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jeremygibbs's Reviews (130)
The Fireman is a clever and unique post-apocalyptic book. Really, it’s a story about the good and bad of human behavior.
My review is split in two parts: the story and storytelling.
The story is another dreadful example of money blinding people to humanity. The author gave these brave women the publicity they so deserved. It is important to subject ourselves to these heartbreaking stories, lest we repeat the same miscarriage of justice and abdication of decency.
The storytelling was uneven. Early in the book, there were so many people and places introduced that one is left to feel like they are reading a textbook. The connection to the people felt superficial, which is perhaps a necessity in this type of book. It wasn't until the end of the book that the reader was made to feel a deep connection with any of the protagonists. Storytelling is more than the recitation of facts, and too much of this book leans heavily on that side.
Overall, I recommend the book.
The story is another dreadful example of money blinding people to humanity. The author gave these brave women the publicity they so deserved. It is important to subject ourselves to these heartbreaking stories, lest we repeat the same miscarriage of justice and abdication of decency.
The storytelling was uneven. Early in the book, there were so many people and places introduced that one is left to feel like they are reading a textbook. The connection to the people felt superficial, which is perhaps a necessity in this type of book. It wasn't until the end of the book that the reader was made to feel a deep connection with any of the protagonists. Storytelling is more than the recitation of facts, and too much of this book leans heavily on that side.
Overall, I recommend the book.
Easily my favorite of the first three Dark Tower books. King’s best works are, for me, the ones that focus on fantasies and human behavior. He skillfully moves the reader through time and place. The pacing is great and tension perfect. Recommended.
This novel was a wonderfully-written and suspenseful commentary on toxic masculinity and the complexity of the human psyche. It is a tale of survival - not from ghosts, but from real life.
This book was unsteady, as I find most of King’s short stories. “Dolan’s Cadillac” was quite good, but my favorite was the last - a nonfiction essay about little league baseball called “Head Down”.
I really enjoyed this book. The pacing was generally good and the story made you think about life and death in new ways.
If the goal of a book is to evoke emotion, then King succeeds in the opening paragraphs of the prologue. I’m not sure I’ve hated a character as much I hated Norman Daniels. The story makes clear that reality for many women is horror, but that they don’t need a man to escape it.
“To kill each other with gas and electricity, and in cold blood? The folly. The horror.”
The Green Mile is one of Stephen King’s best books. Written as a serial novel, the story makes you feel empathy toward those whom society condemns, and hatred toward those whom society promotes. The electric chair represents a tool of permanence that we wield against uncertainty, and justice is often simple theatre for those who pretend otherwise. As the protagonist says, “sometimes there is no difference at all between salvation and damnation.“
The Green Mile is one of Stephen King’s best books. Written as a serial novel, the story makes you feel empathy toward those whom society condemns, and hatred toward those whom society promotes. The electric chair represents a tool of permanence that we wield against uncertainty, and justice is often simple theatre for those who pretend otherwise. As the protagonist says, “sometimes there is no difference at all between salvation and damnation.“
In Desperation, King presents a vision of Revelation. Readers are made to quickly connect with the characters, many of whom King is then happy to punish in cruel ways. The result is a visceral empathy that churns your stomach for the entire story. Recommended.
As I continue making my way through King’s complete works, I believe this book is the worst to date. It starts off with a bang, but quickly turns into a tedious and boring exercise in stamina. His style as Bachman has never been as appealing to me and this one is no different. Desperation was superior to this mediocre book.