Sep 24, 2012 a 109 year old gypsy, hellbent on revenge, exacts a curse so shocking it compels its victim to gorge himself in an effort to avoid shrinking away to nothingness. There is a different voice associated with the bachman books. A 109 year old gypsy, hellbent on revenge, exacts a curse so shocking it compels its victim to gorge himself in an effort to avoid shrinking away to nothingness. If you are a fan of stephen king then i would recommend this book, if you are new to stephen king then there are better books to start out with. The running man is a science fiction thriller novel by american writer stephen king, first published under the pseudonym richard bachman in 1982 as a paperback original. Cujo is a 200pound saint bernard, the best friend brett camber has ever had. Thinner the last time richard bachman and stephen king were thought to be different writers, and king s signature is becoming ever clearer in its story james smythe. So lets take a look at the ending from stephen kings book, the ending from the leaked cary fukunaga script, what we will probably see as the ending to andres muschiettis movie, and how they all make sense.
Henry award for his story the man in the black suit, and is the 2003 recipient of the national book foundation medal for distinguished contribution to american letters. The novel is about an obese lawyer who accidently kills a gypsy, covers it up, and is cursed by the gypsys father to rapidly lose weight. It concerns johnny smith, who is injured in an accident and remains in a coma for nearly five years. Some of the films based off his books have become some all time classics and some of the greatest films ever. One day cujo chases a rabbit into a cave inhabited by sick bats. I remember reading the book years ago but i cannot remember the ending in it. Because king had declared him dead, there was some fun hokum about bachmans. In honor of this fear, id like to examine all the fantastic failures of stephen king s conclusions as we present the 10 worst endings to stephen king books. Thinner is the 20th book published by stephen king. The last time richard bachman and stephen king were thought to be. Thinner is a 1984 novel by stephen king, published under his richard bachman pseudonym. Thinner is a 1984 novel by american horror writer stephen king, published under his pseudonym richard bachman. This is the single biggest weakness in nearly all of king s books, which is why his short stories are so good they dont have the build up that leads to the letdown at the climax of the story. On the endings of stephen kings novels science fiction.
As the 70 year old stephen king continues to churn out novels, a thriving community of scholars has formed an ever. Every stephen king novel summarized in 140 characters or. This particular edition is in a mass market paperback format. The book is about many things, as all stephen king books are. Sep 04, 2018 the king chroniclers and the reimagining of an icon of american letters. Thinner is one of the books written under stephen kings pseudonym.
William halleck a lawyer with a happy family needs to lose some weight, or hes headed into heartattack field. Thinner is a 1984 novel by stephen king, published under his pseudonym richard bachman. Im not reading a 10 year old heinlein, so dont worry. Thinner is quite frankly an underrated stephen king adaptation and it definitely is worth seeing if you love king s work. He lives with his wife, the novelist tabitha king, for most of the year in maine. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. A book about gypsy curses could easily slide into racist territory, but in fact thinner actually criticizes the treatment the gypsies have received in the united states over the years, in spite of them not always being the most sympathetic. My favourite stephen king book is called through the eye of the dragon and features some of the same characters as th dark tower series but is easier. I have also created a fan edit of the entire film, the mist, which replaces the studio ending with the original novella. It was not really a cliffhanger, just wanted a little more. King always went out of his way to give his books happy.
Thinner the old gypsy man barely whispers the word. The dead zone is a horror and supernatural thriller novel by stephen king published in 1979. May 18, 2011 opinionsofawolf leave a comment go to comments. A comprehensive list of all of stephen king s works, organized oldest to newest by first publication. I always disliked the addition the screenwriter added to the great finale in the book wherein billy eats the pie himself, especially that terrible. Firstly, beware, there be spoilers in this here thread. Lempke urges billy to end the curse and commit suicide with dignity by eating the pie himself. It was collected in 1985 in the omnibus the bachman books. Stephen king the talisman believe it or not, the talisman is the first stephen king novel i have read. The king chroniclers and the reimagining of an icon of american letters.
Stephen king books, ranked from worst to best vulture. Thinner is quite frankly an underrated stephen king adaptation and it definitely is worth seeing if you love kings work. This year s installment is only part one of the story contained in stephen kings work. For my creative writing class i have to keep a work journal and one of the things i decided to write in it is a response to the criticism about the endings of stephen kings books. The screenplay was written by american screenwriters michael mcdowell and tom holland who also directed the movie. It was directed by tom holland, of childs play and fright night fame, who earlier directed the film adaptation of the langoliers. Stephen king is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. It was the last novel king released under the richard bachman pseudonym. The fact is that of all the books stephen king has written, this is the one with the scariest ending. Stephen king books sound so different from his normal ones. And all the unimaginable things people are capable of doing just to not take responsibility for their actions. Nov 15, 2008 the ending for the stephen king movie thinner. Abrams have a history of crapping the bed in their final chapters.
After his trial, a gypsy curses him with a single word, thinner. The novel is set in a dystopian united states during the year 2025, in which the nations economy is in ruins and world violence is rising. I read the last third of the book almost constantly, wanting to know how it would end. Stephen king is good at writing lengthy novels that dont really scare, but make you think hey, that was pretty damn cool. He is the man behind the counter in the pharmacy serving the. All of that changed the day he accidently killed someone with his car. Stephen king is a prolific american author who is known for his suspense and fantasy novels. Heres some background on the mainebased writer and a bibliography, featuring details about some of his most notable works. Stephen king lives in maine and florida with his wife, novelist tabitha king. This is an entertaining film that should appeal to horror fans. The story itself is about taking responsibility for your actions. Every time theres a discussion about a stephen king book or movie adaptation the comments sections inevitably turn into a king ending bashing contest. Writerdirector tom holland spent six years and several rewrites bringing thinner to the.
