TPJR

Cringey Covid Propaganda

Revisado: 10-06-23

I've read over 30 novels and short story collections from King, he's easily my favorite author... so this comes from a place of knowing and admiring his work, his style, and understanding his real life politics. But that being said, the way he writes about Covid in Holly is insufferable. Truly unbearable even. Every single time two characters start a conversation they retread the same talk about their vaccines and which brand they each got. Every character who didn't get a vaccine is portrayed as an idiot and rabid, racist Trump supporter. Trump himself is practically a character in this with how much he's referenced. As King even alludes to in his author's note, it's pure soapbox propaganda in the worst way. We all lived through covid, and what I saw in this book was not how people really acted with each other.

As for the story itself... it was a little bland. Not bad, but not all that memorable either. Holly is a great character, and I'd like to see more of her in King's work, but there weren't too many exciting or intense scenes here that he's usually known for. No terror or dread to speak of, just two lackluster villains that don't seem all that imposing.

Not going to be remembered amongst King's amazing body of work.

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Absolutely Fantastic

Revisado: 12-21-22

Every year I read A Christmas Carol and watch several adaptations. It's one of my favorite stories of all time. The idea of someone attempting to add to the story or give a new perspective both offended me and intrigued me... I am so glad I gave it a chance! Jacob T Marley somehow pulls off the impossible job of not only being a worthy successor to the timeless original Dickens tale, but makes it even better (if that's possible).

This story is expertly crafted, and truly feels as if it was written in the same time and spirit as the original. I was moved to tears several times throughout the book. And I'm amazed that the author was able to add more depth to all the classic scenes in A Christmas Carol. I will definitely be adding this to my tradition of reading the classic every year. If you are a fan of A Christmas Carol, don't miss this incredible follow up.

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Absolutely Fantastic Collection

Revisado: 11-03-21

I read just about everything "Stephen King" I can get my hands on. Lately I've switched to the audio book format, finding less and less time to read. I've listened to almost 20 of King's novels and short story collections on audible, and this has been easily one of my favorites. Every story is engaging and creepy, and kept me on the edge of my seat to find out what would happen next...

All that being said, we've got to talk about the narrator, John Glover. Wow. Seriously, wow! He elevates this collection to a whole other level. I mean it very genuinely when I say it may be the absolute best audio book performance I've ever heard. He brings every emotion so authentically it's palpable. Whether he's reading as a roughneck workman, a punk kid, an old lady from a village, or a stuffy aristocrat in the 1800s, you believe every word. And the heavy fear and dread he brings to the final story is just incredibly anxiety inducing. I am literally going to seek out more books read by John Glover. He's fantastic in this.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Very Creepy, Very Good

Revisado: 11-01-21

This is a great selection of scary stories to give you chills. Each is very short and bite-sized, perfect to remember all the important details to tell your friends and family and freak them out. Really enjoyed this collection.

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Misleading Description

Revisado: 10-29-21

I have alot I'd like to say about this book, but I'll do my best to keep it short. For context, just know that I am a Sleepy Hollow junkie. I read the original story every year, I watch the adaptations, and my wife and I try to make it to Sleepy Hollow / Tarrytown, NY every autumn. I love the history and folklore of the area, and the fictional world Washington Irving created, and I was very interested to see how someone else would play in that sandbox... Having read it, it's a really mixed bag.

There are some really good concepts and moments here, some fun twists, and a solid fleshing out of characters and relationships only teased at in the original story. I liked those aspects alot. But then there's another side to this story, a side the publisher's description and marketing blurbs deliberately leave out... This story is the most overbearing, heavy handed, in-your-face Trans-Identity agenda piece I've ever seen. It's not subtle, and it's not realistic, especially given the time period it takes place in and how it plays out. This was really clunky, and unneeded, and not only didn't serve the story, but held it back; constantly retreading the same ground, and repeating the same lines verbatim again and again.

