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maynesrine's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
dooliah's review against another edition
1.0
I hated this book. I hate this book so much I developed a theory someone murdered Stephen King in the late 1990s-early 2000s and replaced him with a doppelgänger who writes like an amateur James Patterson and can’t write supernatural horror for shit. The contrast in writing style, focus, and themes between this book and my favorite book The Shining are so blatant and dichotomous that I truly believe my theory is the only reasonable explanation for why we have such different books.
Doctor Sleep is a police drama (a growing theme amongst new King novels hence the James Patterson similarities) with zero horror elements. I wasn’t scared. There was little elaboration or new story-telling in this novel which I hated. I hate when Authors reuse old plots, settings and storylines in sequels when the previous book has already reached a decisive conclusion because it just feels like an obvious publishing cash grab. King didn’t need to bring the characters back to the hotel, he didn’t need to bring back the evil hotel spirit, and he didn’t need to do that whole spiel about Jack Torrance being a cheater (Im sure he was but to make it a plot point? The guy’s dead!). There was little new plot in this book and I felt like King wrote it to appease The Shining fans and make more money which is probably why I feel its so contrary and insincere. The movie was also worse and I genuinely couldn’t finish. 0/10
Doctor Sleep is a police drama (a growing theme amongst new King novels hence the James Patterson similarities) with zero horror elements. I wasn’t scared. There was little elaboration or new story-telling in this novel which I hated. I hate when Authors reuse old plots, settings and storylines in sequels when the previous book has already reached a decisive conclusion because it just feels like an obvious publishing cash grab. King didn’t need to bring the characters back to the hotel, he didn’t need to bring back the evil hotel spirit, and he didn’t need to do that whole spiel about Jack Torrance being a cheater (Im sure he was but to make it a plot point? The guy’s dead!). There was little new plot in this book and I felt like King wrote it to appease The Shining fans and make more money which is probably why I feel its so contrary and insincere. The movie was also worse and I genuinely couldn’t finish. 0/10
kristini_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
5.0
Loved it!! I don't usually read books after already watching the movie adaption, but I'm glad I did this time. Can't wait to read more of Stephen King's work!
kerryjackson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
2.5
senkasevegjarto's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
viscountess_black's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mbcovarrubias's review against another edition
5.0
It was a very fitting sequel to "The Shining". As King notes, in the Author's note at the end of the book, he is a different man than the one who wrote about Jack Torrance. You can certainly tell. His story is well rounded and a complete character arch for not just the Torrance family but for the Author as well. The redemption of Jack being just a nod was more than enough for me as well. I loved the grace and love that King pours into his stories.
There was one scene that will continue to disturb me. It was Danny's secret, that he shared at the end of the book, and lived through at the beginning. That scene with the toddler just... it really upset me. It will haunt me as it haunted Danny. I think it's because I am a father of a toddler myself, and any harm done to children kills my soul a bit.
The themes of becoming better than your past are beautiful. I love King's take on this as he is also a man that has overcome his past and become better than he was. The idea of purpose is one I would argue with, but that is something that I'm struggling with myself. I do love the imagery that is borrowed from Madeleine L'Engle about collecting ages that Danny references. We are always that age at some level, and will always be. There will always be that part of us that was our past, but we can overcome it and be better than we were. The trauma in Danny's past made him a better person, rather than letting it weigh him down for his entire life. It almost did.
I almost didn't read this one, but I'm very glad that I did.
I'm also a fan of the little dig that King takes at Kubrick in his Author's note about the movie version, the mini-series was a better interpretation.
There was one scene that will continue to disturb me. It was Danny's secret, that he shared at the end of the book, and lived through at the beginning. That scene with the toddler just... it really upset me. It will haunt me as it haunted Danny. I think it's because I am a father of a toddler myself, and any harm done to children kills my soul a bit.
The themes of becoming better than your past are beautiful. I love King's take on this as he is also a man that has overcome his past and become better than he was. The idea of purpose is one I would argue with, but that is something that I'm struggling with myself. I do love the imagery that is borrowed from Madeleine L'Engle about collecting ages that Danny references. We are always that age at some level, and will always be. There will always be that part of us that was our past, but we can overcome it and be better than we were. The trauma in Danny's past made him a better person, rather than letting it weigh him down for his entire life. It almost did.
I almost didn't read this one, but I'm very glad that I did.
I'm also a fan of the little dig that King takes at Kubrick in his Author's note about the movie version, the mini-series was a better interpretation.
dcunitz's review against another edition
3.0
"Get out of there, Dan." John sounded dead serious now. "Right this second. No more f***ing around. And stay on the phone with me until that big neon cowboy boot on the roof is out of your rearview mirror."