Rating: 
Summary: Quest for Answers
Review: In a surprisingly intimate novel, Stephen King uses an old Buick Roadmaster as a metaphor for man's search for answers where there are none. Though sparse in scope and setting, this novel is still powerful in its portrayal of a young man trying to find meaning in his father's death.Highly Recommended
Rating:
Summary: "8" is almost enough.
Review: Long live the King. Stephen King, of course. Magazine and newspaper headlines have been trumpeting the news that King is calling it quits for the past month or so. The uber-horrormeister has declared that after something like the next three television miniseries and the conclusion of his ultimate saga, "The Dark Tower" series, he's going to enter J.D. Salinger territory and write purely for himself, without the goal of publication. He sounds pretty serious. I'll believe it when I see it, however. In the meantime, King's announcement certainly hasn't hurt sales of his latest book, "From a Buick 8." "8" marks a return to form for King. With the exception of "Black House," his sequel to "The Talisman" co-written by Peter Straub, King has gone for the brains over the chill factor with the recent entries to his gallery. But "8" sets us back on familiar turf. It is the story of the band of state police officers at Troop D in Pennsylvania. Ned Wilcox, the son of a fallen comrade, begins hanging out at the station in order to preserve his own sanity in the aftermath of his father's death. Soon, Ned uncovers a mysterious Buick 8 in one of the station sheds that has haunted the troopers over the past few decades. Much like King's other story about an evil car, "Christine," (it is this apparent recycling of tales that has driven King to his declaration of retirement, although this is premature; the stories are not that similar) there's something wrong with the vehicle. Years ago, Ned's father Curt and partner Ennis Rafferty answered a call from a gas station about an apparent suicide, in which a mysterious traveler vanished without a trace and left the Buick behind. They feel uneasy about it, but bring it in and let it sit. Soon, Ennis is gone without a trace, and Curt borders on the point of obsession with the car. This story is told to Ned from the perspective of the veteran troopers who were there, especially the main narrator, Sergeant Commanding Sandy Dearborn. Will Ned find Curt's obsession with the Buick 8 to be hereditary? The storytelling narration works for the tale, as we sit enraptured as King spins his yarn. But there are some quibbles to be had with the book, although certainly nothing to retire over. It's not a recycled plot; it feels like vintage King and is the equivalent of pulling on a familiar, fluffy gray sweatshirt or sliding in between some well-worn bed sheets.
But there is more to be spooked by and more of an element of danger in the story Sandy and his comrades tell Ned then there appears to be in the story wherein they exist. The secrets of the past certainly feel like they are being built up to influence the contemporary figures, but there's no real payoff. The ending is almost anticlimactic and peaceful compared to some of the stuff we see and hear come out of the trunk of the mystery car back in the good ol' days. King's got a clever cast of characters here as well, from the gas station owner who we learn eventually claims Curt Wilcox's life, to beleaguered veteran Sandy and the beguiling communications officer Shirley Pasternak. They have potential but lack the punch we think they should have in the end. If it were up to me, I'd assign him to work on a couple more novels until he gets it right. "8" is as if King is pushing a slightly stalled car steadily up a hill, and making progress the whole way, but in the end he doesn't quite have the extra oomph to put us on the other side, speeding toward home.
Rating:
Summary: Change is good
Review: I was doing a review of the Tiamat, Mother of Demon, when all of a sudden I got tis note to do a review for "...Buick 8"; to be honest, The Timat was better. But King is getting a little more
relaxed, mature and settled in his writing, his last two books have indicated that, especially "8", but to be quite frank, I like the approach. It is like Elvis, he changed with time, we all do. And so in "8" he is showing his teeth, or age.
Rating:
Summary: Needing Meaning
Review: So many reviews I've read have complained that there is no 'meaning' to the novel. No sense of closure, no neat bows that tie up all the ends. From the beginning of the book King makes it known that the strange events that happen in life are often hapazard events with very little or no meaning attached to them. Just enjoy the story for what it is...a story. Yes, not the best Stephen King I have read but still an interesting story. Buy the book if you are prepared for no answers and enjoy the mystery, the characters, the writing. Or dont, but dont complain that you need closure when King has offered us a book without one. Having no answers does not make a book bad or pointless. Maybe no closure is the point?
