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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
A s a horror and sf/f writer and a huge fan of King, this was a really fun read. Though I didn't always 100% agree with his opinions (usually, I did), his snarky asides and general writing style made the entire book a pleasure to experience. I've added many books from his recommended reading list to my TBR, and I would absolutely LOVE to see him write a similar book analyzing the new works of horror that have been released since 1980, as well as discussing newer forms such as serialized dramas, which imo helped revitalize the creation of quality TV shows. A new reading list wouldn't hurt, either!
challenging
dark
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
"We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones."
Two questions have fascinated me practically my whole life: What makes good storytelling? Why am I so drawn to the horror genre? I first read this book years and years ago, probably as a teen. Then and now, I picked it up looking for King's take on the answers.
Danse Macabre was first published in 1981, and covers the horror genre (in radio, TV, film, and written fiction) from about 1950-1980. It's part opinion piece, part autobiography, part recommendation guide (it's full of reading and watching musts). It is also, reading it over 40 years after it was written, a pretty interesting time capsule (in little throw away details and comments, like looking up movie times in the newspaper, or King musing that that Spielberg guy has promise but his best work is probably still ahead of him).
It's filled with profound observations about the genre, and I highlighted more from this book than anything else I've ever read. Be warned, King can go off on some long, rambling bits and it makes many sections a slog. Overall though, a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in examining the questions I stated above.
"...the next time [someone] asks you why you want to go and see that crap, tell them this: Stephen King sent me. He told me to look out for the good ones, because they're the ones that speak to what's good in the human heart. And, of course, to what isn't. Because those are the things you have to look out for."
Two questions have fascinated me practically my whole life: What makes good storytelling? Why am I so drawn to the horror genre? I first read this book years and years ago, probably as a teen. Then and now, I picked it up looking for King's take on the answers.
Danse Macabre was first published in 1981, and covers the horror genre (in radio, TV, film, and written fiction) from about 1950-1980. It's part opinion piece, part autobiography, part recommendation guide (it's full of reading and watching musts). It is also, reading it over 40 years after it was written, a pretty interesting time capsule (in little throw away details and comments, like looking up movie times in the newspaper, or King musing that that Spielberg guy has promise but his best work is probably still ahead of him).
It's filled with profound observations about the genre, and I highlighted more from this book than anything else I've ever read. Be warned, King can go off on some long, rambling bits and it makes many sections a slog. Overall though, a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in examining the questions I stated above.
"...the next time [someone] asks you why you want to go and see that crap, tell them this: Stephen King sent me. He told me to look out for the good ones, because they're the ones that speak to what's good in the human heart. And, of course, to what isn't. Because those are the things you have to look out for."
2.5
There was the occasional diamond of insight here but a lot of it just needed a really good editor.
There was the occasional diamond of insight here but a lot of it just needed a really good editor.
Very well written and well researched, but not what I was looking for. I'm not interested in a history of the genre, but if you are, you'll quite enjoy this. King writes like he's having a convo with you over a beer or coffee, which I loved and hence the 3. I love the way he uses words. The topic though -- not so much. Have moved on to Bare Bones, which seems to be what I was looking for with the content. Stay tuned.
In Danse Macabre, Stephen King offers an incredibly thorough (and incredibly disorganized) overview and analysis of the horror genre in both film and fiction from 1950 to 1980. King is insightful and thoughtful, and his passion for the genre really shines through- it is clearly a defining part of his character. This tome also gave me several books to add to my reading list (one of which I've already knocked off, [b:The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde|51496|The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde|Robert Louis Stevenson|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1318116526s/51496.jpg|3164921]), which I am looking forward to.
While I was reading, I often wished that this volume had been updated more recently. Though the forewords contain some good stuff, I often found myself wondering what King thinks of [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775], say, or the Paranormal Activity franchise. The books and films from 1981 feel like so long ago; I'd love to hear King's take on where horror stands today.
My main complaint with Danse Macabre is that it's far too long. At one point, King himself actually wrote the words "Dear God, we're off on another tangent!" If you the author are realizing that you're off on a wild and irrelevant tangent, perhaps it's not necessary to include that babbling stream of consciousness in the final published work. And no footnote should ever, EVER span 2 pages. Sorry, Stephen. A guy's gotta learn to be concise if he wants to make a point.
Thanks to [a:Thomas LeBeau|5155876|Thomas LeBeau|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1336133724p2/5155876.jpg] for giving me this as a Christmas present! One [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] down this year, many to go!
While I was reading, I often wished that this volume had been updated more recently. Though the forewords contain some good stuff, I often found myself wondering what King thinks of [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)|Suzanne Collins|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775], say, or the Paranormal Activity franchise. The books and films from 1981 feel like so long ago; I'd love to hear King's take on where horror stands today.
My main complaint with Danse Macabre is that it's far too long. At one point, King himself actually wrote the words "Dear God, we're off on another tangent!" If you the author are realizing that you're off on a wild and irrelevant tangent, perhaps it's not necessary to include that babbling stream of consciousness in the final published work. And no footnote should ever, EVER span 2 pages. Sorry, Stephen. A guy's gotta learn to be concise if he wants to make a point.
Thanks to [a:Thomas LeBeau|5155876|Thomas LeBeau|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1336133724p2/5155876.jpg] for giving me this as a Christmas present! One [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] down this year, many to go!
Titulo: Danse Macabre
Autor: Stephen King
Año publicado: 1981
Motivo de lectura: #StephenKingChallenge
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Fisico
Mi edicion: Tapa dura, 400 paginas, Everest House
Idioma: Ingles
Puntuacion: 4/5
Que gran ensayo!!
