Tag Archives: stephen king

Misery, by Stephen King

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With Halloween just around the corner, it would be a waste not to introduce one of the best thriller novels I’ve ever read. As many know, Stephen King is one of America’s most influential and creative authors to date when it comes to creating mystery, terror, and suspense. His book Misery is no stranger to this trend.

One of my favorite elements of Misery is its point of view. The story is told by the main character Paul Sheldon, a famous author. Since the main character and narrator of the novel is the author himself, it allows for his point of view to be very dynamic and descriptive, without foreshadowing, which increases the anticipation felt throughout the book.

I also love Paul’s point of view because it is told not only with his thoughts and dialogue but also with his dreams and visions of the novels he writes within the book.

The best part of the book by far though, which makes it eerily appropriate for the season is the antagonist of the book: Anne Wilkes. Anne is Paul’s biggest fan. She changes from being in complete aue of him to having complete control over him.

Anne, like any menace, is terrifying and conniving, but unlike many villains I’ve read about, she’s also naive. King’s writing almost makes you feel sympathetic for her at times. The flexibility of her character allows for a number of shocking plot twists you’ll never anticipate.

Overall, Misery is one of the perfect books to read in preparation for the spooky season, as it will chill you to the bone with suspense and vivid, grisly imagery.

Misery by Stephen King is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

The Institute by Stephen King

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Summer is here and what’s better than reading a nice, long story when all you have is time? Well, at least that’s what I’ve been doing. I had bought this book long ago and had read it already but I was always looking for a reason to reread it. This is my first (and only) Stephen King book I have read so far, so I really don’t have much to base it on but I really enjoyed it.

The Institute by Stephen King is a science fiction thriller novel, focusing on telepathy, telekinesis and a conspiracy come true. It consists of two main perspectives, one being Tim Jamieson, the policeman of a small town; and the second being Luke Ellis, a twelve year old child prodigy. The story begins with Tim and him finding his way to a small town in South Carolina after switching up his plans of going to New York. With his past job experience of being a police officer, he joins the small police force of DuPray and lives his life there. After beginning with Tim, King switches to Luke for most of the story in which he is abducted and taken to The Institute where kids like him are used and exploited, however, not for being a prodigy, but instead for powers of telepathy and telekinesis. As The Institute becomes more dangerous, Luke does his best to escape with his friends, gaining help from others along the way. 

I loved this book. Like I said, this was my second time reading this and coming back to it now, I see why I held it in high regard. The characters of The Institute were greatly enjoyable. From the sassiness of young kids and teens to the deadpan humor of Tim, they all had their quirks that made them feel alive. In making them feel alive, the events they go through become more impactful as it all turns more twisted throughout the story. King writes a variety of scenes ranging from happy to mysterious to sad to cruel. He fills the plot with secretive planning and action packed scenes that fill you with a different kind of thrill.

But the reason why I found this book so fun and interesting was, while the plot and characters were great; the style in which the story is written was very entertaining. King likes to jump around in this book, following different characters, and seeing their point of view at that point in the story. Now, it may sound like it would be confusing, jumping from one character to the next when you’re just trying to read a story. However, the way King has written it makes you want to know each and every point of view, some of which are unexpected but no less fun to read. He makes every switch meaningful and well-connected to each other. Every portion has a purpose to the plot of the story, pushing it along, adding new bits of information to the puzzle on the way. 

Overall, The Institute by Stephen King is one of my top books. I loved the characters and had a fun time with the plot of the book. I especially loved the uniqueness of the book and how it’s written. It was a great read just being a bit on the long side. A little thing about this book is that the language and terms of this book may not be appropriate for anyone younger than a teen and it may be better appreciated by an older audience. So I would personally recommend this to an older group of people, teens or up.

-Nicole R.

The Institute by Stephen King is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Shining by Stephen King

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In the 1977 horror novel The Shining, Jack Torrance is hired as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, and was invited to stay there with his family during the rough season. Seen as how Jack was battling against a past drinking addiction that put him and his wife in conflict, this was a perfect chance for the family to get closer. However, his five year old son, Danny Torrance, has a psychic ability called “the shining,” which allowed him to sense that the Overlook Hotel is a place of danger. Despite this, the Torrances, needing the money, continued with their plan to go there, leading to a journey of insanity, demonic possessions, and a dark, gruesome look at the Overlook’s past.

