Fascinating

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Walter Oobleck

keeps coming back...or going, and going, and going
Mar 6, 2013
11,749
34,805
And apparently there are ghosts in the world as when Jesus appeared to his disciples after His resurrection from the dead, they thought he was a ghost. He didn't shoot down their belief in ghosts...He persuaded them that the ghost-definition of the time did not fit the bill. Too, Jesus had that knee-slapper about the camel going through the eye of a needle. Like reading Shakespeare or listening to it...you get the feedback from the other actors who, though w/o dialogue at the moment, do laugh, cry, snort, and make all manner of noise not recorded by the bard.
 

Kurben

The Fool on the Hill
Apr 12, 2014
9,682
65,192
59
sweden
One of my absolute favorite books ever. I killed one hardback copy and had to buy another--lol. The conversational style is a delicious way to get across a lot of information!
I only have it in swedish. I'm thinking about getting it in english because i think a lot of the magic (perhaps a poor choice of words) goes out of it in translation. With some authors it doesn't matter much but it certainly does with King.
 

Blake

Deleted User
Feb 18, 2013
4,191
17,479
I read 'IT', in snowy Sweden in 1989, and I borrowed an English copy from the local library in Hallsta. I understand what you mean about 'losing' something in the translation. I can't read Swedish, but I can still speak a bit. It depends on the translator I suppose. If there good?
 

Robert Gray

Well-Known Member
This book is one of my most worn, and well-thumbed tomes. As an aspiring writer myself, that is only natural. I can also recommend the audio book. The reader does a great job in capturing Sai King's manner and wit. Moreover, there is a great NEW forward to the book which brings it up to date by mentioning some of the more modern works of horror in film such as The Blair Witch.
 

Robert Gray

Well-Known Member
I would love to see a sequel to this, it was published so long ago, and with so many genre shifts in horror through the last 30-some-odd years it would be nice to get another book length analysis of it from King.

To some degree, On Writing is sort of a sequel. While it isn't a focused dissertation on the horror genre, it does have a lot in common with Danse Macabre. There is a great deal that is autobiographical in it, discussions of his own works, and the kinds of things that are important to writers. The things which he applies in one book dovetails nicely into the other. It would be hard to do a sequel without going over the same ground. In essence, he would end up writing the same book but switching out the examples for more modern films. Thus, instead of talking about the "Amityville Horror", he might talk at length about "The Descent" or "The Blair Witch Project".

While I'm certain we would all read it, I'm dubious as to how much he would relish rewriting it. :D
 

SutterKane

Well-Known Member
Jun 7, 2014
297
1,891
41
To some degree, On Writing is sort of a sequel. While it isn't a focused dissertation on the horror genre, it does have a lot in common with Danse Macabre. There is a great deal that is autobiographical in it, discussions of his own works, and the kinds of things that are important to writers. The things which he applies in one book dovetails nicely into the other. It would be hard to do a sequel without going over the same ground. In essence, he would end up writing the same book but switching out the examples for more modern films. Thus, instead of talking about the "Amityville Horror", he might talk at length about "The Descent" or "The Blair Witch Project".

While I'm certain we would all read it, I'm dubious as to how much he would relish rewriting it. :D

In all truth, through the years he's put his thoughts out there about pretty much everything that's come and gone in horror, but it would be nice to have it all in one collection. I see your point though.
 

Dana Jean

Dirty Pirate Hooker, The Return
Moderator
Apr 11, 2006
53,634
236,697
The High Seas
This book is one of my most worn, and well-thumbed tomes. As an aspiring writer myself, that is only natural. I can also recommend the audio book. The reader does a great job in capturing Sai King's manner and wit. Moreover, there is a great NEW forward to the book which brings it up to date by mentioning some of the more modern works of horror in film such as The Blair Witch.
I have read and listened to this book more times than I can count. I have lost track. The audio is the best, but my copy is pretty mangled.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
I was looking at the spines of the SK books on my bookcase and I noticed that the publisher for Danse Macabre was Everest House, not Viking. Does this mean that Viking didn't want to publish it and Steve had to find a different publisher?
...not sure Joe, maybe because Everest House was the CD of the day?....
 

mal

content
Jun 23, 2007
4,714
27,243
61
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I found this book in a used shop a few months ago ($2) and am reading it in bits and pieces, here and there. I agree with someone above that it would be nice to see a Part II as tech has changed a lot and there has been a lot more content since it was originally published.