The Cell by Stephen King

 Synopsis

On October 1, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is almost bouncing up Boylston Street in Boston. He's just landed a comic book deal that might finally enable him to support his family by making art instead of teaching it. He's already picked up a small (but expensive!) gift for his long-suffering wife, and he knows just what he will get for his boy Johnny. Why not a little treat for himself? Clay is feeling good about the future.

That changes in a hurry. The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone. Everyone's cell phone. Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization's darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature...and then begins to evolve.

There is really no escaping this nightmare. But for Clay, an arrow points home to Maine, and as he and his fellow refugees make their harrowing journey north they begin to see crude signs confirming their direction. A promise, perhaps. Or a threat...

The Cell took me awhile to get into. The story was interesting. The characters were likable. But there was just something about it that didn't grip me from the beginning. 

I did enjoy the story, so I chugged along - just very slowly. 

Once I got about halfway through, a switch flipped and I couldn't put it down and it became a much better reading experience. The thought of the device in our pockets that we are all hooked on turning against us is truly terrifying. 

At the end, I'm not sure if all of my questions were answered or if I was left with more than I started with, but the book was an enjoyable experience. So, if you're into sci-fi and enjoy Stephen King's writing, I think you'll enjoy this one. 

3/5 stars

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‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Synopsis:

'Salem's Lot is a small New England town with white clapboard houses, tree-lined streets, and solid church steeples. That summer in 'Salem's Lot was a summer of home-coming and return; spring burned out and the land lying dry, crackling underfoot. Late that summer, Ben Mears returned to 'Salem's Lot hoping to cast out his own devils... and found instead a new unspeakable horror.

A stranger had also come to the Lot, a stranger with a secret as old as evil, a secret that would wreak irreparable harm on those he touched and in turn on those they loved.

All would be changed forever—Susan, whose love for Ben could not protect her; Father Callahan, the bad priest who put his eroded faith to one last test; and Mark, a young boy who sees his fantasy world become reality and ironically proves the best equipped to handle the relentless nightmare of 'Salem's Lot.

It took me three tries, but I have finally finished ‘Salem’s Lot. There’s something about King’s writing where you have to be in a very specific mood to read his stuff. I’m not sure how to explain it, but I think anyone who reads his books will understand. 

In typical King fashion, there was jumping around from character to character, but it allowed for a depth to the character development and everyone got their own arcs. It took awhile for things to get going, but once they started it was full speed ahead. It went so quickly that I feel like some things may have been left out (somehow, with Mr. Descriptive). I can’t put my finger on exactly what that would be. 

With some of the deaths, it felt sort of like “oh, they’re dead now. Okay.” They just came out of nowhere with not much build up. It was interesting. 

Much like with IT, it took a turn that I wasn’t expecting. I don’t really know what I expected from ‘Salem’s Lot, but I didn’t expect it to be a book about Vampires. That was a bit of a shock to the system, as I don’t typically go for vampire novels. But the time we get to that reveal, it’s a bit too late to turn back. 

Overall – I enjoyed it. I don’t know if it liked it due to the quality of the book or just because it’s a King classic. Either way, if you’re in the mood for some Stephen King, I’d say it’s a good read with some likeable characters. 

3/5 Stars

Memorable Quote: “The town cares for the devil’s work no more than it cares for God’s or man’s. It knew darkness. And darkness was enough.”

“At three in the morning the blood runs slow and thick, and slumber is heavy. The soul either sleeps in blessed ignorance of such an hour or gazes about itself in utter despair.”

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Elevation by Stephen King

Synopsis:

Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis.

In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face–including his own—he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.

I’m . . . not really sure what I just read if I’m being honest. I don’t really know what the point of this book was. It seems like it was supposed to be a social commentary. I guess, in a way, it was.

I appreciate King accept LGBTQ folks, so that’s a plus. But I don’t really understand what Scott’s place in the story was. Unless it was the typical “man saves the women” trope. We also get absolutely zero answers about his condition. He just. . . floats off into space after uniting the gays and the religious people?

I don’t . . . get it? It also wasn’t written with any real sense of intelligence. I know Stephen King is a very good writer and his books can have some great depth. So I’m left sitting here confused about this one. It kinda felt like one of James Patterson’s bookshots.

I don’t know. It was okay. I don’t think I would recommend it. The cover art is beautiful though!

2/5 Stars

Joyland by Stephen King

Synopsis:

College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life—and what comes after—that would change his world forever.

Stephen King novels are very hit or miss with me. I would love to say that I really enjoy them all and I can get into them right away, but that isn’t the case. When they hit – they hit hard, though. That is exactly what Joyland did. It hooked me from the very first page, and it didn’t let go.

I'm not sure what was so gripping about this novel. It had to be a combination of the amusement park mystique as well as the inner monologue of Devin. He is a very relatable character, and that fact made it easier to read through the book. I would read a sequel written from his point of view as well. He has a lot of insightful thoughts and an interesting personality.

Every character in this novel was really complex, and they all added to the intrigue of the story.

I was expecting it to be a little more in the horror genre, but I would call it more of a suspense novel. Nothing about it was really scary, but the mystery of it all kept me guessing and kept me holding on until the last page.

Also – I loved Annie and Mike, and the end of this book made me very, very sad.

5/5 Stars. Highly, highly recommend this one. This book touched me in ways I never would have expected. 

Memorable Quotes: “That first broken heart is always the most painful, the slowest to mend, and leaves the most visible scar.”

“Love leaves scars.”

“You think ‘Okay, I get it, I’m prepared for the worst,’ but you hold out on that small hope, see, and that’s what fucks you up. That’s what kills you.”

“The powers that be have a way of outlawing many beautiful things made by ordinary people. I don’t know why that should be, I only know it is.”

“The last good time always comes, and when you see the darkness creeping towards you, you hold on to what was bright and good. You hold on for dear life.”

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Revival by Stephen King

Synopsis:

In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs -- including Jamie's mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss. In his mid-thirties -- addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate -- Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.

This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It's a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.

My first and only experience reading a King book before this one was IT. I did enjoy it, but it dragged on and seemed to have too many pointless side stories. I was a little worried that it would happen again with my next King book.

I was wrong.

This book was electrical. Pun may or may not be intended. Moving on from the puns, it was fast paced, interesting, and entertaining.

The two main characters were extremely well developed. Part of this is because the book spans over five decades. There is a lot to learn about Jamie and Charles. In saying that, there isn’t so much to learn that it is overwhelming.

This book deals with drug abuse, death, and religion. It has a lot of rough and sad moments, but there are many more action packed moments to go along with it.

It was interesting to see how Jamie and Charles changed as they grew older. A man who could have been seen as a mentor to Jamie becomes his worst nightmare.

I loved this book and found it really hard to put down.

5/5 Stars

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