Rating: 
Summary: I kept asking "So where is this going?"
Review: I had to try to start reading this book 3 times before I could force myself to read it completely. I am a big fan of Stephen King, however this book is his worst work. There is far too much description of things that have nothing to do with the story. I found myself skimming over pages just to hurry the story along. It is an easy book to put down, unlike most of his work that keeps you on edge and turning the pages.I would not recommend this book to a King fan. However, if you feel you must purchase it, wait a short time. I'm sure you will fine a lot of used/bargain bin copies of it.
Rating: 
Summary: Dull story, dull climax, disapointing ending.
Review: Stephen King's most recent novel was perhaps his worst. The story is more of a series of stories all reflecting upon a rather dull, old, Buick which, frankly, isn't scary. The flat plot gradually leads to vapid climax and finally an ending which cannot even satiate the reader's longing to discover some information about the curiously entriging Buick. Instead of suspence and terror, King points out the human proclivity to inquire about the unknown and question questions that cannot be answered. This leaves the reader unsatified upon closing the book because he/she is without any knowledge explaing the Buick's strange behavior; only the fact that it was their natural desire to question something that could not be answered.
Rating:
Summary: Dreadful
Review: The man who wrote "From a Buick 8" also wrote "Pet Sematary." Think about it. How the mighty have fallen...
Rating:
Summary: One-idea book tires -- way too long for small plot
Review: Like a burlesque sketch that is funny for a minute or two but gets boring when nothing new happens for another half hour, King gives us an interesting premise that goes almost nowhere for the rest of the book. An old Buick is left at a gas station by a mysterious person who disappears, as does one of the investigating State Police of Troop D in Western PA; thereafter, the car is stored at the barracks and occasionally puts on laser light shows, emits strange creatures from its trunk, and similar horrible stuff. The story is told through the voices of the many troopers who have watched it over a period of twenty years or so. Other than drawing out the characters of that diverse group, as well as that of the young dead trooper's son, Ned, sort of the central listener, we're not treated to much other action or plot development. Sure, signs of King's effective rendering of scary events sparked our interest from time to time, but overall the whole book was like a one line gag repeated ad nausea. As far as we're concerned, this tale would have fit nicely into one of Kings many short story compilations; but we didn't feel the story and events were meaty enough to warrant some 350 pages, culminating in a fairly lackluster ending. This was by no means one of King's scary, suspenseful, gripping novels of the bizarre and terrible -- it was just one small idea that burned brightly for a few minutes then went out. For our money, we'd skip it.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Think of This One as King's Christine
Review: Behind a police station in rural Pennsylvania is a shed which holds a secret. One that is shared only among the state police of Troop D. It is a secret that would be unexplainable if the public were to find out about it. It's a secret about a car. A Buick 8, to be precise...or so it appears at first. Years ago, the car was abandoned at a local gas station. The owner was never found. The troopers quickly learned that the Buick 8 is no ordinary car. In fact, it just might not be a car at all. Young Ned Wilcox is spending a lot time with Troop D as he struggles with the recent death of his father, a state trooper who was run down by a drunk driver. Soon enough, he discovers the old Buick 8 behind the barracks in Shed B. He becomes especially fascinated when he learns his father had a special interest in it that neither he nor his mother had ever known about. Each of the officers in Troop D has a part in telling the bizarre story about the Buick 8 and Ned must learn to accept their account, even if it isn't exactly what his itching ears want to hear. But the one thing that is made clear is that when the temperature goes down in the shed, a phenomenon is about to occur. Moreover, when the phenomenon manifests, strange things come out of the Buick 8. Things that no one has ever seen before. Sometimes things even disappear. Like people. Forget about picking up this novel with Stephen King's "Christine" in mind - and other stories like it - because "From A Buick 8" is unlike any other horror car story. At first the plot may appear to be slow-moving, and just like the character Ned Wilcox, you may find yourself eagerly awaiting the punch line. But when it is finally revealed, you'll quickly realize it was worth the wait.
