Under the Dome - Page 2

Mary McDonald · 07-09-2010, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

***My first impression is that King is still recycling "personalities" from all his other novels***

Interesting that you should say that, Paegan. I remember reading many, many years ago interviews with Stephen King and Frank Herbert who were among the first to start using word processors instead of typewriters and primitive computers rather than filing cabinets with potted plants on top.

Both admitted that they had found, through the technology, that they could easily jot down characters and scenes over a period of months (perhaps now years) and file them under randomly chosen working titles. When they discovered that one file had plenty of characters, storylines and scenes in it, they would then pull up all their notes, dream up a plot and simply tie everything pre-written around it.

Personally, I don't think this is cheating: I think it makes sound sense for a productive author under pressure from major houses with fixed genre in mind and with too much time spent on (contracted) on-the-road promotional tours. On the other hand, I guess there is a danger of stock overload creeping into new titles, as you seem to have noticed.

Thanks for reminding me of that, Paegan. Very best. Neil

I wouldn't think of that as cheating either...however, he must have had a *really* thick file for UtD as there were a ton of characters in it. So many that I didn't connect with any of them really, except for Barbie. I think the book would have been much better if some of the extra town people stories were cut, and the focus tightened on Barbie.

neilmarr · 07-10-2010, 07:56 AM

Right, Mary. As I said, dangerous stock overload.

In Under the Dome you just couldn't see the wood for the trees. It was as though Steve was going through some kind of stock clearance of a whole bunch of old, pre-drafted characters, story lines and scenes he'd collected and that were gathering dust in a hard drive somewhere, creating clutter and nearing their sell-by date. The result was a shambolic jumble sale.

He'd have done better, I think, in creating two new novels (rather than one ridiculously over-length tome) and offering his readers well-selected and strongly defined key characters they could connect with and -- with fewer threads (read tangents) -- a more focused job of work. He could also (for once he failed) have written with the suspension of disbelief uppermost in his mind. The 'dome' itself, I could deal with; the cartoonish, Simpsons-like reaction to it, I couldn't. And his eventual explanation (excuse) for the phenomenon was so weak that I felt like droppingh a bomb on Bangor, Maine and hoping he would be at home.

I'm not fortunate enough to edit King, but if I was, I'd have hacked this one to pieces and lost at least three hundred pages. I'm a firm believer that tight is might ... and right.

What's puzzling is that so many commercially successful -- and very, very skilled and talented -- pro authors (throw in Dan Brown if you like; he knows his job) seem to write their later books under deadline pressure and produce formulaic hash piles as a result.

Maybe it's down to the amount of time they must spend away from their desks on contracted promotion or the contractual need to make good on three- four- and five-book deals with some houses and agencies who now print up a weekly editorial and release schedule on Friday to ruin your weekend.

But you'd think that a thorough professional like Steve King, pretty wealthy and comfortably established, should have the time and the freedom to make every new title better than his last. More haste, less read.

Cheers and thanks for the chat, Mary. Neil

mbelec · 07-11-2010, 11:57 AM

I'm a King fan myself (and even work in Bangor, Maine, so run into him in the supermarket occasionally). I just finished The Long Walk, which was very good as well (and I'm a fan of the earlier works). I took it out in ebook form from the Philiadelphia Library.

neilmarr · 07-11-2010, 12:32 PM

***I work in Bangor, Maine, so run into him in the supermarket occasionally***

Pat him on the back for me next time you queue at the check out together, Mbelec. He's a skilled and talented operator I've always admired greatly (and I've read all his non-fic work, too -- outstanding insight on the craft). We all make mistakes, though, so steal his frozen peas for me by way of getting my own back for *Under the Dome*, which was a rush job and unworthy of such a master. Hoots. Neil

PS: I was only joking about the bomb. And the peas. N

Trebro · 07-11-2010, 03:24 PM

It seems folks are so divided on this book. I kinda want to read it, but I'm afraid to drop $10 on it. I really wish Philly had this as an e-book.