One of the best aspects of King’s writing would have to be his extremely detailed imagery. The extent to which he describes each event allows the readers to better picture the struggles and terrors each character goes through, which is an important aspect of any horror novel. The complexity in the characters, especially in Jack, also added a sense of realism to the story. King shows how Jack wasn’t “perfect,” and that his abusive past ultimately impacted the person he grew to be. Yet, he still felt shame towards his actions at the same time, causing readers to feel confusion as they develop their feelings towards him.

Overall, I found The Shining to be extremely engaging and definitely one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read. While still suspenseful and thrilling, I didn’t find the story to be extremely scary, making it more accessible to a wide audience. I do admit that some chapters felt very long and dragged on, but the build up to the end ultimately made these dull moments worth it. Despite any flaws, the characterization, imagery, and impressive writing displayed throughout the novel makes it truly deserving of the title of one of King’s best works.

-Aysha H.

The Shining by Stephen King is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Outsider by Stephen King Review

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Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery

  In the town of Flint City, Oklahoma tragedy strikes when Frankie Peterson, a young child, is found dead. The culprit- Terry Maitland: little league coach and a friendly neighbor. But the question is, did Terry Maitland really commit this brutal act, and if not, then why did several witnesses describe seeing Maitland committing the crime and why was his DNA found on the Peterson boy’s body. 

Terry Maitland constantly shows his innocence and that he did not commit this crime, with his attitude and a strong alibi, however, then how did his DNA get traced onto the victim. Despite everything, the detective Ralph Anderson, refuses to let the case die after this and tries to continue the investigation, moving the question from who to how this case happened.

The Outsider by Stephen King is a suspenseful thrilling novel full of twists and turns: ensuring the reader will want to stay in their seat and not put the book down until they finish.

Review:

I would easily give this book an 8/10, and there are many things to note: 

  1. This book was very dark at points, so to read and understand the book you probably should be a little older.
  1. This novel was very captivating, with many twists and turns, sure to keep anyone who reads it from putting the book down.
  1. This book was very good, while starting out as an investigative whodunnit, but as the story moves on, it becomes more of a supernatural thriller.
  1. One notable thing I liked was how Stephen King creatively lightens the mood of this book with creatively and concise moments of happiness and humor to prevent this book from getting too dark

I liked this book very much and I would easily recommend it to anyone who likes books that are suspenseful and scary. I would consider this an example of Stephen King’s finest work.

The Outsider by Stephen King is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

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This novel tells of Jake Epping, a recently divorced teacher at his local high school, teaching some GED classes for extra money. One of his GED students, the high school’s janitor, Harry Dunning, writes a tear-jerking essay for his final, about how his family was killed by his alcoholic father and how he was crippled for life. 

A few years later, when Jake visits his friend, Al, at Al’s Diner, Al shows Jake a time portal in the pantry of his diner; Al, seems to have aged years within a day, explains that he had used the portal to travel back in time, and had lived years in the past before he developed cancer and had to return. 

The few rules to the portal are as follows:

  • Each trip to the past is a complete reset to September 9, 1958. Whenever you enter the portal, you’re undoing whatever you did the last trip.
  • Each time coming back from the past through the portal, no matter how long you stay, you come back two minutes after you left.
  • The past can be changed, impacting the future, but the past is also obdurate; it tries it’s very hardest to stop from being changed.

After Al shows Jake the ropes, he sends Jake on the mission that he had been unable to complete last time. From what Al has observed, everything bad in the world can be traced back to John F. Kennedy’s assassination; if Jake could stop the assassination, the world would likely be a better place. And if it wasn’t, he could always go back and reset it. 

Jake agrees to the plan, but adds a few elements of his own; he would drop by the Dunning household, and stop Frank Dunning from murdering Harry’s family. Then, he would wait until 1963, watching and monitoring the world around him, and stop Kennedy’s assassination.

The title of this novel definitely was the eye-catcher on the library bookshelf for me, in addition to its impressive size. The reality of life that’s starkly shown in this novel, contrasting the preposterous situation Jake enters into, is why I enjoyed it so much. He constantly feels the danger of discovery, injecting an underlying urgency into the story, but I also felt a wrenching desire for him to settle down when he finds a wonderful woman in a content little town where he could live a happy life in the past. 

