King - can he write decent endings?

[[deleted user]]

For me, Stephen King is an amazing writer. Sure he's written some shockingly bad books (I'm lookin' at you Rose Madder), but mostly he's pretty solid. His stories are interesting, his characterisation tends to be excellent, and his prose can be pretty damn beautiful. However, his endings can be bad.

I say 'can be'. They are. Mostly.

I won't list every single King book I've read, but let it be known that I've read a few, and most of the time I find myself let down by the endings. I don't bitch about it because, hey, at the end of the day it's just a book, it's not real life, and I can move on to another book pretty quickly. But sometimes I think it's good to vent about these things, so I'll pick two with endings I dislike.

1. Needful Things
Now, this isn't so much the ending as the climax before the ending. The actual ending (with the repetition of the opening chapter) was really cool, but the bit just before that... Well, let's just say it ain't great. As someone said earlier, it's not so much that it's a bad ending (the book verges of the ridiculous - in a good way! - every now an again, so (view spoiler)[ a car turning into a winged chariot and flying off into the sky (hide spoiler)] isn't exactly bad), but it's 'sucky'.

In this instance, I prefer the movie's ending where (view spoiler)[ Gaunt talks to the main character in his sinister way and wanders off (hide spoiler)]. For me, the subtlety works, but I don't know if it could have worked for the book.

2. Under the Dome

I will be honest and say that I'm not the biggest fan of this book. There are some amazing scenes, and there are some excellent characters, but I just didn't love it. And the ending has a lot to do with that.

My issue with it is that throughout the book a lot of people die. I have no issue with this. In fact, I think it's a good thing. It's like in A Game of Thrones et al., where you have no idea if your favourite character is going to survive or die a terrible, terrible death (view spoiler)[(unless your favourite character is Barbie or Julia; I don't think anyone expected them to kick the bucket, but that's an issue for another discussion) (hide spoiler)].

The ending, therefore, does not fit. (view spoiler)[ Yeah, people die, including little kids, but that ending - that bloody ending! I could practically hear the uplifting music as Julia's dog barked happily and bounded towards his owner.

No one should have survived. Except, perhaps, Ollie Dinsmore. He fought for and earned survival. Overall, though, I think everyone should have died. Julia should have tried to reason with the one alien, and just as it was about to assent, the other aliens should have come in and stopped it. Then, of course, death.

If there were some way to let Ollie live, then do it. (hide spoiler)]


I don't, however, think every single one of King's endings has been bad. There are a few, but mostly they work and I like them.

I know a lot of people hate the ending to (and the last quarter of) It. For me, though, the ending works. (view spoiler)[The book isn't exactly cheerful, so why have a happy ending? They all forgot their childhood, except Mike, so it makes sense for them to forget it again. It's awful to read, especially when you hear that Bill almost remembers his friends, but there would be no way to move on in their lives without forgetting it. It has to be so, and, I think, it works. (hide spoiler)]


I suppose that's all I've got to say on the subject. Thanks for reading, if anybody did :D

P.S. Sorry for all the spoiler tags, but there will be some people out there who would yell at me if I didn't have them, so enjoy the clicking!

[Gene]

I just think with the stand it was so epic.there was never going to be a ending to be grand enouth

[C.E.]

I didn't take the "hand of God" incident literally. This was the moment that had been foretold, made possible because the Boulder men had shown up and been defiant enough to require public execution, which gathered everybody at the right time and place; plus inspired Whitney's defiance and the chain reaction that followed. I think there was adequate foreshadowing in the sense that over the course of the story there was greater and greater submission to fate, an increasing relinquishing of resistance.

[Will]

I think the problem is how Stephen King writes. He likes to put his characters into difficult situations where even he doesn't know how they are going to escape. That makes for a lot of tension and he is very good at establishing a story, but it does mean that his endings don't stand up as well as the rest of his story telling.

He doesn't seem to have done too badly, though!

[R.a.]

Despite the seemingly very "scripted" ending to The Shining, I liked it—mostly due to the necessary sacrifice.

