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m_barker06's review against another edition
Almost 400 pages in and basically nothing that the synopsis talked about has happened yet. Too slow
doxcy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? It's complicated
4.5
fethiye's review against another edition
3.0
Nothing against the story, but after trying numerous Stehpen King books I can safeley say they are simply not my personal taste.
blissb's review against another edition
5.0
Best King I've read all year. I feel like I lived through the superflu and Flagg's schemes with Stu, Frannie and the rest. Also Kojak is the real hero.
sharkledmangle's review against another edition
4.5
MY GODDDDDDD after one year one month 2 weeks and one day im FINALLLYYYY finished!!!!! M-O-O-N thats spells finished!!
rfrischke's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.75
alicemaryblanks14's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
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
5.0
alisonkinkead's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kittycat2302's review against another edition
5.0
This was incredible. I was fully hooked when I thought it was "just" a plague contagion outbreak story... and then it was so much more. Stephen King's brilliance is his ability to make you immediately know and care about a character. Every death, every life, every moment mattered so much in this book. Very grateful to the friend who not only encouraged me to read it, but purchased it for me!
murderbotsbestie's review against another edition
2.0
Ok, so I know I'm in the minority here, but I thought this book was a let down. I mean, it had so much potential. A flu wipes out 99% of the population, the survivors choose between good and evil. The leader of evil, Randall Flagg must do a final showdown in Las Vegas with Mother Abigail, the 108 year-old leader of the good side.
Great premise right?
Well...
First off, characters. We get introduced to 400 characters throughout the book, and none of them left much of an impression. Every other page I kept saying "WHO THE EFF ARE YOU?!?" I couldn't get Larry and Lloyd straight in my head and I constantly forgot who Stu was.
You see for 99% of the characters, I just didn't care. Take Larry for instance. He was an unlikable creep who was obsessed with getting laid. At least Lloyd's story was interesting.
And Harold. God did I hate Harold. And the weird control he seemed to have over Frannie. He's sex obsessed, mentally disturbed and I hated him from minute one. And yet Frankie seemed to tolerate his inexcusable actions. She had sex with him, even though she didn't like him and wanted to let him down easy. But I never feel like it's her fault though. Women are constantly told if a guy is nice to you, have sex with him. Boys will be boys. Don't be a bitch. She's grown up surrounded by that, and the only thing I feel is anger towards society and Harold.
The only characters I did like was Nick, who was a sweetheart and both sane and likable, which is huge for this book. I empathized with him, admired him and enjoyed reading about him. I also like Joe/Leo. He was a fascinating character and I loved him. All I wanted to do was protect him. Glen wasn't bad either, especially at the end.
And DANYA. Holy shit this girl was badass. She survived being a literal sex-slave and infiltrated Randall's camp. EVEN WHEN FACED WITH DEATH SHE HAD SNAPPY COMEBACKS! I loved her openness about bisexuality and she's 100% my favorite character. Danya is such a strong person who also has complex emotions and sadness.
There were two other characters who I enjoyed reading about, Randall and Nadine. It was fascinating to see into their minds and visualize them. I loved how slowly, Nadine was revealed to be psychotic. And the scene where we met Randall was great.
But these don't make up for the middle. It was completely boring and went on for forever. All that happened was sex and walking. Like, it's the apocalypse. Can you focus on something other than your dick for one minute? I hated every minute, skimmed most of it and considered quitting every page.
And the ending was awful. It finally started heating up around the 800 page mark, but it was totally different than what it promised. But the final few chapters were a huge letdown for me. ABIGAIL DIDNT EVEN FIGHT RANDALL HERSELF! I was super pissed about that. And the way it all ends was super anticlimactic. And I practically dozed off reading about Stu. The only thing I liked what the last few lines if the book.
Overall, huge letdown. The only good thing we're a few characters and a couple chapters. The writing was pretty good, but I thought it lacked emotional punches in a few places by overelaborating. A lot of times, he didn't need to go down a path and keep writing.
2/5 stars