Specifically, I would like to enter into discussions with anybody who has a Signed Limited edition of Brian Keene's The Rising they would consider trading for Stephen King items.
All the best
Ceri
Specifically, I would like to enter into discussions with anybody who has a Signed Limited edition of Brian Keene's The Rising they would consider trading for Stephen King items.
All the best
Ceri
The ones we've lost are never really gone
If we hold them in our hearts while we go on.
Dream as if you will live forever, Live as if you will die tomorrow.
Ceri-
I do not have it to trade, but I recall Mike (Gunkslinger) was a huge Keene fan and collector. You could try him.
Secondly, I have seen a lot of you out there make a big fuss over Keene's work. My wife bought me the paperback copy of .....can't even remember the title now....but a story about this guy who escapes from zombies in the Baltimore area.
Anyway, I was SEVERELY disappointed in the quality of the story, language, character development. It was an enjoyable enough read on a vacation, but if that book is at all representative of Keene's style, that will be the only Keene book that I will read. Someone tell me I have it all wrong...please.
Dragline : Nothin'. A handful of nothin'. You stupid mullet head. He beat you with nothin'. Just like today when he kept comin' back at me - with nothin'.
Luke : Yeah, well, sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
Hi Wiz
I DO know what you mean but when I started reading Keene, I wasn't looking for anything deep as far as character development is concerned. I was, please don't shoot me anyone, looking for an alternative to King and the trudge of his latest offerings. Having enjoyed Cell, I was in the mood for some more Zombies and The Rising was perfect for what I wanted. Personally I love his style, use of language etc.
I've read quite a few now and there's no sign of me getting bored. Am reading Terminal at the moment and it's very different to the others...with, I might add, some fascinating character development ;-)
Ceri
Hmmm...I am going to need to give this guy a try. I like a good zombie story.
The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket
I actually collect Keene also, but I do not own The Rising as it's too expensive. It is his most influential book, and it's the ones fans run to. But is it his best book? No it's not even close, imo. It's a little immature, as is a lot of his writing but he is starting to break out of that. I recommend Terminal or Ghoul. Ghoul actually feels like a Bradbury story, but just a little more violent. These are some of his better work, imo.
I own pretty much everything he's released in Limited or Lettered form, except for the early works: The Rising and the two No Rest for the Wicked collections (one is a revised edition with more work). They are too expensive to justify, and they are very hard to find. I like him a lot, but if your looking for someone like King, this is not the answer. Keene's a lot different, more action oriented, a ton of bible references used as characters and/or plots, and more black humor. Good stuff, though, just different.
I also will say his books are collected by a lot of fans, and his books go for a good amount of money. Not at the level of King or Hill, but he's no. 3 (if not no. 2).
Geoff
I have to totally agree with this... I read a few Keene shorts and liked them alot (from the No Rest For The Wicked redux by Vox 13... that's a story unto itself..) but read the Rising (had the limited but sold it) and could not see the quality I was hoping for and glimpsed in the shorter work. Since I have tried other novels by him and he is growing as a writer but.... I don't see what all the hype is about. He is not even close to a King or Koontz or Ellison or.... etc... Just my way of agreeing and saying I too was SEVERLY disappointed and while I have bought alot of limited Keene it is more to sell at a later date (with a few exceptions of course )
Phil
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I think there's just something about zombies that people love. Like the George Romero's zombie movies which has a huge cult following. They say Keene reinvented the Zombie genre, and I think there was a huge audience waiting for it, and Keene just tapped into it.
Geoff
The weird thing is, I'm no huge fan of Zombies....or I wasn't till BK. I think this is one of those weird CLICKS between reader and writer - I have the same sentiments about Koontz as have been expressed above about Keene.
Just think, Justin Case, if you still had that Ltd of The Rising you could be trading it for Carrie or The Gunslinger or something signed by King right now.
By the way...what is it with authors and the letter K ??
LOL
I enjoyed The Rising, City of the Dead, and Dead Sea very much, but then I've always been a fan of the Zombie story, be it movie or book. So, I think with those books, you either liked them or you didnt...there wasnt much to think about as far as Im concerned. Now, to compare Keene to King is like comparing Filet Mignon to hamburger. Now, dont get me wrong, I love Keene and I happen to think he's a regular guy whos very down to earth. But, he has not reached his full writing potential yet and his still developing his craft and anyone who has read his early work and his new stuff can see that(he would probally even agree with me). Im sure when Carrie was first published, other established authors, critics and just plain bibliophiles felt the same way about SK. Just my little old opinion.
The ones we've lost are never really gone
If we hold them in our hearts while we go on.
Dream as if you will live forever, Live as if you will die tomorrow.
I haven't read Dead Sea yet, but I'm one of the few who actually thinks City of the Dead is better than The Rising. I just feel it's more of man's last last fight and reflects society in it's last struggle, and the ending was more satisfying (and I liked The Rising ending).
Geoff
Read Dead Sea then, and also read The Rising Selected Scenes...very cool. I thought that was probally the best of the stories.
The ones we've lost are never really gone
If we hold them in our hearts while we go on.
Dream as if you will live forever, Live as if you will die tomorrow.
Trust me Calla Wolf.... I think of this often But I felt I got it sold somewhere around the peek of the time. I sold it with the limited of City of The Dead both with same number... though I did OK, I never would have thought it would become lasting in it's value. Also, I was disappointed with The Rising (never even read The City of The Dead, doh!!! ) as it wasn't as good as his shorts would have led me to believe. He is getting better though and his rants collected in his three volumes of non-fiction (i.e. Running With the Devil, etc..) are kick ass. Reminds me of how I love Ellison's non-fiction sometimes more than his fiction (sometimes... ). Sorry for the run-on though stream.. ... must drink less coffeeeee god I love these emoticons