Rating: 
Summary: Not up to STANDARDS
Review: First, let me state I am a HUGE Stephen King fan. I own most of his books and read/reread/rereread them time and again. But I was sorely disappointed with From A Buick 8. There were times when I wanted to just put it down and move on. It did not have have the gripping storyline I have come to expect. It did not have characters I was really interested in. It did not have compelling dialogue and was more of a standard kind of story with some science fiction added in. I have read Stephen's comments as regards this book and he is right. I am not sure if it was done to satisfy a contract or to fill in the gap while finishing the Dark Tower series. In any event I am sure it is not a book I will be picking up again any time soon. Not on my recommended reading list for anyone, least of all a Stephen King fan...
Rating: 
Summary: A good book overall but little action
Review: I thought this novel was pretty good, it had a good plot but after reading the 350 pages, I felt a lot of it was about nothing. It took me over a month to read this because it just didn't grab my attention as many as his other books have.Basically, its about a Buick (if you haven't guessed) that has some portel to somewhere else and tends to both vomit and consume things from both worlds. The upchucking scenes were interesting but there weren't alot of those, and the rest was just a narrative of the past experiences of a group of police officers in Penn. Yet, the ending was good and defintely had my attention there. Overall, it was good and that is why I give it three stars.
Rating:
Summary: Certainly NOT "Vintage" King...
Review: I am a hard-core King fan to the point of having most of his books as select first editions that are either numbered and/or signed. I have read everything he has written and really thought that he was back to his earlier style of writing what I call "Vintage King" When he came out with "Dreamcatcher". Other examples include: Firestarter, Carrie, The Shining, The Stand, Christine, Different Seasons, and as of late, Hearts in Atlantis and Bag of Bones. I would certainly NEVER include "From a Buick 8" in my "Vintage King" list!
People told me that this book was exactly like "Christine," And as the first review states, this book is the farthest thing from it. I found this book to be lengthy in descriptions and lots of needless words. I usually read a King book in one (1) day, this one took me 3 weeks. I had a very hard time getting into it and felt it was too close to a "Sci Fi' book like "Tommyknockers" and the ending really $isse& me off. I could not believe that I took all that time to read this to have an ending like it did! BOO to SK on this one! I would say it is a good book to read when you are suffering from insomnia, (BTW, his book Insomnia was also a great book to read when you couldn't sleep!). I, myself, would rather re-read a "Vintage" SK book, like; The Stand, The Green Dragon" or even listen to his audio books not available in print.
Rating: 
Summary: Christine Redux? Nope!
Review: Dude, this car is scary! It comes from nowhere, and sends you there if you're not careful! King rules, even if it doesn't all fall together!
Rating:
Summary: Not your usual King Novel...
Review: ...but it's not like that's a "bad" thing.
Mr. King gets it almost completely right in this book. The State Troopers, their attitudes, actions and dialoge are dead on, I have reason to know this. The story itself is a good one, sort of an "Urban Legend" meets Steven King thing. I won't go into specifics. I will say that if you're looking for a "keep me up with the door locked" book, this probably isn't it. It's no 'Salem's Lot, but then, few things are. What it is, it's a story about how ordinary people are presented with extraordinary occurances and how they deal with them, along with the rest of what is happening in their lives. I reccomend this book without reservation. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is I sort of like to be scared, but in my own house, with the doors and windows locked. But still worth getting and reading.
Rating:
Summary: Buick Blues
Review: If curiosity killed the cat and satisfaction brought him back, the cat who read From a Buick 8 is most decidedly still dead. Don't get me wrong, this is good writing. I have a natural affinity for stories that explore the possibility of haunted objects. And haunted objects-turned-portals are even better. The characters are multi-dimensional (some in more ways than one) and the concept piques my interest. But piquing is right about where the story stalls. Some critics have claimed that From a Buick 8 lacked suspense, but I completely disagree. It was nothing but suspense -- and the buildup sans payout left me wanting. The story dribbles out a vagely disturbing event here and there, but offers nothing truly shocking. The 'horrible incident' in 1988, which is hyped for several chapters, turns out to be an homage to cheesy Japanese horror movies and not worth the wait. I knew I was in trouble when the main storyteller, Sandy, repeatedly warns his young listener, Ned, that there are no definitive answers to be had. That's a bad thing because if Ned isn't getting any answers, that means we aren't either. And there's a clear warning sign that a novel is going horribly wrong when most objects/events are labeled 'indescribable' by the narrators. It's Stephen King's *job* to describe the indescribable. That's presumably why the novel was published, no? Stephen King seems to have also decided that the real horrors in life are not greenly-illuminated aliens taking over your town or an evil clown stalking you, but the fact that LIFE GOES ON. While you're lying in a ditch on the side of a Maine road, mangled by a minivan, the reckless dunce of a driver is going to sit calmly next to you and offer cheery observations on your crushed torso while ruminating about a Mars Bar. You see, weeping on the toilet with eight steel pins in your leg is more devastating in its reality than a haunted hotel. Having your collapsed lung violated and drained by a plastic tube is more gruesome than being eaten by a haunted car. It's just another day at work for the paramedics while you hang between life and death. The Buick that's not really a Buick spits up some alien thing and it's right back to work at the barracks. King has decided that the truly awful thing about your prom queen being a vengeful, blood-soaked telekinetic is that between the horrific incidents you still have to perform the mundane trivialities of life. You still need to cook dinner, change poopie diapers, and get to work on time because your toddler and gas company don't care that you're being terrorized by supernatural forces. You see, while it bites to have your car posessed, it bites even more to have it repossessed. The story instructs us to marvel at the absurdity of this dichotomy. We need to be upset that a man will drive past a fresh highway accident preoccupied with getting to his poker game on time. But about halfway through, we are screaming at the author, "Stephen, we get it! People are self-absorbed and humans quickly get used to living around the macabre. Now move on to the grisly stuff." When I want disturbing social commentary, I go to Chuck Palahniuk. When I want trapped women peeling the skin off of their own hands to escape captivity, I go over to the Stephen King shelf. Or at least I used to.
Rating: 
Summary: Run (don't walk) from this book.
Review: If Steven King wrote this book to indicate that after the car hit him he can no longer write, he is correct! The only reason that I even finished it is because I paid soooo much for it. The plot is completely lame, and nothing exciting even happens until just before the end. I have read and enjoyed Steven King's writing, until now. This book was almost a complete waste of time reading.
Rating:
Summary: It's OK....but just OK
Review: I am somewhat disappointed in the book....it was interesting, but I kept waiting for the pizzazz.....I did not require a real horror story...some of his best are not.....but I usually finish his books quickly....this time it took me over two weeks..a few pages at a time.... it just did not "Grab" me.
Rating:
Summary: A prefect mataphor
Review: In what could have been a very good short story, we follow a car that starts out very frightening and goes out with a whimper. Sounds a lot like a certain writer. Mr. King, take a hint from your own story and finish with a flourish of lights and action, don't let your readers see you rust away. With the exception of a chapter or two this was the dullest S.K. book of them all. Very disappointing. There is a reason that flashbacks don't work for long, even if done by one of the best story tellers of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Love Anything By King !
Review: I love anything by this man. He is one of my favorite authors. I enjoy all the controversy he usually creates with his intriguing books of fiction!
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