The Barnes & Noble Review
At first glance, Stephen King's latest bears a familial resemblance to read full description
At first glance, Stephen King's latest bears a familial resemblance to read full description
reviews
Mar 30, 2011
Kit★
rated it: 
This was a re-read for me, the only other time I had read this book was when it was first published, back in 2002. So, needless to say, I didn't remember much aside from the basic premise of the story: the car and the things it does. So it was nice sinking into this story all over again, getting to know the characters, the "Troop D Family". Stephen King does such a good job of creating and fleshing out characters, I feel like I know them, this whole story felt like I was there at the b
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Jan 23, 2008
Robert
rated it: 
Stephen King, From a Buick 8 (Scribner's, 2002)
Most of us, at least among the Stephen King fans on the planet--and we are legion, much to the dismay of academics around the country--met the news of King's announced retirement with surprise and outrage. The man can't retire. Who could fill his shoes? Etc. And how could he say he's lost a step after, within the space of three years, publishing Hearts in Atlantis, containing 'Blind Willie,' one of his finest stories ever; The Girl Who Lov More...
Most of us, at least among the Stephen King fans on the planet--and we are legion, much to the dismay of academics around the country--met the news of King's announced retirement with surprise and outrage. The man can't retire. Who could fill his shoes? Etc. And how could he say he's lost a step after, within the space of three years, publishing Hearts in Atlantis, containing 'Blind Willie,' one of his finest stories ever; The Girl Who Lov More...
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Oct 06, 2007
Beth
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You don't have a be Stephen King fan to enjoy this book. The plot was intriguing, the characters were likeable, and the story involves a true mystery. This is the kind of story that only Stephen King could pull off successfully. Make no mistake - this is not "Christine" revisited. This is a whole-new, remarkable story about a not-of-the-world Buick... but, not really a Buick. The story revolves as much around the complex lives of its characters as it does the mysterious Buick... that's
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Jan 15, 2009
trishtrash
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I often wonder if 'Buick' counts as metafiction: a story told within a story which is, in a way, about stories, and our obsession with endings and with finding out. Principally, though, it's a rollicking good horror yarn in which the creepy is layed on with a trowel until you just want it to stop... well, maybe after one more page.
The premise of an alternative dimension has never been handled so diffidently. It's there, in the boot of a car, under a tarp, in a garage on the local s More...
The premise of an alternative dimension has never been handled so diffidently. It's there, in the boot of a car, under a tarp, in a garage on the local s More...
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Jan 11, 2009
Jaemi
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This is a book my boyfriend had read a few years ago. He really liked it, and once when my supply of library books was getting thin, he leant it to me. But my library bookshelf had a way of continuing to refill itself. Only after the months spent on Harry Potter was it really empty. So I figured I'd give this one a try.
Aside from The Eyes of the Dragon, I've never really had much use for Stephen King, mainly because trying to snack while reading Kujo went rather badly and I didn't wa More...
Aside from The Eyes of the Dragon, I've never really had much use for Stephen King, mainly because trying to snack while reading Kujo went rather badly and I didn't wa More...
Jan 08, 2012
Paul
rated it:
by Stephen King, published in 2002.
The master of horror many would call him, but I like to think of him as a grand storyteller who just happens to dabble in the macabre.
Stephen King may be the best known horror author of all time, but I had my reservations about his work for many years and stopped reading him altogether after a failed attempt at “Pet Cemetery”which I thought was plain horrible - until I read his much more recent “From a Buick 8".
It is a tale of More...
The master of horror many would call him, but I like to think of him as a grand storyteller who just happens to dabble in the macabre.
Stephen King may be the best known horror author of all time, but I had my reservations about his work for many years and stopped reading him altogether after a failed attempt at “Pet Cemetery”which I thought was plain horrible - until I read his much more recent “From a Buick 8".
It is a tale of More...
