From a Buick 8 - Stephen King

For a huge fan of Stephen King (No 2 after Annie Wilkes), I realise I haven’t reviewed many of his books. This is partly due to the number of reviews written about his books already, but mainly because I hate to say anything negative about his work. I seem to have been a fan of his for as long as I can remember so it’s hard to say which of his books I first read, but since then I’ve read every one except for The Dark Tower series. Reading a new book by King is like putting on a pair of comfy slippers to me, I know I’m going to hibernate for a while until I’ve finished the book. Actually picking out a favourite is like asking a kid to choose one confectionary from a whole ...  Read the complete review

Stephen King is a horror institution. Born in Portland, Maine in 1947 he has gone on to produce many a journey into the macabre including novels, short stories, screenplays and ultimately, big screen movies. The issue around SK is as to whether he's lost the knack of keeping readers glued to the pages of his latest written work. Having read "Everything's Eventual" I'd decided that he couldn't any more. However, being the forgiving soul that I am, I thought I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and read the 2002 offering "From A Buick 8". King quite rightly suggests that short story writing is a lost art. Recounting a ...  Read the complete review

Stephen King has featured in my reading habits a lot over the years. His very style is enjoyable and eye opening at times. I think I will always consider 'The Stand' as my favourite book, but he has written many good ones of late too, such as 'Bag of Bones' and 'Dreamcatcher' (albeit a disappointing film). I await each new book with an air akin to that of a child waiting for Christmas morning, as I was with 'From a Buick 8.' So, Imagine my disappointment when reading it! Firstly, I will give you details of the story: Ned Wilcox's father has died and he starts working for the police force his father worked for, generally cleaning up the place at ...  Read the complete review

I'm shocked. Simply shocked. What about? I'm shocked that this book is written by Stephen King. I've been Stephen King's 'Number One Fan' (see, I even quote from his books!) ever since I read Pet Semetery when I was about 14 and have read most of his books so you can imagine my excitement when a new book arrived on the shelves with a minimum of fuss. Why no fuss? Possibly because he's embarrassed. This book doesn't hold a candle to his usual work - the characters are only half plausible and the books very hard to follow because it keeps jumping from a first person narration to the story telling you about that person in the past. And the first person narrator changes ...  Read the complete review

I am not surprised to see that this has some of the worst reviews for a Stephen King book. This is not his best work. Of course that doesn't mean it is bad - with his wonderful, clear and easy to read writing style I doubt anything he writes can be bad! THE PLOT Revolves around the Pennsylvania State Police station. At the back there is a car. A Buick. It seems to be a portal to another world. But any of his 'constant readers' should realize that it is in fact a portal to a dark place that exists between worlds that is full of monsters. The story follows Ned. His father was a tropper who died and now Ned wants answers. He sees the Buick and wants more ...  Read the complete review