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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
slow-paced
Great stuff (as I expected)! Considering how young and fresh on the scene King was at the time, his analysis of the horror genre is very mature. It's not 'scientific' in an academic sense, to be sure, but perhaps that's exactly what makes it interesting. I only wish he would write a 'Danse Macabre 2011', where he would reflect on the evolution of the genre--and his own work--in the 30 years following the original book.
funny
informative
fast-paced
Well, after owning it for forty years, thanks to the audio book newly recorded in 2024, I have finally made it through Danse Macabre. I tried when I got the hardback (in high school) from the Science Fiction Book Club. And I probably tried a couple other times in the intervening years...but I never got far beyond that theater and the announcement of Sputnik (that's chapter one, if you don't have a copy handy). Now, after 18 hours and 8 minutes, I have made it through. "On Writing" is fantastic. This, well, it's ok. It's a little bloated. Uncle Stevie didn't say in five words what he could say with fifty-five. I lost count of the number of times he said things like "I don't want to go on too long about---" or "I won't indulge in over analysis of ---" and I rolled my eyes at the speaker and said "Too late." There's a butt-load of hyperbole and some purplish prose. I would say, skip over the parts about the movies and the radio (radio, really, Uncle Stevie?) Go straight to the part about fiction & you'll enjoy it a lot more unless movies are really your thing--I just finished rereading "House Next Door" which gets quite a nice look-see here, I wonder what Anne Rivers Siddons thought about what he had to say.
I round Grady Hendrix's "Paperbacks from Hell" a lot more entertaining and informative than the Danse. (I might add, sorry Uncle Stevie, a lot less pretentious too) I've read that twice & came away with a list of novels to read that I have enjoyed a lot...Danse Macabre didn't add anything to my reading list--though I may dust off the Harlan Ellison collection for another go around.
Glad I finally made it through. Oh, and thanks, Uncle Stevie for not stepping on me in the Wordsworth Sci Fi section all those years ago. It was a near thing. Please keep writing for years to come.
I round Grady Hendrix's "Paperbacks from Hell" a lot more entertaining and informative than the Danse. (I might add, sorry Uncle Stevie, a lot less pretentious too) I've read that twice & came away with a list of novels to read that I have enjoyed a lot...Danse Macabre didn't add anything to my reading list--though I may dust off the Harlan Ellison collection for another go around.
Glad I finally made it through. Oh, and thanks, Uncle Stevie for not stepping on me in the Wordsworth Sci Fi section all those years ago. It was a near thing. Please keep writing for years to come.
Danse Macabre is Stephen King’s take on the horror genre as a whole, going over film, literature, and television. It is a mostly interesting read though it is heavily dated as the book was written in the late 70s. Many of the books, stories, and movies he discusses have not stood the test of time. This is fine when he speaks briefly on them, but occasionally he goes very deeply into a certain story that just doesn’t need a 20+ page breakdown. When he dives into a story that deserves examination (like Rosemary’s Baby, The Haunting of Hill House, Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) the book can be very interesting. Some of the movies outlined (mostly those of the 50’s cheesy monster variety) sufficiently convinced me to add some old school movies to my watch list.
dark
funny
informative
slow-paced
slow-paced
It dragged in some parts, and was brilliant in others. I enjoyed it for the most part! King had some very interesting insights into the horror genre and why it's held us captivated for so many years.
I would recommend it to horror fans, but especially horror fans who are well read and well watched in the classics.
I would recommend it to horror fans, but especially horror fans who are well read and well watched in the classics.
A really interesting look at horror from Stephen Kings perspective. Though he goes off on tangents at time, he has some really interesting insights. The book was written in 1981 so I would love to see him write a follow up book with his views on horror since then.