Rating: 
Summary: Along For The Ride
Review: At first glance, one might want to compare King's latest novel as a cross between 'Christine' and 'The Tommyknockers', with a little of the old B horror film 'The Car' thrown in for good measure. But 'From A Buick 8' is much more than it appears to be. King, while still a master at keeping the nerve-wracking tension, suspense, and chills at high volume, delves deep into the characters emotions; from their endless fascination and curiousity, terror and courage, and their struggle with seemingless endless questions with too few answers. King, proves once again that he is still the Master of the Macabre, while running the gauntlet of human emotions admist a mysterious and alien terror, for one of his very best, intriguing, and page turning novels to date... Gary S. Potter Author/Poet
Rating:
Summary: There are Buicks everywhere
Review: I have generally heard bad reviews of this book, so I was little worried about picking it up. But I did, and decided to read it the other night whether than put it off. Now, there are many things to say about it:For starters, this is NOT Christine 2. This is not a sequel to the story. This is not a retelling. There are similarities, but the focus of this story is nothing like Christine. Secondly, this story is rarely in the details. Often, the details are the weak spot. It is when King gets nervous and decides to go back and fill in a few of the blanks that the narrative decreases. Thirdly, this book has a lot more personal philosophy to impart rather than horror. This is about growing old. This is about mysteries in life. This is about sticking to duty. This is about the chains that we can feel but rarely know. Finally (for now), what horror IS in this book tends to be strictly the real life stuff: a cop hitting an old woman, a suicide, genitalia ripped off by the force of impact, young children decapitated, abusive relationships, the way that people think you are nuts when you are telling the truth. That sort of thing. The real life horror of the PSP is felt more than the Dunsanian/Lovecraftian terror of the Buick...which tends to be more a catalyst to facing lifes greatest, most beautiful, and extremely disturbing mysteries. As for the quality of the book: Stephen King's writing has matured quite a bit and he seems to be ready to impart more of himself in the telling. But, on the flipside, like any older person...the maturity they have gained has drawbacks. For one, some aspects seem more tired. There seems to be more repetition. You know all the old tricks, they will not suprise you no matter how much you want them to. The voice telling is more captivating. The story has been polished to a perfect shine...but sometimes you just want a bit of that old Stephen King that would dash out 800 page stories a couple of times a year and not look back. I will say, though, that the "lack" of narrative that so many complain about is this book's strong point. I mean, when one is faced with questions about "Why would God do such a thing?" or "How could THIS possibly have meaning?", they do not always get back a neat little parable to sum it up. Sometimes, all they get is more life to live and more time to think up answers that might work for them or might not. This story taps really, really well into this...and I recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: I love King but......
Review: this book was really bad. That hurts a lot for me to say b/c I love King, but I have to be honest. Send this one to the scrap heap and sell it for parts. This is the story of a car, and how it changed the life for some officers and the people around them. I can't say much more, b/c I don't want to give away the plot. When I was finished with this book, I had a lot of questions. Such as, what happened to a certian officer? Where did the car come from (though I do have an idea)? Who was the driver? If you want to read it, be my guest, but don't expect this to be vintage King.
Rating:
Summary: More Than I Expected...
Review: Yeah, there's a strange car from Somewhere Else that does some rather odd things at times. But this book isn't necessarily about trying to scare the pants off of you. Of course King can't resist including several supernatural events in this little tale, but look past that and at the actual people in the novel. Stephen King is an expert at exploring human relationships in the way his characters interact. Read this book and pay attention to the people, not the car, which is mostly just scenery. Will it give you nightmares like Cujo and The Shining? No. But I don't think Mr. King had that sort of thing in mind when he gave us From A Buick 8. It's one of those books from Stephen King where you have sort of a warm feeling after finishing it. And I think those kind are the best.
Rating: 
Summary: You can't miss with great material . . .