The reason, I think, why one contributor considered the end to The Stand as horrible is simply due to the length, (and weight) of the book. Its ending, a deux et machine, simply does not "pay off."

Some of his best endings are w/ the "Bachman Books:" The Running Man, The Long Walk,, etc.

And, I particularly enjoyed The Dead Zone.

Good reading, all.

—R

[Emilee]

Agreed! Over the years I have learned to slowly "turn off" as I reach the end of his books. That way the hand of god or giant spiders aren't as jarring.

[J.]

The book ended pretty much how Mother Abigail had been predicting.

[Will]

And she does bake her own biscuits. She ought to know how a book should finish.

Yes, it's a "neat" finish. It ties up the loose ends. It brings closure and completion of the character arcs. But that's the problem - it is a little too neat. After the magnificent build-up of tension over several hundred pages, we get a deux ex machina ending that feels a little rushed and tacked on.

[J.]

It is a story of providence.

[R.a.]

Just finishing Cujo and looking over other novels I've read thus far, the answer to this question simply is "yes."

I am in agreement w/ many here about the end to The Stand. And, there are other novels and stories in which the endings don't appear to satisfy the exposition and build.

But he also has many endings which are incisive and thought-provoking.

And so . . .

[jared]

Nora aka Diva wrote: "The ending to The Stand totally pissed me off. I mean you read such a lengthy book and then..yeah, wtf? was my thought." I know all these are old but i want to vent!!!! I dont know if anyone still reading these. am for the most part somewhat new to reading , i suffered from a brain injury 5 years ago, then picked up reading again, i was never a much of a reader before. I really enjoy it know , since i am on full time disability , i because my abilitys are limited, i really enjoying reading, This was the longest book i have ever read, There was some good parts, but didn't understand the ending at all! If i recall right and may be my brain injury talking, so Flagg went to the desert , and it was primative and they bowed down to him.or was that flagg? i have read 3 stephen king books after my injury Duma Keys wich i loved!!! gunslinger, drawing of the three, talisman, and now this one. reading these reviews mack me feel better, felt like i missed something!! at the end. i appreciate, the comment on Duma Key i liked that so much I need to read bag of bones

[Michael]

The Stand's ending was not as amazing as the rest of the book. However, it is pretty amazing that even after 1100 pages, I still wasn't ready for it to end.

[Sharon]

Under the dome was the worst ending I've ever read... such a great book, plot, characters.... and that ending?!?!? tsc tsc But I still love King.

Pickle wrote: "The books ive read of his with weak endings are IT, Under the Dome and The Stand.

Under the Dome and The Stands were particularly weak after such a great and lengthy read, i thoughts IT's was just..."

[Michael]

I love The Stand and gave it 5 stars but I guess you're right about the ending. There's not even any filler in the meat of the book. The end is all that's wrong with it. It didn't seem like it was ready to be over. Now HP Lovecraft can write a good ending.

[jared]

The ending of the stand made me so angry! Such a long book, nothing came together at end

[Jason]

That depends on the story you're talking about. I enjoy some of his endings. It would be a bit boring if every author ended it with a happy ending or with everything cleanly resolved. I think many readers have this notion that a book has to have a clean ending.

In my opinion, a book (unless it's part of a series and not the final book,) doesn't have to resolve everything but there should be a sense of closure. I thought The Stand did a great job of that, despite the twist at the end (which I loved.) I enjoy many of the twists Steven King ends his stories with. The Dark Tower series was an exception to this, and I haven't read any of his newer stories since.

So basically... yes and no.

[Michael]

I think SK's short stories tend to have better endings than his novels. The Jaunt is a good example.

[jared]

It may be that I just didn’t understand the ending, nothing came together for me if that was Flagg at the end that was being worshipped , and that’s it!!!! For example Duma Key had the best ending for me, that’s a favorite me.

[jared]

Going to check out gaunt thanks!

[jared]

Jaunt I mean

[Michael]

Cool man, I think you'll like it.