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Reviews

Posted: April 14, 2009, 23:01

Tomorrow The Dark Tower: Sorcerer, American Nightmare issue #2 and Dark Tower: Guide to Giliad are released. Here are my reviews of the first two.

Dark Tower: Sorcerer
American Nightmare

Preview of Sorcerer

Posted: April 14, 2009, 00:13

Here is a preview of The Dark Tower: Sorcerer.

Thanks to Sonia Rodríguez Riveiro

Preview of American Nightmares

Posted: April 14, 2009, 00:11

Here is a preview of issue #2 of American Nightmares.

Thanks to Sonia Rodríguez Riveiro

Third Talisman boook in a year one or two?

Posted: April 8, 2009, 12:40

Bev Vincent reported this in regards of the Writer's Digest: An Epic Conversation on Writing:

Lanny F. McKay tells me that one of the King's most interesting quotes was about how he has occasionally enjoyed the collaborative process, "enough so that Peter and I will probably write the third and last Talisman boook in one or two years."

King on tour...

Posted: April 7, 2009, 13:52

This was posted on King’s official board:

Steve will be doing a tour but at this point, I'm only aware of a US tour. We haven't started working out the details yet.

The tour is to promote Under the Dome when it’s released in November but as you see there are no more details yet. So, please don’t bother the moderator by asking about it yet, I’m sure that when there are something new it will be posted on the site.

American Nightmares cover

Posted: April 7, 2009, 00:36

Here are the three coves for issue #2 of American Nightmare:

More IT

Posted: April 6, 2009, 10:16

Dread Central recently heard from Dave Kajganich, the writer of the upcoming theatrical remake of Stephen King’s IT, and he was kind enough to provide an update on how this massive story is being streamlined into one film.

“The remake will be set in the mid-1980s and in the present almost equally — mirroring the twenty-odd-year gap King uses in the book — and with a great deal of care and attention paid to the back stories of all the characters,” says Kajganich. “I think the real twist here is that my pitch to WB — which they’ve assured me they’re on board for — is that this will not be PG-13. This will be R. Which means we can really honor the book and engage with the traumas (both the paranormal ones and those they deal with at home and school) that these characters endure.”

“I plan to be very protective of the book,” Kajganich continues. “The reality, though, is that WB wants to do this as a single film, so I will have to kill a few darlings to make that happen. You have my promise, though, that I will do this with the utmost humility and respect for King’s work. He’s the King, after all, and I intend to continue to pledge to him my allegiance.”

Thanks to Larry Fire

King completes epic novel after 25 years

Posted: April 6, 2009, 10:15

Here is an article form The Guardian about hwo King completes epic novel after 25 years. In it he mentiones a little about Under the Dome:

Characters in the cast of more than 100 include Dale Barbara, a Gulf veteran and now a cook, the town's newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital and three children. They're up against an evil politician, Big Jim Rennie – who's desperate to hold onto power and will stop at nothing, even murder – and his son, who in classic King style, "is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry". Meanwhile, time under the Dome is running out.

Thanks to Larry Fire

Column online...

Posted: March 30, 2009, 12:45

The column Page In Bad Company is now online and you can read it here.

Thanks to Sonia Rodríguez Riveiro

New column

Posted: March 27, 2009, 23:59

Not yet online: Page In Bad Company, a column about King's top ten fictional book baddies (villains).

Thanks to Bev Vincent

The Shawshank Redemption on stage

Posted: March 27, 2009, 23:58

The stage version of The Shawshank Redemption is coming along.

The stars of the world premiere of 'The Shawshank Redemption' at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin have been announced.

Reg Cathey, best known for his role as Norman Wilson in 'The Wire', will play Red, while Kevin Anderson, whose film credits include 'Sleeping with the Enemy' and 'Charlotte's Web', will play Andy Dufresne.

Adapted by Owen O'Neill and Dave Johns from Stephen King's novella 'Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption', the production will be directed by Peter Sheridan.

'The Shawshank Redemption' will open at the Gaiety Theatre on Tuesday, 19 May with low price previews from Thursday, 14 May.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

The Art of Darkness: Artists Inspired by Stephen King

Posted: March 23, 2009, 13:16

Now you can pre-order the book The Art of Darkness: Artists Inspired by Stephen King. You can also check out some previews here.

