Lilja's Library (39 page)

As if this wasn’t enough enjoyment, we also get an interview with King at the end. It’s an interview with Mark Lawson from back in 1998 when King visited the U.K. to promote
Bag of Bones
, and even though it’s a bit out-of-date it’s still an interesting interview. In it, King says, among many other things, that he might be getting to the end of his career (something that hasn’t happened yet)—something that stirred up the King-fan community quite badly at the time.
 

Lilja’s final words about
Secret Window, Secret Garden (audio)
 

So, how do I best summarize my experience of listening to
Secret Window, Secret Garden
? Well, it’s easy: go out and get this audio dramatization now! It’s a great story that has been dramatized in a very engaging way. You can’t lose! 

This audio dramatization has been in the making for quite some time. I know I first read about it approximately two years ago, but then nothing happened. Now, it’s finally out. I don’t know why it was delayed, but I’m glad it’s out now. I enjoyed all 1½ hours (about two hours if you include the interview) big time! 

**** 

Pet Sematary (audio) 

Posted: March 31, 2001  

When I got my review copy of
Pet Sematary
I also got a copy of the dramatization of
Secret Window, Secret Garden.
After listening to
Secret Window, Secret Garden
I was totally sold on dramatized versions of King’s work. I loved that one.  

It was with that thought that I sat down to listen to
Pet Sematary
. Unfortunately, I was deeply disappointed with it. Was I disappointed because I expected something like
Secret Window, Secret Garden
? Probably! A lot of my disappointment has to do with the cast, even if not all of it was their fault. 

I think that
Pet Sematary
is far too rich of a book to turn into a three-hour dramatized version. It has too much plot and story for that, and you are bound to lose some of it. I also feel that it’s a really graphic book, too graphic to work as a dramatization. It’s a book where the reader needs to make up the images himself. The BBC should have realized this before picking this story. Again, it’s not the cast’s fault.  

I also want to say that I do like
Pet Sematary
a lot, but here it’s too compact and too short. It’s being told too fast. I guess it would be hard to make this one fly as a dramatization (even if it would have been twice as long) and I’m sure the director (Gordon House) did his best, but it’s just not enough. This book wasn’t meant for it, it’s as simple as that!  

What about the cast then? Well, I don’t really know how to say it in a nice way, but most of them really suck big-time when they have to show some kind of emotion! The worst ones are John Sharian (Louis Creed) and Sarah Benichou (Ellie Creed). When Louis is supposed to sound frightened and/or upset he sounds like a tortured pig. He is hissing out the words in a way that is painfully embarrassing to hear.  

When it comes to Ellie, it’s her credibility. In some scenes she sounds like she is three years old and in some she sounds like nineteen. Very confusing. It makes it hard to feel for the character—you can’t help laughing at her sometimes.  

The other actors and actresses are somewhat better though. Briony Glassco (Rachel Creed), Mark Bonnar (Victor Pascow) and the others manage to do their parts, but not much more. The only one I really like is Lee Montague (Jud Crandall), who is the best in this group. One out of more than ten is far from good enough though.  

In the U.K. this dramatization aired in six parts and I’m not sure if that worked to its benefit, but I guess it doesn’t make it worse.  

Lilja’s final words about
Pet Sematary (audio)
 

If you want to hear a great dramatization of King’s work, skip this one and get
Secret Window, Secret Garden
, and if you want to hear the story
Pet Sematary
, get the book! 

**** 

LT’s Theory of Pets (audio) 

Posted: July 19, 2001  

When I first read
LT’s Theory of Pets
, I must admit that it wasn’t my favorite. It was funny, but I didn’t really like the ending. I thought it left too much hanging and that the story didn’t finish properly. 

Yesterday, when I listened to the audio version of the story, read by King himself, I still felt that the ending leaves me hanging a bit, but the story gets so much better when it’s read by King instead of when you read it yourself. 

I’m aware that a lot of fans don’t think that King should read his own books, that he doesn’t have the right voice for it. Personally, I feel the complete opposite. I think King is a superb reader and that his voice works very well for reading stories. I also feel that it’s a plus if the author reads his own works. He, if anyone, should be able to get it right, right? 

The story is about LT, who has a special theory about pets. In the story he tells us how he got a cat—Lucy or Screwlucy, like his wife Lulu likes to call her—for Lulu on their anniversary. Lulu got him a dog called Frank. After a while it turns out that Frank hates LT but loves Lulu, and Lucy loves LT and hates Lulu. Confusing? Don’t worry, King tells the story in a great way. This is the basic element in the story LT is telling and what his theory is based on. I won’t say anything more about the story itself, which would spoil it for you. You will understand when you hear it. 

