I was not sure if I would finish the Gwendy trilogy. I really liked the first book but did not care much for the second one. If it was not for the facI was not sure if I would finish the Gwendy trilogy. I really liked the first book but did not care much for the second one. If it was not for the fact that this book was available on Overdrive when I was looking for something to listen to, I am not sure I would have given it a shot.
I must admit I am glad I did. It was much better than the second book and a fitting end to the story.
A mix of mystery, sci-fi, and horror; it has all the elements you love from Stephen King. His collaboration with Chizmar was very good on this and I wonder how much of it is King and how much of it is Chizmar. Something I read previously (don’t ask me to site my source because I honestly don’t remember) led me to believe this series is mostly Chizmar with King mainly serving as inspiration. I cannot say if that is truly the case, but it would make sense.
One maybe “complaint” is that this book gets very political. I didn’t used to have an issue with politics in books, but after the past few years I am exhausted by it and want my books to be an escape. You are definitely not escaping modern political opinions in this one. I am not going to focus on which side of things the politics fall in this book (I am bet all of you probably can guess which way they fall) because all of it exhausts me!
So, politics aside, it is a better book than the second one, has a good ending, and I am 100% glad I finished this adventure. Should you try the trilogy? I am not sure that I can recommend it, but I am also not sure I can discourage you. At least each of the books are short so if you get to a place you just don’t feel like it is working for you, at least you will have not committed too much time to it! ...more
Cycle of the Werewolf is touted as a novel in many places. But this really isn’t even long enough to be considered a novella. It’4 stars – 5 in places
Cycle of the Werewolf is touted as a novel in many places. But this really isn’t even long enough to be considered a novella. It’s a short story; I paced myself but could probably have read this whole thing in under an hour. This observation is not a complaint, I just want to make sure anyone reading this based on my review know exactly what they will be seeing.
Also, every chapter includes artwork by Bernie Wrightson. These pictures are very cool and add a lot to the story, however, they are sometimes a spoiler and depict a scene coming up in the next few pages. Since they are large and colorful it is hard for your eye not to be drawn to them. So, proceed with caution if you want to learn the story from the words and not the pictures!
Here is one that is not too spoilerish!
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I have been working my way through King’s works chronologically and I have to get a shout out to Dichotomy Girl for getting my mind right in the comments on her review of The Gunslinger so that I did not forget this one! I put The Talisman on hold about a month ago and just got in my mind that is what I would read next after Pet Sematary. If it wasn’t for her, I would have started The Talisman before Cycle of the Werewolf and it would have ruined the whole thing! I would have had to start over! (Well, maybe not, but it makes the save sound so much more dramatic!)
Thank you, Dichotomy Girl!
If you want a very good but quick scare, pick this one up to read under the covers one night. It is a good sampling of Stephen King if you really don’t have a lot of time to try him out. Or, maybe you just need a quick fix and don’t have time for It or The Stand!
Side note: This is the book the 80s movie Silver Bullet was based on. ...more
Overall, I thought that this was a great adaptation. The necessary dialogue was included – which had to be difficult with such a voluminous book. While the art was not my favorite graphic novel art, it still did a pretty good job of conveying the story (and the horror) in a visually satisfying way.
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If you are a fan of King and the graphic novel medium, I can very easily recommend that you give this a try. I suggest reading the novel first. But, if you are someone who has been interested in trying The Stand but the 1000+ page book has been too daunting so you keep putting it off, this graphic novel series should serve as a decent alternative option.
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For those reading this review who might be interested in other King based graphic novels, I am part way through the Gunslinger graphic novel series, and it is very good to. The only caveat is that last time I checked, it didn’t appear that they were going to finish it.
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The Man in Black fled . . . . off to raise some hell elsewhere!...more
This is the issue of the graphic novel series where we join the events of the original book series at the beginning of the first book. While the quoteThis is the issue of the graphic novel series where we join the events of the original book series at the beginning of the first book. While the quote didn’t make an appearance, here is a reminder:
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”
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For those who have not read the series . . . you probably should before reading the graphic novels. Or, at least start at the beginning of the graphic novels. It has been my opinion as I have gone along that these graphic novels are best read after you have already gathered everything from the books. But, honestly, they do a pretty job at sharing the story, so you will get everything if you just read these
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The art continues to be great! It does a fantastic job at graphically presenting the essence of the Gunslinger’s world. A world on its way out. A world in decay. A world of darkness and mystery. A world lacking in beauty and rich in death. A world where the choice to head off across the barren desert with no idea of what is on the other side is actually the best choice. All of these things are represented in every line and every brushstroke.
