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4.5 stars
The main reason why this book doesn't get five stars is because it absolutely hinges on the ending. The main characters are well-rounded and make believable decisions throughout; but not a lot happens through the first 3/4 of the book. You just follow Jamie from early childhood into his retirement years. It gets interesting when Jacobs pops into his life, but those encounters are fairly brief. You do get hints and foreshadowing aplenty, but if you hate the ending (or don't make it that far) this one could easily get boring and fall flat. Obviously it worked for me, so this is one of the better King novels I have read in a while.
Jamie keeps talking about the horrors he has experienced throughout the book, and I think the vision we got of the afterlife justified his claims. It is also enough to explain why most of Jacobs' cured patients go insane and try to off themselves. But I also get why Jamie is just the opposite and wants to live forever to avoid that afterlife. He retains just enough sanity to know that's where he's headed when he dies. I thought it worked beautifully and paid off the setup!
I was a little bummed out that Mr. King didn't explain the "special electricity", though. I had to fill in the blanks on that one. I am assuming it is the Zero-Point Field (ZPF). That is the theorized cosmic energy that allows atoms to exist in multiple places at the same time (until observed). Physicists know atoms have that ability, but there is no known energy to support their duplicitous existence. And if matter/energy cannot be created nor destroyed (only transferred), then there must be an infinite, untappable energy source all around us at all times. And if you read Bernard Haisch's "God Theory", that energy is one of the proofs for the existence of a God-like being that created the universe. Mr. Haisch doesn't say that the creator is necessarily benevolent nor humanlike, though (why does it have to be). So, Mr. King's interpretation of a mysterious "Mother" and a horde of ants enslaving our souls can't be any weirder than any other theory. It makes for a creepy story, so I dig it. :) Plus it explains the horrors Jamie spoke about in the beginning of this book.
The main reason why this book doesn't get five stars is because it absolutely hinges on the ending. The main characters are well-rounded and make believable decisions throughout; but not a lot happens through the first 3/4 of the book. You just follow Jamie from early childhood into his retirement years. It gets interesting when Jacobs pops into his life, but those encounters are fairly brief. You do get hints and foreshadowing aplenty, but if you hate the ending (or don't make it that far) this one could easily get boring and fall flat. Obviously it worked for me, so this is one of the better King novels I have read in a while.
Spoiler
I was afraid that Mr. King would shy away from going all the way, but boy did he not shy away! We get to find out what Mr. Jacobs' master plan was all along and we get to follow him there. He's really after the proof to the afterlife. Is it a paradise like religions say? Is there a benevolent creator waiting to embrace all of his children in the end?Jamie keeps talking about the horrors he has experienced throughout the book, and I think the vision we got of the afterlife justified his claims. It is also enough to explain why most of Jacobs' cured patients go insane and try to off themselves. But I also get why Jamie is just the opposite and wants to live forever to avoid that afterlife. He retains just enough sanity to know that's where he's headed when he dies. I thought it worked beautifully and paid off the setup!
I was a little bummed out that Mr. King didn't explain the "special electricity", though. I had to fill in the blanks on that one. I am assuming it is the Zero-Point Field (ZPF). That is the theorized cosmic energy that allows atoms to exist in multiple places at the same time (until observed). Physicists know atoms have that ability, but there is no known energy to support their duplicitous existence. And if matter/energy cannot be created nor destroyed (only transferred), then there must be an infinite, untappable energy source all around us at all times. And if you read Bernard Haisch's "God Theory", that energy is one of the proofs for the existence of a God-like being that created the universe. Mr. Haisch doesn't say that the creator is necessarily benevolent nor humanlike, though (why does it have to be). So, Mr. King's interpretation of a mysterious "Mother" and a horde of ants enslaving our souls can't be any weirder than any other theory. It makes for a creepy story, so I dig it. :) Plus it explains the horrors Jamie spoke about in the beginning of this book.