Jan 03, 2012
Don
rated it: 
Purple,Pink,Green,Blue,Yellow! This is supposedly what the "lightquakes" in this book looked like. Let me just start off by saying Stephen King is one of my favorite authors. From a Buick 8 is a story about a Buick Roadmaster that no one can explain anything about, it almost seems other worldly.
As I previously stated, King is usually an amazing author however, this book really fell short of my expectations. In the begining I found it confusing to keep the characters s More...
As I previously stated, King is usually an amazing author however, this book really fell short of my expectations. In the begining I found it confusing to keep the characters s More...
Sep 29, 2011
Joe
rated it:
This is one very weird book and I say that with all due affection as a King reader. Unlike many King books the thing I liked very much about this book is like Cell the reader is left to fill in some of the blanks, there is no happy ending there is just more questions and I do believe King's overall point is thats exactly how life ends up sometimes. In short the troopers at Troop D in rural Statler, Pennsylvania are confronted with an abandoned Buick that they haul to Shed B. From the very first
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Jan 28, 2011
Alex
rated it:
Stephen King will publish two books this year: one is already out, and the other will be released tomorrow. In January or February the publishing schedule was switched around for some reason, so Everything’s Eventual – a collection of short stories – was released in March, while From a Buick 8 will be released on Tuesday. Why this is, I know not, but I can certainly say Mr. King did not save the best for last in his publishing schedule of 2002. From a Buick 8 is simply not that good.
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Jul 22, 2010
Jerry
rated it:
One-idea book tires -- way too long for small plot...
Like a burlesque sketch that is funny for a minute or two but gets boring when nothing new happens for another half hour, King gives us an interesting premise that goes almost nowhere for the rest of the book. An old Buick is left at a gas station by a mysterious person who disappears, as does one of the investigating State Police of Troop D in Western PA; thereafter, the car is stored at the barracks and occasionally puts on l More...
Like a burlesque sketch that is funny for a minute or two but gets boring when nothing new happens for another half hour, King gives us an interesting premise that goes almost nowhere for the rest of the book. An old Buick is left at a gas station by a mysterious person who disappears, as does one of the investigating State Police of Troop D in Western PA; thereafter, the car is stored at the barracks and occasionally puts on l More...
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May 05, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
Wonderful.
Stephen King's grasp of dialogue is amazing. This is one of the rare books with multiple perspectives that really works. I HATE multiple perspectives. I feel like they muddle the plot line and you can never really get comfortable in the book. In this book, I feel like I'm sitting on that porch in Pennsylvania, or inside the barracks of Troop D, listening as wide-eyed as Ned. I can literally hear the cadence of their words, feel their anxiety and reluctance. I could swear th More...
Stephen King's grasp of dialogue is amazing. This is one of the rare books with multiple perspectives that really works. I HATE multiple perspectives. I feel like they muddle the plot line and you can never really get comfortable in the book. In this book, I feel like I'm sitting on that porch in Pennsylvania, or inside the barracks of Troop D, listening as wide-eyed as Ned. I can literally hear the cadence of their words, feel their anxiety and reluctance. I could swear th More...
Apr 15, 2010
TJ
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 02, 2010
Tabitha
rated it:
Vintage King.
I had never heard of this book when I found it on a used bookstore's shelf. I had to have it, simply because I am dearly devoted to the old man.
I started to read this book, started to feel the old Stephen King icy fingers stroking the nape of your neck fear...he never really got the tingling going enough to rival 'It' or even 'Insomnia', but the Walking Man made a pass by the window to peep in, indeed.
The ending SUCKED. I hate endings like that. It was jsut More...
I had never heard of this book when I found it on a used bookstore's shelf. I had to have it, simply because I am dearly devoted to the old man.
I started to read this book, started to feel the old Stephen King icy fingers stroking the nape of your neck fear...he never really got the tingling going enough to rival 'It' or even 'Insomnia', but the Walking Man made a pass by the window to peep in, indeed.
The ending SUCKED. I hate endings like that. It was jsut More...
