I have been a fan of Kings books since 1975. Read about 37 of them, some 2-3 times. Great as he is, some of it isn't so great, like Gerald's Game. His book IT, was great, until the clown turned out to be a stupid spider. Very disappointing. I read the Twilight series and found them very entertainting. The characters drew you in and you find yourself caring about what happens to them. Yes her writing has some flaws, but these are her first books. Give her some time and space to become as great as King. She an excellent storyteller, I read the four books in a weeks time. I hope she continues on these characters. The storys she could tell about Alice, Jasper,Edwards past and future could be very profitable. Again I love King but give Meyers a break. King didn't become KING of the writing jungle on his first draft.

Hi, I can

I agree with Stephen. Stephen has no reason to be jealous of Stephenie. Stephen has sold over 300 + books worldwide(stephenie has sold 20 million), HE has won NUMEROUS awards (stephenie has yet to win one.) He has had a slew of succesful movies adapted from his books. (Stephenie had one that was "succesful" to some, and yet others hated it!!!!!) Stephen is an acclaimed writer who has both the skills to write AND storytelling. I don't want to waste my time reading some crappy writer who has one , or the other. I WANT BOTH!!! THAT is what makes a writer. That's why Stephen is so huge. He's the "King ( no pun intended) of HOrror" .. Stephenie is a below average writer who has yet to PROVE she has chops. J.K.Rowling, now THAT is a brilliant writer. She posseses both writing skills AND storytelling. Stephenie only WISHES she had J.K.Rowling's talent.

It isn't possible for King to write anything bad

I've enjoyed Stephen King for years. He's one of those writers I look up to said that, Do I think King is a great writer? No. Is he a terrible writer? No. He's average. The real question about King is, Do I think King is a great storyteller? Yes. That is why he's sold so many books over the years. We love the stories that he tells, not the quality of his writing. And, by the way, he is the most prolific "retired" author I've ever seen. And, he should have retired when he said he was retiring, because his most recent books have not been anywhere near his best, i.e. Cell, Lisey's Story, etc.

I find your question interesting, does a good book have to have good writing. If the question is going to be that broad, I'd have to answer no. The Twilight series is not an example of good writing, but it's a fun read and in that regard a good book. Will anyone be reading it in 50 years? No. Maybe not in 10. We will still be reading a lot of current well written books. But that makes the experience of reading Twilight different, but not worthless. There are times in life when fun, escapist reading is a gift. Meyer provided just such a gift at just such a time, that she isn't going to win the Nobel Prize for Literature shouldn't diminish what she actually accomplished.

I don't think Stephen King was unnecessarily harsh. Meyer herself has admitted she's not a very good writer. Most adults agree that The Host is significantly better than Twilight, but even so, does Twilight even hold a candle to the Harry Potter series? Certainly not in my mind, and I wasn't a rabid fan of Harry Potter, though I did enjoy it. I read Twilight only because I'm an avid reader, and as an avid reader, I think there are some books that I have an obligation to read as they become part of our culture (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Twilight, just to name a few).

STEPHEN KING IS IMMATURE TO ME Y WOULD U PUBLICALLY BASH SOMEONE LIKE THAT, BUT IDK I KNOW I LIKE THE TWILIGHT SERIES AND SHOULDNT HE BE ENCOURAGEING PEOPLE TO READ ANYWAYS. WAY TO GO STEPHEN YOU'VE OFFICIALLY HAVE CRITICS NOW THE TWIHARDS WILL HAVE SAY IN WHETHER UR BOOK HITS THE BEST SELLING OR NOT. THAT WAS SO VERY SMART. I JUST THINK HE IS GETTING OLD AND HE DOESNT LIKE THE CHANGE OR THAT PEOPLE CAN GET AWAY WITH LITERARY PROBLEMS. GET WITH THE AGE KING.

Fuck you ya stupid cocksucker. Stephanie Meyer's books are shit and her fans, like you, are all a bunch of cocksuckers. Eat shit and die you stupid motherfuckin pricks.

