Rating: 
Summary: Bad King turns good King
Review: After the catastrophic "Dreamcather" I must admit that I actually thought that it was a good idea that Stephen King retired. It had been a long time since he had written a really good novel on his own(Black House was excellent, but that was partially thanks to Peter Straub!) But as an old fan I of course picked the book up and started reading. By the time I emerged at the last page, I had a big smile on my lips! This is truly "vintage-king".Reading this book really brought back memories of the time when i would spend all day at school or work, thinking how great it would be to get home and start reading the latest kingbook.
The story is not in anyway highly original, but it is told so masterfully that its impossible to put the book down. There are moments that are truly scary, and as with all other kingbooks, there are also moments that are touching, funny, well you name it. So King still has it, but we just have to admit that there are long intervals in between, and maybe it is a good idea that he slowed down or started writing in ohter genres. But King still has the talent for scaring people and this book certainly proves it.As a sidenote, it should be mentioned that Scribner has done a fine job in producing this book. The cover is a bit boring, but the text and typography as well as printing looks really good. On top of that the book has a smythsewn binding, which secures many reading without the book falling apart.
Rating: 
Summary: Zzzzzz
Review: I've read everything Stephen King's published, and if it has come down to mediocre stuff like this then it is probably best that the rumors are true and Mr. King isn't going to write any more stand alone novels. It's sad in a way...like Michael Jordan getting to the point where he is no longer able to hold a basketball. I'm looking forward to the last Dark Tower books (which have been his strongest recent stuff and excellent - including the short story in his recent collection of short essays), but I have to say that for a dyed (or is it "died"?) in the wool Stephen King fan the current book is better suited to putting you to sleep at night than keeping you up turning pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost...Almost...Not Quite
Review: "From A Buick 8" is a novel that we cannot admire as much as we want to (or thought we would, even well past its midpoint). Which is not to suggest there is not an abundance of riches for us to enjoy. As others have noted, there is a "campfire story" quality to the narrative(s) that is both engaging and effective. King has occasionally and very successfullly utilized this variant of the "Oral Tradition" before: most notably in "The Green Mile" and, to a lesser extent, in "The Body" and "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption." You remember the Oral Tradition, right? Our Engish Professors treated it as a genuine genre of literature: a passing on of stories, lessons and truths from generation to generation. I've always felt that was a bit of a stretch: I argued once with a Professor that such a view suggested Homer rallying the crowd to listen to his telling of The Iliad or The Odyssey: "Come on, now, listen to this. We haven't yet invented writing or ink or paper or binding, so until then this is as good as it gets." But of course there is an oral tradition, just without the capital letters. Families and friends tell stories because it is in our nature to tell stories: be they brief anecdotes or deteailed, comprehensive histories. When King uses this device, the reader is not the audience, but an interested eavesdropper: a priviledged interloper who learns indirectly from a tale meant for others (and of which there will be no written record: no "paper trail," as Sandy makes clear). The essence of this approach is captured by King early in "Buick 8": "Go on," he said to me. "What happened next?" "Oh boy. Who can resist that?" Certainly not us, casual yet involved witnesses to this story. The story itself is clearly one of Rite of Passage (it can be argued convincingly that most of King's books are). Even in his most explicit tales of horror ("Salem's Lot," for example, or "Pet Semetary"), the supernatural is always a means rather than an end. King's horror is a cataclysmic catalyst that separates the young from the old, the courageous from the cowards, the wise from the foolish and the good from the evil. Those who complain that King has deserted his roots as a terrormeister and become something of a faux literateri miss this point, I think. King has written achingly of the Rite of Passage for the old ("Insomnia," for example) and the young ("IT") and those caught in between ("The Stand"). King's extraordinary gift to capture the sounds and smells and memories of humankind are what will, over time, set him well apart from his contemporaries. In "Buick 8" it is only superficially the Rite of Passage for Ned, and more profoundly a Rite for the PSP Troopers who share the task of continuing the story of the Roadmaster. In fact, Ned's role in the book is not to be a fully realized character