Reviews - Stark: The Dark Half

1.02k reviews for:

Stark: The Dark Half

Stephen King

3.62 AVERAGE

taleslinger's review

3.0

It felt a bit navel-gazey about the whole author/text relationship, and oddly inconsequential. I feel it could've been half as long without losing much.
Still, far better than Dark Tower (Hi, Marc)

alexsegura's review against another edition

5.0

Not one of the first books people mention when they discuss King's expansive body of work, but a good one. Like SALEM'S LOT, THE DARK HALF is more compact than some of King's other, better-known novels like THE STAND and IT. TDH also moves at a good clip, with very few detours or major shifts. It's a quick read, engaging, well-crafted and the best metaphor for addiction I've ever read. Sometimes it can feel too on-the-nose, but that's also part of the fun and surely on purpose. George Stark makes for a memorable villain and it left me wanting to explore King's other Castle Rock books.

valdezjones's review against another edition

2.25

dark mysterious tense 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

rickb27's review against another edition

3.5

dark tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

mbs1236's review against another edition

4.75

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I am truly on a King run right now and he just cannot stop hitting. Another Castle Rock story with this also introducing Alan Pangborn who is one of my favourite King characters. A very enjoyable story with a lot of action, tension and character moments. All 3 acts were great and George Stark was a great villain. The final whole act was so thrilling and put me on the edge. The whole sparrow sequences were very haunting and the final sparrow scene was so evocative and chilling. Also the prologue hooked me up and the reveal of there being a third eye and the remains of his twin in Thad’s mind was so gruesome and so vivid too.

krowecat's review against another edition

3.0

Rating: 3.5 stars

I mostly enjoyed The Dark Half, but I felt that it could have been a bit shorter and caught myself rolling my eyes at a couple of the conversations between Alan, Thad and Liz. The sheriff's "cop intuition" was starting to get on my nerves. He just set aside all logic and believed the craziest story ever because the murder suspect seemed "honest". Yeah, sure. Aside from that weird aspect I really enjoyed the book. I think the next King book I read will be The Shining or the second book in the Dark Tower series.