Book Review #785 - Joyland by Stephen King

Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. 

My Rating: 3.5/5

I read this book for the Spookathon readathon and it is my fifth Stephen King novel.

This book was a lot different to the previous King books I've read in that it was more of a mystery novel than horror. Not that this was a bad thing, it just wasn't what I had been expecting.

This book follows Devin as he nostalgically looks back to his youth when he worked at an amusement park called Joyland following his girlfriend breaking up with him.

As this book was predominately a mystery it didn't really feel like a Stephen King book at times. Of course, it had King's hallmarks though like a child with special abilities and the ability to breath so much life and personality into every character (no matter how relevant to the story) with minimal words.

Book Review #746 - Pet Sematary by Stephen King

Sometimes dead is better....When the Creeds move into a beautiful old house in rural Maine, it all seems too good to be true: physician father, beautiful wife, charming little daughter, adorable infant son -- and now an idyllic home. As a family, they've got it all...right down to the friendly cat. But the nearby woods hide a blood-chilling truth -- more terrifying than death itself...and hideously more powerful.

My Rating: 3/5

This is my fourth Stephen King novel and even though I planned to read his works in publication order I caved as I felt like reading this one.

I watched the film adaptation of this book years ago and was rather disappointed by how much of the movie I remembered whilst reading this book.

The characters in this book had way more character development than the previous King books I have read especially with the Creed family as a whole.

Lou Creed constantly made questionable decisions throughout but I felt like I couldn't judge him for this as I wasn't completely sure that I would not have done the same thing had I been in those situations.

This book examines death in a very deep and unique way. The need to accept what is dead when there are options otherwise is a fascinating one no matter what the risks.

Book Review #697 - The Shining (The Shining #1) by Stephen King

Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote...and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

My Rating: 4/5

This is my third Stephen King novel and it's definitely my favourite so far (with the other two being Carrie and Salem's Lot).

This book was completely different than what I was expecting. I did not expect the protagonist to be a five year old boy, even though I did love him in that role.

I found the setting of the story to be the main element in the whole thrilling nature of the book. Not only is the Torrence family alone in a very old, isolated and haunted hotel but a huge snow storm causes them to become even more isolated.

Family is an important theme in this book especially between father and son. Danny idolizes his father Jack but Jack hasn't always treated Danny well in the past, especially when he gets drunk.

Flashbacks show that Jack had a similar relationship with his own father.

I really liked the supernatural element in this story. Danny has the ability to hear people's thoughts and at times see the future. This ability is called "the shining". 

This ability and Danny's young age make him very vulnerable and innocent which makes me think he probably needed a life time of therapy following the way the book ended.

When the family move to the isolated hotel where Jack finds employment, Danny's ability becomes stronger as the hotel makes all three of them suffer bouts of insanity. 

I'm not sure how I feel about Jack. He wasn't a very nice person to begin with and the hotel made him worse. The flashbacks to where he was drunk and the way he treated Wendy and Danny make him unlikable. 

The book wasn't as thrilling as I thought it was going to be but it did have a number of hair raising moments. I can definitely see why Joey Tribbiani felt the need to put this book in the freezer.

Book Review #636 - Salem's Lot by Stephen King

My Rating: 3.5/5


Source: Bought


Goodreads

Thousands of miles away from the small township of 'Salem's Lot, two terrified people, a man and a boy, still share the secrets of those clapboard houses and tree-lined streets. They must return to 'Salem's Lot for a final confrontation with the unspeakable evil that lives on in the town.

This is my second Stephen King novel. The first one I read was Carrie. 

The synopsis of my copy of this book was EXTREMELY vague and so I went into this book not knowing anything about it at all. 

This book is a lot longer that Carrie and I felt like the pacing was a little on the slow side. 

The story is set in the small town of Jerusalem's Lot, Maine. The story follows just about every occupant in the town. 

This is something that Stephen King does extremely well. It doesn't matter how old the character is, King is able to give them such a realistic voice and none of the characters blurred with one another. The only other author I know of that can do that so easily is George RR Martin. 

I loved the small town feel of Jerusalem's Lot. There was a real sense of community. 

It was also really refreshing to read a vampire book where the vampires are really something straight out of a nightmare and not like the overdone modern take on them. 

Book Review #370 - Carrie by Stephen King

The story of misfit high-school girl, Carrie White, who gradually discovers that she has telekinetic powers. Repressed by a domineering, ultra-religious mother and tormented by her peers at school, her efforts to fit in lead to a dramatic confrontation during the senior prom.

My Rating: 3/5

I vaguely remember reading this book in my early teens. This is the first Stephen King novel I have read. Given that this is also his first published work, I have decided to read his other books in order.

This book was quite different to what I had been expecting. I thought it would have contained more horror, gore and suspense. It also had a stronger paranormal element to it than I had expected.

The main reason why I only gave this book a 3 star rating was because of the amount of points of view. There were just way too many for a book of under 200 pages.

The first half of the book was really fast paced, and then it rapidly slowed down in the second half. The peak of the action was in more towards the middle of the book which was different.