Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Dead Zone by Stephen King

9 reviews

jenniferbbookdragon's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Reading this 45 years after publication,  I can say it made my heart pound. Stephen King somehow managed to anticipate our political future,  and create a compelling story of the nightmare of knowing too much. His hero is cursed with an ability to read people and their pasts and futures. Others don't believe him, and he is driven to act.
I appreciated the complexity of John and the important people in his life. King takes the reader in quickly and doesn't let go. I read this in 2 days because I couldn't put it down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Grief, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Gun violence, Murder, and Terminal illness

an early scene establishing the villian involves the killing of a dog

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

As is pretty standard for King, this delves deep into the human side of the horror with incredible levels of detail that would be mundane if handled by anyone else. In fact, it almost does in this case. Then, for about the last third of the book I couldn't put it down and was completely swept up in the story.

Johnny's journey is pretty heartbreaking, and there's a sense of inevitability to it all that only worsens as the book goes on. His moral burden and the way he's treated by those around him are enough to leave him no real choice in his actions, and there's such a sadness in it. He's one of King's inherently good characters, an easy man to get behind. But as usual that makes the emotion hit so much harder.

I love how this ties into the real political situation in the US in the '70s, although I suspect a lot of the nuance and relevance has been lost over time. More thriller than horror, I'm not sure it'll stick with me the way a lot of King's other books have done. But for me, Stephen King on a bad day is still a pretty darn good read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Violence, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Death

seeker42's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Murder, Violence, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Medical trauma, Child abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicide, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual content, Medical content, Car accident, and Blood

Minor: Self harm, Alcohol, Cancer, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Grief, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Cursing

rosereadsalot's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, and Animal death

travisppe's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Classic King romp

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Medical trauma, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Murder, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Grief, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Confinement, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Suicide, Medical content, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, War, and Blood

Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Drug use, Cursing, and Alcohol

kell_xavi's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

4.0

Stephen King writes a story of belief and desperation, class, politics, and disability. I liked Johnny Smith, and I liked King’s elaboration on how fear can manifest in religious obsession, in trust of the strangest authority when the working class is neglected and unheard for too long. I liked the setting in the 1970’s and quiet northeastern states, both far away places to me, made familiar by these pages. The first third is often slow, creaking along and introducing a number of scattered points that disappear and come back later (I forgot who kicked the dog, what happened to the waitress, what state we were in, a few times—made more difficult by the audiobook, where I couldn’t flip back easily). But once Sarah visits and then Johnny gets a call from Castle Rock, the story has more life. 

Johnny goes from a smart, likeable small town teacher to a haunted, sick man in the ten years this story covers; King articulates the internal pain and shame of his disability, coupled with the curiosity and hope and anger of those who encounter it, very well. I was on his side the whole way through, because he remains intelligent, considerate, the whole way through, even as he loses his ability to be part of the same reality as those around him. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident and Terminal illness

Moderate: Ableism, Child death, Medical trauma, Murder, Rape, Violence, and Suicide

Minor: Miscarriage, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, War, and Misogyny

nadia's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I really enjoyed this! I didn't know what the book was about at all before going into it and I'm really glad I didn't read the blurb. I love the way King tells a story, weaving in different perspectives and mediums. I always feel so immersed! It's also a book that raises moral and philosophical questions and I'm always appreciative of when a book can do that while maintaining a compelling plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Car accident, Murder, Rape, and Violence

molsreads's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Murder, and Medical content

sheryl_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is my favourite King novel and rereading it didn’t change my mind! 

The Dead Zone follows John Smith who wakes from a coma with psychic abilities. Usually, he just finds lost things, or predicts something happening in the near future, but when he touches Greg Stillson, he sees a much bleaker future for the world.

This is very much a story of extraordinary events happening to ordinary people. John isn’t special, other than his ability. The supporting characters are also very well realised.  Stillson doesn’t ever fall into a parody - tho I’m sure when the book came out in 1979, people never thought that someone who acted like an idiot and riled crowds up could get elected to anything... 

There’s a lot of similarities between The Dead Zone and another of my favourite King’s - 11.23.63. Both pose the question: what would you do if you have the chance to change history? 

There’s also a few references to the King universe (whether intentional or not!). It’s set in the Maine area, just like a lot of King novels, there’s a lot of 19 references and one blue chambray work shirt! We also have manically religious mother’s (two!) and a reference to the movie Carrie.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Violence