Review – Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

“He put an arm around Danny’s shoulders and the boy reeled the fish in, little by little. Wendy sat down on Danny’s other side and the three of them sat on the end of the dock in the afternoon sun.”

The end of the Shining ends relatively well, Danny and Wendy have escaped the evil grasps of Jack Torrance and the Overlook hotel, and even Dick Halloran manages to survive a brutal attack by Jack’s Roque mallet as he escapes with Danny and Wendy on a snowmobile, as the overlook hotel explodes behind them taking Jack and the evil ghost spirits with it, and I’m sure many, like me, thought that the final two lines of the book (above) would be the last that we would hear of Danny Torrance and his prodigious talent, but 36 years and 81 pieces of work later Stephen King finally published the belated sequel to one of the most popular horror novels ever.

Now know as Dan Torrance and not Danny as in the Shining, the book begins with Jack’s son, now much older, battling another hangover as we soon find that Dan has inherited one of his fathers problems, alcoholism. It is in another one of these alcohol fulled moments that Dan finds that his Shining ability has started to play with his mind again, and he once again begins to see the malevolent spirits and happenings as he did at the Overlook hotel as a child. It is when he comes across the haunting and famous word “Redrum” written in blood across the bathroom mirror that he decides to do something about his drinking problem, in the hope that he can restrain some of the evil scenes plaguing his mind. It is up to this point in the novel that is reminiscent of the much missed creepiness of King’s early work, but as the story continues and Dan moves to a new town and begins attending AA meetings in the hope of sorting his life out, the novel looses the eeriness synonyms with King, but it certainly does not get less engaging.

Dan Torrance manages to resist the temptations of alcohol and finds a job at a local hospice caring for elderly people, where he uses his powers to help them in their final hours, assisting them into the afterlife where he get’s his nickname, Doctor Sleep. He soon finds that his powers are needed elsewhere, after making contact with a young girl called Abra he comes to discover that there are children all over America that posses the same Shining powers that he does, and that they could be in danger from a vampire like group called the True Knot who feed off the ‘steam’ that children who posses shining powers release when they are killed. What follows are a number of exciting chases and events that lead to Dan finding himself at the site of the old overlook hotel. Now a campsite, the site of the burnt down overlook is now the home of the vampire like group and Dan along with his small assembled group of friends find themselves attacking the group to stop the murder of the children who they feed off, that ends in a very different way to it’s preceding novel but not without an appearance by Jack Torrance who now haunts the old overlook site.

When I first heard about Doctor Sleep around a year ago, I couldn’t wait for it to be released, I had always wondered since I first read The Shining years ago what had happened to Danny Torrance, so the announcement of this book came with great excitement for me. The Shining is one of my all time favorite books, and although I was excited for it’s release, I was also slightly apprehensive that it might a bit rubbish and not do it’s predecessor justice, but those thoughts were just stupid, it’s Stephen King, the author that could make the world’s worst story gripping and thrilling, and Doctor Sleep was certainly gripping and thrilling. The beginning which is a throwback to King’s old horror stories combined with his usual exhilaration and intensity makes a great sequel to the 1977 classic and, without doubt in my opinion is the best novel published in 2013.

Rating 4.8 /5

AJ

Top 5 Books – Halloween

Over the coming months I am going to be posting many posts in the “Top 5” category, which is essentially my 5 favorite books that apply to certain times of the year such as this first one or simply my top 5 books from specific genres or authors and so on. All of the books that I feature in my top 5 posts will be books from my own personal collection and obviously will be one’s that I have read.

With less than a week to go until Halloween and with my favorite book genre being horror the theme of the first “top 5” post was obvious, so below are my top 5 horror books that I own, and even though most of list is somewhat predictable, I recommend you pick up these and give them a read this Halloween.

5. Pet Sematary by Stephen King

How could you have a post about Halloween without featuring the king of horror, in fact, quite unimaginatively on my behalf for a post of just 5 books he appears twice in this top 5, but that really is because I love his work so much, and Pet Sematary is definitely one of the best.

“The road in front of Dr. Louis Creed’s rural Maine home frequently claims the lives of neighborhood pets. Louis has recently moved from Chicago to Ludlow with his wife Rachel, their children and pet cat. Near their house, local children have created a cemetery for the dogs and cats killed by the steady stream of transports on the busy highway. Deeper in the woods lies another graveyard, an ancient Indian burial ground whose sinister properties Louis discovers when the family cat is killed.”