Thanks to Ari and Larry Fire

Plot Synopsis for Under the Dome

Posted: March 20, 2009, 20:57

Here is a first look at the plot of Under the Dome:

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mills, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener’s hand is severed as “the dome” comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when—or if—it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens—town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician’s assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing—even murder—to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn’t just short. It’s running out.

Preview of issue #2

Posted: March 20, 2009, 00:07

Here is an interview with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and some sketch previews of issue #2 of American Nightmare.

Thanks to Sonia Rodríguez Riveiro

My review of Ur

Posted: March 18, 2009, 10:32

Here is finally my review of Ur.

King and art

Posted: March 16, 2009, 13:54

Centipede Press is about to releasing a really cool book about the art in King’s world. The book will have 400+ pages in the size 11 x 15 inches (plus around 20 pages of double page foldouts) in full colors.

It will also have interviews with most living artists, introduction by Frank Darabont, movie posters, movie-tie in editions, film stills and more.

Now, Jerad of Centipede Press wanted to make sure he didn’t miss anything and because of that he asked me to ask you if there is anything special you want him to include in the book. And he also sent along some spreads from the book to give you an idea about what it’s all about.

So, if there is anything specific that you think needs to be in an art book based on King’s work, send a mail to Jerad and let him know.

The Stand Week is over...

Posted: March 16, 2009, 09:12

OK, The Stand Week here at Lilja’s Library is over. It seems to have been a huge success and before we get on with the winners of the contest and the correct answers. Here is all the interesting stuff that happened during the week:

Interview with Chris Eliopoulos
Interview with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Interview with Laura Martin
Interview with Mike Perkins
My review of issue #1 of American Nightmares

And the correct answers are...

Read the complete text

IT's back on...

Posted: March 13, 2009, 13:07

It now seems that the remake of IT that has been mentioned from time to time is on again. This time it's Warner that will turn it into a feature film.

Could be interesting if done right...

Read more:
Ain't it Cool
Hollywood reporter.

Thanks to Anders Jakobson and Ari

Under the Dome updates

Posted: March 11, 2009, 22:08

Scribner now list Under the Dome to be 1120 pages long.

It's also confirmed that the release date is set to November 10, 2009. You can pre-order your copy here.

Talisman in color

Posted: March 11, 2009, 21:49

Here is a promo (in color) for The Talisman. King's offical site says it'll be released in September 2009. Read more here.

New interview with Robin

Posted: March 11, 2009, 00:17

Here is a new interview with Robin Furth about Treachery and The Dark Tower: Sorcerer. There are also previews from The Dark Tower: Sorcerer.

Thanks to Sonia Rodríguez Riveiro

The Stand Week on Lilja's Library

Posted: March 9, 2009, 00:00

It’s theme week here at Lilja’s Library. This time we focus on The Stand and the release of the hardback edition of Captain Trips and the first issue of American Nightmare. To celebrate this I have put together a week for you that I hope you will enjoy. Here is what you’ll get:

Monday:
Interview with Chris Eliopoulos
The contest starts and the first winner is drawn

Tuesday:
Interview with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
The second winner is drawn

Wednesday:
My review of issue #1 of American Nightmares
The third winner is drawn

Thursday:
Interview with Laura Martin
The forth winner is drawn

Friday:
Interview with Mike Perkins
The fifth and last winner is drawn

Lilja’s Library is also working with Tales Of Wonder to give you the best price possible on The Stand comic even if you don’t live in the US. They are offering to sell the hardback of The Stand: Captain Trips (the regular cover) for $28 (retail price is $25) and that includes postage outside the US which is otherwise much higher than $3. US customer get 30% off plus shipping. Shipping is $1.99 plus $0.79 per book (free shipping above $99).

And as if that isn’t enough they are also offering to throw in a random selected variant cover (from one of the five issues of Captain Trips) to those customers who buys the hardback for as long as their supplies last. How about that? Just go here to order. And while there, check out their signed copies of The Stand: Captain Trips hardback as well.

Comments, questions or thoughts about the week? Don’t hesitate to let me know.

Interview with King

Posted: March 6, 2009, 20:51

Here is an interview with King that USA Weekend has done with him to remember us that April marks the 35th anniversary of his first published novel.

