From a Buick 8

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: James Rebhorn, Bruce Davison, Becky Ann Baker

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's Summary

The state police of Troop D in rural Pennsylvania have kept a secret in Shed B out back of the barracks ever since 1979, when Troopers Ennis Rafferty and Curtis Wilcox answered a call from a gas station just down the road and came back with an abandoned Buick Roadmaster. Curt Wilcox knew old cars, and he knew immediately that this one was...wrong, just wrong. A few hours later, when Rafferty vanished, Wilcox and his fellow troopers knew the car was worse than dangerous.

Curt's avid curiosity took the lead, and they investigated as best they could, as much as they dared. Over the years, the troop absorbed the mystery as part of the background to their work, the Buick 8 sitting out there like a still-life painting that breathes - inhaling a little bit of this world, exhaling a little bit of whatever world it came from.

In the fall of 2001, a few months after Curt Wilcox is killed in a gruesome auto accident, his 18-year-old boy, Ned, starts coming by the barracks. Sandy Dearborn, Sergeant Commanding, knows it's the boy's way of holding onto his father, and Ned is allowed to become part of the Troop D family. One day he looks in the window of Shed B and discovers the family secret. Like his father, Ned wants answers...

From a Buick 8 is an audiobook about our fascination with deadly things, about our insistence on answers when there are none, about terror and courage in the face of the unknowable.

©2002 Stephen King, All Rights Reserved (P)2002 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved

Critic Reviews

"Nearly flawless and one terrific entertainment." (Publishers Weekly)
"A wonderful example of how much King's plotting skills and literary finesse have matured over his long career. And, most of all, it's a darn creepy book." (Amazon.com)

Narration nightmare

I liked the story, but the "round robin" style of narration was very distracting. They should redo the book with only one reader.

The 1st Stephen King that I disliked

It was dull. Never felt like the story went anywhere. It was one big boring conversation.

So dry and just not that good.

I have had his book for four month and still can't listen to more and a charpter at a time. if good if you want to tale a nap.

A disappointment.

I stopped listening when something appeared from another dimension. They went into so much detail. It was boring and a little over the top. I just lost interest in this book.

Perseverance Waisted

The book started slow but I kept thinking, "perseverance", because some books start slow! This was not one of those! It never picked up speed & it had only 1 twist that had you thinking one way but it was actually another. Thumbs Down!

Ehh, it was a story...sort of

There seemed to definitely be a story here and the narration was good but it just didn't seem to go anywhere. I finished it because I thought there could be a point and there sort of was but still.

bit boring, ending is not great

the story was a bit boring from time to time. I had a hard time finishing the book. The end didn't make up for it.

Colorful writing, pointless plot

King still knows how to turn a phrase like few authors, but Buick 8 was by far one of his most boring and pointless books. I kept waiting for something meaningful to happen, and it never did. Avoid this one.

So So

If you're like me, you enjoy anything Stephen King writes. This is not as bad as some of the reviews would lead you to believe, but certainly it is not his best. I believe that in "On Writing" he mentions that he threw this in a drawer for some time before taking it out to finish. Perhaps it should have stayed in there.

King's most overlooked and underrated novel

Like Christine, this novel centers around a car, but really isn't about the car at all. It's about the people interacting in response to what the car represents. And that last point is vital. The mysterious Buick 8 is about life's irresolvable mysteries; the ones cause pain and are nonetheless irresolvable no matter how much we insist upon answers. It's about life's mysteries and life's pain, but it is also about deep friendship and loyalty, and the love and affection that goes with these treasures.

Like Christine before it, From a Buick 8 is a beautiful coming of age story, written with such poignancy that by the end of the novel you very badly don't want it to end. You want to continue to be a part of the lives of the characters with whom you too have become friends. It is that kind of book - King at his very best, and easily his most underrated and overlooked novel. It was a number one bestseller, but for some reason continues to fly under the radar when people talk about Stephen King.

The audiobook itself is also superb. Every single reader is chosen with care and is completely invested in their part. I can't recommend this audiobook enough. And if you ever have a chance to read the novel itself, it doesn't just listen well, it reads well, too.