Worst of Stephen King - Worst books or stories

[Constellationzero]

Yesterday I found a hardcover first edition of Salems Lot in mint condition (dustcover looks perfect, etc.). Been actually wanting this book for a while so I snapped it up at my local Goodwill. I actually loved Jerusalem's Lot and One for the Road, so I can't wait to dig into this one.

But after I finish From a Buick 8.

 

[Mola Ram]

Yesterday I found a hardcover first edition of Salems Lot in mint condition (dustcover looks perfect, etc.). Been actually wanting this book for a while so I snapped it up at my local Goodwill. I actually loved Jerusalem's Lot and One for the Road, so I can't wait to dig into this one.

But after I finish From a Buick 8.

If that's actually a first edition you need to put that sucker in a safety deposit box, especially if the dust jacket mentions a "Father Cody," which is an error unique to the first printing. First edition 'Salem's Lot can go for thousands.

However, you need to make sure it's not a facsimile. Stephen King had a book club back in the day that sent you reproductions of the first editions. Those might be worth something, too. Either way, you need to get that thing appraised.

 

[Constellationzero]

If that's actually a first edition you need to put that sucker in a safety deposit box, especially if the dust jacket mentions a "Father Cody," which is an error unique to the first printing. First edition 'Salem's Lot can go for thousands.

However, you need to make sure it's not a facsimile. Stephen King had a book club back in the day that sent you reproductions of the first editions. Those might be worth something, too. Either way, you need to get that thing appraised.

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated!

 

[Mola Ram]

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated!

I have a feeling it's a facsimile or other book club edition you've got -- even high value copies of that book almost never have pristine dust jackets -- but people can and do find treasures at thrift stores. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.

 

[Constellationzero]

I have a feeling it's a facsimile or other book club edition you've got -- even high value copies of that book almost never have pristine dust jackets -- but people can and do find treasures at thrift stores. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.

Just pulled it and looked. Says Father Callahan in the dust jacket. But I looked at the difference on ebay so I know what to look out for in the future should I run across another one.
Looking at the publishing date tells me it's a first edition, but probably the book club facsimile. Either way, Salem's Lot was on my bucket list because I loved Jerusalem's Lot and One For the Road.
I got it for my personal collection. And I do love just finding these things in the wild and building on what I already have.

 

[Mola Ram]

Just pulled it and looked. Says Father Callahan in the dust jacket. But I looked at the difference on ebay so I know what to look out for in the future should I run across another one.
Looking at the publishing date tells me it's a first edition, but probably the book club facsimile. Either way, Salem's Lot was on my bucket list because I loved Jerusalem's Lot and One For the Road.
I got it for my personal collection. And I do love just finding these things in the wild and building on what I already have.

I'm far from an expert on this stuff, but one telltale sign of SK first editions is that they'll have a price on the dust jacket -- 'Salem's Lot would be $7.95. I actually have one of the facsimile editions (I know that's what it is because my dad was a member of the book club and I kept a bunch of them after he passed), and it does not have a price. But like I said, if you have any doubts have an expert check it out.

EDIT: You also want to look for other signifiers because it's not uncommon for people to replace lost original dust jackets with book club versions.

 

[IDanceonTrannyGraves]

Duhma Key was the last King book i started, one of the few books i've put down after reading about half. I considered giving his JFK time travel book a try but with so much other shit to read i may never get to it.

His JFK book (if you mean 11/22/63) was decent, but I read it when it came out and haven't since then so don't know if it holds up

 

[McMitch]

Either way, Salem's Lot was on my bucket list because I loved Jerusalem's Lot and One For the Road.

Jerusalem’s Lot really doesn’t have anything to do with Salem’s Lot beyond the name. It’s nothing more than a Lovecraft pastiche. Salem’s Lot is a great sequel to Dracula, however, and I recommend reading the latter immediately before the former for the best experience.

His JFK book (if you mean 11/22/63) was decent, but I read it when it came out and haven't since then so don't know if it holds up

As opposed to his other JFK book: The Dead Zone.

 

[The Taco Santo!]

I really liked the Dead Zone, and the 11/63 book wasn't bad.

 

[Constellationzero]

Jerusalem’s Lot really doesn’t have anything to do with Salem’s Lot beyond the name. It’s nothing more than a Lovecraft pastiche. Salem’s Lot is a great sequel to Dracula, however, and I recommend reading the latter immediately before the former for the best experience.


As opposed to his other JFK book: The Dead Zone.

Great!
I have a Borders version of Dracula that I've read twice already. FWIW, Jerusalem's Lot and One For the Road are both pretty different from each other, but I found both to be very good. As far as Lovecraft pastiche... I'd say Crouch End gets that awards. But I loved Crouch End too, even with the hamfisted ALAZARED CTHULU KRYON and other stuff.

From a Buick 8 is another Lovecraft pastiche, it turns out. I'm still reading... I'm on the part about the car shitting out black "leaves" that turn whitish gray in shed B.

I have a first edition hardcover of Skeleton Crew.

The Raft about made me puke reading it. Another pastiche (Chambers) is The Kiss, which, if you can't get enough of The King in Yellow, you might enjoy that one too.

 

[TVB]

His JFK book (if you mean 11/22/63) was decent, but I read it when it came out and haven't since then so don't know if it holds up

I really liked the Dead Zone, and the 11/63 book wasn't bad.

Yea, those of a couple good books from Stephen King. I'm pretty sure there are plenty more, even though the majority of King's bibliography has been complete overrated shit, but these two are good reads.

 

[McMitch]

The King in Yellow

The first story of the King in Yellow is great. The rest not so much

 

[Constellationzero]

The first story of the King in Yellow is great. The rest not so much

Repairer of Reputations.

I enjoyed The Mask and In The Court of the Dragon. The Yellow Sign kinda sucked though.

 

[Mayor Cody Travers]

11/22/63 and The Stand are the only King stories that stick out in my head, partly due to length, but because the former is alternate history and the latter building up post-apocalypse, which are ideas that appeal to me. '63 I actually found quite charming and rooting for the protagonist and his girlfriend and wanted to imagine any future references to him will show him in a good light. That said, the what-if once he accomplished his task of saving JFK went off the rails but I guess that's the point. The Stand was just a fine straight-up adventure story, though I found it falling short of his hope of being the American national epic or whatever equivalent to Beowulf he was aiming for.

 

[Mola Ram]

The Stand was just a fine straight-up adventure story, though I found it falling short of his hope of being the American national epic or whatever equivalent to Beowulf he was aiming for.

My only real problem with The Stand is that one of the nominal heroes, Fran Goldsmith, is one of the most straight up obnoxious characters he ever wrote.

 

[Squirrel Nutkin]

Holly is an interesting example of how topicality (i.e. the references on nearly every page to COVID) can go badly wrong and seem horribly dated almost instantly. Also, is it just me or does King really seem to hate that he got old?

 

[Mayor Cody Travers]

Also, is it just me or does King really seem to hate that he got old?

Explain your thoughts, I'm quite intrigued.

 

[Mola Ram]

Explain your thoughts, I'm quite intrigued.

The last King I read was Doctor Sleep, which cast as baddies a bunch of retirees cruising the country in RVs and vans and oversized motorcycles, which definitely felt like a dig at his own Boomer cohort (especially considering they fed on the young). I've heard the baddies in Holly are also old folks, so this sounds like a really interesting discussion.

 

[el bandito loco]

It's not gratuitous at all; it's the psychological hinge of the novel and confronting it is what allows the main character to compose herself enough to figure out how to escape.

I don't really understand why people get so hung up on shit like this. It's disgusting and horrific or whatever but if it's important to the story or whatever I don't find anything wrong with it. It's not something I want to read but people get diddled and it informs the rest of their life. you can't always just slot in some other abuse for any other one without fundamentally changing the point. I read the book once as a teenager and I don't remember it too well but from my recollection I'd agree with your point that it's literally the hinge of the story having it be something else would make it a different book at best and not work at all narrative or thematically at worst.

 

[Mola Ram]

I don't really understand why people get so hung up on shit like this. It's disgusting and horrific or whatever but if it's important to the story or whatever I don't find anything wrong with it. It's not something I want to read but people get diddled and it informs the rest of their life. you can't always just slot in some other abuse for any other one without fundamentally changing the point. I read the book once as a teenager and I don't remember it too well but from my recollection I'd agree with your point that it's literally the hinge of the story having it be something else would make it a different book at best and not work at all narrative or thematically at worst.

Gerald's Game is a crappy book pretty much top to bottom. The molestation scene is important to the story, but truth be told it's a big part of one of the book's larger problems; that is, since this is classic Stephen King subtlety we're talking about, one of the elements of one of his first heavily feminist stories is that All Men Are Disgusting Pigs. Her dad molested her, her husband had yuck gross ick BDSM fantasies (and I think it's implied that he would have raped her if she demurred), and she's nearly raped and murdered by a deformed serial killer who's a necrophiliac. In retrospect, it may be an important scene to story, but it also draws from a deep well of cliches. That's more offensive than just being sexually gross.