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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Torture, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Pregnancy
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
I really wanted to love Insomnia. Truly.
The beginning had me intrigued: an aging, insomniac character who starts to perceive the world differently… I was here for it. And I have to admit, King dares to tackle heavy and burning topics : aging, abortion, radicalization, loneliness, grief, with rare sharpness, especially for a novel written in 1994.
But then things quickly spiraled.
The story shifts into a form of cosmic science fiction that completely lost me. Between the colorful auras, the bald doctors, and dimensional prophecies… I had the unpleasant feeling I was reading some kind of esoteric-galactic version of Stargate. And that’s really not my thing.
The core story is solid, though. The parallel with the Fates, the battle between unseen forces of good and chaos, the moral dilemma surrounding abortion… there was so much potential. But the “cosmic” treatment of these themes (interdimensional plots and quasi-mythological figures) left me totally unmoved.
If you enjoy symbolic narratives sprinkled with mystical sci-fi, you might find something to love here.
But for me, Insomnia only confirmed one thing: King-style sci-fi… really isn’t for me.
The beginning had me intrigued: an aging, insomniac character who starts to perceive the world differently… I was here for it. And I have to admit, King dares to tackle heavy and burning topics : aging, abortion, radicalization, loneliness, grief, with rare sharpness, especially for a novel written in 1994.
But then things quickly spiraled.
The story shifts into a form of cosmic science fiction that completely lost me. Between the colorful auras, the bald doctors, and dimensional prophecies… I had the unpleasant feeling I was reading some kind of esoteric-galactic version of Stargate. And that’s really not my thing.
The core story is solid, though. The parallel with the Fates, the battle between unseen forces of good and chaos, the moral dilemma surrounding abortion… there was so much potential. But the “cosmic” treatment of these themes (interdimensional plots and quasi-mythological figures) left me totally unmoved.
If you enjoy symbolic narratives sprinkled with mystical sci-fi, you might find something to love here.
But for me, Insomnia only confirmed one thing: King-style sci-fi… really isn’t for me.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I had to call it quits about 1/4 of the way through it. I hate when this happens, I don't like quitting a book by my favourite author, but I grew too bored of this rather quickly.
The plot dragged on way too slowly, and I would read a few pages and then forget what I had read as I progressed. The writing style was very monotonous and dry. This book is basically a day to day account of a man's struggle with insomnia. Yep, as boring as it sounds.
I've read other reviews here, and I don't seem to be alone in this thought, and I also read that there are tie-ins with The Dark Tower series which I have not yet read. Maybe once I read those, I'll pick this back up again but for now, it's not worth completing.
The plot dragged on way too slowly, and I would read a few pages and then forget what I had read as I progressed. The writing style was very monotonous and dry. This book is basically a day to day account of a man's struggle with insomnia. Yep, as boring as it sounds.
I've read other reviews here, and I don't seem to be alone in this thought, and I also read that there are tie-ins with The Dark Tower series which I have not yet read. Maybe once I read those, I'll pick this back up again but for now, it's not worth completing.
Great mixture of horror and spirituality!! And I loved the references to the dark tower and other works.
Loved it!!!
Loved it!!!
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced