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I Finally Read IT by Stephen King | [Spoiler Free] Vlog
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- Опубликовано: 25 май 2023
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I read IT for the first time when I was 14. It hit VERY differently than it does now at the age of 50. The things that seem problematic to me at 50 I didn't blink an eye at at 14. I think it proves the point that he makes in the books. We forget what it really is like to be young as we get older.
I was 9 when I first read it (secretly smuggled it out of my mom's library), and can 100% confirm that my kid self had a very different view on the book than my adult self. It was absolutely not age-appropriate, but nowadays I'm kind of glad I read it back then, because I'll always have both perspectives in my head now :)
@@sleepysera I was 13 - Dad gave it to me because he had a hard time explaining what "IT" was, and thought I wouldn't understand most of it. Loved every page (and honestly only saw "the scene" as kids taking a rite of passage to adulthood after defeating the "monster under the bed" thing - never saw it as anything else). It is a great show of how things have changed, it was written in the 80's, about kids in the 50's, and the attitudes on almost everything has changed so much compared to people in the 2020's looking back. I'm also very glad I read IT back then as opposed to now.
I was 14 when I read it, too. I loved it then, I wonder how I'd feel about it now, over 30 years later!
Yeah, I agree.
I read Gerard's Game around 15 😅 IT I first read at 19 and reread at 31. One of my favourite books.
The thing about King is, if you take out the horror element, (In this case the killer clown) You still have an amazing story. A story about a group of outcasts who have to band together to overcome their bullies.
Not to forget all the historic elements that happened in the town throughout the years. Although they were mostly caused by Pennywise...
i never really cared about the horror in It. it was good horror, but the characters and their friendships were the highlight for me
@@pregmobrainrot2857 In many ways IT was Stranger Things, before stranger things... reminds me of growing up in the 70's early 80's.
Yep! Well said. That very last sentence in the book…😢🥲
I think you mean gangbang together.
I recommend reading 11/22/63 next. It’s not horror but half the book is spent in Derry and it was really interesting to see the town and the unique evil that permeates it. You’re so right that the town itself feels like a character.
That’s my favorite of his!
She has already read it.
She already read it, and unfortunately, she's not a fan of the book.
@@killer92173 she should stick to children's books tbh
@@killer92173really?
One of the saddest things in "It" that I remember is right at the end, when they all start to lose their memories again. In a way, you are thankful that they will forget all the horrors and trauma, but when they start to forget about each other, that is when your heart starts to break. To make it even more terrible, this time they all knew that this was happening and are helpless against it.
YES, I always get choked up at the end and I HATED it that they changed that crucial part from the movie.
I like that the movie allowed the Losers to remember each other, you become so invested with each of the characters and their relationships that they have with one another and the idea of them losing each other is heartbreaking.
We all forget. Happens to everyone. Its called life. ❤
I loved the part about 'King-isms'. It's so true- in nearly every story, he'll take an everyday action or observation, and describe it in the most disturbing way possible.
Try Coraline by Neil Gaiman!
Its a novella, a really quick read, and may be considered middle grade or a children's book but as an adult who read it for the first time recently, it is actually a really scary and great horror story and there is a scene that is a real horrifying slow burn. There is this theme of light child neglect, not necessarily abusive, but more, parents who are too busy to fully give attention to their child. One of my favorite horror stories in literature.
Edit: I don't know if all editions have illustrations, but my copy did and they really are unsettling which added to the atmosphere of the story.
Coraline is great!
Heyoo Silver Awaaaayyy
@@britneynicolewrites I heard that Coraline almost wasn't published because it was too scary for kids. He then gave the book to his daughter who was a child at the time and said she loved it, so they published it. She later admitted she actually was terrified of the book but put on a brave face which fits the overall message of the book so well.
It makes me wonder though how kids actually feel about the book. I think I would have loved it as a kid but I loved spooky as a child.
the animation movie Coraline is also great.
@@britneynicolewrites I didn't know that there was a graphic novel. have you read it?
IT is one of my top five favorite books of all time. I've read it.....four times? Five? I forget exactly. But each time, I discover and understand things on new levels. There is so much complexity, layering, and detail there that is mind-blowingly profound. Even King himself once said how the book was bigger than himself, and that it was the last time he'd try to write a book bigger than his own brain. The most haunting things about this book are the relatability of childhood. Thinking of just things like Ben's refuge in the library, or Eddie's struggles with his mom, these things are every bit as haunting as the supernatural scenes.
Cant wait to hear what Merphy thinks of "that" scene XD
The 0rgy scene will probably ruin the whole book for her.
Yeah, I’ve got IT on my bookshelf, and I can’t bring myself to read it anymore after I learned about “that” scene.
@@travis9260I have a love hate relationship with that scene. I see what King is going for with that scene and I think he achieved it. Its the pinnacle of the coming of age story but at the same time... ew. Ew. Ew. Ew.
Even King regrets that part…and aside from that small section, the book is amazing.
