Rating: 
Summary: Strong plot in the beginning, but it falters in the end
Review: Released in 1998, Bag of Bones is Stephen King's 28th novel.After Stephen King's previous releases, "The Green Mile" and "Wizard and Glass", many "Constant Readers" were relishing in all the high-quality novels Stephen King was releasing, and they were expecting a lot from this release.In addition to "Bag of Bones", Stephen King was also at the same time working on his two novella collections, "Hearts in Atlantis" and "Everything's Eventual", so he was sort of bogged down with work, but he managed to finish writing this novel and release it to a frenzied response. As usual, "Bag of Bones" shot to #1 on the New York Times Book charts, and it was met with great reviews, and bad reviews, but none of the fans took notice of the bad ones. In my review, I will give you a basic overview of the story(With no spoilers), and tell you how Stephen King's writing was, and how they mix overall. So was "Bag of Bones" one of Stephen King's strongest or a mixed bag? Read on to find out! Story: After Johanna Noonan dies in the middle of a Parking Lot of a brain tumor, Mike Noonan's wife, popular author Mike Noonan is thrusted into a world where lonliness is his only friend and he is unable to write without breaking down. Soon the realization that his career was quickly dwindling because of his inability to write dawned on him, so he saught solace and peace for a new place to write, his fabled summerhouse Sara Laughs, named after the 1920's musicians Sara and the Redtops. Upon getting to Sara Laughs, Mike begins to hear weeping and crying noises during the night, and most horrifying, he begins to hear people scream. As he learns more and more of what's happened since he was gone, he learns that his wife(Nicknamed) Jo was down here without him knowing, and that she was planning to write a story about the TR's (Where Sara Laughs is located) illustrous history, and Mike begins trying to piece together what she found out and why she didn't tell him. Then, as if to answer Mike's lonliness, he stumbles on a girl walking down the middle of the street named Kyra. He then meets her beautiful mother Mattie after picking up Kyra of the Street(Out of the way of danger), Mike Noonan is unknowingly thrusted into a world of hell that he wanted no part of. Soon after that incident, Mike is questioned by local billionare and elder Max Devore about the incident, and Mike immediately feels apprehensive at the situation and angrily hangs up on him. He then learns that Max Devore has been trying to get custody of Kyra from her perfectly capable mother Mattie just because he wants her. Mike begins to feel a bond between Mattie and Kyra, and he devotes himself to helping her and letting her keep custody of Kyra. After hiring a lawyer and personally helping her with his own money, many people in town think that he's just buying out Mattie Devore, and they begin to be cold and heartless towards him. All the while, as Mike begins to dig up more information about the TR's past, he also uncovers more Ghosts of the past on his way. What ensues is a bitter battle between Mike Noonan and Max Devore for custody of Kyra, and it even cascades into a legal battle that may be deadly. As Mike ventures furthur into the TR's past, he's plagued by ghosts that are trying to keep him from the truth and will even kill to do so. Writing: After writing so beautifully and creating such memorable plots with "The Green Mile", Stephen King would undoubtedly create one of the most memorable stories ever, right? Well, yes.Yes, because it's most memorable for being one of his worst, because it's the most boring Stephen King book I've ever had to read. Although his writing is descriptive and professional enough, it seems to be lacking the inventiveness of such masterpieces as "Cujo", "Needful Things", and "The Shining". While the writing might be interesting enough, the plot sadly isn't. For over 700 pages, we learn all about the TR's history and how it connects with the ghosts Mike is experiencing, but the reason for them is disjointed and idiotic, almost verging on the point that I almost stopped reading because the plot was so laughable. The book is fine for the first 600 pages, good if not a little boring, hence the 3 star rating, but the last 130 pages are incredibly stupid. When Mike finally discovers what Jo found out, it isn't surprising and it seems a little childish for a plot twist from such a great author as Stephen King. I was really disappointed with what eventually happened with Mattie and Kyra, and also dissappointed with the "Ghost" story behind the TR's past, and how dum the last 50 pages are. Overall: For once, this was the first Stephen King book that genuinely bored me. For most of his books, I would finish them in about 2-3 days because I was so entranced with the story, but with this book, it took me a MONTH. The reason it did so was because I would frequently put the novel down because it was so tedious. The plot is good in the beginning, but the overall ending and explanation of all the loose ends was childish and not reasonable. Although Stephen King writes horror/fiction and his novel's may be weird at times, his endings are never "Stupid" , which "Bag of Bones" unfortuneatly is. RECOMMENDED ONLY FOR DIE-HARD STEPHEN KINGS. NOT RECOMMENDED IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A NOVEL WITH A GREAT PLOT. FOR THAT I WOULD HAVE TO RECOMMEND "IT", "NEEDFUL THINGS", "THE SHINING", "CUJO", OR PRETTY MUCH ANY NOVEL BUT "BAG OF BONES". I'M A DIE-HARD STEPHEN KING FAN AND I WAS DISSAPOINTED, SO I'M AFRAID YOU MAY BE TOO. Thanks for reading!
Rating: 
Summary: Welcome back, Mr. King...
Review: I haven't read Stephen King in several years, for the plain fact that I wasn't interested in what he was saying. After just reading the description of "Rose Madder", I kinda chucked in the towel on one of my "forbidden pleasure" writers. I mean, when you tell people you like Stephen King, they either go "Ugh" or "Yeah, me too". Not too many in-betweens. But in the last month I've finished both "The Green Mile" and "Bag of Bones". I have to admit that "Bag of Bones" has been his best writing since "Misery". I was amazed by the clarity of his prose, given some of his previous lengthy novels and their slooowww plot development(Insomnia, The Tommyknockers, etc). And it was nice to see him skip some of the really gory details (while keeping enough to make you squirm) and stick to solid character detail. Mike Noonan really comes across as a guy you'd like to know. Kinda like King himself. And I challenge any reader to put the book down in the last one hundred pages. I have easily recommended this book to friends who don't normally read King. If this is the "new, improved" King, then I am truly looking forward to "Hearts in Atlantis".
