Rating: 
Summary: Easy to read....Easy to forget
Review: Writing a bad review is new for me. Usually I only feel inclined to write a review when a book has touched me so much that feel the need to get other people excited about it. But I can't pass up writing a little something about this book. It seems like the bad reviews written thus far are a little unfair, and the good reviews make it sound like this is one of Stephen Kings better books. Neither is really true. First the good points: The writing is done in the usual Stephen King fashion. He's got the gift of style that few other authors can match. Very readable. There are some books that are so loaded down with detail that you catch yourself reading some sentences, paragraphs, or even pages over again, because you feel you missed something. I dont think I've ever done that with Stephen King. Most of you reading this review probably already know the basics of what its about from reading some other reviews, so I won't repeat them. The downside to this book are sadly very clear. In his book "On Writing" Stephen King talked about how he just wants to tell a good story, and sometimes afterword, he discovers that his book talks about something deeper. But this one was written with the idea that some things in life, we just can't understand. The whole point of the book is to prove this idea. So all the theorys that the troopers have about the Buick are just guesses, and they (and us) never really know the truth. It's an idea (I think) best examined from the short story perspective. This book didn't hold me in awe like so many other Stephen King books have. I've seen some (including the amazon.com reviewer) compare this book to the green mile, which I really feel is unfair. This book is nowhere close to the quality and scope of the green mile. I really think that this book belongs on the same shelf as The girl who loved Tom Gordon. While both are readable and somewhat entertaining, they are far below the usual par of Stephen King. I really do agree with one of the reviewers that said this should have been a short story. 351 pages was WAY too long for this story. The plot drags through most of the book, although it does have a somewhat exciting end. I guess I would have to say that if you want to read it, go for it, but don't expect the awe that usually accompanies Stephen Kings novels (The stand, IT, Dreamcatcher, Rose Madder, The Green Mile, etc...) Keeping your expectations a little lower than usual might make this book a bit more of an enjoyable read. -Daniel
Rating: 
Summary: From a Buick 8...flat on it's face!
Review: Absolutely the worst book I have read in over 10 years! While the dialogue does stress that life is uncertain and that there are not always answers, a 300+ page read should leave a paying reader with something more than a waste of time. Coming from one of our generations premier writers, this serves as a double dissapointment. Mr. King would have been well advised to keep his roadside demons behind closed pages not unleashed to a paying public...what a betrayal of trust. It will be a long time before I not only consider reading another S. King book, it will be a long time before I can count him among the great authors of our day after pulling a stunt like releasing this book.
Rating: 
Summary: There are buicks everywhere....
Review: After reading The Dreamcatcher from King I was eager to read another book from the author. From a Buick 8 is the story of a Buick roadmaster found by the state patrol. The owner strangely disappeared, so they decide to store it in shed B untill futher notice. That's when odd things start to happen. The book is very well written, but compared to The Dreamcatcher it missed some variety. I found it interesting how King described actions of the state police. 3.5 stars
Rating:
Summary: Not the old man's best work...
Review: If this book had been written by Joe Schmoe, I would have given it at least 4 stars... however, I'm rating on the King scale and as a dedicated fan, I felt it was not worthy of more than 3. To me, it felt like one of his short stories, but much longer, without the full character development that his novels usually provide. I basically didn't give a ... about the characters in the story... except maybe for Mister Dillon. I buy King's books to scare the bejeezus out of myself or to fall in love with the characters and become a part of their lives... this book did neither for me. It was an entertaining bit of fluff but not his best work. I would recommend it to someone who wanted to pass some time, but not to a die-hard fan (they will all read it regardless of outside opinions, such as mine) and certainly not to a first-timer for fear they would be turned off forever.
Rating:
Summary: Only King Could Find Someone to Publish This Dog
Review: I started reading Steven King before it was fashionable. His early novels were very long, but the detailed images he painted made it worthwhile. Then, as if he was getting paid by the word, they got even longer, but it was wasted space. Endless pages describing one detail that didn't even matter. This book is only 351 pages,which seems reasonable. Until you read it. Then you realize he's taken a plot that would fit into a short story and, in his classic fashion, inflated it.. into a novel.... a bad novel. So there's this guy who abandons what looks like a Buick at a gas station. It's not really a Buick. It delivers strange beings while stored in a state police shed. Some people go missing. That's it. Don't expect to find out who the guy is, why he has the "Buick", why he left it, what it's doing here, where it came from, or what happened to the missing people. Don't even expect to be told why this "transporter" would be fashioned into the shape of a Buick, of all things. As others have noted, the basic theme of the book is: the Buick makes a light show; a strange and disgusting creature pops out of its trunk; the troopers get sick as it decomposes. Just follow that cycle several times and throw in useless side stories, and you have "Buick 8". This was a stupid book.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best, but good
Review: Oh, relax. I think King has set the bar so high any little slip by him is seen as a major disappointment. "From A buick 8" ain't his best, but it is good.
This novel is up there with "Night of the Beast" (Shannon) and "Hour Before Dark" (Doug Clegg) as one of my favorites of 2002. A little more of a character study than a horror novel but worth your bucks.
Rating:
Summary: If you like stories without a satisfying ending, buy it!
Review: Of course it is well written BUT King warns you throughout the story that sometimes things in life have no explanation SO the plot points you've been reading page after page to see resolved never get resolved. Ultimately, this is a disappointing read. The story never builds, it just lays there like a flat tire From a Buick 8.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Science Fiction King
Review: I've read just about every Stephen King book. All of them are easy to read and hard to put down. This one kind of follows along the science fiction theme of the Tommyknockers, but is mostly told in a flashback method. The thing that intrigues me the most about this novel is how King states in his end notes that he decided to keep the characters in his novel in Western PA, since that's where he came up with the initial idea of the story. He said he had to go back to western PA and spend some time with the state troopers to get a feel for what they did. Research? Who'da thunk it? The state of Maine thanks King for this, since if you look at all of his stories that take place in Maine along with the population of Maine, those poor people are experiencing more supernatural terrors per person than any other U.S. state. Overall, the story is a decent read, the descriptions are both hilarious and horrifying, as is par for King. As for the ending...well, I think it fits the whole gyst of the story - things are just there - there's not always an explanation for everything. Oh, and Steve, we're still waiting for that Dark Tower book.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, quick read!
Review: I really enjoyed this book! I'm a die-hard King fan, and was worried that perhaps this novel would be "Christine: Revisited," but my fears were groundless. It's a fast, enjoyable read, and yet it touches on some big themes - e.g. man's obsession with the unknowable, loyalty, and fate. And those of you who have read King's collaborations with Peter Straub ("The Talisman" and "Black House") will pick up on a few connections there... This isn't his deepest book, to be sure, but overall it's a totally worthwhile read!
Rating:
Summary: Endless Tedium
Review: A peculiar car sits in a shed for 20 years. Once in a while it emits a special effect. When it does, some cops stand around and watch. Are you thrilled yet? Neither was I. The material might have done for a 10-minute Night Gallery episode, but, alas, King is no Rod Serling and he goes on for 350 pages. I made it through 150 of them, sustained mainly by King's trademarked glib (and banal) dialogue, before I gave up and started skipping ahead to see if anything was going to happen. It is possible that I skipped right past a something that happens, but I doubt it. The grand climax seems to be the appearance of a small crack in the Buick's windshield.
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