@@travis9260 can you not spoil it for her or others please
IT blew me away, personally. I've read about 20(ish?) King books, and my experience has mostly been like yours, Merphy (I loved Pet Sematary as well!). I actually have found that the less weird/supernatural the book is, the more I typically like it. I just think King's biggest strengths are settings and characters, especially young characters, and I think he focuses more on that with stories that are more grounded. And YET - I found IT to be basically flawless. The characters are incredible, the setting is FULLY realized, and the pacing (despite being a chonky tome) is honestly perfect. The story is gripping and scary. Outside of that ONE (unnecessary IMHO) scene at the end, I think this is King's opus. It's incredible.
"Your hair is winter fire, January embers, my heart burns there too" Ben Hanscomb. We've all been there...
I can’t give enough thumbs up to this comment!
What I love about Merphy's spoiler free reviews, is that now I feel like I HAVE to read this book, and get really excited about this feeling of having found a new awesome read to look forward to... but the bad side of seeing this videos is that now I feel like I HAVE to buy this book while already having spent a lot this month...
Library
@@inkylynx2777 that's the cool part... most of the books she talks about (specially fantasy) don't get translations to portuguese, nor gets imported to Brazil, so libraries don't have those, though "It" specifically may be there... don't know...
@@pedroignaciomorales1570 It very well might be there. It's a famous enough book, so it's worth a shot.
Well you can just wait 4 days and it will be a new month 😉
Jokes aside, IT is a massive international bestseller, I'd be surprised if your library doesn't have it (unless it is one focused on more scientific books, for example).
My favorite thing about Stephen King is that the most important characters in his books are the towns! The way they change and evolve through his stories. Brilliant everytime!
Such a great trip down memory lane, watching this. I love IT. Read it for my first time in 6th grade, and again just last summer.
One of the things I enjoy about the book that not many people talk about are the Interludes, getting all the back-history on Derry and the horror on other people who aren't characters in the main story
To me, King can shine at his brightest outside of the horror genre: books like 11/22/ 63 and the Dark Tower are some examples of this. I agree with you that his approach to horror can be very hit or miss, and often times it becomes to over the top to be scary!
The chorus hasn't stepped up and sang yet, but it will: "11-22-63" is Stephen King's best work.
"Different Seasons" was great.
The Green Mile is another great example.
IT is my favourite Stephen King book ever. The way he captured the magic of childhood, the friendship, such a nuanced set of characters and there were the darker parts of Derry, Pennywise and everything. It was just amazing! So glad to finally hear your thoughts on it.
the friendship? does that include the child sex orgy king put in the book
@@bigfrankfraser1391Lol, you’ve definitely never been to an orgy if you think that’s what that was🤣
@@bigfrankfraser1391stop crying lol
@@vaibhavgaur5268 no, im serious, everyone i know who read the book and loved it always mentions how fucking creepy the gangbang bit was, to haar its a favourite book without raising an issue with that one scene is really creeepy in itself
@@bigfrankfraser1391 lol weird take, a bunch of normies dictate what is considered okay to mention? And yes the scene is creepy and disturbing, it's supposed to be, and it's a great for it rather than in spite of it. It's art, not real life, and we should celebrate artistic irresponsibility and menace, it's beautiful.
I haven't read a lot of horror, but The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is one of my all-time favourite books. (And good news, it's not very long!)
She's got a review! ruclips.net/video/-njvk6PQpec/видео.html
I also enjoyed it
the greatest opening line in any novel ever, imho
King is always up and down for me. One author that I loved and would recommend is Shirley Jackson. "The haunting of Hill House" is the one people always talk about but "Hangsaman" is the one that still stays with me.
I recommend "Swan Song", but Robert McCammon. It's often compared to "The Stand", but aside from in the very broadest sense, it is nothing at all like that book, and it's much, much better. Just reread it some 20+ years later, and it still holds up. Fantastic Characters.
Swan Song is terrific.
No joke I would lose my mind watching your discussions of the dark tower. It’s so crazy and full of love and tragedy and I honestly think you’d love it. It’s like the marineford of Stephen king😂
Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin is my favorite, and it's a pretty quick read. The movie is also basically a perfect adaptation.
There happens to be a newer print with an introduction from Chuck Palahniuk. The movie really is artfully adapted. However, being Roman Polanski's Hollywood debut, the movie is taboo.
That said, Sleeper (1973) is a favorite of mine & it's Woody Allen's first full length film.
Simple but brilliant horror book!
Right! I want to say I read that Polanski (?) wasn’t yet aware of taking creative liberties so he basically shadowed the book. But the adaptation still turned out really well.
I’d highly recommend reading I am legend. It is one of my all time favourite horror books and the end still gives me chills to this day.
the ending is so fantastic!!
Aye, Merphy has read that and really enjoyed it 😊
Fevre Dream by George RR Martin is a nautical Vampire book that's all about two dudes becoming friends. So you might really enjoy that one! Also Something Wicked This Way comes is like the OG spooky carnival comes to town story and it's fantastic!