Rating: 
Summary: Moving, Gripping, Satisfying.
Review: In true King fashion, Bag of Bones is a literary masterpiece and a tale to scare you out of your wits. The cover jacket gives this description in the opening paragraph: "Stephen King's most gripping and unforgettable novel, Bag of Bones, is a story of grief and a lost love's enduring bonds, of a new love haunted by the secrets of the past, of an innocent child caught in a terrible crossfire." This book mixes the supernatural with reality and fate with coincidence, giving you a terrific ride and bringing you to a startling conclusion. I am continually impressed with the way King's mind seems to work. Every page in each of his books is carefully and strategically planned out. It doesn't take much to write a book, but it takes a lot to write a good book. Without fail, King continually provides his audience with good books that are entertaining, moving, and fulfilling.
Rating:
Summary: A good old-fashioned ghost story
Review: Stephen King proves he can still scare the socks off you with this one. I bought this one afternoon and was up till twelve midnight reading it. Then I stayed up till two because I was afraid to go to sleep afterwards. But there's much more here than just scares. All good ghost stories have a mystery at the heart of them, and this one is no different. The revelation of what happened to the turn-of-the-century singing group Sara Tidwell and the Red Tops, woven in with the supernatural manifestations Mike Noonan is experiencing in his present-day cabin of Sara Laughs (named after the aforementioned singer), coupled with King's textured exploration of small-town life, are what give this book substance and make it more than just a superficial slasher fic. King revisits many of his favorite themes, such as themes of insiders vs. outsiders in community life, the way a community's buried past reaches out to affect its present, and the idea that loving connections between human beings are necessary to stand in the face of evil. Interwoven with subthemes on sexism, racism, power, and social inequality, this is far from a melodramatic, soulless Hollywood-esque production and is instead a book with interesting commentary, richness, and some real heart (as well as being scary as all get out). I wish more authors were capable of writing with this kind of detailed, balanced richness.
Rating:
Summary: A real surprise
Review: I was pleasantly surprised by this audio book. I didn't know King read it himself when I popped it in my player. He does a very good job with the reading though. The story is interesting and haunting. I found myself thinking about the story even when I hadn't listened to it for several hours. I think King reads the characters so well because of how he heard them himself as he wrote the story. The last tape has an interview with him that is very enlightening. I enjoyed the whole experience.
Rating: 
Summary: Captivating, but not impressive.
Review: I'd never read any King before, but I found this pretty-looking hardcover sitting by the dumpster of my apartment complex, obviously in the belief that someone else might want it, so I gave it a try. I almost want to put it straight *in* the dumpster now. It's a pretty good story, although it could stand to be about 100 pages shorter. But there are some possibly triggering scenes in it that I feel are mostly gratuitous. I'm no prude but there are somethings that I feel shouldn't be *only* entertainment. I think the author felt a little guilty as the last page has a sort of apology to it about how even made-up tragedies should be taken seriously. Eh. Whatever.
Having said all that -- it IS effectively creepy, to this scaredy-cat at least!
Rating:
Summary: READ BEFORE THE GUNSLINGER
Review: Mr King himself says that every single one of his books are, in fact, about the Dark Tower. Some he wrote and he then found he had unintentionally woven in the Dark Tower plot to the story. So all the books are connected, and it's good to read them all in the right order. Or, instead, you can read the DT books in order, then read his other books after. But if you want to read every single book in order read them like this:
Bag of Bones
DT1-The Gunslinger
The Eyes of the Dragon
DT2-The Drawing of the Three
Rose Madder
The Stand
DT3-The Wastelands
DT4-Wizard and glass
Salem's Lot
DT5-Wolves of the Calla
The Regulators
Desperation
Everthing's Eventual:14 Dark Tales
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
The Talisman
Black House
DT6-Song of Susanna
then, some vague connections in:
It
Skeleton Crew
From A Buick 8
then, read
DT7-The Dark Tower
For an explanation on why you should read them in this order, visit www.thedarktower.net
Rating:
Summary: STEPHEN IS DA MAN!!
Review: This is my first book that i ever read from King but this is an awesome book that keeps you reading until you're done because it took me 2 days to read. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense and mystery this is the book for you. GHEA!
Cindy G.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: I got this book for a Christmas present last year and it was wonderful! It's one of the less gruesome books that S.K. has to offer. But it was excellent reading, truly a "haunted love story"....definately recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: It's a bag of something and it ain't bones....
Review: For the most part Stephen King is a very good writer, hell sometimes he's a great writer (The Green Mile, Wizard & Glass. "The Mist"), but man did he ever miss the mark here.
I couldn't finish it. The audiobook is 20 cd's but by time #16 rolled around I just couldn't take it anymore and sold my copy on ebay. For the last 6 or 7 discs I kept telling myself "Just one more and it's gonna rock out." Finally when I started talking over the cd, adding obscenities to liven it up a bit I knew it was time to call it quits. That was three months ago, I never found out what happened at the end and I could care less.
Stephen does do a great job of reading the story aloud and comes up with a wide variety of voices. I've enjoyed his work on other audio books like "On Writing" and "Blood & Smoke". "Lunch at the Gotham Café" is a personal favorite. But Bag of Bones is about as much fun as hearing George Takei read the Old Testament.
Buy the audiobook to "Salem's Lot" (read by Ron McLarty) instead.
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