Reviews with content warning for Car accident - The Dead Zone

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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agent_of_chaos's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional mysterious medium-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

3.75

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nadia's review against another edition

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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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ripxw's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

3.75

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pourrir's review against another edition

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mysterious sad 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? No

3.5

Classic Stephen King, but this book was just a bummer.

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christinakann's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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beaucoupmich's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

That was quite a ride! Earlier this year I promised myself to read Stephen King for the first time, and I think I picked the right book to start. At first I didn't get it. I enjoyed the first few chapters but when more characters were introduced I was so confused because they didn't seem to be important for the next two hundred pages, like who was that guy? But the last 100 pages satisfied me as a reader. So excited to read more of his works!

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