Horror, Fantasy, and other non-sci-fi genres...

[D_Davis]

150 pages into 11/22/63, and it is fantastic. By god can King spin a yarn. I've been on a cycle lately of liking every other King book, and I was afraid of this one since Under the Dome was so good (I think it's his singular masterpiece). I also usually don't like King's more personal stories, and was a tad disappointed when I found out that this was written in first-person POV. I prefer the epic King, the one who paints with broad brush strokes.

However, he is totally nailing the voice here. It feels so good to be in the hands of plot's master craftsman.

This is definitely a companion piece to Under the Dome, but so far the politics here are not defined with as much bombast and hyperbole.

[D_Davis]

One of my favorite things about Stephen King is the way he sets stuff up and knocks 'em down; he's a master of the shotgun rule. He masterfully does this on page 150 of 11/22/63. Here the main character, a high school English teacher, says that in all of fiction and nonfiction there is only one question the reader asks, and that is "What happened?" And it is the authors job to answer that questions with "This happened. And this. And this, too." And at the end of that chapter, I was totally like "WHAT HAPPENED?" Amazing. When it comes to spinning a yarn, King is in a class by himself.

I'm also really surprised by how deftly King has introduced an element of horror to 11/2/63. I was not expecting that. The time that the main character is spending in Derry has impending sense of doom.

And he's handling the time-travel elements with more skill than just about any author I've ever read. At one point the main character asks about the grandfather paradox, what happens if I go back in time and kill my own grandfather? To which another character answers "Why the fuck would you do that?"

Man is this novel amazing.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I was lukewarm on this new novel, but you're wearing me down. I'm also thinking that you might be right with your judgment of Under the Dome. The more I think about it, the more I love it. It's easily in my top five.

[D_Davis]

I was lukewarm on this new novel, but you're wearing me down.

I don't think you should be. It's getting rave reviews:

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/01/141911...eview-11-22-63
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/bo...ef=stephenking
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011...en-king-review
http://www.mercurynews.com/books/ci_19282206
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stor...lter-past.html

It's really amazing so far. So succinctly written, and masterfully plotted. Just a real ripper.


I thought we pretty much agreed that Under the Dome was really good? 11/22/63 is definitely a companion piece to that book, in thematic way.

[D_Davis]

I woke up at 3 a.m. this morning thinking about 11/22/63. Got up and read for about an hour before falling back to sleep. At one point, I teared up a bit. I was caught totally unaware by a sweet little moment. I might be liking this one as much as Under the Dome.

[D_Davis]

While I'm still enjoying 11/22/63, the love-story aspect does go on for a little too long without any of the thrill/tension from the first two parts of the book. There are some lovely moments during the middle portion, but not enough to keep me fully engaged. I'm still really liking it. It's just that I wasn't expecting the beginning to be so captivating - I was expecting a slow, character-driven love story from the get-go. But after being surprised by some good thrills and horror in the beginning (the section in Derry), the middle portion drags just a bit. However, the good stuff is creeping back in, and I can't wait to see where it all goes.

[dreamdead]

How's the main character? A cipher for the narrative, or actually developed? This review is what I fear whenever I get to it, that the engaging aspects of the narrative are everything but our central narrator (which is also one of Under the Dome's flaws in my mind, despite the wonderful flow of that text's plot)...

I'm thinking I'll read Don DeLillo's historical take on Oswald, Libra, and then check this out too, just to see how they relate.

[D_Davis]

The main character's motivations are my main concern with the novel. I've questioned them a few of times even though I'm greatly enjoying the scenarios his decisions create. So yes, it can be problematic at times.

[D_Davis]

Conversely, I'm also happy that the main character isn't, simply, a got-nothing-to-lose-so-why-the-hell-not kind of guy. King doesn't make his 2011 life something to escape from, so in that sense it's kind of interesting. He doesn't have an ideal life, but it's not terrible. I think, maybe, he's just idealistic and wants to make things better, and then he's given a really fantastic way to make a huge change.

In this sense, I think it mirrors some of the modern day politics that King has addressed here and in Under the Dome. Right now, a lot of people want to make a difference, they want things to change for the better. However, what can they (we) do? If given the chance, would you go back in time to stop the 9/11 attacks from happening?

[D_Davis]

11/22/63, by Stephen King

With 11/22/63 King takes us back to one of the watershed moments of U.S. History - the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In many ways, this novel is a companion piece to Under the Dome. Both are politically charged, dealing with issues important to King. But while Under the Dome is more bombastic, casting its evil in the light of fundamentalist Christianity and Tea Party politics, 11/22/63 is more subdued, and instead it couches its evil in the era that right-wing America wants to take "take our country back" to.

The book is basically divided into three sections. The first and third sections are fantastic - some of King's very best. I was not expecting the shotgun start, and the ending, a place where King sometimes stumbles, is one of his very best; I'd say it's pitch perfect. The final third also contains one of King's very best written paragraphs, and the events that transpire on that fateful day in Texas are as thrilling as they come - I simply couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

Unfortunately the middle portion goes on for a little too long. It's not bad, it's just kind of a disappointment after the amazing beginning. The plot stalls and we are given a pretty good little love story. Again, it's not bad, and it did hold my attention, but I did start to wonder when things were going to get exciting again.

Another problem has to do with character motivation. I've heard this mentioned in a couple of other reviews, and I'm of two minds about it. On one hand, the motivations of Jake/George, the main character, are hard to believe. He is basically just a catalyst for the plot. He does some crazy things - like volunteering to back in time to save JFK, for one! - and King never really presents any kind of grounding motivation.

