I also like some of the films, so I tired to read "The Stand" as it was one of his more lauded books. My mistake was buying some anniversary edition which came in two tomes and was apparently a longer uncut version the author had initially written, that was then edited down to the produce the initial release.

Couldn't finish even half of the first tome. King writes good, but loooves to write a lot. I quickly understood why the classic version of the book was cut down so much - I was screaming for all this exposition to cut to the action finally, and it just didn't come, always being teased as being behind the corner.

Also I found out that as any classic his style has been immitated so much in literature and other media, that by now I've basically consumed a ton of Stephen King-like stories and I really don't get much more from reading his books. So I just gave up on that front, while appreciating him as an author and perpetuum-idea-generator.

No, King writes well. It's very much from the heart and you can relate to the emotions he lays down effortlessly on every page. I think his strength is creating mysteries, and his weakness is over-explaining said mysteries.