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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There is a reason Stephen King is my favorite author. Brilliantly written with an explosive ending.
Jamie Morton is a young boy growing up in Maine, and one day, he meets the town's new minister, Charles Jacobs. Jacobs is welcomed into their community along with his wife and young son. Jamie and the Reverend become close when Jacobs shares his love of experimenting with electricity with the young boy. That bond is destroyed when Jacobs loses his wife and son in a horrific car accident, causing the minister to lose his faith in God, even going so far as to publically mock religion. Jacobs leaves town and is forgotten over time.
As Jamie grows up, he finds a passion for music. He begins playing guitar and travels around the US performing in various bands. The roll-and-roll lifestyle leads Jamie down a road of heroin addiction, leaving him alone and ruined. Until one fateful day, Jamie runs into his former minister and is offered a cure for his addiction. The pact he makes with Jacobs will haunt Jamie for the rest of his days.
This is simply one of the most terrifying novels Stephen King has ever written. How King mixes religion, grief, family, aging, and the afterlife into a masterpiece of a slow-burn horror novel highlights his skill as a writer. It will remind you of the works of Poe and Lovecraft as King takes us through this five-decade-long story. The incredible character development allows the reader to get into the main characters' minds, making the story even more visceral and stark. As many know, Stephen King is my ride-or-die favorite author, and I reveled in going back and spending time with this story again, especially during the spooky season.
As Jamie grows up, he finds a passion for music. He begins playing guitar and travels around the US performing in various bands. The roll-and-roll lifestyle leads Jamie down a road of heroin addiction, leaving him alone and ruined. Until one fateful day, Jamie runs into his former minister and is offered a cure for his addiction. The pact he makes with Jacobs will haunt Jamie for the rest of his days.
This is simply one of the most terrifying novels Stephen King has ever written. How King mixes religion, grief, family, aging, and the afterlife into a masterpiece of a slow-burn horror novel highlights his skill as a writer. It will remind you of the works of Poe and Lovecraft as King takes us through this five-decade-long story. The incredible character development allows the reader to get into the main characters' minds, making the story even more visceral and stark. As many know, Stephen King is my ride-or-die favorite author, and I reveled in going back and spending time with this story again, especially during the spooky season.
medium-paced
This showed up on multiple “scariest Stephen King” lists and I don’t understand why. The book was fine.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Top 10 King for sure, wow. He had a weird romance in there as older authors tend to do but besides that it was perfect. 9/10.
The last fifty pages were great. I love King but it was an agonizing slow start.
I enjoyed reading this. It isn't gory Stephen King, it is more psychological. King explores the themes of God, addiction and what happens after death. This seems like a personal story from Stephen King. I feel there is a lot behind it. The writing is concise and engaging and the characters are complicated and realistic.