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3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
A wonderfully creepy novel, that expertly conveys a deep sense of dread throughout the tale it tells, King's conclusion is nonetheless not quite as terrifying as I think the build-up warranted. I began to fear that I wasn't going to quite get the pay-off I wanted when the characters in the story started explicitly name-checking H.P. Lovecraft; this novel doesn't just end up poaching a lot of Lovecraft's (and Robert Bloch's) marvelously horrific "cosmic horror" ideas, but the book itself could be ultimately considered fully a part of the Cthulhu mythos. Which is certainly all right, but I kind of wish King had gone in a direction more like The Stand; given how large a role different types of evangelical Christianity play in the novel, and given the fact that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (also a great influence on this book) derived much of its power from the sense of transgressing against an at-least nominally Christian universe, it would have been fascinating to see King connect the horrors brought about by Reverend Charles Jacobs and his accomplish/antagonist/narrator, Jamie Morton, to something other than the Cthulhuian worldview, which is well-known to all us horror fans by now. But whatever: the fact remains that the ending is nicely freaky all the same, and the sense of looming, existential fear is there throughout the entire story, punctuated as it is by wonderful scenes from the life of a Baby Boomer, looking back over a half-century of joys, tragedies, and revelations. King is clearly in a sense imagining himself, or someone almost identical to himself, in the Morton character, and the passion he has for understanding his own life and his generation's journey is clear. So, in the end, not one of my absolute favorite King stories, but a very good one indeed.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m not exactly sure how to describe my feelings on this book. The story was a slow burn where it felt like most of it didn’t have much action, but progressed in a way that was never boring and pulled me along. The climax, finding out what was beyond the door, will stick with me, a bit haunting in the aftermath. Overall, this wasn’t exactly what I expected but I’m not sad about it.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The audio narration was phenomenal!
I do love when SK write in first person, but I didn’t feel a huge connection to these characters or the story.
I do love when SK write in first person, but I didn’t feel a huge connection to these characters or the story.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Masterful story telling in its purest.
A good storyteller could literally tell a story just about anything and it would still be impactful, entertaining, and provoking. King is a good storyteller. Throughout the years his novels became less grimy, slimy, monster horror and more character-focused, in-real-life horror, as I'd like to put it. What scares people? Your family dying. Getting into an accident and becoming addicted to coke. People losing their mind around you. Getting old and losing relevance.
When I first opened this book a few years ago, I hated it. I skimmed through it eagerly, waiting for the big scare. There's nothing like that here. You as the reader have the privilege of knowing that since it's a King book, something will happen, and if something hasn't happened, you can be sure to interpret the buildup through everyday things the protagonist is experiencing. That was how the book sucked me in the second time. I savored Jamie's life and I savored the horror looming over him, unnoticed.
The horror wasn't dragged out, permeated in every page. And that to me, was a solid decision made by the storyteller because of the story he wants to write. I felt like Revival was about Jamie's life and how it intertwined with Reverend Jacobs. And it was beautiful and touching. The horror added a really nice existential touch to it, but it didn't take away the spotlight from Jamie. And I appreciate that very much.
A good storyteller could literally tell a story just about anything and it would still be impactful, entertaining, and provoking. King is a good storyteller. Throughout the years his novels became less grimy, slimy, monster horror and more character-focused, in-real-life horror, as I'd like to put it. What scares people? Your family dying. Getting into an accident and becoming addicted to coke. People losing their mind around you. Getting old and losing relevance.
"The three true ages of man are youth, middle age, and how the fuck did I get old so soon?"
When I first opened this book a few years ago, I hated it. I skimmed through it eagerly, waiting for the big scare. There's nothing like that here. You as the reader have the privilege of knowing that since it's a King book, something will happen, and if something hasn't happened, you can be sure to interpret the buildup through everyday things the protagonist is experiencing. That was how the book sucked me in the second time. I savored Jamie's life and I savored the horror looming over him, unnoticed.
"When he was parked in his usual spot at the fairgrounds, he showed me the little bottle of heroin again. "You can have this if you want it."
"I felt like a man looking at a banana split minutes after polishing off a nine-course Thanksgiving dinner. You know that sugar-loaded treat is good, and you know that under certain circumstances you would gobble it greedily, but not after a heavy meal. After a heavy meal, a banana split is not an object of desire but just an object."
The horror wasn't dragged out, permeated in every page. And that to me, was a solid decision made by the storyteller because of the story he wants to write. I felt like Revival was about Jamie's life and how it intertwined with Reverend Jacobs. And it was beautiful and touching. The horror added a really nice existential touch to it, but it didn't take away the spotlight from Jamie. And I appreciate that very much.
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A highly readable, breezy novel that explores big concepts (I.e., the meaning of life). Ultimately unsatisfying but well written.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced