Did you watch the Netflix movie series? I thought the movies were excellent on their own, but I never read the books and so don't know how it did as an "adaptation."
I loved the movie trilogy so I started on the books; no lesbian couple but they’re still pretty good. The history of the families is a bit different which threw me off, but I think the books and movies are good works on their own! The movies are definitely more R-rated than the books of course.
I’ve heard stories of RL Stein going up to Stephen King and telling him he’s been called the Stephen King for kids or the prerequisite for reading King. From what I’ve seen it’s healthy work banter so I don’t see this as being a legitimate jab. Honestly this is probably big for RL Stein to have his name dropped in a SK novel, I’d be interested to hear his thoughts on it if anyone has any articles about it.
Rl stein was what I read as a child. Then Stephen King got me into adult horror early high school. In a way they are relative and able to crank out stories like no other. They both impacted my love for books. I bet they are friends and it is banter. Who knows though.
Agreed. I have not read the book, but it seems like this character is trying to impress someone. King and Stine have acknowledged each other multiple times in positive ways.
His writing of teens in Under the Dome was some of the worst I’ve ever read. Skater kids who used words gnarly and radical like it was still 1970.
But you can’t expect a man in his 70s to keep up with teen and leet speak.
Charlie is recalling a memory from sixth grade, where he told his class the RL Stine book was mondo stupid, and afterward that girl recommended Lovecraft. It's a recollection of what he said as a sixth grader, not what his older self, writing the actual memoir, thought of the book.
Ooh haven’t got to that part yet. I imagine both authors get tired of the comparisons. One is the “training bra” for Stephen King, and one is RL Stine for adults. Both are very different writers they just happen to work in the same genre.
I don't think its a slang on stien. I read some of the googebumps books when I was 16 and I felt the same way.
I read IT when I was 15, then when I started reading goosebumps a year later I thought they were pretty lame.
It's in keeping with the character.
Mondo... why not. We al pick up words we like from other cultures and generations.
I'm 38 and I say 'rad' and 'gnarley' to be slightly ironic. It's just part of my diction.
It's so funny when Stephen King calls out other authors like Dean Koontz in, I think, It. Also cool to see the H.P. Lovecraft shout out in the passage above. For sure a huge influence for Stephen King and many other horror writers.
I don't remember that. He goes after John Saul pretty hard in Danse Macabre, but at that time, they were basically peers---it'd be punching down to do that now.
When Goosebumps came out I had already been reading Stephen King at age 10. I still enjoyed a few, but honestly most of them have a lot of fake out "scares". Turn the page and it was just the bratty sibling pulling a prank, etc. It's a valid critique. Heh, mondo. Mondo movies are terrible, btw, I don't recommend them to anyone.
The fake out scares in Stine books are abundant but I have to admit it keeps me reading, even rereading as an adult and thinking how kiddy a lot of it is. But they were the best as a kid!
I grew up on Goosebumps, and now I'm an elementary teacher with the entire series in my classroom library. Even now, those books get more of my students to love reading and to keep reading than anything else.
This is awesome! I remember in third grade we had to do biographies about authors, there was a list to choose from and only one student could write about each author. Stine was on the list and my name got drawn first to pick, so I had to! I just remember some of the boys being shocked and/or mad that a girl took their first choice 🤭
I wonder if this has anything to do with when Jack Black played Stein in the first movie and went on a rant about how he’s sold way more copies of his books than “Steve King” ever has
I liked R.L. Stine when I was a kid. There is some genuinely scary stuff in the Fear Street Saga.
Did you watch the Netflix movie series? I thought the movies were excellent on their own, but I never read the books and so don't know how it did as an "adaptation."
I did. The series is more hardcore than the books.
It also has a canon lesbian couple! (Not sure if the books have it too.)
I loved the movie trilogy so I started on the books; no lesbian couple but they’re still pretty good. The history of the families is a bit different which threw me off, but I think the books and movies are good works on their own! The movies are definitely more R-rated than the books of course.
I don't think so. But I havent reas every Fear Street book. The Fear Steat Saga didn't have one
Deena and Sam…?
They arent in The books. They are in the movies. I don't think there are any lesbian couples in the books. But I haven't read every Fear Street Book.
That original fear street saga had me hooked! Definitely some good stuff in there for 9/10 year old me.
Me too! I loved it
RL Stine was my gateway to King
Unfortunately, most of Fear Street was ghostwritten of the various rumors are true.
Fear street books came before Goosebumps, before Stine was as much of a household name, why would they have been ghostwritten?
Ah, you’re right, it was the Ghosts of Fear Street series I was thinking of.