Thanks to Larry Fire

The Pop of King: I Love 'Breaking Bad'!

Posted: March 6, 2009, 13:01

King has a new column I Love 'Breaking Bad'! out and you can read it here.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Ur on iPhone

Posted: March 4, 2009, 23:47

Now people with an iPhone can read Stephen King’s Ur as well. Read more here.

Thanks to Larry Fire

Ur a success:

Posted: March 4, 2009, 14:07

Ur seems to be a success:

It's not the sensation of his first effort, but Stephen King's latest e-adventure is another best-seller.

King's agent, Ralph Vicinanza, said Tuesday that downloads of King's novella "UR," available only as an e-book and released to coincide with the launch of Amazon's upgraded Kindle reader, have reached "five figures" after barely three weeks on the market.

In 2000, in the early years of digital texts, King's novella "Riding the Bullet" was downloaded hundreds of thousands of times, overwhelming Amazon.com and other online sites.

Amazon.com has declined to offer any specific numbers for sales of the Kindle or for individual books, although publishers have said that popular titles sell in the thousands or better.

Vicinanza said in a telephone interview that Amazon would not be providing specific numbers until 60 days after the Feb. 12 release, but added: "We've been told that they're in the five figures already.

"We're excited. They're happy, we're happy and from the initial information that we're getting it seems to be a success."

As of Tuesday afternoon, "UR" was No. 18 on Amazon's list of Kindle best-sellers.

Vicinanza had approached King with the idea of writing a story for release as an e-book as a way to "create some excitement" in electronic publishing at a time when the book industry is going through tough times.

The New York-based agent recommended the strategy even though the Kindle and competing devices account for no more than 1 percent of overall book sales. "UR" eventually will be made available in print, he said.

The Kindle 2, a slimmed-down model with upgraded components and storage capacity, went on sale Feb. 9 for $359. The gadget downloads books, newspaper stories and blog posts over a wireless network.

"UR," available as a download for $2.99, is about a college English instructor whose pink Kindle allows him to access new books by famous dead authors as well as newspapers that tell of a future event that he is compelled to try to forestall.

While some readers have likened the book to an infomercial for Amazon's pricey device, Vicinanza says any King fan recognizes how often cars and other products appear in his books.

"There isn't enough money out there for Stephen King to do product placement, for sure," he said.

King began writing the story Jan. 18, the agent had it edited and sent to Amazon on Feb. 4, and the edited proofs were in the hands of King and his agent — sent, in fact, to their Kindles — two days later.

King sees the Kindle as a delivery system that matters less than the story it delivers. In his blog on the Entertainment Weekly Web site http://www.ew.com. the author opined a year ago that Kindles will not replace books, which have a permanence that accentuates the importance of the ideas and stories they contain.

But they can, he wrote, enrich a reader's life.

"For a while I was very aware that I was looking at a screen and bopping a button instead of turning pages. Then the story simply swallowed me, as the good ones always do," King wrote. "It became about the message instead of the medium, and that's the way it's supposed to be."

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

More Bag of Bones

Posted: March 3, 2009, 13:04

More news about Bag of Bones:

Two men behind a movie based on Stephen King's 1998 novel "Bag of Bones" will be in Portland today to discuss the possibility of filming in Maine.

"Bag of Bones" director Mick Garris and producer Mark Sennet are scheduled to talk about their plans at a press conference at 4:30 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn on Commercial Street.

They are also scheduled to meet sometime today with Gov. John Baldacci and other state officials to explore financial incentives for the film.

Sennet, whose credits include a TV adaptation of King's 1996 novel "Desperation," said his production company would like very much to shoot in Maine, but won't be able to without greater incentives than those offered to filmmakers under the Maine Attraction Film Incentive program.

Sennet said his company would need a tax credit that would provide a savings of about 25 cents on every dollar spent. He said many other states have such programs.

"Bag of Bones" has a $20 million budget, and Sennet expects to spend $10 million wherever the film is made.

"We'd love to do it here. We're basically here to see if (state officials) want to do this," Sennet said. "If not, there are plenty of places we could go."