I will tell you, though, that at the beginning of the tape, which was recorded at the Royal Festival Hall in London, back in 1998 when King was promoting
Bag of Bones
, King tells us a bit about this story’s history. At the beginning it was meant to be a fun story. As King wrote it, it passed over from funny to dark at moments, but even so, this is one of King’s funniest stories, and the darker parts are shorter than usual and are mostly present in the somewhat unexpected ending. 

The downside to this audiobook isn’t so much the story itself, but more the packaging of it. The publisher has put this story, which is approximately one hour long all by itself, on one tape. This means that it’s a rather expensive story. When Hodder released it the first time back in 1999 they also included an interview with King on the tape. This interview isn’t on the
LT’s Theory of Pets
tape, which is sad since it’s a rather good one.  

Lilja’s final words about
LT’s Theory of Pets (audio)
 

This is a story that is best enjoyed listened to and not read, if you ask me. I heard it out in the sun with my earphones on and let me tell you, it was great! 

If you were to buy this audiobook, I would recommend you try to get the version called
Stephen King Live!
instead. The story is the same; it’s recorded at the same time and place. The difference is that you also get an interview with King on
Stephen King Live!
 

“A broken spoon may become a fork.” (
LT’s Theory of Pets
) 

**** 

Black House 

Posted: October 27, 2001  

Black House
is supposed to be a continuation of
The Talisman
. Isn’t it? I’m not so sure. I feel that
Black House
is more of a
Dark Tower
book than a
Talisman
book, which I think is a bit sad. I love
The Talisman
and was really psyched when I heard that there was going to be a sequel. Later, when I heard that the sequel,
Black House
, would contain a lot of
Dark Tower
stuff, I got really skeptical.  

Personally, I never thought that
The Talisman
was connected to
The Dark Tower
. I always felt that it was a book that stood on its own. Please don’t misunderstand me now. I love everything that is connected to
The Dark Tower
and I look forward to every new installment with joy and enormous excitement. I do not, however, feel that
The Dark Tower
has the right to take over
The Talisman
world, which I feel it does in
Black House
.  

If you would change Jack’s name to something else and make some other minor changes to the story, this would be a
Dark Tower
book instead of a sequel to
The Talisman
, right? That was not what I wanted and expected when I started the book…I was expecting to meet more of the things, places and characters that I know from
The Talisman
.  

OK, let’s put
The Dark Tower
aspect of the book aside for a while and focus on the rest of the story. Personally, I really like the plot with the Fisherman and his gruesome crimes. I also like the fact that
Black House
has some extremely good characters. I’m, of course, thinking of the motorcycle gang, The Thunderous Five, and the reporter, Wendell Green. They are all great characters. The best of them all, though, is Henry Leyden—man, what a character! He is perfectly portrayed in the book! Too bad he probably won’t appear in another one… 

The only thing I don’t like about the book’s plot is how Jack and his gang rescue Ty from Mr. Munshun. As the story builds towards the climax, I get the feeling that Mr. Munshun is a strong creature that will give Jack one hell of a fight about Ty. One that might even claim some victims along the way. Then, when the battle happens, it goes so fast you really can’t believe that it actually did happen. Jack is beating Mr. Munshun (in his own backyard) like he was a ninety-year-old fart who couldn’t hurt a fly even if his life depended on it. I feel this is the weakest moment in the book.  

Other than that I don’t have anything to complain about when it comes to the book’s story. I love the narrative way King and Straub tell the story. It’s a really interesting and unusual way to tell a story. Great work!  

The book’s ending gives a really good indication that there will be a third book released eventually. My fear, though, is that one will be even more like a
Dark Tower
book than a sequel to
Black House
, which would be unfort-unate.  

Lilja’s final words about
Black House 

If you read
Black House
thinking that you will read a sequel to
The Talisman
and are expecting to join Jack on new adventures in the Territories, then you will be disappointed.  

If you read
Black House
thinking that you will read just a new King book, expecting all the great things that come with a new King book, then you will love this book.  

If you read
Black House
thinking that you will learn more about
The Dark Tower
, then you too will love this book. 

**** 

Everything’s Eventual
 

Posted: March 16, 2002  

In
Everything’s Eventual
, King’s fourth collection, there are only stories that are previously published. How do I feel about that? Well, I would have loved to have an unpublished one among them, no doubt about that, but on the other hand most of the stories here are so good that they deserve their place in this collection. 

The best one by far (and probably the best short story King has written to date) is “Autopsy Room Four.” “Autopsy Room Four” tells the story of Howard Cottrell, who wakes up on an autopsy table after a round of golf, unable to move as the doctors around him prepare to do an, you guessed it, autopsy. This short story is the best King has written, as well as the most chilling and frightening one in the collection.