Cell by Stephen King (to be released January 24)

[geek the girl]

Just thought I'd remind all my fellow Stephen King fans here at the FORT that he has a brand new novel out on January 24. Here's the blurb from Amazon:

"What if a pulse sent out through cell phones turned every person using one of them into a zombie-like killing machine? That's what happens on page six of King's latest, a glib, technophobic but compelling look at the end of civilization—or at what may turn into a new, extreme, telepathically enforced fascism. Those who are not on a call at the time of the pulse (and who don't reach for their phones to find out what is going on) remain "normies." One such is Clayton Riddell, an illustrator from Kent Pond, Maine, who has just sold some work in Boston when the pulse hits. Clay's single-minded attempt to get back to Maine, where his estranged wife, Sharon, and young son, Johnny-Gee, may or may not have been turned into "phoners" (as those who have had their brains wiped by the pulse come to be called) comprises the rest of the plot. King's imagining of what is more or less post-Armageddon Boston is rich, and the sociological asides made by his characters along the way—Clay travels at first with two other refugees—are jaunty and witty. The novel's three long set pieces are all pretty gory, but not gratuitously so, and the book holds together in signature King style. Fans will be satisfied and will look forward to the next King release, Lisey's Story, slated for October. (Jan. 24)"

Source: http://www.amazon.com

It sure sounds like Stephen King has returned to horror, big time! At 384 pages, the book is surprisingly slim by King standards, though, as was its predecessor, From a Buick 8. Does this mean that Stephen King's "literary elephantiasis" (which I have come to love dearly - I love myself a long read) is history? Perhaps the more epic-sounding Lisey's Story will be longer?

Anyway, I made this thread so that we could discuss expectations, hopes and fears and perhaps even reminisce over his previous work. Has anyone else pre-ordered Cell? I have, and hope to get it sometime next week. Although I haven't loved any of his post-Bag of Bones stuff, I always get my hopes up when he is to release something new. I have a feeling that Lisey's Story will be a more fulfilling read than Cell, but I do hope that [I]Cell[I] will prove that Stephen King still can scare the crap out of anyone.

[PGM35]

I haven't preordered but I'll definitely pick up a copy. I have most of his books and have read most of them. I stil have a couple (few?) of the Dark Tower series to finish as well as Black House (the one he wrote with ....crap - can't remember his name but it's second to the Talisman - oh yeah, Peter Straub). Anyway, I have always LOVED King. He does know how to scare the crap out of someone, Gerald's Game particularly creeped me out. I really liked Bag of Bones and tried to get into the Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon but I think at that book he kind of lost me... I will try to finish the Dark Tower only cause I started that so long ago in College and feel like it's just sitting there undone.

Thanks for starting this thread and I hope to hear your thoughts GtG. You have such great insights and write really well! - really good? not sure how to write myself sometimes!

[Dinahann]

Yup, I've pre-ordered this one myself, but then I think I'd read Stephen King's grocery lists if he published them. I've read every word he's ever written, and that's no small feat for a writer as prolific as King.

[SnowflakeGirl]

Yes! I've pre-ordered, and I'm so excited to already see a thread in here for it (bless you, Geek the Glorious).

I am a long time, old school Stephen King fan--I started by reading Carrie, It, and Skeleton Crew back when I was also still reading Superfudge and Ramona Quimby, Age 8. So I'm actually rather chuffed at the idea of him making a return (or even just nodding) to his the early style of his horror past. Not that I don't enjoy his other works, but even as a child I was a Poe/Lovecraft/Fangoria type of girl, know what I mean?

Can't wait till I finally get Cell so I can discuss it more with you all!

[geek the girl]

Yes! I've pre-ordered, and I'm so excited to already see a thread in here for it (bless you, Geek the Glorious).

I am a long time, old school Stephen King fan--I started by reading Carrie, It, and Skeleton Crew back when I was also still reading Superfudge and Ramona Quimby, Age 8. So I'm actually rather chuffed at the idea of him making a return (or even just nodding) to his the early style of his horror past. Not that I don't enjoy his other works, but even as a child I was a Poe/Lovecraft/Fangoria type of girl, know what I mean?

Can't wait till I finally get Cell so I can discuss it more with you all!

So glad to hear you'll be joining us, Snowy darling!

