Monday, January 06, 2014

The Shining and Dr. Sleep on audio by Stephen King


Dr Sleep # The Shining book 2 by Stephen King

What an amazing talent this author has.  I reread The Shining to refresh my memory and the first thing that popped into my head after I finished the book was that it held far less of the shock element than it did when I read it at 15, instead it held the wonder of a well crafter work of art. 
Then I started on Dr Sleep.  Not OVERLY enthusiastic since I always say…. I like and much prefer 'OLD SCHOOL SK".  To my delight the book was marvelous.  Truly even better, more layered and the plot and theme running like a double helix throughout the book.
So it did NOT scare me enough to fear to switch off my light at night.  However, it kept me listening and listening for hours at a time sometimes going back a chapter if something distracted me.  A brilliantly written thriller by a true master of the genre.  I am sure SK will entice tons of new 15 years old and make them fear to turn off their light at night.
At the end of the audio production SK himself left a note that exactly says, only far better, what I came to realize while rereading The Shining.  We grow up.  We change.  The stories that scared us might not scare us anymore.
About the narrator…Will Patton.  This man is a master of his craft much as SK is.  He gave a tenderness to some of the main protagonists that made my heart melt and ache for them.  Others was hard edged and others still was totally disinterested.  All though were unique and his pacing and dialogue was brilliant.
WaAr

Amazon link


The Shining
King's strongest point as an author is his pacing. He has an uncanny knack for pacing his books in such away that I as a reader start it slow and leisurely, not over committing and then before I can think what I am doing, I find myself losing sleep because I simply cannot put the book down.

That is exactly what happened in this book. And if you notice the name of the review, it is amazing that King manages to do this even in a re- resd!
His world building is astounding. His character forming impressive and simply scary. His plot line is astounding.

I adore old time SK and would recommend new readers to try this. Fand- why not try a re- read. You might be surprised at how powerfull a punch is packed in a reread.

WaAr
Amazon link



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