February Books 8) The Shining, by Stephen King

[nwhyte]

I've only read two other Stephen King books, Hearts in Atlantis, which I very much enjoyed, and The Stand, which though deeply flawed is King's most popular book on LibraryThing (interestingly, The Shining is far ahead on GoodReads). I was, however, familiar with MAD Magazine's parody of the movie version of The Shining, published in March 1981

Comments

[anonymous]

I can't seem to sign on as me, it's AnnaFDD here.

I went on a King binge when I discovered him in the nineties, and he is most definitely a very good writer. The characterisation of Shining is not an isolated incident. If you want big canvas done well, try It. Or, for another outstanding example of intense, focused and merciless, Cujo.
I tend to like his less supernatural stuff more than his more supernatural one. Pet Semetry, which will spook you out of your mind, I don't like so much.
I've stopped reading him at one point, after about The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon ( which if very good). Not sure why. The books became longer and longer and less disciplined. I never finished The Stand though, mostly because I was having a bad cold when I started it, and, uhm... decided to put it aside for a moment when I wasn't feeling so terrified.

But yeah - most of his stuff is really really great.

[bart_calendar]

I think it's Jack's weakness that allows the ghosties to come out.

[yiskah]

I heartily recommend Doctor Sleep, King's jump sequel to The Shining, featuring a grown up Dan Torrance. I agree with the comment above that it's Jack Torrance's weaknesses, particularly his alcoholism, that attract the Overlook's ghosts, and King has said that Doctor Sleep is partly based on the premise of what would have happened if Jack Torrance had been in AA, rather than practicing white-knuckle sobriety.

[inulro]

I heartily recommend this comment!