Rumpelteazer · 07-11-2010, 05:57 PM

I liked Under the Dome well enough, but was too long and there are, imho, too many characters, I was glad that I read the pbook so I could easily go back to the front of the book to look at the name list (and not even all the characters were listed).

As others also mentioned I like Duma Key much better, I could hardly put it down and it has made it into my top 4 (with The Stand and It in shared first place and The Shining before Duma Key).

Wordcrasher · 07-12-2010, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Nothing generally against King, but I found *Under the Dome* an unbelievable drag ... and only finished because I'd started. A struggle, though. I think I preferred the *Simpsons The Movie* version. As Cassidy says, though, *The Stand* is a masterpiece and much of King's work is nothing short of excellent. Cheers. Neil

I fully agree. I love most of King's books (standing ovation for IT and The Stand), but I found The Dome really boring.

Treven · 07-12-2010, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumpelteazer

I liked Under the Dome well enough, but was too long and there are, imho, too many characters, I was glad that I read the pbook so I could easily go back to the front of the book to look at the name list (and not even all the characters were listed).

As others also mentioned I like Duma Key much better, I could hardly put it down and it has made it into my top 4 (with The Stand and It in shared first place and The Shining before Duma Key).

Actually I didn't think it was long enough! But then I'm a big fan of James Mitchner. I wish he would have wrapped up the antagonists & protagonists situations once the dome was lifted. By not doing this, however, this leaves open a sequel; After The Dome perhaps..

mbelec · 07-17-2010, 09:23 PM

Neilmar: I'll definately tell him (minus the peas!)

DixieGal · 07-17-2010, 10:49 PM

Hey all you King fans!

Is the Dark tower series available in ebook? What is the reading order?

Thanks!

banjobama · 07-18-2010, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Hey all you King fans!

Is the Dark tower series available in ebook? What is the reading order?

Thanks!

Yes, at least at the Sony store. Most of them are labeled which is number one, two, etc.

I. The Gunslinger
II. The Drawing of the Three
III. The Waste Lands
IV. Wizard and Glass (my favorite, almost a stand-alone novel)
V. Wolves of the Calla
VI. Song of Susannah
VII. The Dark Tower

The last 6 are done a lot different than the first one, so if you don't like the first one just keep reading!

astra · 07-18-2010, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banjobama

The last 6 are done a lot different than the first one, so if you don't like the first one just keep reading!

Agree.
When I read The Gunslinger, I thought:
.....it's OK...weird...why do people rave about the Dark Tower series? Not bad but odd and not that great.

However, after I read books 2,3 and 4, I came back to The Gunslinger and re-read it. Loved it a lot more. There are lots of things in Wizard and Glass that help to understand The Gunslinger better or at least enjoy it is a lot more.
All in all, I believe it is one of the best dark fantasy/post apocalypses series.

DixieGal · 07-18-2010, 01:47 PM

Thanks! Also there is a story in the "Legends" anthology called "The Little Sisters of _________". It is my only Gunslinger so far, and I liked it. I'm going to go see where I can get it the cheapest. Thanks again!

HamsterRage · 07-19-2010, 12:24 PM

Oh man. I keep getting 2/3 of the way through Gunslinger and then I get distracted and it takes me a couple of years to get back to it. So then I have to start from the beginning again and ...

astra · 07-19-2010, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HamsterRage

Oh man. I keep getting 2/3 of the way through Gunslinger and then I get distracted and it takes me a couple of years to get back to it. So then I have to start from the beginning again and ...

Give up. Don't torture yourself. It is not yours.