Oct 15, 2009
Jim
rated it:
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Aug 15, 2010
Jason
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Jan 30, 2011
Ciaran
rated it:
This novel wrote by the famous author Stephen king is a very suspenseful, eye catching novel for young adults and up it has strong scenes and mature langrage inappropriate for some readers. The story begins in western Pennsylvania in 1979,Who new that a banged up car left in a shed for years could become such a twisted turned around story which is interesting and entertaining, the part that persuaded me to read this book was the opening paragraph, King didn’t start of boring he started up with a
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Dec 05, 2011
Nan
rated it:
A car pulls into a gas station in Pennsylvania. The driver gets out, shouts that the oil's fine over his shoulder, walks around the corner of the building and vanishes. What is left for the Pennsylvania State Police to deal with is the car. A very strange car. This is not a Buick that ever came off a human assembly line.
Spoilers Below
Oh, yes, the Buick 8. It "ate" all right. (I'm surprised King didn't make that pun. Maybe it was just too easy.) It popped things from More...
Spoilers Below
Oh, yes, the Buick 8. It "ate" all right. (I'm surprised King didn't make that pun. Maybe it was just too easy.) It popped things from More...
Oct 17, 2009
Marvin
rated it:
I put off reading this novel because of my dislike for King's Christine which along with Cujo and The Cell ranks as my least favorite King novels. The good thing is that the author's Buick 8 is nothing like Christine. From a Buick 8 is a more introverted work in the style of The Green Mile or Hearts in Atlantis. The supernatural or, more accurately, the science fiction aspects of From a Buick 8 are not as important as the relational links between the characters.
Having said that I was More...
Having said that I was More...
Oct 06, 2010
Linda
rated it:
This is an interesting college of memories from a group of state troopers who were involved in the discovery and subsequent handling of a supernatural Buick 8. Ned Wilcox, a 17-year-old student begins working at the police station, presumably to discover more about the circumstances surrounding the untimely death of his father, who was also a state trooper, when he stumbles upon a neglected Buick 8 stored in an out-of-the-way shed. Sergeant Sandy Dearborn narrates most of the tale and describes
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Dec 30, 2008
John
rated it:
I never thought this looked all that interesting on the bookstore shelf, but I ended up borrowing it from a friend and it sucked me right in. He has such a storytelling ability, right from the start I was involved, even while the plot didn't really have a hook like so many of his books do. I mean, it's pretty easy to get involved when the worldwide plague starts on page three of the Stand, or the kid sees the clown a couple pages into IT, but here the story builds slowly, and really, not much ha
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Jul 08, 2009
Matt
rated it:
Like most Stephen King novels, "From a Buick 8" is somewhat odd. Like some Stephen King novels, "From a Buick 8" is very forgettable. With those disclaimers in mind, I must admit that I do not remember much about the book. I recall an old Buick rusting in the spare garage of a highway patrol station. I recall the same Buick occasionally sparking bolts of electricity every which way. I recall the state troopers of the station being spooked by aforementioned electricity. I reca
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Aug 21, 2011
Kristi
rated it:
So. Good. I love King’s bottomless creativity, that well from which he draws the most unusual and intriguing story concepts. As always, he speaks with plain language and with his usual flair for dry wit and humor. From a Buick 8 was typical King, except for two things: First, the book was completely clean, which means that I can let my sons read it. I like that. It had a couple of gory parts, but what SK book doesn’t? Secondly, the ending was perfect. I haven’t found story endings to be King’s s
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Feb 11, 2012
Sean
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 16, 2009
Lindsay
rated it:
Anti-climactic.
I read this a while ago, and I remember being really excited because it had just been published and was brand-new, and then I read it and was vastly disappointed.
There's basically an evil car with a portal to another evil universe in its trunk or something. Not very good, kind of anti-climactic.
I read this a while ago, and I remember being really excited because it had just been published and was brand-new, and then I read it and was vastly disappointed.
There's basically an evil car with a portal to another evil universe in its trunk or something. Not very good, kind of anti-climactic.
