Books

[Thorn]

Regarding King, many times over the last twenty years or so I've felt I've outgrown him but currently reading Outsider and coincidentally working my way through Mr. Mercedes on Netflix and it's true you do sometimes forget how nasty he can get amongst the excessively wholesome all American characters and settings. Anyone who's read Outsider will know the particular  dirty deed I'm referring to.

[Carnage]

I haven't read that but I've seen the series, albeit a few years ago. I remember it getting a bit grim at times (and apperently both it and Mr. Mercedes share a character).

[Thorn]

Hang on, there's a series of The Outsider? Didn't know that.

[blessed1]

Revival is one of his best recent books imo. I loved that one.

[Maggot Colony]

Revival is great, King's homage to The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen which is one of the most unsettling stories I've ever read.

I wasn't a fan of The Outsider. The Holly character annoyed the shite out of me much that I never finished it.

[Carnage]

Hang on, there's a series of The Outsider? Didn't know that.

Yeah, pretty good too. Ben Mendelsohn, Paddy Considine, Cynthia Erivo before she went mental.

[blessed1]

I'm reading one at the moment called Maggie's Grave. It's very good so far. Nice fast paced horror and short enough at 250 pages.

Recently went back and read the Rigante series by David Gemmell. They hold up really well. I absolutely loved his books as a teenager.

[Thorn]

Yep that Rigante series was big with me as a young buck too.

Thanks Carnage, will try to hunt that down.

Not a fan of super wholesome but just a little quirky Holly either Maggotcolony!

[Sworntothecans]

Revival is one of his best recent books imo. I loved that one.

Currently reading it, it's very good.

[Don Gately]

Madhouse at thr end of the world , by Julian Sancton, story of the Belgia expedition to the antartic

Loved that book. If you haven't already then read Endurance by Alfred Lansing. The story of Shackletons doomed Antarctic expedition. I'm amazed it hasn't been made into a blockbuster yet. Those early Antarctic explorers were hard as nails cunts.

I read Endurance also , fantastic

[Thorn]

Revival is great, King's homage to The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen which is one of the most unsettling stories I've ever read.

I wasn't a fan of The Outsider. The Holly character annoyed the shite out of me much that I never finished it.

I finished it tonight but 100% agree it went full on Scooby-Doo after Holly's introduction,  can't unsee her as Velma . Shame, first half I was intrigued and thought it some of his best stuff.

[Mooncat]

Octopussy - Ian Fleming

Read quite a few of the Bonds in my 20s and this was one of the ones I hadn't gotten around to. It's a collection of four short stories, which includes Octopussy and The Living Daylights. Octopussy is 100% different from the film (I guess they just liked the title), and The Living Daylights is basically the sniper scene from the film. Pretty enjoyable overall, and a pretty fast read as the stories are only about 40 pages each.

Just started on On Her Majesty's Secret Service next. Getting ready for the Bond film season that usually appears around November.

[Carnage]

S. Craig Zahler: A Congregation Of Jackals

A western by the director of Bone Tomahawk, Brawl In Cell Block 99, Dragged Across Concrete. Has the same elements of brutality as those films, the plot's fairly straightforward but it was a decent read. He's written a few others, I'll probably check them out at some stage.

[Mooncat]

Regarding King, many times over the last twenty years or so I've felt I've outgrown him but currently reading Outsider and coincidentally working my way through Mr. Mercedes on Netflix and it's true you do sometimes forget how nasty he can get amongst the excessively wholesome all American characters and settings. Anyone who's read Outsider will know the particular  dirty deed I'm referring to.

I know what you mean about feeling like you're done with him. Usually I'll go on a King phase and read 2 or 3 books, and by the end of the 3rd one I'm thoroughly sick of his style. The character stereotypes, the over the top wooliness around child characters (yes we get it Steve, you have children), not letting anybody with an accent go by without constantly spelling out what they say phonetically etc etc.

And yet, just when I thought I was done I happened to pick up Pet Sematary and now I'm engrossed again. For all the little Kingisms that grate, he definitely has a style that draws you in like almost no-one else. A certain sense of place and nostalgia that grips you.

[Thorn]

And dogs...let's not forget his over characterizations  of our canine friends in every other book. But still, teenage life without King would have been a whole lot poorer for most of us here I'd wager. I'm re- reading Wizard and Glass at the minute actually. Into the third season of Mr. Mercedes on Netflix now too, Gleeson is some man, steals the show as usual.