I, too, discovered the glory of Stephen King at a very tender age. I can't have been more than nine - possibly even eight - when I found a copy of Cujo in my uncle's bookshelf and decided to go for it. Suffice it to say that I had nightmares about monsters in my closet for weeks. Cujo must have caused semi-permanent psychological damage, because it wasn't until I was an awkward pre-teen that I felt brave enough to read another Stephen King novel again. If I'm not mistaken, my very first Stephen King (read from cover to cover, at least; I never did make it past the opening chapter of Cujo - my aunt had probably made pancakes or something yummy enough to distract me from the book) was Salem's Lot, followed by Christine, Carrie, The Talisman, It, and Different Seasons. There was no pattern behind this reading list - it just happened to be the Stephen King paperbacks I could get my hands on for a decent price. In retrorespect, though, it strikes me as a pretty good introduction to the diversity of his writing. This was the summer between 6th and 7th grade, and I stayed up all night reading in a frenzy. Since then, I've read pretty much everything he's ever written, apart from the Dark Tower series. (Don't ask me why: I just assumed it wasn't my cup of tea and since I'm a very stubborn girl, I've held on to that assumption. I did the exact same thing with the Lord of the Rings movies, by the way.) My favourites are probably It, Bag of Bones, Night Shift, Skeleton Crew (especially the novella "The Mist"), The Shining, and a particularly gory and terrifying novella from Four Past Midnight called "The Library Police". Like Snowy, I have a soft spot for the more horror-streaked works; although his writing style has certainly evolved and improved over the last ten years or so, I wasn't crazy about his more "normal" works like The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and Hearts in Atlantis. Call me morbid (call me pale - ha, Smiths reference! ), but there's a lot to be said for murderous clowns, evil cars, and slime-sucking vampire/insect hybrids.

So. That was my Stephen King history. Tell me yours, everyone. How did you discover his work? Favourite novels/novellas/short stories? Which appallingly bad movie version do you love to hate? (I have a thing for Sometimes They Come Back, personally. And Sleepwalker, although that was just a script, right?) Do you, like the fabulous Madame Snowflake and myself, first and foremost still think of him as a horror writer, or do you appreciate the portion of his work that doesn't involve sleeping with a night light for two weeks straight?

It just occurred to me - please correct me if I'm wrong - that we've never had a proper Stephen King thread here at the FORT. Hence the enthusiasm on my part. (I'm so excited about the release of Cell; seriously, I feel like a little kid on Christmas morning!) Should I create a thread simply called "Stephen King" where we can discuss all his works, or is this a good place to do it?

[nilesgirl]

Boy! I can't wait for this. Just in time for my birthday. Funny. I seem to remember him saying last year or the year before that he was done writing.

[Texicana]

I'm really lukewarm on Cell, if only because he's covered similar territory. He's done the people vs.outright zombies in "Home Delivery" which is included in NightMares and Dreamscapes AND along the same lines, in the very same anthology even, we have the Normal People vs. the Strange Beings ("The Ten O'Clock People). I love King but he has a habit of revisiting the same theme too many times. Don't get me started on his penchant for the " bickering married couple who drive into a strange little town they never get out of". He's done that at least twice as well.

[PGM35]

Either Cujo or Christine was the first for me and I was in middle school when I discovered him. I remember thinking - wow - the curse words he uses...my parents would have been shocked. I loved The Stand - still my favorite and the scariest. I think his books that have the scary, but it could really happen books are the best. I like the short stories - can't think of the names but the one in Nightmares & Dreamscapes about the guy who digs a hole in the highway for the crime lord that killed in wife to drive into and the story of the brothers where one is very smart and discovers a potion to make the world nicer/non-violent and puts it in the water and causes everyone to get alheizmer's or something like that.

[Rattus]

I started reading King right from Carrie. I've loved the horrors since I was a wee child - still get the heebies thinking about The Telltale Heart. My favourite of his is The Stand. It was also the first gift Mr. Rattus ever gave me. I went up to bed one night to discover a large lump under my pillow. Considering the horrendous rat-infested dump of a house we were living in it could have been just about anything under there, but trepidatiously I reached my hand in anyway and pulled out the new revised author's edition of The Stand. That was one of the best nights of my life, and I read the entire book the following day.

Sadly I've kind of lost my taste for his writing over the past few books (though I enjoy his column in Entertainment Weekly), but I feel a little quiver of excitement about the new one, so I think I will buy it. It's good to feel young again.

With respect to his movies, some are good, some are dreadful, but I do have a soft spot for the one he directed, Maximum Overdrive. I think it was a fine piece of schlock cinema and I believe the critics were unduly harsh in not recognizing category. Sheesh, not everything's going to be Les Enfants du Paradis.

Side note: A number of years ago Mr. Rattus and I stopped the night in Bangor on our way to Nova Scotia. It had been a loonnnggg drive and we were pretty slap happy with exhaustion, so I giddily asked the young man in the pizza restaurant where Stephen King lived, and surprisingly he kindly gave me directions to his house. The next morning, before we hit the road, we drove up to have a look and wow, you really have to see those gates in person. I would kill to have those keeping my driveway free of strangers. Also, saw Mr. King himself wandering about in the front yard. I wanted to call out to him and tell him that we enjoyed Maximum Overdrive, but my sense of propriety wouldn't allow me to bother someone at home just because they're a celebrity.

[JamiLee]

Yup, I've pre-ordered this one myself, but then I think I'd read Stephen King's grocery lists if he published them. I've read every word he's ever written, and that's no small feat for a writer as prolific as King.

on the grocery list - cracked me up - I feel the same way. Just love his books. All of them more than once. Has anyone read any of his books under his other name? (names maybe, correct me if I'm wrong)