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abbie_ 's review for:
From a Buick 8
by Stephen King
2.5 stars
Even when King’s ideas are a little off, I will always appreciate his execution! He’s just such a gifted storyteller that I’ll always be happy to sit down and let him spin a yarn! This seems like quite an odd compliment to give if you happened to glance down at my rating for this one already, but I stand by it!
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From a Buick 8 is certainly one of King’s strangest plots! A group of state troopers find themselves in possession of a bizarre car that seems just *off* somehow after it’s left at a gas station by a mysterious stranger who subsequently disappears... the story is told in Then and Now sections, which I found a bit redundant until the last 100 pages, as the the Now sections were just telling the reader who was narrating the Then sections... Anyway! After they acquire the Buick, a series of strange events take place over the years, with light storms, insidious thoughts in the heads of those who go near the car, and strange alien births from its trunk... Yeah, it’s bizarre!
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Although I’m always pulled into King’s narration, I do think that 400 pages was too long for this particular story. He loves his possessed cars (Trucks, Mile 81) and I think this one would have worked better as another short story or perhaps a novella. Yes we all love reading about weird, alien creatures, but that’s not enough to hinge 400 pages on, and I didn’t feel the same connection to the characters as I usually do with King books, which is a shame!
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BUT, it cannot be denied that I found it entertaining, a bit silly, sometimes a bit sad, and it moved along at a steadyish pace despite its over-length. I think if you’re not planning on reading all of King’s work anyway, maybe pass over this one unless you super love stories about alien cars.
Even when King’s ideas are a little off, I will always appreciate his execution! He’s just such a gifted storyteller that I’ll always be happy to sit down and let him spin a yarn! This seems like quite an odd compliment to give if you happened to glance down at my rating for this one already, but I stand by it!
.
From a Buick 8 is certainly one of King’s strangest plots! A group of state troopers find themselves in possession of a bizarre car that seems just *off* somehow after it’s left at a gas station by a mysterious stranger who subsequently disappears... the story is told in Then and Now sections, which I found a bit redundant until the last 100 pages, as the the Now sections were just telling the reader who was narrating the Then sections... Anyway! After they acquire the Buick, a series of strange events take place over the years, with light storms, insidious thoughts in the heads of those who go near the car, and strange alien births from its trunk... Yeah, it’s bizarre!
.
Although I’m always pulled into King’s narration, I do think that 400 pages was too long for this particular story. He loves his possessed cars (Trucks, Mile 81) and I think this one would have worked better as another short story or perhaps a novella. Yes we all love reading about weird, alien creatures, but that’s not enough to hinge 400 pages on, and I didn’t feel the same connection to the characters as I usually do with King books, which is a shame!
.
BUT, it cannot be denied that I found it entertaining, a bit silly, sometimes a bit sad, and it moved along at a steadyish pace despite its over-length. I think if you’re not planning on reading all of King’s work anyway, maybe pass over this one unless you super love stories about alien cars.