Stephen King "endings" - good or bad?
01-22-07, 08:46 PM
#1
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Stephen King "endings" - good or bad?
I've been reading Stephen King since I was 15 (I'm 37 now), and one of the greatest things about his stories was how he ended them. The majority of his endings left me numb with emotion, and I would usually find myself re-reading the last paragraph to let it sink in.
One great example was It -
...Or so Bill Denbrough sometimes thinks on those early mornings after dreaming, when he almost remembers his childhood, and the friends with whom he shared it.
and Gerald's Game -
...For the first time in months her dreams were not unpleasant, and a tiny cat's smile curled the corners of her mouth. When a cold February wind blew beneath the eaves and moaned in the chimney, she burrowed deeper beneath the comforters...but that small, wise smile did not fade.
One great example was It -
...Or so Bill Denbrough sometimes thinks on those early mornings after dreaming, when he almost remembers his childhood, and the friends with whom he shared it.
and Gerald's Game -
...For the first time in months her dreams were not unpleasant, and a tiny cat's smile curled the corners of her mouth. When a cold February wind blew beneath the eaves and moaned in the chimney, she burrowed deeper beneath the comforters...but that small, wise smile did not fade.
01-22-07, 09:31 PM
#2
Yeah, I agree with you that he usually makes a point of ending with a well-written paragraph or sentence.
What he's not so consistently good at is the plotting leading up to that final paragraph (and what I thought this thread was going to be about). For example "It":
. And "The Stand":
Other King novels have similar problems, a gigantic build-up to endings that don't measure up to what came before. I'm not saying he always does this: "Carrie", "The Shining", and "Salem's Lot" (just off the top of my head) were endings that I found satisfying. But it happens enough for me to be wary of it, and approach the ending of any of his books with a bit of trepidation.
What he's not so consistently good at is the plotting leading up to that final paragraph (and what I thought this thread was going to be about). For example "It":
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
01-22-07, 09:47 PM
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Bring on the haters but, IMO, the ending of the DARK TOWER series, specifically Roland's final chapter, was sheer perfection.
01-23-07, 10:50 AM
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For me it's not the final paragraph or final sentence as to how King ends his work (these are usually really good) but it's the final 100 pages or so. It seems like he puts so much work into the beginning and middle that his endings seem tied up too easily or abrupt. He makes easy work of his villains is a better way of putting it.
01-23-07, 12:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Filmmaker
Bring on the haters but, IMO, the ending of the DARK TOWER series, specifically Roland's final chapter, was sheer perfection.
Spoiler:
01-23-07, 01:16 PM
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Originally Posted by ceeece
For me it's not the final paragraph or final sentence as to how King ends his work (these are usually really good) but it's the final 100 pages or so. It seems like he puts so much work into the beginning and middle that his endings seem tied up too easily or abrupt. He makes easy work of his villains is a better way of putting it.
01-23-07, 08:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Filmmaker
Very, very true. Hell, look no further than Walter's sorry fate in the DT series; a sullied mark on an otherwise superb series.
01-24-07, 07:16 AM
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Walter and Roland's conflict and chase stretched for centuries--Roland (and the readers) deserved to see Walter taken down with one (or more) of the gunslinger's bullets, not taken out with a) Roland not even in attendance and b) by a character only a chapter or two old.
01-24-07, 07:40 AM
#11
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Originally Posted by Filmmaker
Bring on the haters but, IMO, the ending of the DARK TOWER series, specifically Roland's final chapter, was sheer perfection.
Now The Colorado Kid is another matter. That book was pure and simple King being Lazy. It looks like he just wrote until he reached the required number of pages and then stopped. He then had the audicity to write an epilogue blaming all his readers for not understanding his writting genius. That shows that he knew the ending was bullshit before he even published the book.
Last edited by darkside; 01-24-07 at 07:44 AM.
01-25-07, 05:59 PM
#13
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Originally Posted by Filmmaker
Very, very true. Hell, look no further than Walter's sorry fate in the DT series; a sullied mark on an otherwise superb series.
Spoiler:
01-25-07, 06:58 PM
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I never noticed the endings of the books of his I've read being particularly bad, so it must not have been a problem for me.
My main complaint with King's body of work is that his books tend to be a little bloated and would benefit from some judicious paring down. But I find that to be true of many books.
My main complaint with King's body of work is that his books tend to be a little bloated and would benefit from some judicious paring down. But I find that to be true of many books.
