LATEST READ
Today I am off work ill. This
blog post will be the only output of my day.
Unfortunately lack of output has
been common recently for me. Due to an INSANE time at work the last couple of
weeks with training and system upgrades (and a 24-hour straight shift!), all
the while accompanied by some sleepless nights, writing has been low down on my
agenda. Which annoys me.
A lot.
Yet I’ve still found time to
read.
This morning I finished my latest;
Stephen King’s From A Buick 8.
It’s an interesting story, one
that has effortlessly earned its place in my all-time favourite King novels. I
can’t quite put my finger on what exactly it is about it that I like, but I
didn’t hesitate with the five stars on Goodreads. When I looked online, however,
I found a lot of reviews that online came in from the extreme angles; people
either really liked it, or really, really hated it.
The main issue the 1 stars have
with it is the lack of explanation, of resolution. This is ironic, because that’s
what the whole book is really about. From
A Buick 8 is a tales made up of tales all leading to the point that life
doesn’t always work out like the stories we enjoy reading so much. Life doesn’t
always end well, it doesn’t give all the answers, and it doesn’t all have
meaning.
I liked it, though. But then, I’ve
read enough King to enjoy something a little different. I like how he writes
his characters (all of them, not just the main ones). I could read about a character’s
day, where nothing really happens, if it was written by Mr King. He writes so
much detail into his worlds; some of it obvious, some of it subtle. He writes characters
as if they’re real people.
Of course, while I’d recommend it
in a heartbeat to any King fan who hadn’t gotten around to it yet, it isn’t (in
my opinion) a good place for someone new to Mr King’s work.
Which brings me to . . .
WHERE TO START
While my toast was cooking on
another lunchbreak earlier this week, a work colleague noticed the book on my
table. She asked if I liked Stephen King (absolutely) and then told me she was
planning on reading It soon. I
mentioned that I hadn’t gotten around to that one yet but was looking forward
to it.
Then I asked her what other King
books she’d read to which she replied, “None”.
What?!?!
My immediate reaction was that
she was crazy to start with one of King’s biggest works. If it went wrong, it
could put her off the master writer for life. That first King read is
important; it’s the one you’ll always remember (like that first love, remember him/her?),
it’s what you’ll judge all the rest by, and it will hopefully open you up to
all the things that make King such a mighty author.
So, what did I tell her? Well,
with the help of a fellow King fan (hello Steve), we compiled a list of where
we thought she would be better of starting.
I started with The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, an odd
one, I know. You see back then (around 2005) I was adamant that I would avoid
mainstream authors. And you don’t get much more mainstream than Stephen King. But
one day, while the future Mrs Creek was busy perusing in our local TESCO, I
spotted a King book I’d never heard of before, or expected to be something he
would write. It was part western and part fantasy. I was very, very interested.
Yet there was that name on the cover, a name I’d stubbornly sworn not to read.
And the price, that was . . . cheap actually. On sale for £1.99.
Sold.
Of course I later found out that
it was more than one book, and despite the Dark Tower series being my favourite
story of all time, there were many reasons why that shouldn’t be my colleagues
first King read. And after the Gunslinger
Next up was Cell. This was a simpler book in King terms, an interesting premise
with a zombie story turned on its head. Excluding the Dark Tower, this was my
first proper Stephen King novel, and when I finished it I felt guilty for that
earlier stubbornness. I immediately found his writing interesting and smart,
and knew then and there that I would be reading many more of his (to date, I’m
not even halfway, but I’m enjoying taking my time with them).
After that I went with his first,
Carrie. I thought that, for my
colleague, this would be a good start due to its size and simplicity. Steve
also suggested ‘Salem’s Lot and The Shinning (we both agreed she should
skip around for The Stand for now),
but our worry became that these was all his old (oldest) stuff, and some people
can be put off of period stuff. It’s like movies; I know some people that avoid
films made before they were born like the plague.
So Steve and I started thinking
about more recent works (all while my colleague eyes started to glaze over as
she began to regret the question she’d asked me). I mentioned Cell, but tought
things like Lisey’s Story and Duma Key were a little too involved for
a first time.
Of course there was Blaze, the Bachman book released not
long after Cell. This was another easy read (and another of my favourites).
But as I mentioned, my colleague
started to feel comatose, and the conversation ended there. I don’t know if she
started It, or if she picked another (or if we scared her off of Stephen King
altogether).
OTHER FANS
I know a couple of people who
read this blog are King fans. What would you guys have suggested? Do you agree
that I should have diverted her away from some of the heavier stuff for her
first time, or should she just have dived straight in to a doorstop? And what
was your first King novel?
Apologies for the short and
random nature of the post today. As I said at the beginning, illness is hugging
me. Hopefully it will go away quickly, work can get better, and writing can
rear its beautiful head once more.
I resisted suggesting The Tommyknockers:) I really like that one but I think I'm in a minority and even Stephen King himself has issues with it, though that might be to do with his state of mind at the time!
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