Still gathering my thoughts, but I would like to add that I absolutely loved that this book was about books. Other than the fictional John Rothstein, there are plenty of real authors mentioned and that made this book more "real" for me. Also, SK fleshes out the fictional Rothstein and his cannon of work well enough to make it believable. I think this, more than anything else, made this book for me.
As for the "Scooby Gang" AWOL until the middle of the book, I will wait and see how much of a part they play in End of Watch. Once the trilogy is complete, it may seem that their absence for half of this book makes sense. And even if not, Morris, Drew and Pete were entertaining enough for me.
Can't stop thinking about Brady and what will happen next will he finally get revenge? And this power to turn stuff off and possibly make that nurse kill herself. He didn't seem to be faking to me. Or was he? Except that smile he seem like a legit veggie
I haven't read the book, but on the subject of the supernatural powers at the end -- as Chester Brooks intimated (at least, I think this is what that member meant), I myself think it could be a red herring. Maybe the guy thinks he has the power, but doesn't. Unless everyone is saying there is no way to interpret it like that. If that is the case, then yes, I think King may have made a mistake here. But, for some reason, I can't see him thinking this was a good idea for this particular series, so it's hard for me to believe this was meant to be real.
I've just finished reading this evening (I'm in the UK) and really enjoyed the book. I found it to be a slow burner but the build up and back story was interesting. I think the hint/teaser at some kind of telekinetic powers is great - back to basics!
There is one part of the story that bothers me and I may have missed something as I have a bad habit of speed reading when I get excited...
After, in the Trunk section, Pete tells Bill that his story was authenticated using the photocopies and scraps of the notebooks that survived the fire. Why didn't he just use the 6 notebooks he stashed in his closet?
More than happy to be corrected on this as I'm too tired to start rereading.
...I wasn't a'tall disappointed by the book....I found the crow on the phone line hilarious and if I have a quibble, it's this....the whole "Morris makes good in prison" scenario smelled suspiciously like Andy Dufresne-pre sewer trip.....
I've just finished reading this evening (I'm in the UK) and really enjoyed the book. I found it to be a slow burner but the build up and back story was interesting. I think the hint/teaser at some kind of telekinetic powers is great - back to basics!
There is one part of the story that bothers me and I may have missed something as I have a bad habit of speed reading when I get excited...
After, in the Trunk section, Pete tells Bill that his story was authenticated using the photocopies and scraps of the notebooks that survived the fire. Why didn't he just use the 6 notebooks he stashed in his closet?
More than happy to be corrected on this as I'm too tired to start rereading.
Lol i didn't know u have to click spoiler. No wonder some people's messages don't make sense to me.
Good point. What the f. Where is the editor!? Let's blame him/her.
It seemed to me on the second read that not only were Hodges and Holly bothered by the Tyrone dialect, but that Jerome was uncomfortable as well, almost like an uncontrollable nervous tic. I am speculating that somehow Jerome will need to channel his Tyrone persona in the final book to combat Brady and his new brain powers.
Final thought for tonight: I find Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers about 10 times better in story and writing than Dr. Sleep and Revival put together. I realize those two books are "deeper" than Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, but Dr. Sleep and Revival just did not do it for me at all. I found them wandering, full of partially formed characters and a letdown in the end. Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers are much more the SK type of writing and storytelling I have come to love over the last 40 years.
I'll go with you on both Mercedes novels being better than Revival but IMO Doctor Sleep is LIGHT YEARS ahead of all 3 of them. Not even close. But of course that is one of my favorite books of SK so there's that. To each their own.
Ok, so I just finished Finders Keepers about 10 minutes ago. I mentioned in another thread about a week ago that I was 2/3 of the way through and it was some tough sledding for me at that point. For whatever reason I had trouble getting into it. It wasn't boring but at the same time, not engrossing or something I felt need to hurry through and find out what happens at the end. The last SK books I remember that white hot desire to finish were Joyland and Dr. Sleep. All the books since I found enjoyable but they haven't really knocked my socks off.
That said, the final 1/3 of the book improved greatly. I did end up finishing it in two lengthy reading binges (One last night and one this morning), so I guess it finally roped me in after all. I found the last section to be exciting and interesting. Thinking about it now, I realize that I read the same amount of pages since last night that it took me 2 weeks to get through before so I would definitely say it got me going.
