Despite Stephen King being my favourite author I hadn't heard of From a Buick 8 when it landed under my tree at Christmas. Based around a spooky car that causes strange lightening attacks and eats(?) people, only King could come up with such a concept and successfully sell it to publishers, twice.
From the man who wrote one of my favourite chapters ever ('Salem's Lot) this wasn't one of my favourite offerings and I can see why it is not as well known as The Shining or Carrie. I decided very early on that I was just going to have to go with the idea that the car was alive but even then I found the ending a step too far.
As always with King's writing it was the characters I loved and the effortless capturing of small town America. A lot of research had clearly gone into how a police station is run which I both liked and appreciated. I also liked the way the book was delivered, through a series of recollections rather than the characters (and reader) experiencing it in the moment. The result was the book had a 'kids around a camp fire telling spooky stories' kind of feel which helped make the revelations about the Buick more palatable. Perhaps it would have been better to have played with this idea more - are these just scary tales told to a kid helping out at the station over the summer or is there something more? The characters clearly believed the stories they were telling and be it vampires, scary clowns or reviving the dead through electricity, King has never given himself the easy way out by making the last chapter all a dream. Credit where credit is due.
I thought King caught the relationship between Ned, the grieving policeman's son and Sandy, the Sergeant of the police troop in which Ned's father worked really well and there were some touching moments as the police troop took Ned under their wing. It was also tense and yes, at times, a touch scary but for me the concept was just a step too far and I feel it justified that this one has fallen under the radar whereas others from King have shined.
If you're new to King read 'Salem's Lot instead, or Different Seasons, or Misery. Actually if you are looking for a Stephen King book this summary of his top 50 (yes FIFTY) novels which I now want in their entirety is a pretty good starter for 10 (or should that be 50?)
The link for From a Buick 8 takes you to Leakey's Book shop in Inverness. Doesn't it look gorgeous!
From the man who wrote one of my favourite chapters ever ('Salem's Lot) this wasn't one of my favourite offerings and I can see why it is not as well known as The Shining or Carrie. I decided very early on that I was just going to have to go with the idea that the car was alive but even then I found the ending a step too far.
As always with King's writing it was the characters I loved and the effortless capturing of small town America. A lot of research had clearly gone into how a police station is run which I both liked and appreciated. I also liked the way the book was delivered, through a series of recollections rather than the characters (and reader) experiencing it in the moment. The result was the book had a 'kids around a camp fire telling spooky stories' kind of feel which helped make the revelations about the Buick more palatable. Perhaps it would have been better to have played with this idea more - are these just scary tales told to a kid helping out at the station over the summer or is there something more? The characters clearly believed the stories they were telling and be it vampires, scary clowns or reviving the dead through electricity, King has never given himself the easy way out by making the last chapter all a dream. Credit where credit is due.
I thought King caught the relationship between Ned, the grieving policeman's son and Sandy, the Sergeant of the police troop in which Ned's father worked really well and there were some touching moments as the police troop took Ned under their wing. It was also tense and yes, at times, a touch scary but for me the concept was just a step too far and I feel it justified that this one has fallen under the radar whereas others from King have shined.
If you're new to King read 'Salem's Lot instead, or Different Seasons, or Misery. Actually if you are looking for a Stephen King book this summary of his top 50 (yes FIFTY) novels which I now want in their entirety is a pretty good starter for 10 (or should that be 50?)
The link for From a Buick 8 takes you to Leakey's Book shop in Inverness. Doesn't it look gorgeous!
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