Sennet said Massachusetts has the kind of tax-credit program he is interested in. His company, Sennet Entertainment, has explored filming in the Bay State, as well as in Michigan, Louisiana and Georgia.

Set at a lake in western Maine, "Bag of Bones" is about a novelist dealing with his wife's death, a custody battle and a haunted house.

The fact that King is a lifelong Mainer will have little to do with whether the film gets shot here, Sennet said.

"We'd love to do the film, but we need to do it for a certain price," he said.

A call to King's Bangor office was not returned Monday.

Several of King's works have been filmed in Maine in the past 20 years, including: "Pet Sematary" (1989); "Graveyard Shift" (1990); "The Langoliers" (1995); "Thinner" (1996); and "Storm of the Century" (1999), a TV miniseries.

Sennet said he would like to shoot the film this summer. The movie has not been cast.

Sennet and Garris worked together on "Desperation" (2006), and Garris directed the TV miniseries version of King's "The Shining" (1997), as well as the miniseries of King's "The Stand" (1994).

The meeting with state officials today is expected to include Maine film industry advocates Cameron Bonsey and Barney Martin.

Bonsey, who was a local casting director for the HBO film "Empire Falls," shot in Maine in 2003, and Martin, a locally based actor, have long advocated for more state incentives to attract film and video projects to the state.

It was Martin who convinced Sennet and Garris to come to Maine to meet with state officials, Sennet said.

Bonsey said "Bag of Bones" is an example of the kind of film Maine could attract if more incentives were offered.

"We wanted to bring in a project that's real, instead of just talking about incentives in a general way," Bonsey said.

The state's current film incentive program includes a wage-tax rebate, an income-tax rebate for investors, no state sales tax on most production items, and reimbursement for lodging taxes for long-term stays.

Baldacci's deputy chief of staff, David Farmer, confirmed that the filmmakers had requested to meet with the governor, but he said Baldacci does not know what sort of incentives they are seeking.

Thanks to Bev Vincent.

Bag of Bones this summer

Posted: March 2, 2009, 22:55

Looks like Bag of Bones might start filming this summer

Film version of horror novel may be shot in Maine
March 2, 2009
PORTLAND, Maine—The film version of Stephen King's novel "Bag of Bones" may be shot in the author's home state.

Director Mick Garris and producer Mark Sennet are planning to meet Tuesday with Gov. John Baldacci and other officials about the possibility of expanding financial incentives available from the state.

Maine film industry advocates say "Bag of Bones" will be a $20 million production, and half of the budget would be spent in Maine. Filming could begin as early as this summer.

The novel is set in a lakeside summer home in a remote part of Maine where an author suffering from writer's block dredges up dark secrets following his wife's death.

News...

Posted: February 25, 2009, 16:23

Here are some info from King's official message board about a chapter for Hearts in Atlantis and also a hit that King is hard at work at new projects.

Question:
I read the intro of "Low men in yellow coats" present in "Stephen King goes to the Movies" and it mentions one chapter King didn't write yet for Hearts in Atlantis. It's called "The house on Benefit Street" and it's the story of what happened to Carol (Bobby childhood's girlfriend).

Any news about this? Does King plan to write it?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answer (Moderator):
Steve got the idea to do this 2 or 3 years ago, I think. He had asked me to get the audio versions of Hearts in Atlantis to listen to while he drove to Florida to get him back in the groove and then planned to begin writing it when he arrived. I don't know what happened between November and January, but he started writing another project instead. I'd asked him recently if he still planned to write it but he wasn't sure if he would as he has other projects (it's killing me that I can't say anything yet ) he's working on that are taking priority.

Thanks to Ari

From a Buick 8 news

Posted: February 25, 2009, 16:22

Here is a small update about the movie version of From a Buick 8:

While co-writer Johnathon Schaech’s FROM A BUICK 8 Stephen King adaptation still looks for financing, he and co-writer Richard Chizmar are continuing to tweak the script for the Tobe Hooper film. “We’ve done 15 rewrites,” Schaech said of the project, ”and Stephen King loves it. He says it’s a great screenplay, which is sort of THE GREEN MILE meets STAND BY ME meets FRIDAY THE 13TH.”