Rating:
Summary: TALES FROM THE TRUNK
Review: You have to hand it to King...over his prolific, heralded/bashed career, he has managed to write books that even at their most ineffectual, still demonstrate his mastery of characterization, and the terror we find in ordinary settings and places. In "From a Buick 8," it's not so much the "horror aspect" that makes this such an engaging read. It's the characters---the troopers who have kept a horrific secret for almost three decades, and whose lives are played out in reminiscences from many of the troopers. All for the sake of young Ned Wilcox, whose father was killed in a terrible accident just a year before our story begins. Seems his father was the most mesmerized by this strange car that comes out of nowhere and over the course of these thirty years, does some strange things. It's not as compelling a plot as I would have liked, but the characters are all gripping, believable and speak the vernacular that has both won praise and condemnation from those nasty critics. At any rate, if you enjoy Mr. King's novels as much as I have over the years, this one won't disappoint. At times, it's leisurely, but never dull. The character of Shirley Pasternak is one of the best female characters has created since Dolores Claiborne. She is rich in compassion, humor, and is the kind of woman any man would delight in going home to. Although King does go a bit overboard with Brian Lippy (no one really behaves like this, do they?), it does help in the full realization of the wonderful character, Eddie, whose fate is inevitable, but sad nonetheless. Don't get me wrong..King hasn't lost his touch for creating some really creepy, horrifying scenes. Just focus on his wonderful style; even his personal experience of being hit by an automobile is woven into the story, and it's as frightening as the Buick 8.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. HE IS THE KING.
Rating:
Summary: Durr
Review: From a Buick 8 written by Stephen King is a book about the stuff that happens on the police force. It's about weird stuff that goes on people missing strange lights and sounds. Wierd stuff like bugs are cut open and are all green inside and are not normal. The bugs squirt icky goopy stuff out. The buick has powers that cannot be explaned. The owner of the car is missing.
Rating: 
Summary: Could Have Been Better
Review: The writing since Mr. King's accident has been somewhat erratic. The book left too many unanswered questions. This was an easy reading, but felt that something was missing. Good concept but some unexpected story development is how I would describe this story. Not one of this best work but is worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Good book, but not his best
Review: I am an avid Stephen King reader, but I've noticed that through the years his work has become very sci-fi. While I did enjoy this book, it is somewhat "sci-fi" and it didn't give me that feeling that I was afraid to turn off the light.
Rating:
Summary: Decent book from a great author
Review: From A Buick 8, by author Stephen King, is a science fiction novel about human fascination with deadly objects, our insistence on answers when there are none, and terror and courage in the face of the unknowable. In the novel a Pennsylvania state trooper named Curt Wilcox is killed by a drunk driver. His son, Ned Wilcox, starts spending all his free time around the police station, working maintenance on the building, trying to hold on to his father's memory. While working at the police station, Ned notices an old but mint condition Buick 8 automobile in a storage shed. After asking the officers of Pennsylvania State Patrol Troop D about the car, Ned learns how they come into possession of a classic Buick 8. Later, Ned learns that what appears to be a Buick 8 automobile is actually a gateway between our world and possibly another dimension.
Although From A Buick 8 is full of interesting ideas none of them are really developed. The car which is the most fascinating aspect of the entire novel is said to be "thinking," "alive," and possibly "waiting" for the right moment to spew monstrosities from an otherworldly dimension out of its trunk. However, this idea of the car really being a living, breathing organism that can transport living organisms to and from Earth is never explained or advanced beyond characters skepticizing.
The novel takes place in a tiny Pennsylvania town called Statler. This works well for the book, but, the problem is the scenery never changes.The majority of the book takes place at the police station and the parking/storage area beside it. The reader never really sees the troopers anywhere but the grounds of the police station and a couple times at a local reataurant.
Although, the most interesting of King's ideas are never furthered beyond uncertain "answers" and more questions, King makes you can care about the characters. From the hardened but caring head of Troop D, Sandy, the sweet and loving dispatcher Shirley, and the lost and ambitious Ned Wilcox, Stephen King forces you to care about what has happened to the characters in the novel. Nevertheless, without any concrete answers to the difficulties that plague the characters, and with a weak ending, Stephen King's From A Buick 8 leaves the reader dissapointed and like the main character Ned, frustrated that there are no answers.
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