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I hope that this series continues strong. I have heard rumors that it doesn’t hold up the farther that it gets into the story line from the book series. Also, it appears that they published the last volume back in 2017 with the series unfinished and, at this time, there is no information as to whether it will ever continue. I kind of hate knowing this early on that I may get to the end and it will be unfinished – even knowing what happens from the book series. We shall see!
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Regardless of any concerns for the future, this series has been great so far – very enjoyable! I highly recommend it to any King and/or graphic novel fan. ...more
This was a very good adaptation of the short story from King's collection Everything's Eventual. At times I thought I was going to go 4 stars (I didn'This was a very good adaptation of the short story from King's collection Everything's Eventual. At times I thought I was going to go 4 stars (I didn't really get into it until about halfway through), but it ended at a full 5 stars.
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The story of the Little Sisters is very creepy and mysterious. Also, it's perfect transition story between Roland's early life in Gilead and the Dark Tower stories from the novels. As the world decays around Roland and unknown evil begins seeping in, Roland must find inner strength and divine intervention to continue his quest toward the elusive Tower.
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The art in this volume is fabulous. From beauty to absolutely terrifying images from the bowels of hell itself - all of it is music for the eyes. These are the images that dreams and nightmares are made of.
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I have heard rumors that the graphic novel adaptations of The Dark Tower story begin to stumble as they move farther along. So far I am not seeing it - and will gladly continue this awesome series!
Note: to avoid confusion, I wrote the above on May 14, 2019. It is now released and I am reading it. AlsoJust announced! Another Holly Gibney mystery!
Note: to avoid confusion, I wrote the above on May 14, 2019. It is now released and I am reading it. Also, at the time I was not aware it was another four novella book....more
The graphic novel retelling of Stephen King's The Stand continues. I am going with 4 stars on this one instead of the full 5, and I think it comes morThe graphic novel retelling of Stephen King's The Stand continues. I am going with 4 stars on this one instead of the full 5, and I think it comes more from my long standing feelings about this section of the book than the actual graphic novel volume.
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When I first read The Stand over 20 years ago, I got bogged down in this section of the book. For those who haven't read it yet, I will continue in a spoiler tag (view spoiler)[This is the section where they are getting settled into Boulder and they keep having meetings and votes and other long discussions about the new order of things. I stopped reading it for a while back then because I started to get bored. (hide spoiler)] So, I wasn't super hyped about the graphic novel version of the part I previously had a hard time getting into.
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But, it is still one of my favorite books of all time. And, this graphic novel series has been a very good port of the original story. So, I can give it a pass. And, since the whole point of graphic novels is to hit on key points with dialogue and tell a lot (if not most) of the story with pictures, it certainly didn't drag on at all.
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I still highly recommend this series for fans of King. While I think you should read the book first, if you cannot commit to something quite that monumental, this is a very good option!
In the past 10 years I feel like only Sleeping Beauties and Doctor Sleep have felt as much like classic King as The Institute. Many of the el4.5 Stars
In the past 10 years I feel like only Sleeping Beauties and Doctor Sleep have felt as much like classic King as The Institute. Many of the elements in this book are tropes straight from his early days: youth relationships (The Body, IT, The Long Walk), children with extraordinary powers (Carrie, The Shining, Firestarter), mysterious evil (The Stand, The Long Walk, The Tommyknockers, Christine), really despicable bad guys (Misery, IT), and a minor male protagonist reminiscent of Stu Redman, Andy McGee, Louis Creed, John Smith, Ben Richards, etc., etc.
The feeling I had through most of this book was frustration. Not a bad frustration – just engaged frustration. Every page I wanted to reach into the book and smack some people around. Then, the questions I was left with at the end have me really torn about how I feel about the resolution of the book. I think all these questions and emotions are the sign of a great book.
