Rating: 
Summary: Bitter, yet sweet.
Review: As far as the story line goes, I don't think that this is near what he could do. It's a story of the past, gradually leading to the present, and it all came together nicely, the only thing is, it could have had a more exciting, thoughtful ending. The ending was suspenseful, of course. However, unlike the other King books I've read (25 give or take...and I didn't like hearts in Atlantis) the end didn't fill me with awe. There was no huge revelation, and the end was predictable. The writing of the story though...WHOAH! I mean common, this is gotta be some of the best he's done. The dialogue...the similes, the metaphores...It's so brilliant. It completely amazes me how good he is with words, especially in this one. Sometimes I have to put down the book for a few moments and just think for a few seconds on how he could come up with something so great. But to get to the point, if you like great writing, great dialogue, and awesome characterization, definately read this. But if you like super-suspense, incredible endings, and like to be wowed by the way things come together, I wouldn't read this (Actually I would read it just to read it, but thats me...I like both!) But I think it deserves a four. A job par excellence, Mr. King. Keep it up.
Rating: 
Summary: Elvis, Lou Reed, Malcolm MacLaren & now Stephen King...
Review: If you saw 1996's Trainspotting, you may remember Sick Boy's diatribe about how "we all get older, we can't hack it anymore, and then we die." I'm afraid when it comes to Stephen King, I have to agree. I don't agree that his literary style has matured. ... This book is wretched. Long, slow and dull. It has no point, and none of the vaguely interesting tidbits in it (and they are only tidbits...nothing to sink your teeth into) are explained. Some have said, "So what, many things in life are not explained," but that's why I read books...to have a story told in full, not left hanging like in real life. When an author fails to satisfy his reader in this way, it's a mark of both laziness and, more so, a contempt for the reader. King's recent announcement that he's going to write only for himself and stop publishing altogether is vivid proof of the contempt he has for his fans. This is in evidence on every page of From a Buick 8. Skip it. If you're tempted, go back and read Christine instead, from a period in King's career before he was taken over by aliens from the Planet Banal.
Rating:
Summary: From A Buick 8 rocks!
Review: This is one of King's better works, I certainly liked it better than his last solo offering, "Dreamcatcher". If you've read any of the other reviews I won't waste your time with that, but I will say that it really is gripping especially toward the end. Like most ofKing's works, the characters need time to develop, but to be honest there isn't much to these guys. Now that's not to say that the characters aren't good, because I think there's definitely something about them, especiallyNed as he struggles with his father's untimely death thanks to a drunk driver. I am sure there are people out there who will say "ah, this is just another Christine"...but just 'cause it has a car, doesn't make it a Christine knockoff. It was an enjoyable experience and any constant reader will certainly enjoy this. It is shorter than his last few books which is certainly ok. You don't have to write a 700 page masterwork every single time to stay fresh. Give this one a try.
Rating: 
Summary: King's Coda feels like a B-sides filler album
Review: The Mighty King goes out not with a bang, and definately not with a whimper either, but with FROM A BUICK 8, a rather dissapointing coda to his long, mostly engaging and occasionally brilliant career. This feels like a novella blown up to novel length: there is no storyline to speak of, instead, we are wintess to a series of flashbacks that conclude inconclusively (!), followed by a hasty present day wrap up that also leaves us hanging, although this is intentional. I'd recommend it to devout SK fans, but newbies should look elsewhere (anywhere but TOMMYKNOCKERS!) for entry into King's works. King's atmospheric novella THE MIST (from SKELETON CREW) is a superior tale of an inexplicable other-dimensional encounter. BUICK is a non-essential and lesser variation.I wish King had been able to pull out a showstopper for his final, non-DARK TOWER novel. Although BUICK is a slightly sad coda to a memorable career, it is, of course, always nice to pull up a chair and hear SK's voice.
Rating: 
Summary: From A Buick 8
Review: If you want a creepy "page-turner", this book is not for you. If you want to immerse yourself in truly great writing, read it. I've read all of King's books, and the stories always seemed to overpower his talent to put down wonderful words and descriptions. He has gained his fame by being a great storyteller, but not as a great writer...a shame.
Rating:
Summary: Quest for Answers
Review: In a surprisingly intimate novel, Stephen King uses an old Buick Roadmaster as a metaphor for man's search for answers where there are none. Though sparse in scope and setting, this novel is still powerful in its portrayal of a young man trying to find meaning in his father's death. Highly Recommended
Rating:
Summary: "8" is almost enough.
