I admit when it comes to knowledge of Peter Straub's work, I am lacking. I know of him thanks to his collaborations with Stephen King (The Talisman, Black House). When Straub passed away last Sept, I felt I had missed something by not enjoying his writing while he was still on this earth.
Many said at the time that Shadowland is his best work. I'm reading it now. Slow going, but good so far.
@craig_patrick@dbsalk@bookstodon huh. Didn't know he had passed. Will put Shadowland on to read list.
His book is Ghost Ship is the basis 4 the movie of the same name.
I've read The Talisman & his book Ghost Story, which is pretty good but kind of drags a little.
But I can attest to The Talisman and it’s very King, which is to say that he clearly loves writing but is not overly concerned with plot (as stated in his book “On Writing”). I’m not certain many writers are as good at relationships as King is, but his lack of concern for plot shows in most of his books.
@craig_patrick@dbsalk@bookstodon SK has a few dues ex machina that he often shuffles & often reuses in various combinations to help wrap things up. But he's a master of weaving a tale. His characters are believable & relatable. Diving into an SK novel is a feeling we Constant Readers can all recognize- take a deep breath & relax & let the story take U. He makes suspension of disbelief easy. It's almost like a philosophical thought experiment.
I've been thinking of re-reading Under The Dome...
@craig_patrick@dbsalk@bookstodon
...soon. To me it is an almost prescient political novel. & forget the TV show. It starts off good, but veers off into the weird that it's ruined.
@Spiggitzfan@dbsalk@bookstodon Well said. ‘Relatable’ is a key observation in SK novels. All that said, for myself, the King screenplay Storm of the Century is the most King. Surprisingly, it has a strong thematic arc as well. He typically doesn’t seem much concerned with theme.
Any recommendations for a starter Straub novel? I’m looking for something to read after I finish Red Team Blue by Doctorow.
@Spiggitzfan@craig_patrick@bookstodon If you'd be interested in doing a "buddy read" (I've never done one before) let me know when you start Under The Dome. I've been holding off on that one because the sheer size is intimidating. Thank goodness for ebooks; someone could get hurt hauling the hardcover around.
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