Stephen King vs. Stephenie Meyer

[Dave Rosenthal]

You may have heard about this already, but in an interview with USA Weekend, Stephen King had some harsh criticism for Stephenie Meyer. In his words, "[J.K.] Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good."
King says Meyer's secret is "writing to a whole generation of girls and opening up kind of a safe joining of love and sex in those books. It’s exciting and it’s thrilling and it's not particularly threatening because they’re not overtly sexual."
I confess that I haven't read a King horror novel in years. And I have never read the Twilight series (though I know my 13-year-old niece loves those books). So I'm turning to you, fellow bloggers, for some perspective.
Many of you are big readers of this genre. Where do King and Meyer rank in your view?

[Prongs]

While I do agree that it is in bad form for King to go about slandering another professional from his field in such a public forum, we can't expect all authors, or all people for that matter, to keep their opinions to themselves. As a reader of all 3 authors I can safely say that none are with out fault, including King himself. Stephenaie Meyer might not be winning the Pulitzer prize for her portrayal of immortal love in a young adult geared genre, and I am not sure she was ever going around trying to pretend that she would be. She is simply a writer who told a story from her heart, that happened to catch the attention of millions (particularly teenage girls). The point of literature is to broaden the mind and stir up a new emotion; to make you feel that in some way your words have had a significant impact on another. I can safely say that all 3 authors fall into that category. As far as ranking, this is only Meyer's first forte into the literary limelight so it will be interesting to see how much of a grasp she can hold on it in the future. Even though King has had his share of literary accomplishments, finishing potentially excellent books with 'a giant mutant spider' posing as a clown, still shows room for improvement.

[Ruthie @ Ruthie's Book Reviews]

Personally, I think that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I love Stephen King, but not some of his most recent novels. But to me, Stephenie Meyer has a fresh writing style and I thought her books were fabulous, including Breaking Dawn (and I heard a lot of negative stuff about that one !). But I like them both. And right now I'd have to say that I put Stephenie Meyer above Stephen King.

:D

[Dave Rosenthal]

I may be the last person on Earth who hasn't read any of the Twilight books. But after seeing more than 130 comments on Read Street about her work -- loving and hating it -- my curiosity is piqued. So I'm ready for a Meyer vampire tale, and I'll keep an open mind. Though I've read Dracula and some Anne Rice, I don't have any pre-conceived notions about the merits of sparkling vampires.

But I'm wondering, do I have to start at Twilight? Or can I jump in Breaking Dawn, so I'll be up to date on the story line?

[Prongs]

You haveee to start at Twilight. It is definitely not a sequel that can be jumped between. Since you are not a teenage girl I can make no guarantees, but hopefully you can find something small in it that interests you. The main draw to the book is the love that is described between the two main characters. It is almost all character development, with very little plot (the whole series in general included in this statement, not just Twilight). Very simple read though, I read all 4 in two days.

[Horrible Sanity]

I haven't read too many King books, nor have I read any recently...however... I have read the Twilight series about 4 times each. With that being said, let me clarify that I am a huge Twilight fan....I am 29....a mother....and hold a MA in English. So I shall say this with loving feelings towards both Stephenie's writing....and King's writing styles. I agree with King. Her writing is not in any way touchable by King's or Rowling's. Her books are in fact juvenial in style and theme. Her plots, characters, and ideas could be way more developed than they are. However, since I am not a teenager reading these books but rather an educated adult, I would have to assume that teenagers themselves are not up to par with their writing abilites....hence why they almost dont even realize that Meyer's writing isn't fantastic. Thinking back to when I was a teen....my writing needed lots of work....and it wasn't easy to spot an author that needed to take a writing class.

King talks highly of Jodi Picoult's writing ability in that same interview....but look where she was educated....Princeton and Harvard. So if her writing ability WASN'T superior.....then we'd have some problems.

To come to Meyer's defense..she has stated numerous times that she never wrote the Twilight saga to get published. She simply wrote it because it was such a strong pull for her to get it out on paper. Am I glad she did get published? Certainly. I am a fan of the love that Edward and Bella share.....its intense....its powerful....its forever....and it's old fashioned. Thats why it's so magnetic.....everyone wishes to find the same.

If nothing else.....Meyer created a world in which readers can get lost in the "forever"....and she should be acknowledged for her place in the genre.

[Prongs]

Oh my godddd these pictures. I can't even deal haha.

[Horrible Sanity]

my twilight pics u mean?

[Andi]

He's just jealous because like Rowling she reached a vast audience unlike him! Horror is just one genre. What Rowling and Meyer did was really create a completely different genre. I wouldn't even know how to classify them. They both have fantasy, paranormal, romance, mystery; whereas King is stuck smack dab in HORROR. Like I said he's just jealous that these two WOMEN have managed to reach a huge audience with their books. At least that's my opinion.

[Amy]

All I have to say is I have never read a Stephen King book in my life, and I don't plan to. Not because of what he said, just because I am not interested in horror novels. Personally, I do think Rowling is a better writer, but Meyer is just starting out. I think there will be growth as she writes more. I enjoy both Harry Potter and Twilight, and I don't care a lick if one is better written than the other. What matters to me is enjoyment. I love both series, and any author who can get so many people to read, especially non-readers, is a success.

[Prongs]

To be clear, Stephen King has written more than just horror. Actually... I find it to be his best writing by far. The Shawshank Redemption, and The Body are quite possibly the two best short stories that I have ever read. If you were to not read anything else, those would definitely be worth it.

[Anna Balasi]

I've heard about this, yes. :D

I think the last King story I read was Biting the Bullet, which came out in 2001. I appreciate a couple of King's works: Carrie and Misery. The others are alright, but I always wondered why he never explained the origins of his creatures. I enjoyed The Green Mile as a movie, so if I had read the book, I probably would've enjoyed it, too, though I recognize that John Coffee is, yet again, another unexplained phenomenon.

I think I've been enthralled by both writers in the same way, at different times. As a general rule, I pick women writers over male writers, just because I've found that the writing of women speak more to me. I enjoy male writers' books--some of them exceedingly so, but women writers (and this is going to sound corny) touch my heart, the way male writers never have. David Sedaris, who is a male writer I LOVE DEARLY, touched my funnybone--not my heart.

My point is, I couldn't rank King and Meyers by fair comparison, I think, but I'd pick up a Meyer book sooner than I would a King one--especially these days, when I don't seem to think much of King's work as much as I used to.

(Begging pardon to all King fans--I mean no disrespect to you or King.)

[Rikki]

Dave, I just read your new blog post about the comments on your blog. Not only Meyer haters have to lighten up, but this also goes for the ones who now hate King. I don't even want to know what sort of letters he got in the last days.

Meyer fans seem to come in second as far as passion for their writing idol goes, being beaten only by the fans of JR Ward. And passion is probably an understatement here.