Review: Long live the King. Stephen King, of course. Magazine and newspaper headlines have been trumpeting the news that King is calling it quits for the past month or so. The uber-horrormeister has declared that after something like the next three television miniseries and the conclusion of his ultimate saga, "The Dark Tower" series, he's going to enter J.D. Salinger territory and write purely for himself, without the goal of publication. He sounds pretty serious. I'll believe it when I see it, however. In the meantime, King's announcement certainly hasn't hurt sales of his latest book, "From a Buick 8." "8" marks a return to form for King. With the exception of "Black House," his sequel to "The Talisman" co-written by Peter Straub, King has gone for the brains over the chill factor with the recent entries to his gallery. But "8" sets us back on familiar turf. It is the story of the band of state police officers at Troop D in Pennsylvania. Ned Wilcox, the son of a fallen comrade, begins hanging out at the station in order to preserve his own sanity in the aftermath of his father's death. Soon, Ned uncovers a mysterious Buick 8 in one of the station sheds that has haunted the troopers over the past few decades. Much like King's other story about an evil car, "Christine," (it is this apparent recycling of tales that has driven King to his declaration of retirement, although this is premature; the stories are not that similar) there's something wrong with the vehicle. Years ago, Ned's father Curt and partner Ennis Rafferty answered a call from a gas station about an apparent suicide, in which a mysterious traveler vanished without a trace and left the Buick behind. They feel uneasy about it, but bring it in and let it sit. Soon, Ennis is gone without a trace, and Curt borders on the point of obsession with the car. This story is told to Ned from the perspective of the veteran troopers who were there, especially the main narrator, Sergeant Commanding Sandy Dearborn. Will Ned find Curt's obsession with the Buick 8 to be hereditary? The storytelling narration works for the tale, as we sit enraptured as King spins his yarn. But there are some quibbles to be had with the book, although certainly nothing to retire over. It's not a recycled plot; it feels like vintage King and is the equivalent of pulling on a familiar, fluffy gray sweatshirt or sliding in between some well-worn bed sheets.
But there is more to be spooked by and more of an element of danger in the story Sandy and his comrades tell Ned then there appears to be in the story wherein they exist. The secrets of the past certainly feel like they are being built up to influence the contemporary figures, but there's no real payoff. The ending is almost anticlimactic and peaceful compared to some of the stuff we see and hear come out of the trunk of the mystery car back in the good ol' days. King's got a clever cast of characters here as well, from the gas station owner who we learn eventually claims Curt Wilcox's life, to beleaguered veteran Sandy and the beguiling communications officer Shirley Pasternak. They have potential but lack the punch we think they should have in the end. If it were up to me, I'd assign him to work on a couple more novels until he gets it right. "8" is as if King is pushing a slightly stalled car steadily up a hill, and making progress the whole way, but in the end he doesn't quite have the extra oomph to put us on the other side, speeding toward home.
Rating:
Summary: Change is good
Review: I was doing a review of the Tiamat, Mother of Demon, when all of a sudden I got tis note to do a review for "...Buick 8"; to be honest, The Timat was better. But King is getting a little more
relaxed, mature and settled in his writing, his last two books have indicated that, especially "8", but to be quite frank, I like the approach. It is like Elvis, he changed with time, we all do. And so in "8" he is showing his teeth, or age.
Rating:
Summary: Needing Meaning
Review: So many reviews I've read have complained that there is no 'meaning' to the novel. No sense of closure, no neat bows that tie up all the ends. From the beginning of the book King makes it known that the strange events that happen in life are often hapazard events with very little or no meaning attached to them. Just enjoy the story for what it is...a story. Yes, not the best Stephen King I have read but still an interesting story. Buy the book if you are prepared for no answers and enjoy the mystery, the characters, the writing. Or dont, but dont complain that you need closure when King has offered us a book without one. Having no answers does not make a book bad or pointless. Maybe no closure is the point?
Rating:
Summary: A boring waste of money
Review: I didn't think I would ever finish this book. It was very slow, boring reading because nothing ever really seemed to happen. I thought something exciting was finally going to happen around page 300, but even that was a letdown. I would not recommend this to any fan of the old Stephen King books. I read that Stephen King is going to quit writing books and I can see why. I haven't liked any of his later books; has he run out of decent ideas? It seems his books sell because of his name alone; definitely not by their content. I won't bother with his next one-if there is one.
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