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Sep 19, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
Ich habe mich sehr gefreut, als meine Eltern mir dieses Buch zum Geburtstag geschenkt haben, denn ich stand schon mehrmals davor und dachte mir, dass mich das auch mal interessieren würde. Und jetzt, nachdem ich es gelesen habe, weiß ich nicht so recht, was ich davon halten soll.
Es geht um einen Buick, der eines Tages an einer Tankstelle in Pennsylvania auftaucht und dessen Fahrer spurlos verschwindet. Also beschlagnahmt die Troop D der State Police den Wagen und stellt ihn im Schupp More...
Es geht um einen Buick, der eines Tages an einer Tankstelle in Pennsylvania auftaucht und dessen Fahrer spurlos verschwindet. Also beschlagnahmt die Troop D der State Police den Wagen und stellt ihn im Schupp More...
May 24, 2010
Viridian5
rated it:
I found myself disappointed by Stephen King's From a Buick 8. When King is really On, his stories hook into you and pull you along. From a Buick 8 completely lacks immediacy. The reader is too aware that 95% of the book takes place in the past and that you already have a good idea who survives. The very structure of the book distances you from the characters. It doesn't help that I didn't find Curt or Ned Wilcox at all sympathetic. The plot has a few jolting moments. Just a few. There's not much
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Apr 14, 2011
Patrick
rated it:
'From A Buick 8' probably isn't the best place to start with Stephen King: when reading a book in an unfavoured genre, usually only the best will do, and 'Buick 8' isn't the best.
Pennsylvania's state troopers find themselves in possession of a mysterious object that looks like an old Buick but in fact is a portal to another world. Over 20 years a few things go one way and a few the other. That's it, pretty much. No explanation, very little conflict and no resolution.
It' More...
Pennsylvania's state troopers find themselves in possession of a mysterious object that looks like an old Buick but in fact is a portal to another world. Over 20 years a few things go one way and a few the other. That's it, pretty much. No explanation, very little conflict and no resolution.
It' More...
Jan 05, 2012
Rosťa
rated it:
Pokud chcete oddělit zrno od plev, nechte spisovatele vyprávět něco banálního. Třeba příběh o tom jak v policejní stodole stojí jeden starý a tajemný buick. Prostě tam tak stojí, po majiteli ani stopy, a stárne.
Vyprávět to někdo jiný, bylo by to nudný a krátký vyprávění. No tak stojí a co? Jenže když vypráví King, tají se dech. Napíná vás, halí staré auto do záhadného hávu, nutí vás vědět víc. Tohle je mistr vypravěč, který z banálního okamžiku všedního života udělá bezmála thriller. More...
Vyprávět to někdo jiný, bylo by to nudný a krátký vyprávění. No tak stojí a co? Jenže když vypráví King, tají se dech. Napíná vás, halí staré auto do záhadného hávu, nutí vás vědět víc. Tohle je mistr vypravěč, který z banálního okamžiku všedního života udělá bezmála thriller. More...
Nov 29, 2010
ηicolε
rated it:
I feel bad giving King such a low rating, but I truly wanted to be honest. Again, the writing style in this book is incredible. All his books are.
The only thing I can really complain about is that I couldn't get into the story at all. The characters didn't appeal to me that much. Ned was pretty original, but everyone else in Troop D was a little dry. It seemed like the first hundred pages summed up the plot, and then it pretty much dragged. The plot was too specific, and focussed on More...
The only thing I can really complain about is that I couldn't get into the story at all. The characters didn't appeal to me that much. Ned was pretty original, but everyone else in Troop D was a little dry. It seemed like the first hundred pages summed up the plot, and then it pretty much dragged. The plot was too specific, and focussed on More...
Dec 28, 2008
Gregory
rated it:
From what I'v heard, not a lot of people particularly like this book. Personally, I thought it was quite interesting. It has a bizarre, Lovecraftian tone to it, which seems all the more strange because of its central mode of expression, the titular Buick. But what I particularly liked about the book was rather it's study on what fascinates us about the strange, the unusual, and the macabre. The book thus works much less as a conventional horror and more as a study of the human character. If
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