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Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 2:10:59 AM
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at-home
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My 15 year old son really likes Ted Dekker's books. He now wants to read a Stephen King novel, just to see what it's like. I've never read any of his works, nor do I want to! My son asked to read The Stand. I guess, if he were going to read any of King's novels, this looks like the least awful, but I don't really know. Any advice?
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 8:45:41 AM
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Restored_Heart
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Depends on the teen... just as long as he realizes that they will be graphic, sometimes violent and crude....
The Stand is an interesting one....
I liked Needful Things as well...
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 9:06:43 AM
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Auben
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I wasn't allowed to read King growing up, but I have since late high school/college and I don't think he's nearly as bad as he's been made out. He does wear the stigma of horror (not that I think he's that scary and I won't watch a horror movie) and the supernatural (ghosts, ESP, mystical powers, etc) but not really the occult (that I've seen).
1) Be prepared for bad language. King swears. His characters swear. He considers it to be part of the realism of the characters.
2)The Stand is a long, long novel (1135 pgs). If you son is easily overwhelmed The Stand is not the place to start.
3)There's a cut version (original) and an un-cut version (re-issued). Personally I like the uncut version.
4)The novel has a very religious, Christian central character who has a big effect on the good people in the novel. It's also very much a good vs. evil novel. That make it very popular with Christian readers. However, King is not a Christian (that I know of) so don't expect conversion scenes or even for characters to think very hard about her Christian character.
That's all I can think of. There is violence in the fight of good vs. evil and the general anarchy of the plot. Sex is minimal from what I remember, although it's been 10 years so someone could correct me on that.
If your son is a mature reader I think The Stand would be fine for him to read. However, The Stand is much more in depth, with more characters and situations then your average Ted Dekker novel. If he doesn't have the staying power he'll move on quickly to another book.
Perhaps you can make a deal with him? He can read it at 16 or 17 or after he's read another long (800+ pages or so) book? Or you or your husband could read it with him? Often those solutions help me with my 9 year old, when I feel he's attracted to a book I'm not sure he's ready for.
< Message edited by Auben -- 9/24/2008 9:15:35 AM >
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 9:12:17 AM
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zoebob
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I would probably let a teen read The Green Mile too. I can't remember if there is language or not though
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 9:15:21 AM
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Restored_Heart
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quote:
ORIGINAL: zoebob
I would probably let a teen read The Green Mile too. I can't remember if there is language or not though
There is, but not too much - I don't think....
Most I remember was when the warden's wife was speaking (she had the brain tumor).
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 9:17:35 AM
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zoebob
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THat's right
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 9:18:07 AM
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Auben
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I doubt there is a King book without language.
From his book on writing it sounded like he gets a lot of mail asking him why he uses so much strong language and he's adamant that common people do. He certainly uses it in his own life.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 10:08:55 AM
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GroupW
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I've read it. I think Auben's comments are pretty accurate. It could be appropriate for a mature teen.
It's probably the only King book that I actually enjoyed.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 11:38:51 AM
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miasma
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My advice, if you're concerned, would be to read it first. Or, read it together. And also find out, more specifically, why he wants to read Stephen King. There's a plethora of other authours in the genre, Xian or non.
Generally speaking, I would not let my teen read a Stephen King novel. However, he has a VERY large ouevre, and no doubt there is something that would be appropiate.
I actually read some King as a teen, and regretted it, because it was just so...dark and sad and violent and evil. And uh, I was a huge Anne Rice fan!
Again, though, you'd need to examine it on a book-by-book basis.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 11:48:48 AM
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GroupW
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Miasma -
The Stand is a bit different than much of what he's written. A bit less dark. It's a decent good-vs-evil story. The primary issue would be a few very graphic passages. These don't bother me as much as some of his other work. The most disturbing passage is actually integral to the story line. It's not graphic in a gratuitous way - it serves a fundamental purpose. There's a litte bit of sex, and some language. This is pretty hard to avoid.
Still, it's good advice to at least read through or skim it first. What I would be comfortable with a teen reading is likely different from what another might recommend.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 12:32:40 PM
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uncabeeil
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quote:
he's written some stuff that's really bad. The Dark Half comes to mind. It was good enough for Dekker to copy the concept in Thr3e. Then again, IMO, Dekker is just watered down King anyway.
