Overrated Books?

[aFewGoodTaters]

I've only started reading one book by S.King, and increasingly got irritated by the writing formular to the handeling and the clichéd content. I had to force myself to pick the book up, hopeing to be rewarded with at least a satisfying conclusion, but that did not eventuate. I've no idea anymore what the title was, or even what the story was about (if anything)...something about a road, I think. Résumé - waste of paper.
I would not consider touching another of his books. But I know many people rate him highly - in my opinion, wrongly.

Stephen King has written 65 novels and over 200 short stories and is one of the best selling authors of all time. You have read part of one of these books (for which you don't even remember the name) but deem him as overrated.

I'm sorry, but that is like only listening to 'Why Don't We Do It In the Road?' and determining based upon that one song that the Beatles are overrated.

 

[ravindave_3600]

Meh. He looks like he smells nice. Just don’t say anything.

Good point. On second blush I think I would say the same thing to him that I say to my more selfish and misled acquaintances:

"Hmm! Tell me more."

Ladies and Gentlemen (or Dudes and Dudettes, for those of us who don’t like to be addressed in polite honorifics)—

Please don’t get this thread shut down for political discussion—I understand some literature is political in nature, and some of that literature (politics aside) is poorly written (I agree about “Atlas Shrugged”—a weak, sophomoric narrative about a political philosophy), but this was more of a discussion in what literature that is highly acclaimed or has notoriety, but fell flat with *you* personally.

I know I started the ball rolling with a book many people like—for whatever reason—and it’s ok if people disagree with me…but whether the piece is high-brow, low-brow or in-between, “overrated” is in the eye of the beholder.

Thanks, Fiesta. I'm enjoying the thread and would like it to stay open. And I now return to my usual non- political book bashing.

 

[teletail]

And he's poorer for it, right?

I think anyone that lives in an echo chamber is disadvantaged.

 

[teletail]

I do the same thing. I really dislike a totally one sided world.

I like researching something and finding out I was wrong. It keeps me humble.

 

[ravindave_3600]

They were never meant to be read as novels, they're scripts for plays. They contain stage directions and cast lists, which must be a clue.

Hamlet is rarely staged in full. It runs to about five hours

I like Shakespeare; his best truly is the best. But reading plays as books doesn't really work. When I teach him my students read the play in class, together, and the homework is to go back to catch things they missed and read forward so they'll be a little more familiar with the next day's episode. It takes a lot more time than the way I was taught but at the end most all of the kids enjoyed it and feel successful.

 

[middy]

What's interesting is that I am reading Malazan, which seems to be un-enjoyable by those who like WOT and other more YA-ish 21st century fantasy. They also don't seem to like Abercrombie either.

Both of those I like.

 

[middy]

I bought the first three when they were first published in the late 70s. I got about a hundred pages into the first one before deciding life was far too short...

I went back and read the first one a couple years ago, because I could never get into them. There are some interesting ideas, some decent action scenes and grim circumstances… I just can’t care about any of the characters. No desire to continue.

 

[buster poser]

Stop selling Rand short, John Galt's speech in Atlas Shrugged is a full 60 pages!

Honestly never made it that far. I started with the Fountainhead and unfortunately read the whole thing. I knew the score and dropped AS about 100 pages in.

Stephen King has written 65 novels and over 200 short stories and is one of the best selling authors of all time. You have read part of one of these books (for which you don't even remember the name) but deem him as overrated.

I'm sorry, but that is like only listening to 'Why Don't We Do It In the Road?' and determining based upon that one song that the Beatles are overrated.

That. I don't love everything by Stephen King, but the breadth of tone and genre is pretty tough to deny. Running Man to The Stand to Shawshank to Roland and company covers a lot of ground and it's not all for everyone.

 

[THX1123]

Both of those I like.

Me too. I really liked Joe's books. Kinda bummed I've already read all the Abercrombie and Richard K. Morgan books.

At least I'm safe in the knowledge that the Malazan omnibus I bought on Kindle is 6.2 billion pages long. That oughta keep me busy until summer.

 

[Bendyha]

Stephen King has written 65 novels and over 200 short stories and is one of the best selling authors of all time. You have read part of one of these books (for which you don't even remember the name) but deem him as overrated.

I'm sorry, but that is like only listening to 'Why Don't We Do It In the Road?' and determining based upon that one song that the Beatles are overrated.

I have read the book cover to cover, thus I stated my disappointment at not being rewarded with, at least, a satisfying conclusion.
The one book was, I consider, enough to highlight his writing methods. And indeed, if he has constructed 65 novels, and over 200 short stories, as you claim, then this is definitely someone who is using a repeatable method of production, one that seems to be more concerned with quantity than quality.

Rather than just one track, I would say listening to the whole of the Beatles "White album" is sufficient to judge whether the band shows qualities enough to take the trouble of listening to another of their 12 studio albums.

As for not remembering the name, it was 44 years ago. I have forgotten a lot since then.
I have looked, and discovered that he only started publishing in 1978, and it seems the book I read was his second release, "The Long Walk", published originally under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Maybe he improved since then, I will not bother trying to find out, horror/thrillers with a mysterious twist..... not my thing, I don't enjoy watching films of that genre either, If my wife is watching one, I tend to bore quickly, and wander off and do something else instead.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Stephen King has written 65 novels and over 200 short stories and is one of the best selling authors of all time. You have read part of one of these books (for which you don't even remember the name) but deem him as overrated.

