Rating: 
Summary: weak story, sub-par work
Review: i am a king fan. this book, however, was a total bore.
Rating: 
Summary: Vintage Stephen King
Review: This story takes place in Statler Pennsylvania and involves the Pennsylvania State Police, Troop D. They have been the caretakers of a classic Buick 8 Roadmaster since 1979. It resides in shed B at the troop barracks. The story unfolds as told to young Ned Wilcox by the present day troopers who have seen some strange sights concerning the Buick over the years. The narrative shifts back and forth among the characters, as it would with any group of people relating a story they all witnessed, and it lends a reality to the telling. This story is vintage Stephen King and it has it all.... intriguing story line, strong and likable characters, and, as always, exceptionally good dialog. I always read the author's note at the end of a SK book before I begin the story and would recommend other readers do the same for this book. Nothing in the note gives away the plot and in learning how the story came into being makes the tale even more interesting. I, like many of SK's readers, was devastated to learn he is going to retire from writing. I have read all of his books and have been entertained by them from beginning to end. This book was one of his best, in my opinion, and the ending was a hum-dinger. Only fitting, I suppose.
Rating: 
Summary: Eeehhhhhhhhh........
Review: Hmmm. I'm a great Stephen King fan, and 'It' was one of the first 'adult' books I ever read. As a result it is easy for me to believe he can do no wrong, but there were times when I had to force myself to carry on reading this book in the vague hope that it might improve. I think that as he ages Mr King has decided that he can dispense with plot and story in exchange for a slower, more thought-provoking prose. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work. Take this book. 'A novel' printed on the cover, as with Dreamcatcher, just in case we weren't aware. It seems a little desperate. 'Look!' King screams. 'I'm a real author! I am! I can write slow, dull books without much happening in them as well as the next man! Give me some kind of literary award that doesn't have the words 'Bram' or 'Stoker' in them!' Anyway. I'm sure you all know what happens: man disappears, car is towed into garage, car stays in garage. Car occasionally has little hiccups of oddity. The fact that so little is revealed about the car, where it came from, and the mysterious man in black is very intriguing, to the point that anything King revealed for fact would have been disappointing. The mystery lingers, not the answer. Unfortunately, very little else happens. Towards the end of the book a pattern develops. ... One of these scenes is very alarming, and disgusting...there are several bravura sequences like this, including the much-enjoyable Brian Lippy scene that had me trying not to laugh like a madman while my wife slept. Despite the disturbing aspects of this scene, I found it hard not to laugh as Brian bounced up and down in his seat. You'll see what I mean when you read it. This is where King seems to step up to the plate and deliver the goods we know and love him for. I hate to sound so negative, as I DID enjoy reading this book. It was only when I completed it that I had this damp-squib feeling, like a firework that has been [rained] on. At this level of his maturity, I did not expect the car to go barrelling down the street eating people, as King once had a laundry pressing machine do. Even so, I kinda wish he had. It would have been something, anyway. It is worth a read, because King's style always entertains, even when he's talking about a guy reading a pulp newspaper in a gas station. Yet I'd say wait for the paperback before buying. Like Dreamcatcher, I doubt I will delve into this again, and I find that very sad.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: When I began the book, I felt the old King was back! Some great writing. Along the way, my interest level waned a bit, but things picked up toward the end. Overall, flashes of the great King showed through, but there were draggy stretches. I am glad I read it but found myself wanting more of something - excitement, stronger plot, answers. I would like to have seen the 'other world'; some character time there would have made the book much better. Many shifts of time and viewpoint, but they were not hard to keep straight. Good, but not great.
Rating:
Summary: By King Standards - It's a "3"
Review: King's book I rate by way of comparison to his others: so "From a Buick 8" merits a three. It's certainly better than the rambling and virtually unreadable "Dreamcatchers": but it doesn't begin to compare with "The Stand", "The Shining", or one of his other classics. If you really need to compare it to one of his books, it's most like "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" - well written, but kind of slow. As a "Constant Reader" from the moment I saw "Carrie" hit the bookracks, I am somewhat disappointed that he says this is going to be his final novel, (apart from additions to the "Dark Tower" series, which are my least favorite King novels). This is NOT the way to end a great career as a horror writer!
