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IAmThePonch t1_j8y4u3c wrote

It was to

A. Not flood the market with his books

B. Write pulpier stuff as opposed to horror. It’s why most of the Bachman books (apart from thinner) are more sci-fi/ crime

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hatersaurusrex t1_j8zbeiw wrote

>B. Write pulpier stuff as opposed to horror. It’s why most of the Bachman books (apart from thinner) are more sci-fi/ crime

They're also some of his best work. When he writes about things other than horror, he really shines. The Shawshank Redemption and The Running Man are two of my favorites.

Stand By Me was also really good, and many people still don't know that the movie was based on a Stephen King story even though his signature 'Group of adolescents going on an adventure and learning about dark things, one of whom has glasses and a smart mouth just like King' is all over it.

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IAmThePonch t1_j8zcfr3 wrote

Bachman was hit or miss with me. I loved the month walk, liked running man, appreciated roadwork but that one was definitely too long, and didn’t much care for rage. Honestly apart from conpletionism I don’t know how much is lost by it being out of print. Thinner is just total trash but kind of entertaining, blaze I read when I was pretty young and remember liking, and I’m one of the few people that likes The Regulators for how fucking bananas it can be.

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glittrxbarf t1_j901u52 wrote

The Regulators might be my favorite Stephen King book. It's definitely my favorite "deep cut."

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hatersaurusrex t1_j8zj8b4 wrote

I think King overall is hit or miss - and lots of people who love one thing will hate another, and vice versa.

I really liked his takes on Fantasy - The Dark Tower and it's tie ins to The Regulators/Desperation and others is sort of fascinating and really unlike any of his other work. I personally really enjoyed The Talisman as well, but it seems to be on the 'most hated' list. The book also opens on a young boy whose mother is dying of cancer, and I was a young boy whose mother was dying at the time I read it, so it probably has more personal impact for me.

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