On the other hand, however, I appreciate that King didn't make Jake/George simply a man-with-nothing-to-lose type character. He didn't go back in time to escape his POS modern life. He is not running away from something, he was actually running towards something. And by the end of the book I saw this more as a positive, especially given the politics of the book.

In these crazy socioeconomic and politically troubled times we live in, the desire to DO SOMETHING is stronger than ever. This can be seen in the misguided attempts behind the Tea Party movement, and even more so now in the desire to overthrow the corporate coup of America beating away in the heart of the Occupy movement. I think people now, more than ever, want to do something, no matter how drastic, to make things better. And this is exactly what Jake/George sets out to do. He is a modern day hero, and ultimately he is one that makes sense in these times even if his literary motivations are flimsy.

[D_Davis]

Just picked up the 40th Anniversary edition of The Exorcist. Blatty claims that the original was a first draft, and he always wanted to do a second, updated version. From what I've read, there are very few changes - there is one additional scene with a new character, and some new lines of dialog. I hope it is more in line with King's unabridged The Stand than it is with Lucas's Star Wars tinkering.

[D_Davis]

Finally ordered a first edition of



Signed by Cisco.

[D_Davis]

I know that William Peter Blatty is a brilliant writer. I've seen and read almost everything he's done. However, whenever I start to read something by him I'm always shocked by just how good he is. I started the 40th Anniversary Edition of The Exorcist this morning, and it is just amazing.

[D_Davis]

Have Glyphs Will Travel, the 3rd installment of the coolest series of books ever written is out!

I absolutely cannot wait to get lost again in the world of The Merkabah Rider. This is fantasy perfection of the highest order.

[D_Davis]

So I don't know if it's because of the new updated version, or just because I'm getting more out of it during my third read, but I have to say that The Exorcist is better than ever. I used to rate Legion above it, but now I'm not quite sure. I will say one thing for sure - it shames every other piece of pop-horror I've ever read by a country mile (how long is a country mile?) in every way possible. It is smarter, funnier (this is one that often surprises people, but what should you expect from Blatty, and author who the New York Times said "nobody writes funnier lines," than?), scarier, and contains more humanity - on top of all of that, it is simply a masterfully written novel brimming with some of the very best character interaction I've ever encountered.

I was skeptical when Blatty said that this new version was the one he wanted to be remembered for, and now I am not.

[D_Davis]

Reading Every Shallow Cut, by Tom Piccirilli. It's a cool little noir thriller with a somewhat sinister and slightly supernatural undercurrent.

[D_Davis]

If you ever find yourself at the book store browsing the SF, horror, crime and mystery sections, and you see a little logo that says "CZP" on the spine of one of the books, just pick it up and buy it.

Chances are, you'll probably at least like the book, if not love it.

I love that CZP, or Chizine Publications, is releasing a bunch of genre-related novellas, especially in this day and age of bloated, epic series. You can pick up one of these small volumes, read it in a sitting or two, and have a complete experience without having to wait years for the next entry in a series only to be disappointed.

Tom Piccirilli's Every Shallow Cut is a great little noir thriller with a subtle supernatural undercurrent - there is something sinister and dark bubbling under the surface of this story about a man who has nothing else to lose, nothing worth a damn anyhow; except for his dog, Churchill, that is.

It's well written, taught, and packs an emotional punch. And what's best is that it leaves you wanting more.

[D_Davis]

Finally reading through all of the stories in the first three volumes of Clive Barker's The Books of Blood. So good. I've read a few of the stories before. "The Yattering and Jack" is still as awesome as ever.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Finally reading through all of the stories in the first three volumes of Clive Barker's The Books of Blood. So good. I've read a few of the stories before. "The Yattering and Jack" is still as awesome as ever.

Love, love, love his work here. Stories like "The Age of Desire," "In the Hills the Cities," and "Down, Satan!" remain vivid and haunting to me, despite reading them years ago. I prefer them substantially to his longer novels.

[D_Davis]

Have Glyphs Will Travel is now in my possession.

Five episodes of weird-western fiction...I cannot wait.

[megladon8]

From my (admittedly limited) experience with Clive Barker, he's really not good with full novels.

"The Hellbound Heart" is just about the longest thing I've read by him that was still any good. And while I did really like that book, I think his short stories are much better.

Still haven't finished all of the "Books of Blood". I should get on that.

[D_Davis]

From my (admittedly limited) experience with Clive Barker, he's really not good with full novels.

I like his shorter work as well, but Weaveworld is among my most favorite fantasies, and The Great and Secret Show is also amazing.

I'll be kicking off 2012 with Imajica.

Absolutely cannot wait for The Scarlet Gospel.

[megladon8]

I like his shorter work as well, but Weaveworld is among my most favorite fantasies, and The Great and Secret Show is also amazing.

I'll be kicking off 2012 with Imajica.

Absolutely cannot wait for The Scarlet Gospel.

I'll have to check out "Weaveworld" eventually, too. You've recommended that to me in the past I just never got around to it.

[D_Davis]

If you like genre fiction, and you're not reading the Merkabah Rider saga, you're reading the wrong books. Period. Wow.

[D_Davis]

Episode 9 of the Merkabah Rider saga, "The Long Sabbath," raises the bar of gruesome action to a level I've never encountered before. We're talking lawnmower scene from Dead Alive levels of gore, multiplied. The building tension and the evolving, epic nature of the main set piece is absolutely jow dropping. It also includes the nastiest stampede I've ever witnessed. Just brutal. And all so, so, SO good.