It is just such an emotional book to me. its about growing up and friendship and love and fear, like you said, and that very specific nostalgic feeling you have about your childhood where you feel like you wont ever be as happy as you were, and that no matter what you do, the feelings you had back then wont come back. i do agree it fell off in the second half, but the writing and characters are phenomenal and the ending wrecked me
i LOVE the way you talk about books. your enjoyment is so infectious, but also you explain things so well. i’m so curious about how this compares to his other story centering kids in a scary situation, the institute. i’m reading that one right now and find some elements so compelling, but definitely agree with you that sometimes things just miss the mark or are super overdone.
i’m sorry that king hasn’t always worked for you but can’t wait to see this foray into horror and new authors!
If you like the town with an issue trope, The Tommyknockers and Needful Things are great King books.
Needful things is underrated.
Great timing! I read IT recently for the first time too and it has instantly become one of my all-time favorite books!
For me this is the best book ever. Its amazing how he builds up all these - not just stories but like lifetimes. Including Derry itself.
I think both adaptions (the TV miniseries and the recent theatrcial version) prove you can bring the childhood portion of the story to a climax successfully WITHOUT that scene. I love IT, I've read it a few times to date, it is one of my favorites, but it stays away from the top spot because of *that* scene. I'm actually of a fan of King giving side/small characters quirks that make them memorable. There's already a lot in the book(s), so we don't need to go into heavy detail about them, but it keeps them memorable.
I hadn't read this book since high school (years ago now) and I always used to say it was my favorite book of all time, and maybe it still is. But hearing your progression and reaction as you went through It was not only great for remembering why I loved it so much, but also for reflecting on the flaws that I used to overlook in King's books in general, this one included.
If you never go back to King again I'm at least very, very glad that this was the book you decided to go back and read from him. The Stand is amazing and I personally love a few of his other books too, but IT to me is the quintessential King book for better and for worse, and I'm just glad that you gave this one a shot. Thanks for the trip down memory lane Merphy!
The Ruins by Scott Smith and Urban Gothic by Brian Keene are two of my favorite non King horror novels
The Ruins is really, really good. Haven't heard of Urban Gothic before - guess I'll check it out.
I loved The Ruins, it was my favorite book last year! I loved the subversion of expectations. I still can't get over how Smith made me hate every single one of his characters in the fist 50 pages and then got me to relate to them by the end of the book, so that I was genuinely sad when they got what they deserved. Incredible.
It is my favorite book I have ever read (so far). I've read the book eight times now, once in middle school, three out of the four years in high school and four more times in the 20 years since (the last time in '21 or '22). My understanding of it has changed over the years. It is a phenomenal read, even though my copy is just shy of 1100 pages. At it's core I believe that it is about confronting and overcoming childhood fears. I love the way King weaves the two timelines together, both climaxing at the end, with the interludes where Mike Hanlon relates the history of the town regarding It's feeding cycles. King is very good at showing how It and the town are so deeply interconnected and how It is able to mask its presence from the outside. The story is a variation on the haunted house trope where the town itself is the thing that is haunted.
I can see what you mean about some of the minor characters. Bev's abusive husband Tom and Bill's wife Audra don't really get a lot of development and feel like stock caricatures along with Belch and Victor. Tom's only purpose seems to be a surrogate Henry Bowers and Audra is little more than a macguffin and damsel in distress. Victor and Belch are ultimately nothing more than Henry's goons. It does seem odd that Patrick Hockstetter and Edward Corchoran get more development as throw away characters.
As for "that scene" I understand how it is oddly fitting thematically as it binds the characters together. Clearly it would not make it past censors today but keep in mind this book was published in 1985 and standards were quite different then. Presentism can be a hard thing to get past, but it is important to do so. Many of the things we accept today will likely not be acceptable 30+ years from now. Personally, I believe that the nature of horror as a genre needs to have the leeway to cross these sorts of standards freely and with impunity. "That scene" is hardly the worst thing you could find in a horror novel.
It's out of print now (or was last I checked), but if you can get a hold of a copy, University by Bentley Little is another book that I love. It's a lot shorter and has much more of a Lovecraftian cosmic horror feel to it.
King is something of a 'behaviorist'. The most shocking aspects of his books are people's behaviours (and the history). The violence and the horror elements usually feel a bit sophmoric to me.
For horror books outside Kings, you should read Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, especially the first book "Interview with the Vampire". Also very unique style writing and story story telling. I think you'll enjoy it
The second book, the Vampire Lestat, is also a favorite of mine.
@@AJStone888 yes, the second book also very good
This Thing Between Us by Gus Moreno was excellent. It's exploration of grief made me feel like I'd recently lost someone along with the main character.
Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey is amazing so far. I haven't finished yet, but she tends to write satisfying endings based on The Echo Wife.
Paul Tremblay's "A Head Full of Ghosts" was the scariest horror novel I've read. Well written, with a modern sensibility, great characters, and a horrific story.
I was going to post the same thing. Could not put it down.