Overall, a pretty good book. I would put it in the neighborhood of Mr. Mercedes although slightly lower. Somewhere in the middle of the pack overall. Also, I really liked the way it ended and it made me more interested in the 3rd installment of the series and where it might be headed. I'm not going to lie...at about the halfway point of Finders Keepers I thought about a 3rd book and had to sigh at the thought of another one when not much was happening in the story at the time. However after finishing the book, I am more optimistic.
I'll go with you on both Mercedes novels being better than Revival but IMO Doctor Sleep is LIGHT YEARS ahead of all 3 of them. Not even close. But of course that is one of my favorite books of SK so there's that. To each their own.
I like it as a book to read, very much; just not as a SK book to read. I thought it was a little "phoned in". I wonder : Am I the only person who thinks the last three books or so don't even sound like SK? It has even crossed my mind that he didn't write them. That's not an accusation, just saying that's how much of a difference I see. His style sure has changed. ( I love him. I've been reading his stuff since 1976. I am not trying to be insulting in anyway, it's just an observation)
I'm not sure if this has already been brought up as I was avoiding the Finders Keepers messages earlier but... did anybody else think that Stephen was shaking the 'eff you' stick when it came to describing the Mercedes?
He made a big deal out of it having a back seat during...
the race to get to Pete's house
... I laughed out loud actually, as I could picture him typing with one hand and pulling the universal salute with the other--after all of the crap about the car in the first book.
I'm not sure if this has already been brought up as I was avoiding the Finders Keepers messages earlier but... did anybody else think that Stephen was shaking the 'eff you' stick when it came to describing the Mercedes?
He made a big deal out of it having a back seat during...
the race to get to Pete's house
... I laughed out loud actually, as I could picture him typing with one hand and pulling the universal salute with the other--after all of the crap about the car in the first book.
No, didn't say anything to me. They've owned several Mercedes vehicles over the years, though, so would guess that he likes them well enough to keep buying them.
No, didn't say anything to me. They've owned several Mercedes vehicles over the years, though, so would guess that he likes them well enough to keep buying them.
I'm listening to the book on audio (a slow process since I listen in the car and have a 2-mile daily commute). Realized that the rumored terms of Rothstein's will were fulfilled in the long run!
I finished yesterday. Overall an entertaining read. I liked it slightly better than Mr. M and a lot better than Revival. King is certainly more at home in the realm of book collecting than he was in Brady's modern tech world. The love/hate relationship between authors and fans is something King is no doubt very familiar. Most suprising here is how long the story plays out before we get to the hardy band of regulars. I agree with some folks that Hodges, Holly, and Jerome are generally the weak link. Unintersting and not very believable as crime fighters. More a PC projection than reality based. They are often an annoying distraction. That would typically be a fatal flaw in such a series, but King manages to pull off a good story by leaving them off until the end where they serve as kind of a Wile E. Coyote to the Roadrunner by chasing after events. I do also dislike those "coincidences" that crop up like Pete living in Morris' former house and hiding the notebooks in the very place Morris decides to hide out. I can understand how that would be possible in the context of the story, but the odds just make it seem implausible and distracting. Maybe if the notebooks had been hidden in the house it would have been more plausible for a kid living in that house to have found them, but finding them by chance in a field seems farfetched. Just a minor annoyance though that I write off as dramatic license. As for Brady taking on Carrie-like powers, that holds interesting possibilities but is a jarring transition from a reality-based series to the supernatural.
I'll have to re-read this book. I assumed that, at the end of the book, Brady moved the picture quickly when Bill wasn't looking, but I've read other readers reference the supernatural as well.
I just finished "Finders Keepers" yesterday. It's one of my new favorites, which is crazy because I was in no hurry to read it.
The first time I read "Mr. Mercedes", I just thought it was okay (not crazy about Holly and I can't figure out why), so I didn't pre-order "Finders Keepers" like I usually do with SK's new releases.
Last week, I reread "Mr. Mercedes" and liked it better than the first time, so I bought "Finders Keepers". I felt like the latter flowed so well and it was hard to put down.
You know the feeling when you want to know how it ends, but you don't want to finish it too quickly.
Now I'm dying for "End of Watch" even though the title leads me to believe I'm going to shed some tears.
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