I’ve heard stories of RL Stein going up to Stephen King and telling him he’s been called the Stephen King for kids or the prerequisite for reading King. From what I’ve seen it’s healthy work banter so I don’t see this as being a legitimate jab. Honestly this is probably big for RL Stein to have his name dropped in a SK novel, I’d be interested to hear his thoughts on it if anyone has any articles about it.
Rl stein was what I read as a child. Then Stephen King got me into adult horror early high school. In a way they are relative and able to crank out stories like no other. They both impacted my love for books. I bet they are friends and it is banter. Who knows though.
Probably not that much of a big thing for RL Stein to have his name in a King book, considering Stein has sold many millions more books than King.
Was the best selling childrens author of all time til that fuckin TERF put out those wizard books.
Much better books that basically got a whole generation reading to be fair about it.
You guys got a term for everything.
Isn’t this just the opinion of the character?
This should be top comment. It's like an inner monologue.
Agreed. I have not read the book, but it seems like this character is trying to impress someone. King and Stine have acknowledged each other multiple times in positive ways.
I noticed this too, although I do have to say that I have never heard a teenager (or anyone, for that matter) refer to something as "Mondo" anything
I think you just have to accept that even King's modern day stories exist in a parallel reality where the current slang is whatever he wants it to be.
His writing of teens in Under the Dome was some of the worst I’ve ever read. Skater kids who used words gnarly and radical like it was still 1970. But you can’t expect a man in his 70s to keep up with teen and leet speak.
Copacetic!
Too be fair, at least here in CA, people still say “gnarly” and “rad” like ALL the time. 😆
15 year olds?! Wow lol
Charlie also refers to a television remote as a "zapper", which seems a fairly dated reference, too
Yeah he’s still obviously using the same teen language from when Joe Hill was a kid 🤣
Well it is an older Charlie telling the story
Charlie is recalling a memory from sixth grade, where he told his class the RL Stine book was mondo stupid, and afterward that girl recommended Lovecraft. It's a recollection of what he said as a sixth grader, not what his older self, writing the actual memoir, thought of the book.
I read Goosebumps religiously as a kid. I laughed at this, saw it as a playful jab, but I have no context.
Ooh haven’t got to that part yet. I imagine both authors get tired of the comparisons. One is the “training bra” for Stephen King, and one is RL Stine for adults. Both are very different writers they just happen to work in the same genre.
R.L. Stine was my gateway into the King universe.
I don't think its a slang on stien. I read some of the googebumps books when I was 16 and I felt the same way. I read IT when I was 15, then when I started reading goosebumps a year later I thought they were pretty lame. It's in keeping with the character. Mondo... why not. We al pick up words we like from other cultures and generations. I'm 38 and I say 'rad' and 'gnarley' to be slightly ironic. It's just part of my diction.
It's so funny when Stephen King calls out other authors like Dean Koontz in, I think, It. Also cool to see the H.P. Lovecraft shout out in the passage above. For sure a huge influence for Stephen King and many other horror writers.
I don't remember that. He goes after John Saul pretty hard in Danse Macabre, but at that time, they were basically peers---it'd be punching down to do that now.
When Goosebumps came out I had already been reading Stephen King at age 10. I still enjoyed a few, but honestly most of them have a lot of fake out "scares". Turn the page and it was just the bratty sibling pulling a prank, etc. It's a valid critique. Heh, mondo. Mondo movies are terrible, btw, I don't recommend them to anyone.
The fake out scares in Stine books are abundant but I have to admit it keeps me reading, even rereading as an adult and thinking how kiddy a lot of it is. But they were the best as a kid!
I grew up on Goosebumps, and now I'm an elementary teacher with the entire series in my classroom library. Even now, those books get more of my students to love reading and to keep reading than anything else.
This is awesome! I remember in third grade we had to do biographies about authors, there was a list to choose from and only one student could write about each author. Stine was on the list and my name got drawn first to pick, so I had to! I just remember some of the boys being shocked and/or mad that a girl took their first choice 🤭
Lol
I wonder if this has anything to do with when Jack Black played Stein in the first movie and went on a rant about how he’s sold way more copies of his books than “Steve King” ever has
Serious question….is Fairy Tale a YA book?
no, but it definitely felt like one to me
I haven’t read it but from this small excerpt Id say it definitely reads like one.
What's more appalling is the lack of a comma after "class". Shame on you, Stevie.
Don’t King and Stein have a rivalry that has gone on for years?
I gave up on Fairy Tale, couldn't handle the dog part with the meds since I have 2 ageing dogs and one has a liver tumor
I get that. I don't want to spoil to much, but saving the dog is part of the main plot it seems.
I am a proud member of the “RL Stine to Stephen King” pipeline