Horrific story indeed
Favourite horror (short fic collections and novels):
Arthur Machen - The Three Imposters
Toni Morrison - Beloved
Jayaprakash Satyamurthy - Come Tomorrow
Caitlin Kiernan - Agents of Dreamland
Michael Cisco - Antisocieties
Paul Tremblay - Head Full of Ghosts (must specify: all his other books are bad)
Stephen Graham Jones - The Only Good Indians
T.E.D. Klein - The Ceremonies
Thomas Ligotti - Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe
Matt Cardin - To Rouse Leviathan
Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian
Algernon Blackwood - The Willows
Shirley Jackson - The Haunting of Hill House
I listen to the audiobook, and read along when I can, of IT every year around October. I do find it a masterpiece but also I 100% agree with you that it can be over the top in many different areas that kind of take you out of the story a little bit. That is a Kingism that does appear in a lot of his work. I always tell people that "disturbing" is the best word I can come up with to describe IT. I grew up watching the mini series so now getting the full picture in the book is phenomenal. Like you said, the way he builds the story, the characters, and the town is amazing and really draws you in. I'll stay spoiler free as well, but I love all those history of Derry breaks you get in the book just to showcase how evil the town is and how long it's been happening. I feel the ending of defeating IT is a little lackluster, but the true ending of the book is heartbreaking yet very well crafted.
I think it's one of the strengths of the book, that it takes you for this wild emotional roller coaster ride and I always come around wanting to go along with it again. In that, it's similar to The Stand. It immerses you in a strange, beautiful and terrifying world using strong imagery, that makes you want to experience it again and again.
Dark Tower is his best book yet not horror. And he said so too being his favorite. 👀 In horror he has serious impact on everything.
Stephen Graham Jones' The Only Good Indians is a fantastic horror which really explores the genre. Plus, I think you might really enjoy Grady Hendrix -- I would describe what he writes as horror with real heart and in all those I've read fantastic female leads. I especially loved his latest - How to Sell a Haunted House.
Read The Only Good Indians around Halloween last year and loved it. It has similarities to IT in some ways, but the horror is so sudden and brutal in that book that it made me actually give vocal reaction at some points and that's how I know it's a good horror.
Here's a couple of my favorite non-King recommendations (some are chunky books):
Robert McCammon - Swan Song
Dan Simmons - Summer of Night -- or The Terror
Joe Hill - NOS4A2-- or Heart Shaped Box
William Peter Blatty - The Exorcist (sooo good, holds up even today)
Ronald Malfi- Bone White -- or Come With Me
This is probably my favorite book of all time, if I had to pick one. It's like a slow circling around a dark drain, everything meanders, but it's all connected, and you don't see the full picture until the end. I think the cyclical events in flashback scenes are kinda what dragged it down. Those took several reads to fully connect what I was reading and why. And honestly, still can't read the death of Patrick Hochstetter and not feel sick, despite reading and listening to this six times. I think this text really lends itself to audio, although I feel for the poor soul that had to read Butch Bowers's lines...
I haven’t read a ton of horror outside of Stephen King (I still haven’t read IT, don’t know if I ever will). But I read Summer of Night by Dan Simmons (author of Hyperion) and I liked it a lot. Similarly it’s about a group of kids dealing with an evil force but it doesn’t feel derivative.
The Passage trilogy (The Passage, The Twelve, and The City of Mirrors) by Justin Cronin is an excellent use of vampire tropes. Also there’s generations of character development to dive into. He just released a new stand alone too if you like his work.
I love this style of video where you take us on the journey with you. I’ve never been interested in reading King, but I’m interested now. Your feelings about the book make it even more fun. Filmed and edited wonderfully
Get a collection of HP Lovecraft short stories and read that. He's one of the OG's and you should read him just to be exposed to his genre of SciFi horror.
For that matter, "It" is very much a book that lives within that genre that Lovecraft advanced.
As an indie horror writer and author, I’ve come to discover some incredible voices in horror that I never would’ve found had I been keeping to King and the more mainstream horror. I know you said to recommend one, but there’s two I must recommend.
THE FISHERMAN, by John Langan. This one’s a strange work of literary cosmic horror. It’s about grief, and love, and healing, about the things that happen after which nothing about us or the world is ever the same. And it’s also full of otherworldly horror, and dark promises. Beautiful novel. Has a story within a story that, if you stick with, is quite the experience on top of the whole narrative. One of my favorite books.
A DARK MATTER, by Peter Straub (not indie horror, but a beautiful work of literary horror. This one takes the trope of IT and other similar novels, that of a group of young people encountering something otherworldly and horrific, and then having to revisit it or face it again later in life. But this book does that without the rematch. In that way it’s a book about trauma, and aging, and time. Not as plot-driven or propulsive as some horror out there, but a rich, challenging, and multilayered read nonetheless. It parses its climactic reveal across the entirety in Rashomon-like style, as opposed to building to a climax.
There’s so many more I could suggest… A COSMOLOGY OF MONSTERS, by Shaun Hamill, or THE GRIP OF IT, by Jac Jemc, or anything at all by the great Mariana Enriquez, and also Paul Tremblay. But I’m gonna make myself shut up now 😂
Read the Fisherman in October last year and it's quickly become one of my favorite horror novels
Kings books are very hit or miss for me and most people, I think. IT is great, I also love the Shining, it's sequel Doctor Sleep and The Dead Zone. I read 11/22/63 a few years back and really loved it too. I think part of it for me is that he very much straddles the line between fantasy and horror and his more fantasy books are just dark enough that they feel more geared for adults then some (but not all) of the fantasy books out there.