07-10-2010, 07:56 AM	#17
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Right, Mary. As I said, dangerous stock overload. In Under the Dome you just couldn't see the wood for the trees. It was as though Steve was going through some kind of stock clearance of a whole bunch of old, pre-drafted characters, story lines and scenes he'd collected and that were gathering dust in a hard drive somewhere, creating clutter and nearing their sell-by date. The result was a shambolic jumble sale. He'd have done better, I think, in creating two new novels (rather than one ridiculously over-length tome) and offering his readers well-selected and strongly defined key characters they could connect with and -- with fewer threads (read tangents) -- a more focused job of work. He could also (for once he failed) have written with the suspension of disbelief uppermost in his mind. The 'dome' itself, I could deal with; the cartoonish, Simpsons-like reaction to it, I couldn't. And his eventual explanation (excuse) for the phenomenon was so weak that I felt like droppingh a bomb on Bangor, Maine and hoping he would be at home. I'm not fortunate enough to edit King, but if I was, I'd have hacked this one to pieces and lost at least three hundred pages. I'm a firm believer that tight is might ... and right. What's puzzling is that so many commercially successful -- and very, very skilled and talented -- pro authors (throw in Dan Brown if you like; he knows his job) seem to write their later books under deadline pressure and produce formulaic hash piles as a result. Maybe it's down to the amount of time they must spend away from their desks on contracted promotion or the contractual need to make good on three- four- and five-book deals with some houses and agencies who now print up a weekly editorial and release schedule on Friday to ruin your weekend. But you'd think that a thorough professional like Steve King, pretty wealthy and comfortably established, should have the time and the freedom to make every new title better than his last. More haste, less read. Cheers and thanks for the chat, Mary. Neil Attached Images Last edited by neilmarr; 07-10-2010 at 10:15 AM. Reason: because I spelt my own name wrongly.

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07-11-2010, 11:57 AM	#18
mbelec Addict Posts: 209 Karma: 1165996 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maine Device: sony prs-350, Ipad 3	I'm a King fan myself (and even work in Bangor, Maine, so run into him in the supermarket occasionally). I just finished The Long Walk, which was very good as well (and I'm a fan of the earlier works). I took it out in ebook form from the Philiadelphia Library.

07-11-2010, 12:32 PM	#19
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	*I work in Bangor, Maine, so run into him in the supermarket occasionally* Pat him on the back for me next time you queue at the check out together, Mbelec. He's a skilled and talented operator I've always admired greatly (and I've read all his non-fic work, too -- outstanding insight on the craft). We all make mistakes, though, so steal his frozen peas for me by way of getting my own back for Under the Dome, which was a rush job and unworthy of such a master. Hoots. Neil PS: I was only joking about the bomb. And the peas. N

07-11-2010, 03:24 PM	#20
Trebro Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 14 Join Date: May 2010 Device: nook	It seems folks are so divided on this book. I kinda want to read it, but I'm afraid to drop $10 on it. I really wish Philly had this as an e-book.

07-11-2010, 05:57 PM	#21
Rumpelteazer Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,101 Karma: 24047426 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Utrecht, the Netherlands Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition	I liked Under the Dome well enough, but was too long and there are, imho, too many characters, I was glad that I read the pbook so I could easily go back to the front of the book to look at the name list (and not even all the characters were listed). As others also mentioned I like Duma Key much better, I could hardly put it down and it has made it into my top 4 (with The Stand and It in shared first place and The Shining before Duma Key).

07-17-2010, 09:23 PM	#24
mbelec Addict Posts: 209 Karma: 1165996 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maine Device: sony prs-350, Ipad 3	Neilmar: I'll definately tell him (minus the peas!)

07-17-2010, 10:49 PM	#25
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Hey all you King fans! Is the Dark tower series available in ebook? What is the reading order? Thanks!

07-18-2010, 01:47 PM	#28
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Thanks! Also there is a story in the "Legends" anthology called "The Little Sisters of _________". It is my only Gunslinger so far, and I liked it. I'm going to go see where I can get it the cheapest. Thanks again!

07-19-2010, 12:24 PM	#29
HamsterRage Evangelist Posts: 435 Karma: 24326 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Kobo	Oh man. I keep getting 2/3 of the way through Gunslinger and then I get distracted and it takes me a couple of years to get back to it. So then I have to start from the beginning again and ...

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