I'm sorry, but that is like only listening to 'Why Don't We Do It In the Road?' and determining based upon that one song that the Beatles are overrated.

I don't have an opinion on Stephen King, but none of the authors I really like have written close to 65 novels or are on the list of best selling authors of all time. But I guess Danielle Steele is on those lists, too.

 

[IowaTeleGuy]

oh he did. sure, he invented tv.

Based and Christ Pilled!

 

[aFewGoodTaters]

I have read the book cover to cover, thus I stated my disappointment at not being rewarded with, at least, a satisfying conclusion.
The one book was, I consider, enough to highlight his writing methods. And indeed, if he has constructed 65 novels, and over 200 short stories, as you claim, then this is definitely someone who is using a repeatable method of production, one that seems to be more concerned with quantity than quality.

Rather than just one track, I would say listening to the whole of the Beatles "White album" is sufficient to judge whether the band shows qualities enough to take the trouble of listening to another of their 12 studio albums.

As for not remembering the name, it was 44 years ago. I have forgotten a lot since then.
I have looked, and discovered that he only started publishing in 1978, and it seems the book I read was his second release, "The Long Walk", published originally under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Maybe he improved since then, I will not bother trying to find out, horror/thrillers with a mysterious twist..... not my thing, I don't enjoy watching films of that genre either, If my wife is watching one, I tend to bore quickly, and wander off and do something else instead.

He wrote the Long Walk when he was a freshman in college - so I think it's safe to say he's likely evolved as a writer since that time.

I'm not trying to sell you on Stephen King, nor am I trying to claim that him being so prolific means he's great....I'm just saying it's pretty hard to say the guy is overrated when you haven't even read half a percent of his total work.

 

[notmyusualuserid]

I have read the book cover to cover, thus I stated my disappointment at not being rewarded with, at least, a satisfying conclusion.
The one book was, I consider, enough to highlight his writing methods. And indeed, if he has constructed 65 novels, and over 200 short stories, as you claim, then this is definitely someone who is using a repeatable method of production, one that seems to be more concerned with quantity than quality.

Rather than just one track, I would say listening to the whole of the Beatles "White album" is sufficient to judge whether the band shows qualities enough to take the trouble of listening to another of their 12 studio albums.

As for not remembering the name, it was 44 years ago. I have forgotten a lot since then.
I have looked, and discovered that he only started publishing in 1978, and it seems the book I read was his second release, "The Long Walk", published originally under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. Maybe he improved since then, I will not bother trying to find out, horror/thrillers with a mysterious twist..... not my thing, I don't enjoy watching films of that genre either, If my wife is watching one, I tend to bore quickly, and wander off and do something else instead.

Where did you read that 'he only started publishing in 1978'?

King's first published novel was Carrie in 1974. The Long Walk was his sixth.

While I think that King has become somewhat overrated in recent years, I at least have read enough of his work to form that conclusion. He's certainly a better genre writer than Koontz.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I started The Goldfinch, but didn't finish it either

You can save a lot if time that way.

 

[Bendyha]

Where did you read that 'he only started publishing in 1978'?

King's first published novel was Carrie in 1974. The Long Walk was his sixth.

While I think that King has become somewhat overrated in recent years, I at least have read enough of his work to form that conclusion. He's certainly a better genre writer than Koontz.

Okay, my mistake, I got lead to a disinformation page, (who would have thought that so-what exists on the internet.)
Anyway, beside the point, especially as the guy doesn't interest me what-so-ever. As his sixth book, I would imagine it is representative of his more mature style, and therefore suitable to make a judgement upon. I have seen the film of Carrie (I do like Spacek) and did not enjoy it either, nor "The Shining", when we are on the subject of overrated.
The thread's title is in reference to "overrated books" anyway, not authors, and reading one book is enough to say that that book is overrated, because the cover blurb was full of estimable proclamations that I found not to hold merit.

 

[Jim622]

Where did you read that 'he only started publishing in 1978'?

King's first published novel was Carrie in 1974. The Long Walk was his sixth.

While I think that King has become somewhat overrated in recent years, I at least have read enough of his work to form that conclusion. He's certainly a better genre writer than Koontz.

The first book I read by King was Night Shift, which for the most part was very good. Not all the stories worked for me. Since then I read 8 to 10 of his other books. I then decided he had no more to offer, at least for me. Maybe it says something that I enjoyed his short stories the best. Since I stopped reading him after as much as I had, I still don’t feel I have aright to say if he is over rated or not.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

. . . this is definitely someone who is using a repeatable method of production, one that seems to be more concerned with quantity than quality. . . .

Mickey Spilane said it best: "I write the first page so you'll read the rest of the book. I write the last page so you'll read my next book."

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I think anyone that lives in an echo chamber is disadvantaged.

You can say that again!

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

I don't know too much about overrated books, because I do my research before, but I can say IMHO what books are NOT overrated.
The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes. . . .

I'll bet a dollar that's either The Complete Works of Conan Doyle or The Complete Sherlock Holmes.