)
Number of downloads: 1

[Feathersmith]

Abyss, on 20 July 2011 - 05:47 PM, said:

Feathersmith, on 20 July 2011 - 04:55 PM, said:

...Also I thought the lobstrosities were f-ing horrifying, actually. Creepy creepy. (multi-quote hates me)

You need to eat more seafood.

That's how I like my lobstrosities - soup! Or dipped in butter.

That nearly-normal aspect was part of what made them horrifying - plus Roland's relative helplessness as these damned walking dinners attacked. Making their weird little noises.

[Ceda Cicero]

It gives me great joy to resurrect this thread with the following news:

http://www.nypost.co...SPC1Qa7G72owl2N

How hard would you climax sitting down on a Sunday night to watch Game of Thrones and Dark Tower back-to-back on HBO? (realistically GoT could well be off the air by the time this series premiers, but it's nice to dream.)

[Slow Ben]

Ceda Cicero, on 27 October 2011 - 03:43 PM, said:

It gives me great joy to resurrect this thread with the following news:

http://www.nypost.co...SPC1Qa7G72owl2N

How hard would you climax sitting down on a Sunday night to watch Game of Thrones and Dark Tower back-to-back on HBO? (realistically GoT could well be off the air by the time this series premiers, but it's nice to dream.)

I love you Ceda Cicero.

[Abyss]

Ceda Cicero, on 27 October 2011 - 03:43 PM, said:

...
How hard would you climax sitting down on a Sunday night to watch Game of Thrones and Dark Tower back-to-back on HBO? ...

.

[Ceda Cicero]

Abyss, on 27 October 2011 - 04:54 PM, said:

Ceda Cicero, on 27 October 2011 - 03:43 PM, said:

...
How hard would you climax sitting down on a Sunday night to watch Game of Thrones and Dark Tower back-to-back on HBO? ...

.

Florida's unfortunate penis resemblance has never been so apropos.

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

I just finished The Gunslinger for the first time and, I'm sorry, but it was gods-awful. Given the hoopla, I'm taking it on faith that this first book is not representative of the series as a whole. Maybe I'll continue with it and just pretend this one doesn't exist. Sort of like I did with the "Across The Sea" episode of Lost.

 Lost God Devil.jpg (50.51K)
Number of downloads: 0

[Ceda Cicero]

Kruppe, on 21 June 2012 - 04:47 PM, said:

I just finished The Gunslinger for the first time and, I'm sorry, but it was gods-awful. Given the hoopla, I'm taking it on faith that this first book is not representative of the series as a whole. Maybe I'll continue with it and just pretend this one doesn't exist. Sort of like I did with the "Across The Sea" episode of Lost.

Lost God Devil.jpg

While I definitely think the books improve up until book four (while after is a bit of a dicier subject), I'd say it's 50/50ish on whether or not you'll like the rest of the series if you didn't like book one. Maybe more like 60/40ish in favor of no, depending on what it was you didn't like about the book (the LOST reference is probably a clue to that but I never made it past season 2 so it's lost on me.)

[QuickTidal]

I enjoyed GUNSLINGER (though I had to attempt the read 3 times before mkaing it through)...but I enjoyed THE DRAWING OF THE THREE less so...

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

Actually, I had no problems with the Man In Black in The Gunslinger or Lost either one, so I guess my comparison was misleading. My problem with the Lost episode was that it was just too over the top cheesy. My problem with The Gunslinger is sort of the opposite. I just found it to be a dull read.

Admittedly, the next book appears to be far more interesting, based on the description. I guess I'm just wondering if the series gets more "fantasy-ish" later on. Because this first one did not read like a fantasy. Just a guy wandering through a realm that's similar to the 1800s Old West...and every once in a while something mildly interesting and fantastical happens. As with most King books, it read like he was making it up as he went and had no clear plot in mind...which is fine...as long as the events are interesting to the reader. But they weren't.

[Ceda Cicero]

Kruppe, on 21 June 2012 - 07:16 PM, said:

Actually, I had no problems with the Man In Black in The Gunslinger or Lost either one, so I guess my comparison was misleading. My problem with the Lost episode was that it was just too over the top cheesy. My problem with The Gunslinger is sort of the opposite. I just found it to be a dull read.

Admittedly, the next book appears to be far more interesting, based on the description. I guess I'm just wondering if the series gets more "fantasy-ish" later on. Because this first one did not read like a fantasy. Just a guy wandering through a realm that's similar to the 1800s Old West...and every once in a while something mildly interesting and fantastical happens. As with most King books, it read like he was making it up as he went and had no clear plot in mind...which is fine...as long as the events are interesting to the reader. But they weren't.

If you were led to believe the series is fantasy (or firmly situated in any genre, for that matter) you were misled.

That said, there's definitely an increased spike in fantasy elements as the series progresses. Book four is probably the closest to a traditional fantasy (and traditional narrative) of all the books. As well as (IMHO) easily the best book in the series, and one of my favorites of all times.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Yeah, if you want anything resembling typical high fantasy, just stop now. It's so far out of the box it almost deserves its own genre.

[Kruppe's snacky cakes]

Well, I wasn't expecting elves and dwarves and the like. But based on what I had heard about it...I was expecting something more akin to Tad Williams' Otherland series, where the main character wanders through a multiverse of realms. I guess maybe that's coming in later books, but this first one was just a snoozefest.

[worry]

I dunno if it ever becomes that. It's really more of a mashup/pastiche of all the genre works that influenced King's love of storytelling: from general stuff like horror and westerns, to much more specific touchstones like The Wizard of Oz and The Hobbit. It's kinda like an adult version of The Neverending Story.

[Ceda Cicero]

Kruppe, on 22 June 2012 - 03:24 PM, said:

Well, I wasn't expecting elves and dwarves and the like. But based on what I had heard about it...I was expecting something more akin to Tad Williams' Otherland series, where the main character wanders through a multiverse of realms. I guess maybe that's coming in later books, but this first one was just a snoozefest.

There's definitely more multiversing later on, particularly in the second book.

Worrywort's comparison is also spot on, I'd say.

Hang in til book 4 if you can. It's worth it just to read that one.

[worry]

And yeah I agree with CC. Book 2 is better than 1 (as book 1 was essentially a long prologue), and 3 and 4 are both top notch IMO.

[Ceda Cicero]

Briar King, on 07 August 2012 - 04:11 AM, said:

Holy shit I had no clue that bk 8-4 1/2 was out already....! Does it have the artwork like the other 7 did?

No artwork.

I will say this. Finished it a few days ago and it may well be my second favorite in the series now, behind Wizard and Glass.

[Defiance]

I have yet to read the new book yet as well. I just started reading through the series for the second time (haven't read all of the books in 7 years or so) and I'm wondering if it fits perfectly after Wizard and Glass or if I should wait to read it until I finish the first seven again.