I really like Grady Hendrix. His books are a roller coaster. They aren’t “scary,” but when I read them I have so much dread because of how he writes his books. My favorite of his is The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.
Glad you finally gave one my ATF books a chance. It is overall an amazing book and King at his best. It surely is not without his "King-isms" and some really dark and disturbing stuff (and the Beverly orgy in the sewers is the one thing people never want to talk about, but you nailed it). King's fondness and ability to express the wonders, imagination, and connection with friends in childhood is pretty remarkable. As adults the Losers must be able to connect with that past in order to beat IT for good. It is so much more than a clown and the movies can't really touch on the shape-shifting as much because you have to cast an actor. Nicely done review and yes amazing last few pages.
I mostly watched one piece content but now i'm enjoying a lot your book videos. Your channel got me reading again and i'm really grateful for it. Thank you ❤
Unfortunately IT gave me nightmares😂
The first time I read *that scene* I was sitting in a room where the Red Hot Chili Peppers song Californication happened to be playing. I can no longer listen to that song. The human brain’s capacity for sense association truly is a marvel.
I still believe the novel is a masterpiece, and I think that's the thing, taste as well as fear is subjective. I agree on your analysis of how good King is when it comes to writing characters and their relation to one another. And it is one of those novels where the setting is an actual character. Derry feels alive and breathing. I absolutely LOVE this novel.
Now, when it comes to other horrors I think you'd like, the first one that came to my mind is THE MANITOU by Graham Masterton. Its body horror is unique and quite unsettling, I would really really love if you gave it a chance. Great Vlog, as always
I just read it for the first time earlier this year. What I loved is the very clear line between good and evil, and that evil requires a choice, even if that choice is to do nothing. I have found that in several of his other books as well and it is one of my favorite aspects of his writing.
That "one scene" makes alot more sense if you read Dark Tower first and understand what a "ka-tet" means (a group of people bound by more than friendship, sharing the same destiny). Also I just read Boy's Life by Robert McCammon and it was really similar to IT but I think Boy's Life might be better. Other recommendations: Battle Royale - Koushun Takami, The Vampire Lestat - Anne Rice, City Infernal - Edward Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith
No, child sex is just gross and shouldn’t be used as a theme to tether these characters friendship together. The monster IT should be what brings them together, which is much more profound and horrifying.
I agree with recommending Coraline. Very well done. And, oddly enough, I also recommend 99 Fear Street by RL Stine or the Cheerleader Saga by RL Stine. Obviously they’re YA horror but I still consider those in particular to be very well done
"IT" is my all-time favorite novel. I read it at the age of 9, again at age 12, and numerous times since then. I guess since I read it the first time as a kid myself, "the scene" was a 'woah' moment, but not an uncomfortable one, as it might be reading as an adult. Based on the things you DID like about it, I'll go ahead and recommend two of my other favorites that have similar vibes/themes...both coming-of-age horror: Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist and Summer of Night by Dan Simmons.
RUclips ate my initial comment.
Horror recommendation: The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
Fantastic quick read, develops an eerie dreamlike quality and the ending hit me like a freight train.
Also if you want a different flavor of King I want to recommend 11.22.63, it's essentially a love story and I was pleasantly surprised by it.
Merphy has read both of those
The novel "Hex" by Thomas Oude Heuvelt is a really fun horror. Much shorter than King, but has the same vibe as King, without a lot of the... problematic scenes. The author also subverts the haunted town trope in a unique way that leaves you guessing how the events are going to unravel due to how unconventional it is. The characters can be a little caricature-esque in the way Stephen King does his characters, but the tone of the novel is very much in the same vein as King.
Another choice that's not so much outright horror is Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer, part of the Southern Reach trilogy. It's such a wonderfully strange book and is so engrossing, even for how short it is. Despite the length, it feels like a slow burn, where all of the horrific events are experienced from a singular point of view by a character who feels disconnected from her humanity.
I agree with Annihilation, one of the best books I have read. I read it on holiday in Thailand and the somewhat tropical and humid setting of area X just fit with where I was.
The characters etc are all fantastic aswell
So we all know a lot of King's books from the '80s were fueled by cocaine and I HOPE that THAT scene was dredged from the depths of his cocaine mania stoked cerebral cortex and do not say anything too damning of the man when he's sober. What I don't get is why the editors went "Yeah this looks fine, no changes required". And if there were changes to that scene, I desperately want to know what the original scene was like.
As a horror reader, I have plenty of horror book recs. If you want more cerebral, philosophical horror:
- We Spread by Ian Reid
- Stirring the Sheets by Chad Lutzke
If you want gothic horror:
- The House of Footsteps by Mathew West
- The Ghost Woods by C.J. Cooke
If you want (intelligent deviations of) creepy house stories:
- How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
- The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson
If you want more subtle horror but focuses on human horror:
- Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid
I don't read Stephen King personally but really enjoyed this vlog, thanks!
Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury OOORRRR Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. Carrion Comfort by Dan and Swan Song by Robert McCammon are solid as well but those first two are just *chefs kiss*
Merphy trying King again came just in time as I tried Farseer again. I have to say. Fitz is growing on me quite a bit after being insufferable for half a book ( turn around was the Lady Patience chapter). I'm starting to think maybe my issue was the audiobook all along. Excited to see where the story goes.
I'm saving King for Halloween this year. Eager to see where I'll stand with his work. Also got me some Liu after yesterday's vlog. That is this weekend's business.
What a coincidence i was just about to start the Lady Patience chapter and I've felt the exact same way so far.
Hopefully this is a turning point for the better for me as well.
I also like to schedule my horror reading for Halloween and I'm just thinking of trying a Stephen King book for the first time.
Cheers!
I can’t help living Fitz. Enjoy!
A very atmospheric horror recommendation would be, The Elementals, by Michael McDowell. It’s a subtle type of horror, very well written. I’ve thought of this book so many times since reading it… it stays with you, which is my favorite type of horror.
Yessss!! I really liked that one. I'm reading his Blackwater series now.
I’m saving Blackwater for October, I can hardly wait!
I read Blackwater last summer. It was great. Loved it!! I also loved the Elementals and Cold Moon Over Babylon.
If you're looking for non-King horror, I'd recommend The Taking by Dean Koontz. It has some haunting scenes that are truly well done, plus the rain/storm element only adds to the tension. Also has some great themes around hope and redemption which help prevent the book's horror elements from weighing you down.
And there are some pretty special dogs in there too, which is another fun layer to the book.
Dolores Claiborne is an absolute masterpiece of first person narrative. I don't usually find myself drawn to first person, but I couldn't put Dolores down. It really blew me away which made me read it's companion novel Gerald's Game. Also, if you haven't read Misery, I thought it was also really cool - it's a book within a book, pretty cool and executed masterfully by Our Constant Writer. (edit) Oh yeah, Dolores Claiborne isn't a very big book. Also, one I never hear mentioned is The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, also a small book, but a great read about a girl who gets lost in the woods. The fear is palpable, but it's also kind of sweet if I remember correctly.
From what I understand King has come out over the years to say he regretted having ‘the scene’ in the book and would not have it in there if he wrote it today. I kinda wish he would re write that part and do a re release of the book.
I've noticed that King edits things in his books on re printing, usually for political or ideological reasons. For instance, when I first read Pet Sematary, there is a scene where Louis is lamenting the fact that it's always the man's job to be strong for everybody during Gage's funeral. I bought another copy of it years later and I couldn't find that bit in it anywhere. I wonder what other things he's taken out. In the case of Rage, a whole book disappeared.
I don't know. I kind of disagree. I think it's actually a shame that writers don't have freedom to write stuff like that anymore, even if it's awful. That was an era where people were just trying to tell stories or make art people wanted to consume rather than self censoring and trying to write propaganda so they could signal to everyone that they're good people with the right values or political ideas.
@@glyndwr15 Too be fair, while I love king, he's a genius at writing; he's a left wing, ideological ridden moron. It's not at all shocking to me he's willing to censor his own books, no one loves to parade their rights away more than liberals and post-modern Marxist thinkers.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski is a phenomenal horror book. Its also the sort of book that very much leans into the medium of being a book and having that essential to its structure. The stuff it does with footnotes, unconventional page layouts, etc is unlike anything else I've ever read. Be very curious to get your thoughts on it.
I have watched a lot of your videos and this one was, well, brilliant. It was articulate, insightful and engaging. This novel has been on my list for a long time and I have been somewhat intimidated by the commitment required. I think I will now move this up in priority, even given your less than stellar final assessment. Kudos on an excellent vlog.
FINALLY a review I've waited years for
Merphy, you really have to read What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson. He was the first writers to inspire King. The story is incredible.
When someone reads IT for the first time, I'm always curious about their reaction to THAT moment. And we all know what THAT moment is.
I feel weird asking this but I heard it was underage group s*x. Is that true or is that a rumor? That sounds so weird and unnecessary
Lol yep
Honestly I don't get how much of a deal people make of that scene. It probably wouldn't be written today but I didn't have a strong reaction to it.
@Zethis I love the book. That said, there were a million other ways he could have had them solve their issues, and "that" is what he chose.
I agree. No lie, I read this when I was 11, and when I got to that scene I was just like "Yeah, that makes sense."
There could be several reasons for the full tilt on side characters: real-life, more common connections to certain characteristics being highlighted through the main narrative, playful fun and relief from the main story line (fun especially for the author), and to distract us or attempt to throw us off of the trail of solving plot twists before the author unveils them. It could even be the author just showing is how connected everything in the story, the character’s universe and its author are involved in everything happening. The cab driver’s may not know the protagonists’ stories or what they’re going through; yet, ket, if you will, speaks and acts through them as if on some level they do know… and maybe they don’t care. Lots of possibilities, but I think it’s a fun.