Ultimately it has it's moments where it shines, but it's also woven so heavily with the author's trans-propaganda it doesn't feel fun at times, but like a lecture from someone with purple or blue hair. The later portion of the book feels very sloppy to me, especially compared to the more tightly constructed first half. It feels like it has three different endings, and I kept thinking, "oh, there's more?"

And without saying too much, what the author does to the legendary Headless Horseman Washington Irving created is absolutely shameful. A complete slap in the face to one of the most famous ghosts in literature in an effort to earn woke points.

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esto le resultó útil a 20 personas

Great Little Story

Revisado: 03-08-21

This wasn't on my radar, but Audible sent me a notification about it. It was pretty short, and I read anything new from King, so I dove right in. I really liked it. With a simple concept like Stephen King's "Sixth Sense" what can go wrong? Good characters, chilling concepts, and an amazing performance by the narrator. Alot of emotion and a really genuine feeling voice for the hero. I thought this one was a lot of creepy fun, and shows King is still on top of his game. With the exception of a weird unanswered question about a character's parentage at the end, this was a great twist on a ghost story. I would definitely recommend.

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Not a Book About Mothman

Revisado: 10-19-20

The movie was recommended to me, and before I watched it I wanted to read the book. I knew almost nothing about Mothman, and was very curious to read this "true story" about eye witness sightings. Especially when many were calling it the most terrifying book they ever read.

I was very bummed to learn this is a book about UFOs, and has very little to do about Mothman. It's literally 80% UFO and Alien talk, and about 20% Mothman sightings and related material. And worst of all, it never even makes an attempt to connect the two subjects... It was like your old uncle telling you a story and going off on a weird tangent for twenty minutes and forgetting what story he was telling you originally.

In the beginning he starts to ease you into strange concepts and possible theories, which was interesting, but then at a certain point he just suddenly shoves you into the frigid waters of wild speculation and pure science fiction. And the book became very tedious to me. I finished it, but the last 4-5 hours was really tough, even provoking me to laughter unintentionally at non-humorous parts. Any creepiness it had in the beginning with Mothman flying over cars in the night sky was was completely lost when space men started making prank phone calls... Yeah, I'm not even joking.

I felt like Scully in an X-Files episode. "What are you getting at here, Mulder? What do you think is causing this..." And then David Duchovny hits you with some fun nonsense about past lives or Chupacabras. I would pass on this. If it is true, which I sincerely doubt, it's not arranged in an engaging or coherent way. It's kind of like a Mothman file folder, and the person carrying it turned the corner and slammed into a guy carrying a UFO report. And the papers went flying everywhere, and they just stuffed all of it back into the Mothman folder with all the pages mixed up.

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An awesome alternate version of Alien 3

Revisado: 06-17-20

Michael Bean and Lance Henrikson back in Alien... come on! You can't go wrong with this dramatized alternate version of Alien 3. Fantastic sound design, well acted, enjoyed it thoroughly.

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First Joe Hill Novel...

Revisado: 06-09-20

A long time fan of his father, Stephen King, I had been hearing about Joe Hill and that their characters crossed over and were mentioned in each other's novels. Charlie Manx being one briefly teased in Doctor Sleep. I was curious and decided to give this one a listen.

I can fully say, Joe Hill has every bit of his father's talent, and at several points it became hard to remember I wasn't listening to a Stephen King book. Hill is great at weaving a compelling tale, and surely I will read more of his work.

The narrator, Kate Mulgrew, fantastic. One of the best audio book performances I've ever heard. Every character had their own distinct voice, and Charlie Manx was particularly creepy. She rose with action, and got slow and deliberate in the eerie parts. Top notch work!

As far as the story goes, I liked it alot overall. It did take me a while to warm up to the main character though... She makes every wrong decision and has a bad attitude for the first third of the book at least. But by the end I grew to like her. The villain is unique and disturbing, and played excellently by the narrator.

If you like fantasy and horror, I think this is a great read.

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Absolutely Loved It

Revisado: 03-16-20

Excellently produced dramatized radio play, even with fake commercials and fictional host... loved it. Definitely going to be listening to more of these!

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