Rating: 
Summary: A boring waste of money
Review: I didn't think I would ever finish this book. It was very slow, boring reading because nothing ever really seemed to happen. I thought something exciting was finally going to happen around page 300, but even that was a letdown. I would not recommend this to any fan of the old Stephen King books. I read that Stephen King is going to quit writing books and I can see why. I haven't liked any of his later books; has he run out of decent ideas? It seems his books sell because of his name alone; definitely not by their content. I won't bother with his next one-if there is one.
Rating: 
Summary: Not up to STANDARDS
Review: First, let me state I am a HUGE Stephen King fan. I own most of his books and read/reread/rereread them time and again. But I was sorely disappointed with From A Buick 8. There were times when I wanted to just put it down and move on. It did not have have the gripping storyline I have come to expect. It did not have characters I was really interested in. It did not have compelling dialogue and was more of a standard kind of story with some science fiction added in. I have read Stephen's comments as regards this book and he is right. I am not sure if it was done to satisfy a contract or to fill in the gap while finishing the Dark Tower series. In any event I am sure it is not a book I will be picking up again any time soon. Not on my recommended reading list for anyone, least of all a Stephen King fan...
Rating: 
Summary: A good book overall but little action
Review: I thought this novel was pretty good, it had a good plot but after reading the 350 pages, I felt a lot of it was about nothing. It took me over a month to read this because it just didn't grab my attention as many as his other books have. Basically, its about a Buick (if you haven't guessed) that has some portel to somewhere else and tends to both vomit and consume things from both worlds. The upchucking scenes were interesting but there weren't alot of those, and the rest was just a narrative of the past experiences of a group of police officers in Penn. Yet, the ending was good and defintely had my attention there. Overall, it was good and that is why I give it three stars.
Rating:
Summary: Certainly NOT "Vintage" King...
Review: I am a hard-core King fan to the point of having most of his books as select first editions that are either numbered and/or signed. I have read everything he has written and really thought that he was back to his earlier style of writing what I call "Vintage King" When he came out with "Dreamcatcher". Other examples include: Firestarter, Carrie, The Shining, The Stand, Christine, Different Seasons, and as of late, Hearts in Atlantis and Bag of Bones. I would certainly NEVER include "From a Buick 8" in my "Vintage King" list!
People told me that this book was exactly like "Christine," And as the first review states, this book is the farthest thing from it. I found this book to be lengthy in descriptions and lots of needless words. I usually read a King book in one (1) day, this one took me 3 weeks. I had a very hard time getting into it and felt it was too close to a "Sci Fi' book like "Tommyknockers" and the ending really $isse& me off. I could not believe that I took all that time to read this to have an ending like it did! BOO to SK on this one! I would say it is a good book to read when you are suffering from insomnia, (BTW, his book Insomnia was also a great book to read when you couldn't sleep!). I, myself, would rather re-read a "Vintage" SK book, like; The Stand, The Green Dragon" or even listen to his audio books not available in print.
Rating:
Summary: Christine Redux? Nope!
Review: Dude, this car is scary! It comes from nowhere, and sends you there if you're not careful! King rules, even if it doesn't all fall together!
Rating:
Summary: Not your usual King Novel...
Review: ...but it's not like that's a "bad" thing.
Mr. King gets it almost completely right in this book. The State Troopers, their attitudes, actions and dialoge are dead on, I have reason to know this. The story itself is a good one, sort of an "Urban Legend" meets Steven King thing. I won't go into specifics. I will say that if you're looking for a "keep me up with the door locked" book, this probably isn't it. It's no 'Salem's Lot, but then, few things are. What it is, it's a story about how ordinary people are presented with extraordinary occurances and how they deal with them, along with the rest of what is happening in their lives. I reccomend this book without reservation. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is I sort of like to be scared, but in my own house, with the doors and windows locked. But still worth getting and reading.
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