Leer un ensayo donde se combina las anecdotas de King con su opinion sobre el terror es algo que cualquier fan de Stephen va a adorar (te adoro Stephen!!).
La cantidad de obras que se discute en este ensayo es fascinante, tanto, que no dude anotar cada libro, pelicula y serie que aparace desde la primera pagina, va a ser super interesante sumerguirme en este festival de terror (aun cuando hay cosas que ya lei o vi, esta lista vale muchisimo la pena). Igualmente al final del libro se encuentra una lista detallada de peliculas y libros.
Encuentro este libro hermoso porque a medida que se lee podia imaginar a King tomando cafe y conversando lo que es ser un fan del terror, que deberias ver/leer y como todo se conecta con todo..
Todos los fans del terror cuando queremos explicar las conexiones entre los universos
Leer esto es darte cuenta como King ama el genero, como lo cuida y defiende, su pasion y su amor por lo que hace se refleja en todo.
Autor: Stephen King
Año publicado: 1981
Motivo de lectura: #StephenKingChallenge
Lectura / Relectura: Lectura
Fisico / Electronico: Fisico
Mi edicion: Tapa dura, 400 paginas, Everest House
Idioma: Ingles
Puntuacion: 4/5
Que gran ensayo!!
Leer un ensayo donde se combina las anecdotas de King con su opinion sobre el terror es algo que cualquier fan de Stephen va a adorar (te adoro Stephen!!).
La cantidad de obras que se discute en este ensayo es fascinante, tanto, que no dude anotar cada libro, pelicula y serie que aparace desde la primera pagina, va a ser super interesante sumerguirme en este festival de terror (aun cuando hay cosas que ya lei o vi, esta lista vale muchisimo la pena). Igualmente al final del libro se encuentra una lista detallada de peliculas y libros.
Encuentro este libro hermoso porque a medida que se lee podia imaginar a King tomando cafe y conversando lo que es ser un fan del terror, que deberias ver/leer y como todo se conecta con todo..
Todos los fans del terror cuando queremos explicar las conexiones entre los universos
Leer esto es darte cuenta como King ama el genero, como lo cuida y defiende, su pasion y su amor por lo que hace se refleja en todo.
2.5 stars. A lot of wonderful insights into the horror genre and its place in history - liberally sprinkled with his wit and humor. But it's also a bit of an incoherent rambling mess at times and frankly, is just way too long.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Critical Score: C+
Personal Score: B
Reading Experience: 📘📘📘(3/5)
This is a treasure trove of horror trivia, media history, and lit analysis. King makes for a personable tour guide, unafraid to share some shockingly bald opinions of his contemporaries and persistently passionate about the subject matter. This personality is important for two reasons. King loves to ramble, and he shows off the limits of his critical thinking as often as he gifts us his refreshing faith in the genre and, more broadly, the human spirit that ignites the genre.
The main trick with Danse Macabre is that it’s an overview of a small and now distant slice of American horror—the 50s, 60s, and 70s (without any hindsight bias past 1981). By now, so much material in his discussion is obsolete and ten times subverted by mainstream fiction. Maybe this antiquity is what makes the book all the more fun. It’s a bit of a time capsule. If you’re willing to engage with it like a student happy to challenge their instructor, this book is quite a worthwhile exercise. But if you want a Gandalf-like mentor to cradle you the way his fiction so often does and to tell you the secrets of the spooky universe, you’ll probably be restless the whole way through (unless you have some pretty old-fashioned values).
King’s writing flows as well as you could hope for this sudden a jump away from popular fiction. There were pockets that lost me, others that entranced me, and others still that left me stimulated because of how much I disagreed with him.
I can’t help wondering what it would be like if King wrote a sequel of sorts to review American horror from 1980 to 2020. While I readily assume such an outing would reveal King as less with it than the general interested public probably assumes he is, I’d be quick to read it because, for all the frustrations and verbose wanderings of this book, it’s genuine and earnest, because it makes plenty of touching points that validate anyone who’s catered to their morbid fascination in all things uncanny and terrible, and because—like so much of his revered fiction—this book puts in the work.
Critical Score: C+
Personal Score: B
Reading Experience: 📘📘📘(3/5)
This is a treasure trove of horror trivia, media history, and lit analysis. King makes for a personable tour guide, unafraid to share some shockingly bald opinions of his contemporaries and persistently passionate about the subject matter. This personality is important for two reasons. King loves to ramble, and he shows off the limits of his critical thinking as often as he gifts us his refreshing faith in the genre and, more broadly, the human spirit that ignites the genre.
The main trick with Danse Macabre is that it’s an overview of a small and now distant slice of American horror—the 50s, 60s, and 70s (without any hindsight bias past 1981). By now, so much material in his discussion is obsolete and ten times subverted by mainstream fiction. Maybe this antiquity is what makes the book all the more fun. It’s a bit of a time capsule. If you’re willing to engage with it like a student happy to challenge their instructor, this book is quite a worthwhile exercise. But if you want a Gandalf-like mentor to cradle you the way his fiction so often does and to tell you the secrets of the spooky universe, you’ll probably be restless the whole way through (unless you have some pretty old-fashioned values).
King’s writing flows as well as you could hope for this sudden a jump away from popular fiction. There were pockets that lost me, others that entranced me, and others still that left me stimulated because of how much I disagreed with him.
I can’t help wondering what it would be like if King wrote a sequel of sorts to review American horror from 1980 to 2020. While I readily assume such an outing would reveal King as less with it than the general interested public probably assumes he is, I’d be quick to read it because, for all the frustrations and verbose wanderings of this book, it’s genuine and earnest, because it makes plenty of touching points that validate anyone who’s catered to their morbid fascination in all things uncanny and terrible, and because—like so much of his revered fiction—this book puts in the work.