tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post4340720688589475896..comments2023-11-02T06:50:17.503-07:00Comments on <ul>Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' Reviews</ul>: Damn Dirty StereotypesSQThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04251030404220909306noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-83576945126426885152010-01-23T05:46:29.770-08:002010-01-23T05:46:29.770-08:00Hi - I belatedly found your comment on my own blog...Hi - I belatedly found your comment on my own blog review of Under The Dome and wanted to thank you for stopping by. I don't blame you for abandoning the book; if I were less of a dyed-in-the-wool fan of King, I'd have done the same. It's the worst thing he's ever written, in a late period of generally poor writing (Duma Key aside).<br /><br />I would maintain that his output from Carrie to Pet Sematary is flawless, readable stuff. Then it gets patchy. Then it gets really patchy. I don't believe that there's anything of the long-abandoned novel The Cannibals in Under The Dome - it's a very modern, very anti-religion and anti-military polemic.<br /><br />As to King's use of stereotypes - yes, he's always guilty of that, but what he does (as Buffy did later on TV) is to start with a stereotype to give the reader instant identification, but then layer them indefinitely. It's a great method, but he doesn't do that so much any more.A Chevertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15261273089207030638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-48431211111679542522010-01-16T20:51:43.550-08:002010-01-16T20:51:43.550-08:00I couldn't agree more.I couldn't agree more.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-81581963704959129962010-01-16T17:59:04.848-08:002010-01-16T17:59:04.848-08:00Carl-- I think what bothered me the most about &qu...Carl-- I think what bothered me the most about "Under the Dome" is that it seemed like King has an ax to grind against religion and he's not so much telling a story as proselytizing. I'm not the most religious person. But I think what King is doing is almost deliberately buying into the worst stereotypes and furthering them. There's no intent to be open minded or explore deeper themes. I can't respect that kind of onesidedness.SQThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04251030404220909306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-92057180951660376072010-01-16T15:20:36.056-08:002010-01-16T15:20:36.056-08:00I cannot say with any honesty that I am patently a...I cannot say with any honesty that I am patently against stereotypes or cookie cutter characters, as I know that there are many books, films, tv shows that I enjoy that have those things there in abundance. That being said, I certainly appreciate it when writers try not to do that. I look at King and think that at one time writing that kind of religious character with a dark side might have been edgy, might have not been the stereotype. But it has been done to death by so many people, King being the chief sinner, that it does seem really lazy and self-serving today. Instead of sounding like a character with some depth it sounds like a mad-libs description of a character. I've heard a lot of good things about Under the Dome, it was interesting to see an opinion on the other side.Carl V. Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15948764216438379394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-2273857813865276552010-01-15T12:17:41.283-08:002010-01-15T12:17:41.283-08:00Daelith-- I liked Patterson at first. His books we...Daelith-- I liked Patterson at first. His books weren't deep but they were entertaining. But he has since started publishing books written by different author (saying they're "co-written") and they are pumped out one after another. I checked one out from the library and it was awful. Quality apparently doesn't matter.SQThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04251030404220909306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-28232688263218728092010-01-15T11:58:32.678-08:002010-01-15T11:58:32.678-08:00I read a couple of SK books when I was a teenager,...I read a couple of SK books when I was a teenager, but haven't read anything since. Usually the size of his books is enough to discourage me. Figure it will just be easier to watch the movie when it comes out.<br />As for Patterson. I read one of his Alex Cross books and didn't care for it. I have read three of the Max books and like them okay, but I only picked them up a library sales.Daelithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14831617918862951954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-79641459122470909902010-01-14T13:19:23.968-08:002010-01-14T13:19:23.968-08:00Stu-- You always seem to get what I'm trying t...Stu-- You always seem to get what I'm trying to say whether I present it elegantly or not. <br /><br />I find that my preferences in fiction, fantasy and paranormal especially, don't always fall in line with my political preferences. But it usually not an issue because most authors incorporate a viewpoint through their characters and it's appropriate to the characterizations. I felt like King was saying that everyone who disagreed with his world view is stupid. Not my idea of a good time.