Was there an alternate ending filmed for the movie. Hes scared us, endeared us, inspired us, and hes wowed us with his work. As he leaves the courthouse, the 106 year old father of. Thinner, stephen king thinner is a 1984 novel by stephen king, published under his pseudonym richard bachman. No matter how readable thinner is, in the end its just a game of. These are just some informal thoughts that have been. Thinner is a 1984 novel by stephen king, published under his pseudonym richard bachman it was the last novel king released under the richard bachman pseudonym until the release of the regulators in 1996, and the last released prior to bachman being outed as being stephen king s pseudonym the initial hardcover release of thinner included a fake jacket photo of bachman. I try to devour anything he writes, and most of the time, i am not left disappointed. Then, seven years later, news came about that richard bachman was coming out with a new book.
At what point when youre lost do you think maybe im too stressed out we should run a train on this 11 year old girl, and then maybe well remember which way to go. But if this is a new king, fans of his work will recognize an old motif borrowed from the 1984 novel thinner. As a young man, bachman served a four year stint in the coast guard. King has written several novels since his first short story sale in 1967 that have become pop cultural signposts. I also noticed that it is one of the kings wors novel thread leaders.
Every stephen king reader has a favorite tale or series, from christine to cujo. They may be a bit nonmainstream and overly quick to exact their own vengeance. Thinner is a 1984 novel by stephen king, published under his pseudonym richard bachman it was the last novel king released under the richard bachman pseudonym until the release of the regulators in 1996, and the last released prior to bachman being outed as being stephen king s pseudonym. Thinner the last time richard bachman and stephen king were thought to be different writers, and kings signature is becoming ever. Thinner is one of the books written under stephen king s pseudonym richard bachman, and it has the rather dubious honour of being the only book by king that i properly dislike. Apr 14, 2017 and it certainly will not rehash the incredibly lackluster ending shown in the miniseries. He has won the world fantasy award, several bram stoker awards, and the o. He is the man behind the counter in the pharmacy serving the gypsies. With over 60 novels published, there are no shortage of great titles to choose from. In that grim story, a lawyer is cursed with infinite weight loss a kind of. He is my favorite writer, so obviously i felt compelled to summarize every one of his books using the character limits of twitter. First, it should be noted that the ending of this year s it movie is not the main group of antagonists final encounter with pennywise the name well use to refer to the titular creature. This is the single biggest weakness in nearly all of kings books, which is why his short stories are so good they dont have the build up that leads to the letdown at the climax of the story.
Billy halleck was satisfied with his normal, routine life. He enjoyed his family, his job as an attorney, but he was not so happy with his weight. It is his seventh novel and the fifth novel under his own name. Does stephen king have issues with ending his books. Thinner is a 1996 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by richard bachman, who was later revealed to be stephen king. Ive spoken to a friend about how richard bachman books a. Billy feels the touch of a withered hand on his cheek. The 11 worst endings to stephen kings best books that. May 18, 2011 a book about gypsy curses could easily slide into racist territory, but in fact thinner actually criticizes the treatment the gypsies have received in the united states over the years, in spite of them not always being the most sympathetic characters in the book. He has written more than forty books and two hundred short stories.
Ending spoiler for thinner 1996, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. I enjoyed the story for the most part, but the ending was a little bit disappointing to me. It was published by signet and has a total of 320 pages in the book. Sadly to disappoint, but this was not my favourite, possibly because i had just read11,22,63 and thoroughly loved that book, that this one was a disappointment in comparison. The stephen king chroniclers and the reimagining of an. To ask other readers questions about thinner, please sign up. First published under the name of his alter ego, richard bachman, thinner is one of stephen king s best books. But all things have to come to an end, and soon after thinner was. So i submit here, for you book ending fans, my reedit of the ending. There are so many to choose from and i am not familiar with a lot of his work.
Since 1977 with the release of carrie, stephen king has made an impact in both the literary world, and the cinematic world. First stephen king book of the year and i guarantee there will be more. More than anything else it is a psychological study, exploring the lengths that a mans mind can go to alter what happens to his body. Some people have said that the ending in the movie is different than the one in the book. What happens to cujo, how he becomes a horrifying vortex inescapably drawing in all the people around him, makes for one of the most heartstopping novels stephen king has ever written. Oct 29, 2018 but if this is a new king, fans of his work will recognize an old motif borrowed from the 1984 novel thinner. Obese lawyer billy halleck, charged with vehicular manslaughter after killing an old gypsy woman, is acquitted thanks to his connection with the judge. Any stephen king fans who can advise on book for teen son. I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend, as this is their favourite stephen king book and i love stephen king books. For my creative writing class i have to keep a work journal and one of the things i decided to write in it is a response to the criticism about the endings of stephen king s books. May 02, 2017 the book is about many things, as all stephen king books are. The novel is about an obese lawyer who accidently kills a gypsy, covers it up, and is cursed by the.
May 05, 2010 so i submit here, for you book ending fans, my reedit of the ending. Thinner is a 1984 novel by stephen king, published under his richard bachman pseudonym obese lawyer billy halleck, charged with vehicular manslaughter after killing an old gypsy woman, is acquitted thanks to his connection with the judge. In my never ending quest to find books for my son to read stephen king has been suggested. Billy halleck, an arrogant and morbidly obese lawyer in connecticut, has recently fought an agonizing court case in which he was charged with vehicular manslaughter. The title of this book is thinner and it was written by stephen king. This reread covered 12 books king wrote in the first ten years of his career. This year, the bfg is a summer movie, and the book by roald dahl became a new amazon bestseller because of it. One day he runs over a gypsies daughter, and kills her. A comprehensive list of all of stephen kings works, organized oldest to newest by first publication.