but to be a remembrance (or cause of remembrance) of things past. Those dis-satisfied with Ned's character may perhaps not fully appreciate this. So, yes, there is much to enjoy in "Buick 8." As others have well noted, there is a special pleasure in reading a King book: we know we will be in the sure hands of a master craftsman. Hell, I feel a tingle of anticipation just driving home with the just-bought book. So what's the problem? A rather major one, I'm afraid. It seems to me that there is an implicit contract between author and reader (particularly so in the case of King, who courts his "Constant Reader" with apparent affection). In "Buick 8," more than in any of his other work, King violates that contract. The terms of that contract are straightforward enough: we, the readers, do not demand answers, but we have a right to resolution; or, at least, accountability. In "Buick 8," King has written an inconclusive book in order to describe the inconclusive and indecipherable nature of our lives and our world (or is that worlds?). Sorry. Not fair. Breaks the rules. Violates the contract. If you would write of an unknowable world, be it ours or some other, then follow the example of religious, humanistic and atheistic existentialists: discover the order underlying the apparent chaos, or find order (or at least meaning) in the chaos itself. But King takes unfair advantage, equating an incomprehensible world with the right to litter his story with a trail of loose ends and unanswered questions. For example, is the Roadmaster just "forgotten?" Is it some sort of portal? A breathing reed in a swamp or an oxygen valve on scuba gear? Do we see the Buick as a car because we "have to see it as something"? Was the Roadmaster deserted by design, or according to some purpose? Was the mysterious driver an agent of another world, or a victim? It is easy enough for a writer to distribute red herrings when
none will be called to account. "I woke up and it was all a dream" is likely the most dishonest ending to any story. In "Buick 8" King has not crossed that line. But he's come much, much too close. It may be that all of these issues will be addressed in the final volumes of "The Dark Tower" saga, but that is of little comfort. It is a virtue of King's work that his books and stories intertwine; it is a vice that he may use that as a "wait until later" rationale to write a book with no ending: a cracked windshield does not resolve the story, it merely provides a means of escape.
Rating:
Summary: The wrong Buick on the cover?
Review: So the story is about a 1954 Buick Roadmaster. But that's a 1953 Buick on the cover!
Rating: 
Summary: Comfortably Numb
Review: A devilish temptation in reviewing a novel by an author such as Stephen King is to make comparisons. Several professional reviews indicated that From a Buick 8 could be compared to The Green Mile. Maybe. Both books study what amounts to a Gordian Knot of tangled mystery and the people who attempt to solve the conundrum. That, however, is where the similarity takes a hard left into hitherto unexplored King territory. King has had similar characters and another book about an old car rolled off a Twilight Zone assembly line. Probably the work that comes the closest is an old short story called "The Mist" in that King shows a propensity towards unique worlds and dimensions walking uncomfortably close to our own. From a Buick 8 is a story that centers around Ned Wilcox and the rural Pennsylvania state police of Troop D. Ned Wilcox is a boy confronting the ambiguous and amorphous change from teenager to man. To confound his journey to manhood, Ned's father Curt Wilcox (a member of Troop D while alive) is killed by a horrible auto accident somewhat reminiscent of King's own misfortune in Maine. (There are differences. Thank God, King survived his own brutal brush with death.) Determined to help the boy understand what happened to his father, Sandy Dearborn and other troopers tell Ned about the mystery lying inside Shed B. King adopts the posture of several different points of view in painting the narrative of From a Buick 8. He weaves a tightly woven tale that relentlessly yanks the reader bodily by the neck into one of King's most macabre and entertaining roller coaster rides. From a Buick 8 is about as addictive and hypnotizing as truly great fiction can be. One can almost hear Sandy Dearborn spinning Troop D's incredible tale as a whispering mental tug draws the reader helplessly in front of Shed B to take his or her own peek. For me, the release of a new Stephen King book is an advent reminiscent of discovering the value of a library card and all the wonders it can unleash. From a Buick 8 is a gift from a well-seasoned writer who seems to have his own unlimited universe through which he unselfishly leads readers much like an old-fashioned theater usher using a flashlight to take a willing ticket holder through the pitch dark theater to his or her seat. "There are things," can't you hear him say, "that occasionally move in the dark. You really don't have to worry. Much." Then, as he walks away... "Enjoy the show."