I am reading the last of Meyer's series and have not been able to put them down. I am 36 years old and am reading them with my 10 year old. I agree that they are not literary masterpieces, but the story is great and it really feels as if you are part of the relationships.

Has anyone read any of King's recent novels? Lisey's Story was AWFUL, HORRIBLE and boring. As a HUGE King fan, I was disgusted by the downward spiral I witnessed with this crappy novel.

I do not care what people say, I know of at least 6 kids who hated reading and began Rowling and Meyer and now love to read. How cares as long as it eventually leads to the encouragment of reading!!!

I haven't read Twilight but I think an exchange I had with my roommate may sum up how a lot of people my age may feel.

Roommate: "I finished the last Twilight book while I was on vacation. I couldn't put any of them down, but when I finished all I thought was, 'those were the worst books I've ever read."

Me: "Oh yeah? Well they're so popular I feel like I should read them, I mean I read all the Harry Potters."

Roommate: "These are not Harry Potter."

I am all about getting young people to read and to read a lot, but shouldn't we also encourage them to read works deemed valuable and important?

This isn't about "wordsmithery."

Stephen King is the most important writer of horror on the contemporary scene, not because he is the best writer in a literary sense, but because of his storytelling ability and his connection with the pulse of popular culture. He personally revived the vampire mythos and brought it back into the forefront of popular culture with Salem's Lot, did the same thing with the haunted house--although this time it was a historic hotel--in The Shining, and with the post-apocalyptic tale with The Stand. He's come a long way in his mastery of technique since the publication of Carrie, over thirty years ago. However, even with Carrie, he caught the reality of teenage angst and high school hell, like no other author of the time. King has every right to voice his opinion on a book written in a genre where he is the 'key' stakeholder.

King has reviewed books widely in the Washington Post Bookworld, and more recently hs written a regular column in Entertainment Weekly. If you read any one of those, you realize that he has "pulled his punches." King cut Robert Ludlum to pieces, and rightly so, because despite his popularity, Ludlum is impossible to read with a straight face. In this case, the movies are completely superior to the books. Stephen King has been honest and forthright even in criticizing his own work: pointing to problems with Cujo and Pet Sematary. On the literary side of things, King has become a masterful short story writer, and certainly deserved his National Book Award.

King is quoted: "The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good.”

How can you argue with that fact? Pull out any segment of the Harry Potter books and compare them with Ms. Meyer's work, or stand whole book and compare them. King is 100% correct. I would take this further and say that Meyer does not write as well as Anne Rice or Nancy A. Collins. Collins' neglected work is a thousand times better than Meyer's books. I don't think she compares well with a slew of other "contemporary urban fantasy" authors such as Laurel Hamilton or Charlaine Harris, either.

I think the answer to your question on whether a work can be "not very good" but still be great is a resounding "No!"
I have studied genre novels from Shelly to Stoker to Matheson and the books that have stood the test of time--the real classics--are very good. You do have to be good to be great.

My 16-year old sister is a fan; she's not yet convinced me to read Meyer's work, despite incessant badgering. On Meyer's site, she mentions not having a specific market in mind when she wrote the Twilight series. I suppose the editor deemed it as marketable for youth. Of course years back, Ann Rice had quite the adult following with her lascivious vampire tales.

Since sex and death are the pinnacle of human fascination, romantic immorality seems like a good bet. Would Virginia Woolf's 'To The Lighthouse,' be on the bestseller's list today? Doubtful.

Thanks for all of these terrific comments. Bob pointed me King's National Book Award Acceptance speech in 2003. Here Kingis talking about popular fiction:

"This is not criticism, it's just me pointing out a blind spot in the winnowing process and in the very act of reading the fiction of one's own culture. Honoring me is a step in a different direction, a fruitful one, I think. I'm asking you, almost begging you, not to go back to the old way of doing things. There's a great deal of good stuff out there and not all of it is being done by writers whose work is regularly reviewed in the Sunday New York Times Book Review. I believe the time comes when you must be inclusive rather than exclusive."

