I Think You're All Crazy!!!!!

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Lyrykell

Member
Jul 6, 2014
24
99
38
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
I absolutely loved the book Cell. There are people who say that it wasn't King's best work, or that it lacked some of that good old Stephen King Magic. There is no way that King lacks his personal magic in any of his books and I thought this book was great! I don't know if some of you don't like zombie stories or what the issue is but I thought this book was a great read. Also, the book was sad at times, however, it is not like the whole book was sad. I think that every one should do a re-read on this book, and that they should make sure to make it through. I do think that King writes to suit many different palates and tastes, and this is what makes him the writer that he is (awesome). I was just shocked to read that so many King fans disliked this book!
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
I'm an almost lifetime fan (I started reading Mr. King when I was about 13 :D), and I love Cell. It's a jumpback to the beginning for him, when his stories were lean and fast moving. Not to say that I don't like the longer books, but it was nice to have a string of them broken up by a story that hurled you along.
 

SutterKane

Well-Known Member
Jun 7, 2014
297
1,891
41
I liked it, it was an interesting spin on the "Zombie Apocalypse" theme. I liked the characters, could have lived with a more conclusive ending but it's still a minor complaint. I've seen lists of Stephen Kings books arranged from worst to best and I never understood why so many rank it so low.
 

blunthead

Well-Known Member
Aug 2, 2006
80,755
195,461
Atlanta GA
I really liked Cell when I read it, but I do remember thinking it was kind of silly basing a book on the dislike of cell phones. Maybe that is why some people don't like it? Just grasping at straws here.
I disagree that Cell is based on a dislike of cell phones, unless sK has said that at sometime. I liked it, partly because it is so different from any other thing I've read of his or anyone else's. But so many sK stories are that - utterly different - as I perceive them. The ending did sneak up on me, but the fact reminds me that I've heard more than one sK fan complain that sK endings really suck. Personally, I've liked all his endings, not feeling they've lacked in any way I could imagine improving on.
 

Riot87

Jamaica's Finest
Mar 7, 2014
2,377
13,990
36
United States
I absolutely loved the book Cell. There are people who say that it wasn't King's best work, or that it lacked some of that good old Stephen King Magic. There is no way that King lacks his personal magic in any of his books and I thought this book was great! I don't know if some of you don't like zombie stories or what the issue is but I thought this book was a great read. Also, the book was sad at times, however, it is not like the whole book was sad. I think that every one should do a re-read on this book, and that they should make sure to make it through. I do think that King writes to suit many different palates and tastes, and this is what makes him the writer that he is (awesome). I was just shocked to read that so many King fans disliked this book!



True that Cell is awesome story one of my favorite Stephen King books:ghost:
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
I disagree that Cell is based on a dislike of cell phones, unless sK has said that at sometime. I liked it, partly because it is so different from any other thing I've read of his or anyone else's. But so many sK stories are that - utterly different - as I perceive them. The ending did sneak up on me, but the fact reminds me that I've heard more than one sK fan complain that sK endings really suck. Personally, I've liked all his endings, not feeling they've lacked in any way I could imagine improving on.

I think he did say somewhere (I'm terrible at remembering where I read something--forgive me) that he disliked cell phones. I'm more than a little conflicted about them myself; maybe that's why I liked this story so much.

About Mr. King's endings, here's where I think the problem lies: There are readers out there who want one of two things. First, they want a neatly tied up ending--no loose ends, every damn issue solved. Second, they want a big bang; in that, they remind me of the movie Amadeus, where Salieri tells Mozart that his subtle ending doesn't work--the people want a bang so they know where to clap. Mr. King rarely does either of these things. It seems to me (and Ms Mod would be the real authority here) that Mr. King is trying to create worlds that reflect real life, and real life is messy. We usually never know the real story of anything, we rarely see every problem solved, and no one tells us when something is over with a crash. Things just sort of… end. And we move on, because that's what real people do. We pick ourselves up and do the next thing, and hope to God that we make it through the next whatever no worse off than we are now. That's people.

I realize that I probably think about this kind of stuff way too much (lol), but I admire the hell out of Mr. King as a writer. He never leans down and kisses the reader's butt for applause. He holds up a mirror; some things you're gonna like, some things you won't. But it's no more than a reflection of who we are as human beings.
 

Moderator

Ms. Mod
Administrator
Jul 10, 2006
52,243
157,324
Maine
Is there some truth though to the seed of his writing Cell being in his early dislike of cell phones? Or did I totally make that up? I could swear I had read something like that before the book was published.
You're remembering correctly that he wasn't a fan of cell phones when they first became mainstream. He didn't like the idea of always being available. I could be wrong, but I suspect Tabby may have had some influence with his eventually getting one. ;)
 
Jul 24, 2014
22
155
34
It's actually one of the few books of his I simply don't like. It starts off splendidly. Fast, lean, intense but I just remember the book losing steam a little before the half way mark. It seemed to meander and shuffle it's feet. It's the rare occasion where I felt King didn't know what he was looking to do exactly.