Rating: 
Summary: weak story, sub-par work
Review: i am a king fan. this book, however, was a total bore.
Rating:
Summary: Vintage Stephen King
Review: This story takes place in Statler Pennsylvania and involves the Pennsylvania State Police, Troop D. They have been the caretakers of a classic Buick 8 Roadmaster since 1979. It resides in shed B at the troop barracks. The story unfolds as told to young Ned Wilcox by the present day troopers who have seen some strange sights concerning the Buick over the years. The narrative shifts back and forth among the characters, as it would with any group of people relating a story they all witnessed, and it lends a reality to the telling. This story is vintage Stephen King and it has it all.... intriguing story line, strong and likable characters, and, as always, exceptionally good dialog. I always read the author's note at the end of a SK book before I begin the story and would recommend other readers do the same for this book. Nothing in the note gives away the plot and in learning how the story came into being makes the tale even more interesting. I, like many of SK's readers, was devastated to learn he is going to retire from writing. I have read all of his books and have been entertained by them from beginning to end. This book was one of his best, in my opinion, and the ending was a hum-dinger. Only fitting, I suppose.
Rating:
Summary: Eeehhhhhhhhh........
Review: Hmmm. I'm a great Stephen King fan, and 'It' was one of the first 'adult' books I ever read. As a result it is easy for me to believe he can do no wrong, but there were times when I had to force myself to carry on reading this book in the vague hope that it might improve. I think that as he ages Mr King has decided that he can dispense with plot and story in exchange for a slower, more thought-provoking prose. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work. Take this book. 'A novel' printed on the cover, as with Dreamcatcher, just in case we weren't aware. It seems a little desperate. 'Look!' King screams. 'I'm a real author! I am! I can write slow, dull books without much happening in them as well as the next man! Give me some kind of literary award that doesn't have the words 'Bram' or 'Stoker' in them!' Anyway. I'm sure you all know what happens: man disappears, car is towed into garage, car stays in garage. Car occasionally has little hiccups of oddity. The fact that so little is revealed about the car, where it came from, and the mysterious man in black is very intriguing, to the point that anything King revealed for fact would have been disappointing. The mystery lingers, not the answer. Unfortunately, very little else happens. Towards the end of the book a pattern develops. ... One of these scenes is very alarming, and disgusting...there are several bravura sequences like this, including the much-enjoyable Brian Lippy scene that had me trying not to laugh like a madman while my wife slept. Despite the disturbing aspects of this scene, I found it hard not to laugh as Brian bounced up and down in his seat. You'll see what I mean when you read it. This is where King seems to step up to the plate and deliver the goods we know and love him for. I hate to sound so negative, as I DID enjoy reading this book. It was only when I completed it that I had this damp-squib feeling, like a firework that has been [rained] on. At this level of his maturity, I did not expect the car to go barrelling down the street eating people, as King once had a laundry pressing machine do. Even so, I kinda wish he had. It would have been something, anyway. It is worth a read, because King's style always entertains, even when he's talking about a guy reading a pulp newspaper in a gas station. Yet I'd say wait for the paperback before buying. Like Dreamcatcher, I doubt I will delve into this again, and I find that very sad.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: When I began the book, I felt the old King was back! Some great writing. Along the way, my interest level waned a bit, but things picked up toward the end. Overall, flashes of the great King showed through, but there were draggy stretches. I am glad I read it but found myself wanting more of something - excitement, stronger plot, answers. I would like to have seen the 'other world'; some character time there would have made the book much better. Many shifts of time and viewpoint, but they were not hard to keep straight. Good, but not great.
Rating:
Summary: By King Standards - It's a "3"
Review: King's book I rate by way of comparison to his others: so "From a Buick 8" merits a three. It's certainly better than the rambling and virtually unreadable "Dreamcatchers": but it doesn't begin to compare with "The Stand", "The Shining", or one of his other classics. If you really need to compare it to one of his books, it's most like "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" - well written, but kind of slow. As a "Constant Reader" from the moment I saw "Carrie" hit the bookracks, I am somewhat disappointed that he says this is going to be his final novel, (apart from additions to the "Dark Tower" series, which are my least favorite King novels). This is NOT the way to end a great career as a horror writer!
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