You really want to scare him off of secular horror? Give him a Clive Barker book. That dude is seriously scary! If he insists on King, then I agree with everybody who recommends The Stand. He would probably like Dean Koontz's work, too. Matter of fact, King & Koontz wrote a pretty decent novel together, "The Talisman".
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 1:59:53 PM
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barbhuff
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I devoured King's work as a teen. The Stand was a personal favorite.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/24/2008 4:54:29 PM
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stateofgrace
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I've only read one Koontz book, and it was fairly recent, maybe two years ago. Something along the lines of an apocalyptic theme and a young married couple as the main characters? It was much cleaner than King.
The Stand was one of the best King books I read (by far), and I would say depending on the kid, older teens would be ok. But there's a lot of language, some icky violence, and some icky intimacy (not extremely explicit, but icky because it's creepy too), - the chick from NY and the main villain, and also the same girl and this nerdy guy who she manipulates into helping them.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/25/2008 11:40:03 AM
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miasma
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Please do not give your child Clive Barker books. Or, at the least, be very selective in what you allow him to read -which goes back to my opinion: if you are unsure and concerned, read it for yourself, make your own decision as how to proceed, and go from there.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/25/2008 12:31:34 PM
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uncabeeil
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quote:
Please do not give your child Clive Barker books. You'll note I said "if you want to scare him off of secular horror".
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/25/2008 2:05:19 PM
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garsyt
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There's also his book The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It might be a good intro to King. I know my almost 11 year old could handle it reading level wise - but she is reading way above grade level. She is NOT ready emotionally for it quite yet, but my 14 year old could handle it if he wanted to read it. There are a few instances of language but overall not as much as some of his other stuff. Plus it's only about 220 pages long.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/25/2008 3:21:42 PM
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uncabeeil
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I forgot about the Tom Gordon book. That one was pretty good, and there wasn't much in the way of violence and gore. It was mostly suspense if I remember correctly. For a teenager that would be a good one.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/25/2008 6:52:05 PM
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Wild-Rose
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I thought the book "Christine" was very good. The movie did it no justice. And a teen boy could relate to having a personal relationship with a car. In the book it happens very gradual so that you can believe it, or at least give yourself permission to believe it.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/26/2008 11:28:49 AM
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alias007
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I agree with the other posters who mentioned the option of you reading it first. If you really want to know if its something you want your son reading, the best way is to read it yourself first.
My experiences with Stephen King books have not been good. I tried reading Carrie and one other, I think it was the Shining, and couldn't get through either of them. Way too much profanity and I prefer not to read sexually explicit material. I can handle some types of profanity, but King uses God's name in conjunction with another curse word quite a bit. It just takes away any measure of enjoyment I would otherwise garner from the story.
I would recommend Dean Koontz if your son is interested in science fiction/suspense. But stick to his later stuff, the earlier stuff suffered from some of the same vices as King's books.
Most of his recent books involve issues of faith, and his main characters have a strong moral compass. Koontz does use language on occasion, but it is fairly mild. He steers clear of the graphic sex as well. A good starter would be the Odd Thomas series. Koontz is excellent at characterization, and Odd Thomas is one of his best imo.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/26/2008 11:31:18 AM
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alias007
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quote:
ORIGINAL: uncabeeil
quote:
he's written some stuff that's really bad. The Dark Half comes to mind. It was good enough for Dekker to copy the concept in Thr3e. Then again, IMO, Dekker is just watered down King anyway.
You really want to scare him off of secular horror? Give him a Clive Barker book. That dude is seriously scary! If he insists on King, then I agree with everybody who recommends The Stand. He would probably like Dean Koontz's work, too. Matter of fact, King & Koontz wrote a pretty decent novel together, "The Talisman".
To my knowledge King and Koontz have never collaborated together. The Talisman was a 1984 novel written by King and Peter Straub.
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RE: Stephen King for teen? - 9/29/2008 12:50:28 PM
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uncabeeil
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quote:
The Talisman was a 1984 novel written by King and Peter Straub. You're right, I'm wrong. Stuff happens.
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I like his short stories best, particularly The Skeleton Crew. The Shining is a favorite, however. I don't know, my parents never censored anything I read...but I didn't find Stephen King all that engaging. I probably would let a teen read his stuff. <shrug> 