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Throttle now on audio

Posted: February 25, 2009, 16:12

King and Hill's collaboration Throttle is now out on audio. It's on a CD called Road Rage together with Richard Matheson's Duel that isnpired King and Hill. You can listen to it here and order your copy here.

Talisman prequel

Posted: February 24, 2009, 19:40

Before The Talisman comic starts there will be an issue 0. This will be an episode that does not appear in the book itself, but serves as a prequel to the whole story.

More info to come…

Treachery #6 review

Posted: February 24, 2009, 14:13

Tomorrow the last issue of Treachery is released but here is my review of it if you want to check it out.

Tony talks Talisman

Posted: February 23, 2009, 00:47

Here is an interview with Tony Shasteen, illustrator for the upcoming The Talisman comic.

Treachery 6 preview

Posted: February 23, 2009, 00:41

Here is a preview of the sixth issue of Treachery.

Thanks to Sonia Rodriguez Riveiro

Sketch cover

Posted: February 21, 2009, 00:19

Here is the sketch cover for issue #6 of Treachery.

Preview of American Nightmare

Posted: February 20, 2009, 11:21

Here is a preview of the first issue of American Nightmare.

You can also read more about the issue here.

Thanks to Georgia

No Lee for The Fall of Gilead

Posted: February 20, 2009, 00:21

For the 4th arc of The Dark Tower, The Fall of Gilead, Jae Lee's artistic partner in the series from the beginning, Richard Isanove, is doing the art by himself. No reason for this has been given by Marvel at this time.

New covers for The Stand

Posted: February 19, 2009, 22:55

Here are three new covers for The Stand: American Nightmare.

From left to right: Sketch variant of issue #1, a second variant cover for issue #1 and the regular cover for issue #3.

If you want to see more covers for The Stand: American Nightmare you can do so here.

Try downloading...

Posted: February 18, 2009, 23:45

Nightmares & Dreamscapes is now available for download (six months before the physical CD) and if you have never tried downloadable audio before, here is your chance.

Special Offer to Liljas Library readers
Now you can try out Audible with this special free trial offer. If you ever wanted to download a Stephen King audio book now is your chance. Audible content, audio books, audio programs and more can be downloaded to your Apple iPod, iPhone and hundreds of other MP3 devices. Download an audio book free today with this special Lilja Library offer from Audible.com.
Free Trial Link

Nightmares & Dreamscapes vol. 1
Nightmares & Dreamscapes vol. 2
Nightmares & Dreamscapes vol. 3

Latest column online

Posted: February 18, 2009, 23:15

Now you can read King's latest column Torture and '24' online.

Robin talks Talisman

Posted: February 18, 2009, 00:44

Here is an eight part interview with Robin Furth about The Talisman. It's done by Shawn Speakman at the New York Comic Con earlier this year.

The Fall of Gilead

Posted: February 18, 2009, 00:43

Here is the cover of the first issue of the 4th story arc in The Dark Tower series. This arc is called The Fall of Gilead.

A horrified Steven Deschain learns that the deadly seeing sphere called Maerlyn’s Grapefruit has been stolen from his chambers! Far worse, when he enters his wife’s rooms to arrest her for the theft, his son Roland is standing over her body with a gun in his hand. The youngest gunslinger has perhaps committed the most hideous crime of all!

Thanks to Sonia Rodríguez Riveiro

Variant cover for Treachery #6

Posted: February 15, 2009, 22:13

Here is the variant cover of issue #6 of Treachery.

Thanks to Sonia Rodríguez Riveiro

New column

Posted: February 15, 2009, 22:11

A new column is out but doesn’t seams to have found it's way online yet. It's called Torture and '24' and is in issue #1035 2/20/09.

Thanks to Bev Vincent

Robin Furth signing

Posted: February 14, 2009, 20:08

The Signed Page has added an online signing with Robin Furth.

She will be signing the regular collected hardcover editions of The Gunslinger Born, The Long Road Home, and Treachery. As you might remember, Dark Tower comic book colorist Richard Isanove held an online signing for Dark Tower fans at The Signed Page, signing all seven issues of The Gunslinger Born. Robin wanted a similar way to bridge the gap between her and the fans and she thought this would be a fun way to do it.

Robin will only sign 100 copies of each hardcover arc, making this a rare opportunity for Stephen King and Dark Tower collectors.

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