Stephen King is one of my favorite authors because of his characterization and ability to unsettle, and It is one of my favorites of his, but I completely see where you're coming from too. I think It is special to me because it's the first King novel I read, and I was so swept up in the story that I ended up writing a paper on it. I love the cyclical nature of the story, and how it is really more about the characters and their fight against fear and evil, rather than it being about the fear and evil overcoming them. It's been years since I first read it and I'm a little more critical when I approach King now, because he does absolutely have his weaknesses and they can start to grate after awhile. But I'm so glad you gave this one a shot and can appreciate what he was trying to do. :) (But yes, THAT scene. Yikes. The worst yikes I've ever read.)
I also really love The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. It's a classic British ghost story and there's something about it that is just so uniquely unsettling to me. It's beautifully done and a fairly short read.
Very good, personally really enjoyed it. Except THAT scene. Never in the history of novels has there been a scene less needed.
The only time I have ever ripped out pages from a book. No seriously, I cut out those pages from my copy so I need never have to read them again if I ever reread the novel.
"Clown? Who you calling a clown?" Pennywise.
Like Slappy the Dummy
Some horror recommendations: My Best Friend's Exorcism by Grady Hendrix (coming of age possession story with a lot of humor), A Head Full Of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay (another possession story but also about trauma and depression), The Boatman's Daughter by Andy Davidson (think like if Where The Crawdads Sing was horror and didn't suck), Ring by Koji Suzuki (the basis for The Ring movies), and Floating Dragon by Peter Straub (another epic cursed suburban town story)
I have not seen you do this style of video before but I really enjoyed it. I hope you do more in the future.
I plan to do more! But I also have another channel where I do weekly reading vlogs, it’s in the description 😊
it scared the $**t out of me when she said that IT manifests it self according to the victims. I instantly imagined my kids hurt, luring me into an abandoned house. O.O
It’s not a book but I really think you should watch Midnight Mass! It’s a very short show. Every time you talk about how much you love a story involving a town (a seaside town no less!) where something creepy and sinister is going on and it’s affecting the whole town - I think about that show and how much I think you’d like it! I watched it two years ago and still think about it sometimes.
Midnight Mass is amazing. Flanagan rules.
I've been putting off reading this book. I definitely have coulrophobia, despite watching the movies and seeing the mini-series. Yet like a moth to a flame, I really want to read this sometime. Time to face my fears.
Merphy you described loving a town where everyone or most people know somethings wrong but no one leaves, read Salems lot. One of my favorite Kings, and one of his first few books he wrote
Here's the thing about Stephen King: You may not think this is a masterpiece now. But weeks or months from now, you'll be walking along or doing the laundry, and you'll have flashbacks to something of his - a turn of phrase or a scene - and you will realize that he is a master storyteller.
100%. IT is one of the few books that somehow pops into my head for at least a couple seconds every single day, even nearly 20 years after the first time I read it. It's a true masterpiece.
Oh man, I have trouble walking down stairs in the dark because of this book.
Try The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Not strictly a horror but also kinda a horror
great book. it was my recommendation as SF.
I think I know exactly what scene you were reading to have that face in the thumbnail... and that is definitely the correct reaction
There is an excellent book called Write Like the Masters, by William Cain. Each chapter is an essay about what gives each author their distinctive "voice." Hemingway used short sentences, for example (and didn't use commas). Salinger developed the "voice of youth" in The Catcher in the Rye, and so on. The chapter on King explained if you want to know about King's writing, don't read On Writing. Go through one of his books and see how he uses a "call and answer" system to create suspense. In The Shining, each time Wendy worries about Jack's drinking, or something weird happens in the hotel, we are pushed a little further and called a little louder, until it comes to the big climactic ending. The "call and response" is also used in vaudeville/improv comedy, when a comedian makes a joke, then it keeps getting funnier as they refer back to it in unexpected ways.
I was 11 going on 12, the same age as the characters in the 1950s section of the book. My first "adult" book I read was Carrie, when I was 8, and I had been reading King and other "adult" books for years at that point. Within a few years, I knew a number of girls who WERE 12 and 13 who were losing their vi!rgin!ty (and not to abusers, but to their same-age-or a few years older boyfriends). I'm not saying it's RIGHT that very young teens are exploring, and I am a big fan of WAITING but it does happen. I think Degrassi is just about the only media project I've ever seen that looks at people that age and what they're doing in a realistic way (I haven't seen some of the newer shows, so I'm probably wrong there).
The scene wasn't overly explicit, and it wasn't about the act but about the love that the characters had for each other, and the belief in the power of their friendship and their imaginations that had saved them from the monster and would bring them together to find their way out. That's how I understood it when I was 11 and while I agree as an adult that King's editors might have been able to take him aside and tell him there's probably a better way to show that...As an adult I still feel the same way about "that" scene.
IT is my all time favourite King novel, so I could talk about it all day. I like his early work best, and his short stories. Horror works on suspense and suspense is quicker to build in the short format. It's not a skill everyone has, but King's short stories are some of his best horror.