 

 

4.The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

The sequel to Red Dragon, it is the second book in the Hannibal Lecter series, and just like the movie proves to be thrilling throughout. Having been published in 1988 the book is now well over 20 years old and still remains to be one of the greatest psychological thrillers out there. If you haven’t read the book yet then The Silence of the Lambs and the other novels in the Hannibal series should be at the top of your “must read” list this Halloween.

Clarice Starling, a precociously self-disciplined FBI trainee, is dispatched by her boss, Section Chief Jack Crawford, the FBI’s most successful tracker of serial killers, to see whether she can learn anything useful from Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Lecter’s a gifted psychopath whose nickname is “The Cannibal” because he likes to eat parts of his victims. Isolated by his crimes from all physical contact with the human race, he plays an enigmatic game of “Clue” with Starling, providing her with snippets of data that, if she is smart enough, will lead her to the criminal. Undaunted, she goes where the data takes her. As the tension mounts and the bureaucracy thwarts Starling at every turn, Crawford tells her, “Keep the information and freeze the feelings.” Insulted, betrayed, and humiliated, Starling struggles to focus. If she can understand Lecter’s final, ambiguous scrawl, she can find the killer. But can she figure it out in time?

3. Horns by Joe Hill

Soon to be adapted into a movie, Horns by Joe Hill, the son of horror legend Stephen King, is a must read this Halloween. The second and in my opinion the best book that Joe Hill has published is one of the most gripping horror novels that has been written in the last 10 years, as well as being one of the darkest and and most compelling horror books ever written.

Ignatius Perrish spent the night drunk and doing terrible things. He woke up the next morning with one hell of a hangover, a raging headache . . . and a pair of horns growing from his temples.

Once, Ig lived the life of the blessed: born into privilege, the second son of a renowned American musician, and the younger brother of a rising late-night TV star, Ig had security and wealth and a place in his community. Ig had it all, and more – he had the love of Merrin Williams, a love founded on shared daydreams, mutual daring, and unlikely midsummer magic.

Then beautiful, vivacious Merrin was gone – raped and murdered, under inexplicable circumstances – with Ig the only suspect. He was never tried for the crime, but in the court of public opinion, Ig was and always would be guilty.

Now Ig is possessed with a terrible new power – with just a touch he can see peoples’ darkest desires – to go with his terrible new look, and he means to use it to find the man who killed Merrin and destroyed his life. Being good and praying for the best got him nowhere. It’s time for a little revenge; it’s time the devil had his due.

2. The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Published in 1971 The Exorcist soon became a literary phenomenon and was later adapted into the highly successful film of the same name. Not only is this in book collecting terms my favorite book (it took me ages to find a first edition) but it also the scariest book that I have ever read, so if you are looking for a book that will scare you so much, that you won’t be able to sleep without the light on, then this is the book for you.

The terror begins unobtrusively. Noises in the attic. In the child’s room, an odd smell, the displacement of furniture, an icy chill. At first, easy explanations are offered. Then frightening changes begin to appear in eleven-year-old Regan. Medical tests fail to shed any light on her symptoms, but it is as if a different personality has invaded her body.

 Father Damien Karras, a Jesuit priest, is called in. Is it possible that a demonic presence has possessed the child? Exorcism seems to be the only answer…

1. The Shining by Stephen King

I know it’s quite unimaginative on my behalf, Stephen King appearing twice in a post of 5 books, but is it really possible to have too much of the greatest horror writer ever? I don’t think so anyway. One of the first books published by King and surely one of the greatest and most prolific horror novels ever.  It may not be as scary as The Exorcist, or as thrilling as The Silence of the Lambs, but it is without doubt one of the most imaginative and engaging novels ever written that will leave you gripped and wanting to know what happens next after each chapter.

Jack Torrance, his wife Wendy, and their young son Danny move into the Overlook Hotel, where Jack has been hired as the winter caretaker. Cut off from civilization for months, Jack hopes to battle alcoholism and uncontrolled rage while writing a play. Evil forces residing in the Overlook – which has a long and violent history – covet young Danny for his precognitive powers and exploit Jack’s weaknesses to try to claim the boy.

 

Thanks for reading my first Top 5 books post, I know that it is quite predictable, but these really are my top 5 books that I would recommend that you read this Halloween, and I’m sure if you do, you will immensely enjoy each one, if not then you mustn’t be human. I will be soon reviewing each of these books indiviulaly as well as posting more of my Top 5’s so make sure you follow and check back soon. Thanks for looking and Happy Halloween. AJ