I have read the Twilight series twice over and the Harry Potter series several times. I completely agree with what King says. Meyer's writing is not great by any means - the story isn't that great if you really think about it. But, I love it like I love junk food. There isn't the depth to Twilight that there is with Harry Potter. I still went out and bought all the Twilight books and lent them to friends, but I'm not as attached to them as I am to Harry. I don't think King was harsh at all; with all the hoopla going on about Twilight, it's nice to hear a different view.

That comment made me laugh. We have critique groups and reviews, blogs, and this stuff is discussed everywhere. Why is Stephen King, a professional writer, not entitled to his assessment? Why is his opinion so controversial and derided, when in fact, he's been doing this for years? If anyone's opinion should be weighed, the author of a nonfiction book called On Writing might be well-listened to. Then again, the people who like Meyer's books? Well, having read them myself, I honestly don't think I'd trust the value of their opinion anyway.

I haven't read the Twilight series, but I did read The Host and essentially I agree with everything King said. The writing is not that great but there's something attractive about the stories and the pace. One of the similarities with Rowling is that you can't put their books down once you start reading. There's nothing wrong with a book being fun even if it's far from being a masterpiece. Fun and well-written is preferable, but Meyer is not completely without merit.

haven't read the Twilight books so I can't really weigh in, though it doesn't surprise me that Stephen King would talk like that. I don't think he's one to generally pull his punches, though you rarely see him in the spotlight. I suppose you have to ask what the point of a "good" book is. To impress us with the literary skill and wordsmithery of the author? To tell us an engaging story? To make connections between people and activate something profound? More like than not, it's all of the above but just how much stock you put in each ingredient may be what people are debating here.

King is of course entitled to his opinion, but I wonder why he felt the need to cut Stephenie Meyer down like that. I've read Twilight--it's no feat of literary genius, but I've read a lot worse. And if we're talking about stories about teenage girls, I liked Twilight much more than I liked Carrie.

People love poorly written books. This isn't new. Where's the controversy? Are we supposed to be offended because he called the sky blue?

I don't think what King said was controversial. He was merely drawing a distinction between the quality of writing and success. No one is offended when he states that James Patterson is a terrible but successful writer.

I have not read the books but my wife has. She basically had the same opinion of them as Stephen King's. But I know others who just love the books. I think there are many examples of books out there that aren't consider literary masterpieces but sell a ton and vice versa. As Lynn stated above, you can't please everyone. I am sure there are other critics and authors who love her books.

I follow a community of twilight fans on livejournal and when these quotes were posted yesterday there were quite a few comments, but hardly 804. This might've been because most of the people in the community agreed with Stephen King (not too many rushed to defend Meyer) - there were even some people claiming that fanfiction for the series often turned out better than Meyer's writing.

- Kathryn

It's an odd phenomenon, isn't it? It's quite possible for a book to be badly written and yet sell by the truckload.

I think it's the story that matters, but if you tell it poorly it's a sign that you don't respect your reader. I can't stand it when I'm spoon fed in a book, when I'm told instead of shown, when the author doesn't assume that I can piece disparate plot points together and insists on connecting the dots for me.

So, to that regard, me and a few friends have started the King Hype Machine - a take on Chuck Norris "facts" tailored towards horror and genre writers.

http://www.bradleyrobb.net/on/media/stephen-king-can-hear-your-fears/

Wow, I hadn't heard King's interview. But you know what? A writer can't please everyone. You get ten readers in a room discussing their critique of the book, and you'll have 20 different opinions it seems. **smile**

Now, I've read the Twilight series, like, three times. Sure, I found some plot holes and found it verbose on occassion, but I ate them up. I'm a reader who is drawn in to the character, the story...I can overlook problems with craft fairly easily if I'm in love with the characters.

But, like I said--it's different for everyone.

I think there's a difference between a great storyteller and a great writer. At the end of the day I think being a great storyteller is what matters, that's what keeps someone reading. It's the difference between Indiana Jones and a more artsy film like Out of Africa (which bored me to tears but had great performances). I think young people especially want a great storyteller at the end of the day. They want to put away their problems, however we may deem them small in our views, and they want to escape.