There’s a sense of heroism to the story as well; armed with the knowledge of the future, Jake strives to do his best for the greater good of the world. However, the past is “obdurate;” he runs into so many obstacles when he tries to change things, ultimately causing more harm than good. It’s an excellent example of how good intentions do not necessarily bring good results.

-Adelle W.

11/22/63 by Stephen King is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive. 

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

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The sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep tells the story of adult Danny Torrance. Traumatized by the horrific events at the Overlook Hotel, he’s developed alcoholic tendencies like his father; however, when he settles in the town of Frazier, New Hampshire, Dan stops drinking and begins working at a hospice, helping dying patients pass on peacefully with his strong psychic abilities, or “shine,” earning the nickname “Doctor Sleep.”

While he settles down, a girl named Abra Stone is born, and her shine is even more powerful than Dan’s. They sense and understand each other from when she is very young, all the way through most of her adolescence. 

They don’t see a need to actually meet until The True Knot, a group of people who feed off of shine, usually children’s, to keep themselves immortal, becomes aware of Abra’s immense power and comes for her. Dan and Abra together, along with a few friends in on the secret of the shine, work together to end The True Knot forever.

Dan’s character development was one of the first things that struck me deeply. No matter how much he swore to himself that he would never become like his father, he drinks and drinks, traumatized by the Overlook Hotel and afraid of his abilities. However, unlike his father, he realizes what he’s doing, and mends himself, using his abilities for good. 

Dan’s relationship with Abra was also an incredibly interesting element of this story. Despite never meeting before, the two psychics speak to each other like old friends when they actually meet, and Dan quickly takes on a fatherly role, helping Abra control her abilities. From the beginning, Abra is fundamentally good; though she makes mistakes and badly estimates some decisions, her actions are always for the betterment of others’ lives. 

After reading both this novel and The Shining, I would say that the sequel is more advanced and interesting than the original, although The Shining was crucial to setting the stage for Dan’s development and life. Doctor Sleep tells of the impact of psychological trauma, recovery from that, the use of power for good, and the development of family independent of blood relation. Some elements of the story are still chilling to the bone, as is Stephen King’s norm, but the novel overall develops the experience of life in addition to just the horror.

-Adelle W. 

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive. 

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

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This chilling horror novel, set in the small town of Ludlow, Maine, captured my attention from the first sentence and kept it until the very end. It tells the story of Dr. Louis Creed and his family when they move from Boston to Maine. Louis, Louis’ wife Rachel, the Creed children, Ellie and Gage, and Ellie’s cat Church, settle into this new environment with mixed feelings.

From the first day they’re there, they experience strange occurrences and frightening events; on Louis’ first week at his new job as director of campus health services at the University of Maine, a student named Victor Pascow is brought in, severely injured. He says his last words to Louis specifically, warning him about the “pet sematary” that the story revolves around. 

Louis’ awareness of the pet cemetery prompts chilling dreams of Victor Pascow and the cemetery. This, combined with Rachel’s severe anxiety about death due to the traumatizing death of her sister as well as the family’s overall discomfort with moving, makes the family dynamic strained, quick to argue. 

The Creed’s neighbor, Jud Crandall, explains, after much prodding, the pet cemetery is known throughout the town to raise pets from the dead. In fact, when Church is hit by a truck speeding on the highway near their home, Jud takes Louis to the cemetery, showing him how to bring the cat back. However, the cat comes back different than he was before; he acts differently, and even his fur is coarser to the touch. 

Months later, when Gage suffers the same fate as Church did, the pet cemetery comes up as an option for Louis to get his son back, despite the horrifying consequences that his actions would bring. Louis comes back again and again to the thought of the cemetery, and he eventually makes a decision that destroys his life forever. 

Stephen King is a master at creating an aura of unease with his storytelling. The “pet sematary’s” involvement in the story builds with every chapter, making the book impossible to put down but also frightening to the core. The depiction of real human relationships and interactions between Louis, Jud, and the other characters are interwoven beautifully with the underlying horror, making it seem like this story could happen to anyone of us, wherever we are. 

Understandably, this book might not be for everyone; it has a tendency to spark nightmares and frightening thoughts for those unaccustomed to thriller novels, and even for those who are. Due to the amount of gore and unforgiving description of the worst parts of life, this book is likely not suitable for younger readers. However, for fans of horror like me, or those readers who are just in the mood to be scared, this novel is, in my opinion, one of the best written novels in the horror genre. 

-Adelle W.

Pet Semetary by Stephen King is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.