If you are looking at the size of the book and feel like it might be a bit daunting – no worries! I think you will find it to be a very quick read with the pages flying by! And, while I don’t often say this, I think you could start King with this one if you wanted to. Often, I send people back to the early ones, but this is a pretty good book with a lot of King feel to it that I think it would be a good one if people want to start out with one of his newer works.
In summary – lots of nostalgia-inducing content for King fans and a great entry point for new King readers. I am always glad to see that the King remains the King!
Side note: Based on how Young Adult is designated these days, you could probably easily call this a Young Adult novel. In fact, I am going to shelve it as that and see if I get any guff! :)...more
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this graphic novel series continues to be excellent! The story follows right along with the novel (unabrAt the risk of sounding like a broken record, this graphic novel series continues to be excellent! The story follows right along with the novel (unabridged version) and the artwork is excellent. King fans who are also graphic novel fans should really check this one out.
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This volume deals mainly with the bad guys – the Hardcases. This means both in the belly of the beast (view spoiler)[ Vegas (hide spoiler)] and where there is supposed to be sanctuary (view spoiler)[Boulder (hide spoiler)], but evil lurks. This is a great contrast to the last volume which dealt mainly with the good guys.
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Also, this volume takes place during the parts of the novel that were my least favorite. That is all of the scenes with the Boulder Free Zone trying to get a committee together and reestablish a government. That part always dragged on for me. Luckily it goes fast in this format!
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Fans of The Stand cannot go wrong here. And, if you don’t want to take on the huge book, this continues to be a pretty good summary version with decent art to accompany it.
5 stars all the way - this graphic novel is excellent! Do you like westerns? Do you like vampires? Do you like vampire-westerns? If you answered yes t5 stars all the way - this graphic novel is excellent! Do you like westerns? Do you like vampires? Do you like vampire-westerns? If you answered yes to one or more of the above, then step right up!
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I figured it sounded interesting, but I did not think I would end up reading one of the best approaches to the vampire genre I have seen. It is creepy, gory, sexy, etc. - all the things you expect in a good vampire tale. Also, it has the element of wondering exactly who you should be cheering for - at some points I found myself very intrigued by the charisma of the main protagonist/antagonist. Will I be for him or against him in the future? I am hooked and I look forward to more.
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As a graphic novel, the art is great. I would say it has a slightly less cartoonish feel than Chew, but there is a similar look. The monsters and the gore are well done. And, as I started my Red Dead Redemption II journey last night, I am loving the western art.
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I think this is a worthwhile selection for vampire fans to try even if they are not into the graphic novel format....more
I continue to be impressed with The Stand graphic novel series. It really does justice to the source material. Having recently reread the book (withinI continue to be impressed with The Stand graphic novel series. It really does justice to the source material. Having recently reread the book (within the past couple of years), it has been easy to make a comparison. I am so glad that it has stayed true to the book – this didn’t need to stray! Also, I am sure it was difficult to take a very verbose novel and figure out how to tell it with just a few words and pictures.
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Speaking of pictures, as much as I like the story, I am not super gung-ho about the artwork. It is okay, and some of the images are very powerful. But, just as often as it is powerful, some of the images are awkward. Maybe it is a facial expression that is off, a slightly unusual use of depth, or the orientation of the depicted scene is just a bit off. Certainly not terrible (I couldn’t do better), but distracting none the less.
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Even with my issues with the artwork, the volume is very powerful. It focuses on the people who are generally considered the “good” survivors of the plague; lots of good drama, new characters, tense moments, dreams accomplished, and nightmares threatening. It appears the next volume will focus primarily on the “bad” survivors.
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While I don’t recommend reading this unless you have read the book, if the book is just too much for you, this would definitely not be a bad way to get the story. ...more
After a couple of recent monsters (both size of book and characters within), King gives us a novella that reads quickly and could easily been a part oAfter a couple of recent monsters (both size of book and characters within), King gives us a novella that reads quickly and could easily been a part of a short story collection. In fact, I think it is considerably shorter than several of the novellas in his collections like Four Past Midnight and Different Seasons. But, it is a decent little mysterious story if you need a King fix.