<br /><br />I have to confess, I have only read "Ender's Game" by Card. I liked it at the time. I hear he has gotten pretty intolerant over time though and that it's reflected in his current writing. Also, SMD mentioned that he had posted and anti-gay screed online-- which is a major turn off for me. <br /><br />Sullivan<br /><br />I mostly read King while I was college and my opinions were not so firmly set back then. There's a lot of authors I liked back then that I can't tolerate now. But I figured, he's still popular so there must be something there, right? I forgot about his tendency to ramble. My God, the man is wordy isn't he? I also seem to recall that he falls apart when ending a book. I may never know if that's the case here.SQThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04251030404220909306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-37254832737345644162010-01-14T12:34:01.610-08:002010-01-14T12:34:01.610-08:00I must confess I never really liked King's wri...I must confess I never really liked King's writing, with the exception of The Marathon (not sure if that's the english title too). I agree with Steward: he really should focus on quality. His ideas are usually good, but he fails to excecute them and then goes on yakking for far too long and takes completely unneccessary sidesteps.Sullivan McPighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15133432350331782496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-68736288773800061642010-01-14T12:09:15.317-08:002010-01-14T12:09:15.317-08:00King needs to stop the volume and work on the qual...King needs to stop the volume and work on the quality. Something I've said for years. However, let's put aside King and think instead about another aspect of your posting..the reader. It's interesting when we read someone who has a political or social view radically different from our own. I tried reading Empire by Orscon Scott Card, a book about a sort of civil war between the left and right (Card himself is somewhat right), and flung it down about halfway.<br /><br />I think the issue is that we have a hard time when we perceive the writer's own bias coming through the work as opposed to the genuine and legitimate bias of character that is logically and intelligently constructed. The problem is that when the bias comes through and isn't organic to the work, it is more a form of proselytizing. And nobody likes being lectured at......unless you're wearing leather and really red, red lipstick. What the hell.<br /><br />Good, thoughtful posting SQTStewart Sternberg (half of L.P. Styles)https://www.blogger.com/profile/00895152179113722902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-69907244305457831432010-01-14T11:59:42.705-08:002010-01-14T11:59:42.705-08:00Genie
James Patterson seems to be the most egregi...Genie<br /><br />James Patterson seems to be the most egregious offender when it comes to pumping out garbage for money. I can't believe anyone still buys his books. <br /><br />King is disappointing because I feel like he's gone backwards instead of forward. Some people say he hasn't been the same since his accident and that his current writing is angrier in tone than before. I don't know though...SQThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04251030404220909306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-76848319620865062642010-01-14T10:51:48.578-08:002010-01-14T10:51:48.578-08:00It makes me sad, too, when a successful author get...It makes me sad, too, when a successful author gets lazy because he can sell work solely on his name and past glory. I think that King used easily recognizable characters in a more artful way in the '90s than he does now. <br /><br />I appreciate writers who choose to quit while they're ahead rather than continue to sell crap just because people will see their name on the cover and buy it. Bill Watterson comes to mind. (He totally counts!) <br /><br />But can I blame an author for ripping out a bunch of less thoughtful work to continue making big bucks? I suppose not... Most of us would do the same. But that sure doesn't mean I will be among the masses standing in line to buy that author's works after the writing has lost its acclaimed value.<br /><br />Next!Jean Michelle Miernikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08971882597502010124noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-90114356395506972692010-01-14T06:48:58.514-08:002010-01-14T06:48:58.514-08:00I was much younger when I read his books the first...I was much younger when I read his books the first time, so that could very well be the case. I honestly don't remember. I know that they don't appeal to me <i>now</i>.SQThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04251030404220909306noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55282503134540185.post-70260269754792080502010-01-14T06:27:37.874-08:002010-01-14T06:27:37.874-08:00I've always said that King's characters ar...I've always said that King's characters are largely stereotypes. I sometimes wonder if that's not a big part of his popularity. People instantly recognize his characters because of the stereotyped quality to them.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.com