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