Review: . . . unless you've already used it once . . . So let me guess--- King's next book is about a family who work as caretakers at a deserted resort hotel in the mountains that is actually a gateway to another evil dimension. But it won't be the same as The Shining, because this deserted resort hotel in the mountains--- that is actually a gateway to another evil dimension--- where this new family works as caretakers, is in Vermont this time.
Rating:
Summary: All these naysayers can go ...
Review: This is another outstanding rumination on life, death and the nature of being human from America's most underrated storyteller. Oh no, it doesn't move like a bullet! Oh no, there isn't a horrific slaughter every 22 pages!... King's lyrical, moving account of a group of highway patrol officers and their long acquaintance with an elemental mystery of the universe is exactly the kind of thing I want from Big Steve after all these years. Yeah, PET SEMATARY's still the most frightening novel in human history, and yeah, THE SHINING is the one they'll be teaching in classrooms 50 years from now. But FROM A BUICK 8 is a nice addition to the library of mature, life-affirming tales King has been delivering for the past decade or so. I for one hope his retirement plans aren't gonna last... but this ain't a bad one to go out on (so long as the DARK TOWER conclusion follows soon, as promised!)
Rating: 
Summary: From A Buick 8
Review: Once I started reading this book, I found it extremely hard to put down until I had finished. For any
Stephen King fan, this is a must have book. From beginning to end the reader is spellbound to find out what is going to happen next. I was expecting something along the lines of "Christine" but this is totally diferent, and in my opinion better.
Rating: 
Summary: Starts out strong...
Review: Over his career, Stephen King has written dozens of books that amaze, terrify, and intrigue his readers. With "From a Buick 8", he fails in comparison to his former outings such as "The Stand", "The Green Mile", and "The Shining." That being said, it's not entirely a bad read. The original premise was interesting. In particular, I enjoyed the troopers' amazement as they explored the oddities of the car. The bit about the bat coming out of the trunk was creepy, and King begins to develop some of his characters, in particular Sandy. However, after he sets the stage with this opening, King does something unusual for him- he fails to go anywhere with the story. After the beginning, the story trails down to a series of boring events and a terrible, boring ending. It's a book where you get to the middle and realize that you are no longer enjoying the story. To tell the truth, it seems as though King lost interest in the story fairly early and banged out the rest of it to try and make some money. It's a letdown after such a promising start. For a better book, pick up one of King's earlier outings.
Rating:
Summary: King at the top of his game!
Review: Stephen King again shows why all of his books are instant best sellers. While this story certainly contains lots of Horror and supernatural elements, it is the human elements that drive the story. A young mans quest for answers to questions that simply can't be answered. One of Kings greatest stories to date.
Rating:
Summary: She's No Christine
Review: Stephen King's last (?) opus tells the story of the hearty souls of Pennsylvania State Patrol Troop D and how they come into possession of what, initially, appears to be a vintage Buick 8 automobile. But we know Stephen King and this car isn't all that it seems to be and yet is also more than it appears to be. The doors and trunk show us a link between our world and what, another star system? Another dimension? This book will be devoured by King's many devoted fans - and I'm one of them. I read this book on a business trip to Austin, Texas. The inevitable comparisons will be made to "Christine", his other vehicular story. Unfortunately, there's really nothing to compare. Christine had personality and pizzaz ( I'm talking about the car here, not necessarily the novel ). This car is devoid of any personality and is pure evil. In the novel Christine, we see the development of the boy who owns her. There is no development here. This book reads like a short story that is 356 pages long. For one, the scenery never changes. We never see the troopers at home. We don't even see a couple of them head to the university for some equipment to test on the Buick. For the most part, we are at the station house and the parking area behind it. Still, as a somewhat saving grace, King still can write about mokes you can care about. And they are here - Sandy, Shirley, Arky, Eddie, Ned, etc. Speaking of Ned, heck, I even went to Pitt, so that should count for something. But, without any real in-depth dialogue and a plot where empty answers - or no answers - is the tour de force, I have to say, well, Stephen, maybe retirement isn't so bad after all.
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