Let’s set the record straight on something right up front – this is very far from being a horror story. I have seen it designated as horror and nominated as horror in the Goodreads Choice Awards (where I have now voted for it, even though it is not really horror, because I have not read any of the other selections). It is a good little story, but you really cannot automatically send King to the Horror category anymore! In fact, I see that The Outsider was nominated in the Mystery and Thriller category. Elevation is much more of a Mystery/Thriller while The Outsider is definitely horror. Oh well!
Now that that is out of the way, thoughts on the book itself! It is very well written and a very quick read. If you are on hold at the library for this you shouldn’t have to wait long as I think many people will be able to finish it in one sitting. It reminds me a bit of some early King stories (Thinner comes to mind, and you will see why when you read it!). Also, I think this is his first official Castle Rock story in a long time. At one point he was talking about retiring Castle Rock as a location (with Needful Things, I think), but this book is 100% Castle Rock!
I will say, without opinion or agenda, just laying it out there, that this book definitely has a lot of undertones related to the current climate in America. This is not surprising as King is very vocal on Twitter about how he feels about things, so it seems pretty obvious that it is likely to seep into his writing. If you are someone who likes to keep politics out of your reading, this may be distracting for you. But, I think it also may be unnoticeable by some – it just depends on the personality of the reader. For me, it was fine.
I didn’t go in looking for King’s best as it is a shorter book and it didn’t really have a lot of fanfare that I saw prior to its release (the library didn’t even realize it was coming out until I went to ask if I could put it on hold!), so I just went for it like I do with all Stephen King. What I found was an entertaining, almost cute, story that has a little inspiration, some heart string pulling, lots of mystery, might get a few synapses firing in your brain, and will definitely leave you wondering . . . ...more
I recently read and reviewed the first volume of this series and I almost feel like I could copy my review word for word and it would still work here.I recently read and reviewed the first volume of this series and I almost feel like I could copy my review word for word and it would still work here. So far, this series has been a great graphic novel retelling of the King classic!
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All of the gory details and nightmare scenarios are coming to life on the page – sometimes even more intense than I imagined. It has also helped me realized how perfect this story is for the graphic novel format.
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I will say that while generally I am loving the artwork, there are a few images where the drawings look off and uncomfortable. I think it is mainly in the faces – when they are drawing terrifying faces, it is fine. But when the faces are at rest having a normal discussion, they just seem a bit odd. Not enough to ruin my enjoyment, just an observation.
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King fans – if you have read The Stand and have any interest in graphic novels, you really should check this out. If you haven’t read The Stand yet, I would do that first because once you see the images in here, I am not sure your imagination will work for itself on this story....more
This is a dark and hopeless transitional graphic novel in the Dark Tower series. It is the beginning of the journey from the time before the novel serThis is a dark and hopeless transitional graphic novel in the Dark Tower series. It is the beginning of the journey from the time before the novel series to the storyline in the novels. While the series has always been dark and foreboding, this one is particularly bleak.
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Because it is a transitional volume, there is only a little bit of a story. Mainly just some scenes after the battle of Jericho Hill as Roland begins his journey to the Dark Tower. Not that transitional volumes like this are a bad thing, it just didn’t quite pull me in as much as the other volumes did.
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I heard that along the way the artists change and the illustrations become not quite as good. That appears to have started with this volume. I was not quite as captivated as I was with the previous volumes. The artwork is not quite as clean and some of it even ends up looking a little silly. So, if the art is what has drawn you into the series so far, be warned.
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So far, I see no reason that I would stop reading the series. This was still a pretty decent volume. But, I have been warned by others and I am starting to see it slip, so I may be reconsidering this a few volumes down the line....more
One of the most historic battles in Dark Tower lore is upon us . . .
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The graphic novel teOur quest continues . . .
Very little hope is left . . .
One of the most historic battles in Dark Tower lore is upon us . . .
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The graphic novel telling of the events before the Dark Tower novels is nearing its end. While I have heard rumors that the series eventually begins to slide into mediocrity, so far it has remained top notch. This volume is as dark, brutal, and enthralling as the volumes before it.
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I am very glad I gave this series a try. I enjoyed the novel series and getting the prequels through the graphic novel media has been excellent. I highly recommend it. But, definitely read the novels first!
