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Royal_Principle7851 t1_j9ox160 wrote

I feel the same, though more so with his newer books. I couldn’t get behind Fairy Tale, for example, because the character was so close to my own age. No one born in 1996 did or said those types of things- it was just extremely disconnected from the time and reality in which it was set. I do feel his earlier books are better, but the way kids speak and bond is still unnatural.

He’s a good writer, and I see why he is popular. Personally his books are quite hit and miss for me, and although he is a great writer not all of his writing is great. He does handle youth dialogue in an unrealistic way. Valid criticism.

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North_South_Side t1_j9pi8hx wrote

I couldn't even finish Fairy Tale. King's kids have gotten to be pure tropes these days. I think King tries to give characters and especially kids, some very specific tics and slang to make them "unique" in a place and time. And then he just over-does it to the point of caricature. Almost like he's making them "overly unique."

His "good" kids are so overly earnest and respectful that they just become very phony.

I'v had this problem with King since the 1980s. I vastly prefer his short stories versus his novels since the mid '80s. There's less of this caricature building.

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