Rating: 
Summary: Not that great
Review: I was looking forward to this book because I absolutely loved Christine. But..... 1) I never cared for the alternate world of Talisman/Gunslinger
2) This book is so boring that I put it down for a week to read another book
3) I think it would have been a much better 100 page novella than a huge book that it was (does anyone edit for him any more? Maybe he should re-read his "On Writing"). It wasn't scary. It was fantasy. Quite frankly, I don't care for much for fantasy, so this book is resigned to the bottom of my Stephen King recommendations. Don't get me wrong, he's a good writer, but this baby deserved to be tossed out with the bathwater.
Rating:
Summary: Pedestrian
Review: Let's use the old cliche here, "I'm a big fan but...". I'd give this a 2.5 were half stars allowed. In this reasonably short(for King) novel we see how a Pennsylvania police department reacts to the appearance of an interstellar/interdimensional transporter in the guise of a slightly off Buick. The tale is told to the son of the trooper most involved with the Buick by the long time troopers and employees of the station round robin style. As others have mentioned, nothing much really happens. Which can be fine because King's strength has always been characterisation. Unfortunately that is completely lacking here. We have some sketches of the characters but even at the end of the book not much reason to care for any of them nor do we know them all that well. The climax takes a long time to get to, and is rather short. However it is effective, tense, and saves the book from having been a complete waste of time. Were it not for the nice climax that did keep me turning pages this would have been a 2 or 1 star book. What went wrong? I think what we have here is a book that is neither younger King which would have had much more happen with the car, nor mature King in which the characterisations of the troopers would take precedence over creatures popping out of the car. Instead we have nothing really happening with the car, and despite all the jawing, nothing really in the way of characterisation. A younger King would have terrified us with an onslaught of creatures from the car, a mature King would have made us feel for the state troopers as they dealt with something so far out of the realm of their understanding. Unfortunately, we get neither. So consider this My Dinner with Andre and a Car. Guys sit around talking but nothing much happens.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best, but definitely not "Christine". Just OK.
Review: When I first picked up this book, I thought it was another story about a car that goes wild, killing anyone that gets in its way. I can tell I was wrong there. This book is an OK read. It was not one that I had trouble putting down though. I would read it, then not pick it up again for a day or two. I must say the front cover looks menacing though. It makes the car look as if it has an actual face on it and it's ready to eat someone. This book does not resolve all the issues either. People disappear without a trace, and you would think we would find out where they went. Plus, I was waiting for the car's owner to appear again, maybe explain what all of this was about. Not a chance. So, in all, we never really find out where this car came from, who owned it, nothing. It just sits in a shed forever creating light shows and spewing out creatures from another world. With all that happens, the burning question is this: Why don't they blow up this car or take it to a junkyard and destroy it? Why would a town hold on to something they know is dangerous? In any case, I'm sorry to say that this book is not the way for Stephen King to retire. If he's going to retire with one last novel, it should be something that goes out with a bang, not a fizzle.
Rating:
Summary: A great way to begin the end
Review: It truly is a shame that Mr King's writing career is coming to a close but outside of the Dark Tower's close, there could have been no better note to end on. King weaves a wonderful tale aout a possesed Buick thorugh the eyes of some of the greatest characters of his career. after reading this book i really felt like i had known all of those people for my entire life. Not since the stand have his characters been more developed. Through his story reminds us that no matter what is going on in our lives to remember where we came from and our families. i would imagine that all of King's fans have purchased this book already or have made plans to do so, so if you are skeptical of him, just read this book and realize his supream grasp of the english language. unlike mine. so enjoy, i know you will
Rating:
Summary: Okay but...
Review: This is essentially a short story idea blown up to fill a novel. When you have multiple character viewpoints it usually means there isn't enough story to stand alone. As a short story, this would have worked a lot better than a dragged out novel.
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