Some non-King horror recommendations: Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica. We are Here to Hurt Each Other (short stories) by Paula D. Ashe. Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark. The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias. There are tons more, I'm a BookTuber too, and I do horror reviews. I hope you find some more good reads.
This is one I can always come back to. As for the scene you call, "That scene," what I can say for it is that it's psychologically sound. After years of pestering my mother (she was a psychologist) , she finally listened to IT. And I asked her specifically about "That scene" Her analysis was King set it up right---with her father being the way he was, coupled with the trauma bonding, and the ages we were dealing with, and how powerless they were outside the losers club--it made perfect sense to her.
I absolutely agree that it makes perfect psychological, thematic and narrative sense but I also agree with the prevailing sentiment that there are still some things that you shouldn't make your fictional 12 year olds do.
@@theskyisteal8346 For some reason people are more ok with what happens to fictional 12 year olds than what the author makes them do. Still think the scene is weird af.
Merphy I'm sorry you had to go through this. You truly are a legend. ❤
IT is one of my favorite books ever. So good. Stephen King is highly underrated when it comes to perception. He’s seen often as a junk novelist. And some of his books are just that. But when it comes to his masterpieces, he is a genius. And IT is an example of this. It goes along with The Stand, Drawing of the Three, and there are many more.
I agree, calling King a junk novelist is a grave disservice to his work. I have found him to be one of the few horror writers who tries to weave his narratives around higher minded, almost literary, concepts like alcoholism, abuse, prejudice, etc. In the case of IT is the idea of overcoming childhood fears.
Dark Tower is my favorite book series of all time & I've dug all the direct tie-ins. Between IT & The Stand, The Stand takes it for me. It is great too though.
Jawbone by Mónica Ojeda is a recent horror fave of mine. It’s about a teacher losing her sanity and a group of students obsessed with creepypastas. The writing isn’t for everyone but if it works for you, it WORKS for you.
As someone who read IT without knowing about that scene, I remember being in utter shock, I just could not believe that King had actually written that down and that it was actually published...
Horror outside King:
Caitlin Starling - The Luminous Dead
Marissa Pessl - Night Film
Tiffany McDaniel - Betty
Caroline Kepnes - You
Grady Hendrix - Southern Book Club guide for Slaying Vampires
I agree with you completely on THAT SCENE. This was a book that I somehow read over a single long weekend, many years ago, and I loved so much of it, including the ending, which I interpreted as a healing of both childhood and adult traumas through such a simple joy as the sound of playing cards in a bike wheel.
I know you said you wanted other authors now, but sticking with King for a moment, I think you might like the books he did for the Hard Case Crime imprint: The Colorado Kid, Joyland, or Later. All are shorter, character driven, with a strong sense of place.
More horror novels? The Woman in Black by Susan Hills comes to mind, and A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay.
As a giant King fan, If you enjoy well paced character delving novels, my greatest recommendation is Misery. It’s fantastic and thrilling
If you like books about creepy, small towns, that people can’t escape , I highly recommend the book Black Mouth by Ronald Malfi
I absolutely loved this book as well. I’m currently reading night parade from him.
Honestly the things you touch on at the end are exactly why I've never been able to get myself to try The Dark Tower as a whole series.
I enjoy reading King *enough* but these are the sort of things that crop up. I'd rather have the unknown hyped version of the Dark Tower than read it myself and dislike or, worse, feel indifferent about it
The Terror by Dan Simmons was/is one of my favorites. Also Swan Song is a pretty good post apocalyptic horror type book.
Id recommend, if you are loving the development of the town of Dairy, "Let the right ones in" or "let me in". They are the same book just different titles. The book revolves around a town filled with bullies, broken families, and drunks as a vampire girl moves to town with her, more messed up, Igor.
Other personal favorites are "The Hellbound Heart", "Frankenstein", and "The Colour from Outer Space" though that is more of a short story.
For a horror classic, I would recommend The Wolf Leader by Alexander Dumas. There isn't really any specific book most people will name when it comes to werewolf fiction origins, especially since werewolves can be traced back beyond greek and roman times, but I think this stands nicely as a contemporary to Dracula and Frankenstein, placing it's focus on contemplation of the soul rather than trying to scare, and for me makes it very much an excellent if underrated horror classic.
And if you wanted to try to read more King but maybe not another King horror, I really suggest trying out his epic fantasy series The Dark Tower. I really loved the first book, The Gunslinger, though not everyone would agree, and thought it was great start to the series, but at the same time thought it's story was self contained enough that I was really satisfied reflecting on just that book alone before actually going on and continuing. For me it's like top 10 maybe 5 depending on the day, and for context, I'm one of the One Piece fans who pestered you to read that multiple times. So... yeah, you should probably just read The Gunslinger.
Cool. I wholeheartedly agree with you on the hit and miss aspect. I've been reading King since the late 1980's and I have to say, I think he excels best at short form narrative. I still say Different Seasons or Skeleton Crew are my alltime favourite.
The fire in the black spot is true horror. No boy writes the horror of man like King.