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A review by loganisreading
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
4.0
When I first started reading The Shining by Stephen King, I had no idea that there was a sequel. I really loved The Shining, and decided to read Doctor Sleep, the sequel that was published over 30 years later. The story of Dan Torrance, a young girl from New Hampshire, and a cult-like, almost immortal group called the True Knot, all combine when their paths cross, not physically, but through their minds.
Dan Torrance used to be a young boy with a special ability - known as the shining - where he could read minds and move objects through his brain. However, with a raging alcoholic for a father, he vowed that he would never drink. That didn't last long. Dan Torrance, a recovering raging alcoholic like his father, meets a young girl who also has the shining, but to a much more curious and powerful extent. Their first encounter was when she was only a few months old and wrote her name on his chalkboard - "Abra" - and from there communications continued. Abra (yes, as in cadabra) Stone grew up with the ability to predict events like 9/11 and make spoons fly to the ceiling to show that she was a better magician than the one hired for her birthday party. Abra's shining started out very, very strong. In fact, it was so strong that just by picking up a flyer of missing children from the trash and running her hand over a boy's face, she could tell that he not only did he have the shining, but he was killed for it. The True Knot was a group that once had hundreds of people, but whose population was now tapering off, due to the lack of what they called steam. As Abra discovered what they did, she got back into communication with Dan after it had ceased for some time. The pair worked together to stop this group of people from killing more children. But when the head of the True Knot discovers a little girl from New England that can break into their minds, they decide to take matters into their own hands to collect her steam.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The plot was different enough from The Shining to a point where it could be unnecessary to read that first. As the story went on, it only became more and more intriguing and reeled me in further. It explained very well how Abra's abilities stregthened and weakened throughout her childhood, and developed her into a very strong character very quickly. It also explained the perspectives of Dan, Abra, and the True Knot in such drastic ways that it became easier to understand as the book carried on.
I did not enjoy how distant each groups' plots started, however. It made the story really slow and really hard to get into. From the birth of a baby who predicted 9/11 in her parents dreams, to a group who kidnapped a woman who was robbing a man and mutilating him, to an alcoholic who stole $70 from a woman who he had a one-night stand with, it was hard to keep track of what was going on. When Dan and Abra's stories merged, it was a lot easier to make sense of what was going on. Before that though, it was fairly confusing and hard to keep along with.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the works of Stephen King, or has read The Shining. It was a very good book, but it was really hard to get through the beginning and keep track of what was happening. Although the first book in the duology was better, I would definitely read Doctor Sleep again.
Dan Torrance used to be a young boy with a special ability - known as the shining - where he could read minds and move objects through his brain. However, with a raging alcoholic for a father, he vowed that he would never drink. That didn't last long. Dan Torrance, a recovering raging alcoholic like his father, meets a young girl who also has the shining, but to a much more curious and powerful extent. Their first encounter was when she was only a few months old and wrote her name on his chalkboard - "Abra" - and from there communications continued. Abra (yes, as in cadabra) Stone grew up with the ability to predict events like 9/11 and make spoons fly to the ceiling to show that she was a better magician than the one hired for her birthday party. Abra's shining started out very, very strong. In fact, it was so strong that just by picking up a flyer of missing children from the trash and running her hand over a boy's face, she could tell that he not only did he have the shining, but he was killed for it. The True Knot was a group that once had hundreds of people, but whose population was now tapering off, due to the lack of what they called steam. As Abra discovered what they did, she got back into communication with Dan after it had ceased for some time. The pair worked together to stop this group of people from killing more children. But when the head of the True Knot discovers a little girl from New England that can break into their minds, they decide to take matters into their own hands to collect her steam.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The plot was different enough from The Shining to a point where it could be unnecessary to read that first. As the story went on, it only became more and more intriguing and reeled me in further. It explained very well how Abra's abilities stregthened and weakened throughout her childhood, and developed her into a very strong character very quickly. It also explained the perspectives of Dan, Abra, and the True Knot in such drastic ways that it became easier to understand as the book carried on.
I did not enjoy how distant each groups' plots started, however. It made the story really slow and really hard to get into. From the birth of a baby who predicted 9/11 in her parents dreams, to a group who kidnapped a woman who was robbing a man and mutilating him, to an alcoholic who stole $70 from a woman who he had a one-night stand with, it was hard to keep track of what was going on. When Dan and Abra's stories merged, it was a lot easier to make sense of what was going on. Before that though, it was fairly confusing and hard to keep along with.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the works of Stephen King, or has read The Shining. It was a very good book, but it was really hard to get through the beginning and keep track of what was happening. Although the first book in the duology was better, I would definitely read Doctor Sleep again.