When it comes to being true to the source material, this is about as good as it gets! I have read The Stand twice and this volume faithfully follows tWhen it comes to being true to the source material, this is about as good as it gets! I have read The Stand twice and this volume faithfully follows the first 100 to 150 pages or so.
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And, not only is it faithful, but the adaptation is very good is well. Being true to the original book does not necessarily mean that the transition is smooth, followable, etc. But, this was done very well.
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And, the art is pretty good, too. I was joking with my wife (who has also read The Stand) that this is probably one of the last books you would want to be accompanied by visual aids. As you can see by some of the photos I have included, this is definitely the case!
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Great art, true to story, well done adaptation - 5 stars all the way it and I am looking forward to checking out other volumes. If interested, you should probably start with the book. But, if you are a more casual reader and not ready to commit to such a huge tome, this is a very good alternative.
Such a creative and well written story combining legends of the past, the peril of the present, and the hoThis series is awesome, do ya kennit?
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Such a creative and well written story combining legends of the past, the peril of the present, and the hopelessness of the future in Stephen King’s Dark Tower Universe. This volume completes the path from the innocence of youth to the responsibility of adulthood for our protagonist, Roland, and his group of friends. Some of this story you know from The Dark Tower novels, but this graphic novel series is now really starting to expand on stories that King only hinted at.
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I didn’t do any research into this, but I felt like the artwork changed in this volume. It still had the same feel, but I felt like the characters looked different than in the earlier volumes and, in general, it has become more impressionistic. I am thinking the main artist might have changed? I still think the art is great, but I did not like it quite as much as I did earlier.
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King fans, graphic novel fans, fantasy fans, western fans, Arthurian legend fans, and people who like things that are good should all check this series out!
I cannot say enough about this graphic novel series! If you are a fan of The Dark Tower, you must check this out. So much of Roland’s early story is bI cannot say enough about this graphic novel series! If you are a fan of The Dark Tower, you must check this out. So much of Roland’s early story is being fleshed out and the artwork is fantastic. I am riveted!
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This is the first volume that expands a lot on story that was not included in the main book series. The first two volumes were basically a graphic novel retelling of Wizard and Glass. While this one does have a few events in it hinted in the book series, there is so much more!
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Also, this story pulls no punches. It is vicious and raw. Every character is battling both internal and external demons. And, the evil depicted is pure and beyond all acceptable boundaries. Gilead and its surroundings are a world of turmoil and magic, honor and deception, love and hatred.
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No one is safe, everyone is conflicted, the future is foreboding. Read this series . . . if you dare!
I loved the Dark Tower books. This graphic novel series is, so far, doing it great justice! The story, the writi“Don’t forget the face of your father”
I loved the Dark Tower books. This graphic novel series is, so far, doing it great justice! The story, the writing, the artwork – all of it is amazing!
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I am loving how this series is filling in some of the gaps from the story before the books. But, at the same time it is obvious that the writers did their research as there are shades of the origin material throughout.
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The art in this book is spoiling me. It is slightly impressionistic, but very specific and horrifyingly epic. After reading this I may have a hard time going back to other artwork
This is the very first volume and it is a collection of seven issues telling the same story as in Wizard and GlaDark Tower graphic novels? Yes please!
This is the very first volume and it is a collection of seven issues telling the same story as in Wizard and Glass (4th book of The Dark Tower series). That part of the Gunslinger story lends itself very well to the graphic novel format. Who am I kidding!? The whole thing lends itself to this format, book four is just a very good place to start.
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I am very impressed with the adaptation of a 500+ page novel into a 150 to 200 page graphic novel. The artwork and the few lines of narration and dialogue completely told the story. Book four was not my favorite in the series, but I think reading this gave me a new appreciation for it.
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Also, speaking of artwork, I think the artwork in this book is great. It is dark and mysterious. It has both finely drawn part and other shadowy parts leaving some to the imagination. One thing that I noticed that I thought was very cool, too, is that the images tend not to have backgrounds. Each panel focuses on what is closest to the reader, leaving the background up for interpretation.
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King and graphic novel fans alike should check this out!...more
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