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Post by willc453 on Oct 6, 2016 12:46:40 GMT -6
Anyone ever read these 2 books? With The Stand, it'd be interesting if see someone else's take on it....you know, pandemic gets loose, millions dying everywhere and suddenly you're all alone....well, not quite. Ya got Mother Abagail on one side and the Walkin' Dude on the other. Which side (if any) does your character chose? And remember, the Walkin' Dude gives you a choice: join his side  or get crucified.  And what happens if you get hurt, like a broken leg, drink bad water, get diarrhea, etc.? If I remember right, the pandemic had a 99.99% fatality rate. Do YOU know where your local national guard bases are? 
Cell deals with people getting some sort of programing(?) via their cell phones which drives them insane for awhile, with them attacking/killing everyone they can. About a week or 2 later, they calm down and now start acting kind of/sort of normal, BUT as refugee/aid camps are set up, they offer you a cell phone to call home, family, etc.....and you can guess what happens to those who listen. 
How about the tv series The Invaders, anyone remember that one? Or the John Carpenter movie They Live which dealt with aliens controlling earths governments? Started a story based on The Invaders last year, but only got about 2 pages written. Find it helps if I put down an idea on my pc, start writing it so when I'm ready, I can go back to it....other wise, I might forget about it entirely. |
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Post by brucearmstrong65 on Oct 6, 2016 20:16:45 GMT -6
The Stand is my favorite PAW fiction of all time, with Alas, Babylon (Pat Frank), Earth Abides! (George Stewart), and Lucifer's Hammer (Pournelle & Niven) all tied for second.
There's an interesting story about The Stand, which Stephen King tells in his introduction to the complete & uncut edition. When he first submitted The Stand to his publisher, they told him that the market would bear a certain price, and how much it would cost to print the whole book, and gave him the choice to make the edits or let their staff do the cuts. As I recall, the only thing really mangled in the story was Trashcan Man's cross-country trip, particularly dealing with "The Kid."
The Stand fascinates me, because of the obvious religious overtones (good vs evil, crucifixions, etc.). Surprising since Stephen King is not known for being religious and has on occasion been rather unfriendly in the media regarding people of faith.
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Post by willc453 on Oct 8, 2016 15:35:30 GMT -6
Read/still have all 4 books....the 4th being the uncut edition of The Stand bought out of curiosity. Thought it was a waste of money because it really didn't add that much to the story. I even bought the tv series which was quite a bit of disappointment. Since we're talking about books, have any of you read Out Of The Ashes series of books by William Johnstone? The first 3-5 were pretty good I thought, then he lost me with an underground cannibal cult, Nazi's, Russians invading the U.S., etc. I'm sure many have read One Second After and possibly, One Year After which takes place after the 1st book. BUT, there's going to be a 3rd book called The Final Day...and be ready for a shocker. Govt. is ceding parts of the U.S. to China & Mexico?!What the hell happened to the U.S. Navy with its subs and carriers? Amazon is taking pre-orders and it's $21 for hardbound. Just bought the 2nd book (paperback at Barnes & Noble at NINE DOLLARS?!) which is only a couple of dollars cheaper than the hardbound via Evilbay/Amazon. What happened to $3 paperbacks? Gone the way of the dodo, 12 cents a gallon gas and 10 cent comic books? And yeah, I'm THAT old to have bought comic books and gas at those prices back in the day. About cried my eyes out when comic books went to 12 cent each. Attachments:
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Post by mnn2300 on Oct 9, 2016 7:52:42 GMT -6
I loved The Stand, I've read both versions.
"They Live" -- what can I say, Wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper did a fine job considering the low budget and premise.
The Invaders I barely remember. The original and the remake of V is much fresher in my mind.
and willc - The first gallon of gas I ever bought was 17.9 cents a gallon. Comic books, if I remember right, were 15 cents when I started buying them. I still have paperbacks with $1.99 stickers on them, mostly now with a taped spine so they stay together.
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 9, 2016 8:32:44 GMT -6
I don't remember the price but I do remember the first sci-fi paperback I bought: Ray Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles".
It's still the first sci-fi book I'd suggest to a younger reader.
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Post by willc453 on Oct 10, 2016 2:44:20 GMT -6
Got a lot more selective in buying comic books when they hit 15 cents and if wondering, I had ALL the Marvel stuff when it came out. Moved from Florida to California in early part of the 60's (post Cuban Missile crisis), with Mom saying give 'em away, they're not worth anything AND we don't have the room for them in the station wagon or in the movers van. Read a lot when I was a kid....anyone remember The Boxcar Children or Tom Swift series? A lot of Louis LaMour, Cool and Lamb written by the guy who wrote the Perry Mason books as those were books Dad/Mom read, then onto it was Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer series and Mike Shayne by another writer...oh yeah! Which is why I have TWO .45's. Just aint got a chest rig for 'em yet. And don't forget Robert Heinlen though I thought he got kind of weird at the end. Then there's Travis McGee series by John D. McDonald who also wrote a sci-fi book. And read a lot of Ray Bradbury, like The Halloween Tree and Something Wicked Comes This Way. As to Roddy Piper and that other guy, had NO idea who they were until my nephews told me. So much for me being a sports/wrestling buff. Before I forget, anyone remember the 1960's movie Day Of The Triffids? Another writer got the okay to do a sequel called Night of The Triffids which I'm reading now. PBS ran a tv series that was produced in England and it was pretty much close to the 1st book. Maybe another story for someone to write? And if you're wondering, yeah, got one going (2 pages?), but haven't touched it since last year along with a zombie one. Attachments:
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Post by papaof2 on Oct 10, 2016 13:51:50 GMT -6
Ah yes, Tom Swift. Most of the original books are available online. And the tradition continued with Victor Appleton's daughter in the newer books by "Victor Appleton, II". Here's an excerpt from Wikipedia:
Tom Swift is the main character of five series of American juvenile science fiction and adventure novels that emphasize science, invention and technology. First published in 1910, the series total more than 100 volumes. The character was created by Edward Stratemeyer, the founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, a book-packaging firm. Tom's adventures have been written by various ghostwriters, beginning with Howard Garis. Most of the books are credited to the collective pseudonym "Victor Appleton". The 33 volumes of the second series use the pseudonym Victor Appleton II for the author. For this series, and some of the later series, the main character is "Tom Swift, Jr." New titles have been published as recently as 2007. Most of the various series emphasized Tom's inventions. The books generally describe the effects of science and technology as wholly beneficial, and the role of the inventor in society as admirable and heroic.
Do you know what "Taser" stands for? Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle Seems the inventor was also a fan ;-)
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or get crucified. 
And what happens if you get hurt, like a broken leg, drink bad water, get diarrhea, etc.? If I remember right, the pandemic had a 99.99% fatality rate. Do YOU know where your local national guard bases are? 
