The Dead Zone by Stephen King
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I really thought I would like this but just like The Shining, The Dead Zone by Stephen King was a disappointment for me. What sounded like a great story - man wakes up after five years in a coma with psychic powers - started very well but lost steam in the middle as several sub-plots were added. I ended up skimming the rest of the book. I've heard that this is one case where the movie (starring Christopher Walken and directed by David Cronenberg) was better than the book. However, I'm still not over my Stephen King phase since I'm now reading Salem's Lot.
For more on Stephen King, check out the Stephen King project hosted by Natalie from Coffee and a Book Chick and Kathleen from Boarding In My Forties.
I've read far more Stephen King novels than a selr-respecting English major should ever admit to so I can say this with some authority: While The Dead Zone is a B/B- Stephen King work at best, if you didn't like The Shining, you should probably stay away from his supernatural horror books. The Shining is one of the better ones.
ReplyDeleteI think that Salem's Lot is very good--a cross between Peyton Place and Dracula. I you don't enjoy it you should probably just move on with your life, avoiding Stephen King as much as possible.
I'm 50% done with Salem's Lot and enjoying it. Very creepy!
DeleteToo bad this didn't work out! I've not read this one before but I do remember the movie and recall loving it. Have you seen the TV series version with Anthony Michael Hall? It came out many years ago on the USA network (or maybe TNT?) and I actually thought it wasn't that bad. But, I always meant to read the book! I don't really mind how King meanders with his story lines, and extra subplots (although I would highly recommend NOT reading The Tommyknockers!). I'll keep this book on the back-burner, and maybe one day I'll pick it up.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked 'Salem's Lot and found it to be really creepy. It was the second novel I read from King after reading 11/22/63 and I read it at the height of the cooler weather in the fall when everything is feeling just the right time to read books like that. I hope you enjoy the book!
I'm another English major who defiantly declares, "I love me some Stephen King!" To bolster my academic cred, I will note that I had a grad school professor who said that Charles Dickens was the Stephen King of his day -- and this professor believes that in a hundred years King will be as canonical as Dickens. So there.
ReplyDeleteBut lots of people will tell you they don't care for Dickens. So if you don't care for King, peace be with you! Move on! There are too many books to enjoy to be bored slogging through something you find tedious.
/My personal favorite among King's many books is THE STAND. I'm just saying . . . . /
I am English Major and PhD student who is proud to admit that I'm a massive fan of Stephen King. The Stand is also my favourite. The Long Walk which he wrote under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman, is also pretty damn good. Enjoy Salem's Lot! :)
ReplyDeleteI have The Long Walk on my Kindle. The premise sounds interesting.
DeleteI have just seen your blog, and as a Stephen King fan, I had to stop by. Stephen King has written many novels, some to creepy for me. Before you give up try "BAG OF BONES" I liked it a lot. Let me know if you do read it what you think.
ReplyDeleteBy the way I like your blog. Mine had to be started over after some problem with Bogged...so it seems new but it isn 't I have been nothing since'97
*Blogger, my pad keeps self correcting
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