Reviews

The Dead Zone by Stephen King

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yodisborg's review

medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Slow and mundane at times. Too casually deals with would you kill Hitler if you were the only who knew who he would become. Begs to be a thriller but falls back into a rambling hallmark cards on loss

I want to start off by saying I am a Stephen King fan. I am by no means a constant reader...but a fan for sure. I have read 15 or so books and really enjoyed a 12 or so. And I have learned that there is a type I enjoy and a type I don't. This one I did. I don't know how to describe it, but this makes you feel a similar way that reading a bachman book does. Or a Mr Mercedes trilogy book. Maybe even Billy Summers. All books I really enjoy, and that's why I liked this one.

Good story. Captivating. Great characters, as always. Definitely a good read. Probably not a re-readable one for me. But one I'm glad I added to the list.

Definitely recommend if you are a king fan. Especially King writing as Bachman. You will enjoy it

kateapatton's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

sleepytimebooks's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

selia_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

helgamharb's review

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4.0

Some things are better lost than found...

When Johnny Smith awakens from a 5 year coma as a result of an accident, he realizes he can see the future.
But should he use this power to save lives?

fireblend's review

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4.0

This was really solid, eight books into King's bibliography I would call it slop but in the most generous meaning of the word - the next 10 books could be like this and I'd be ok with that. It doesn't feel phoned in, but it does feel less like someone trying to prove themselves. And all the King staples are here, from the religious fundamentalism and center-progressive views to the (many!) well educated and intellectual friends offering their thoughts on ESP and even the backwater friend chiming in with some colorful piece of folklore (a bit of unfortunate exoticism on that one but what can you do).

That said, the ending fell flat for me; all throughout the book builds towards an idea the whole last fourth or so hinges on and it turns out to be a rather boring and drawn out drive towards an endpoint you can see from miles away, with not even the slightest swerve, which was a bit of a disappointment but not enough to detract from the rest.