Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Curiosity killed the Cat!!, 3 Sep 2002
Well here it is .... this years Stephen King release, I always look forward to it and after the release of some of his shorter stories earlier this year -- this is no doubt his main course.A claustrophobic affair more in keeping with Geralds Game or Misery than his epics like The Stand. Not set in Kings Country and he explains the reason at the end ... the main characters are Troopers who have a secret sitting in the shed behind their Station --- in the form of a Buick 8, an odd looking (and feeling) car. The book is basically the troopers telling their tales to a son of one of there dead compadres .... and this fills out the story so well. Odd animals and disappearing people all linked to the mysterious vehicle in shed b. What is it? Where is it from? and more questions asked -- are any answered? Maybe. This is one of Kings sojourn into the Dark Tower backdrop ... but lets be honest - aren't they all! So for a first bite of King I probably wouldn't recommend it. To his constant readers this is a great read. Very well written ... maybe as a literary offering its one of his best .... maybe a little frustrasting for his older fans who yearn for Salems Lot or Pet Sematary ... but these have been done so each new book is a piece to the jigsaw that is Kings Universe. King is the best ... end of story -- this is a good book and is a must for his constant readers --- as a mainstream effort I ain't too sure.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A BRILLIANT NOVEL!, 29 Dec 2002
By A Customer
I am writing this review only 5 hours after finishing "from a Buick 8" and i have to say that it is one of the best Stephen King books i've ever read! (and i've read nearly all of them). the story is wonderful in its simplicity and narrative and, while not quite up there with "Dreamcatcher", is definetly worthy of praise and a place among this years literary highlights.
most people seem to have dismissed this novel out of hand, claiming that "its boring" and "nothing much happens". to me, this is what it's all about. it shows that things can, and often do, happen for no reason, and that not everything needs a purpose, an ending or even a beginning, sometimes, things just happen. it also shows how, even in the most dire situations, you still just need to get on with your normal life and not let this control you, or you'll pay the price of obsession. troop D is what the carachters in this novel hold onto, keeping themselves sane, allowing them to lead their private lives, despite the fact the Buick keeps trying to intrude.
another common complaint about this book is that it's just another "Dark Tower" spin off, leaving it meaning less to the casual reader. however, this is blatantly not true. i personally detest the dark tower series, but i still managed to enjoy, or, even, love this book. it isn't even directly connected to the dark tower series (as Insomnia an Black house were). it seems that, nowadays, if King so much as hints at an alternate reality to ours everyone immediatly cries "another Dark Tower spin-off!" which is a shame, as this is a wonderful novel, with not one hidden reference to the dark tower books.
personally, i urge anyone reading this to rush out and buy "Buick 8" as i thoroughly enjoyed it, it's just BRILLIANT.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
So so, 24 Jun 2007
I can't say From a Buick 8 was one of the best S King books i have read, but I didn't exactly hate it either. There isn't much of a plot, just a collection of incidents that have taken place around the existence of this car, that isn't a car. I felt I wanted to know more about the car and where it came from, but then again so did the characters in the story, and I suppose the mystery of it's existence is what this book is all about. At the end of the day, I guess, some things just remain mysteries.
However, the characters are all very much alive on the pages and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them. I am just not too keen on the monsters myself, but that doesn't mean others won't like this book.
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