Book Review: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Title: Doctor Sleep
Series: The Shining #2
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner (September 24, 2013)
Genre: Horror

Format Read: Ebook
Length: Novel
Source: Purchased

Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

Teasers: There came a time when you realized that moving on was pointless. That you took yourself with you wherever you went. [10% Ebook. A bit depressing, but very true.]

Then, with no reason why, he added: “We’re all dying. The world’s just a hospice with fresh air.” [12% Ebook. As the teaser above, depressing, but a bit true.]

All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream. [15% Ebook. Love this point originally from Poe.]

We thought we had an intruder in the house, only what kind of burglar stops to play a little Beatles before grabbing the silverware? [20% Ebook. This made me laugh.]

Review: The demons from the old Overlook Hotel are child’s play compared to the ones coming in Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep.

The characters shine in this novel. Danny Torrance has grown up, but his troubled past shoves him toward rock bottom. Whether it is luck, coincidence, or a higher power, he makes his way north and toward his salvation in the form of a little girl name Abra Stone. Abra is an intelligent, hard-headed, and loveable girl. I loved how we watched her grow into her shining abilities. Dan’s friends Billy and Doctor John give him the support he needs to do what he needs to do.

Although I typically like to keep the monsters of horror novels more in the dark until it’s time to shine the light on them, King wrote the villains perfectly. The True Knot has their areas of gray. They live. They love. They torture. They murder. They are the villains we know well without really knowing them at all.

Some of the beginning seemed a bit slow and unrelated to the ongoing plot, but like a turn of a wheel, the novel had a delightful circularity to it and by a third into the book, I found there was no turning back. King creates an amazingly complex plot to go along with the complex characters. And there are revelations that made me gasp and produced goose bumps along my arms. The ending brought tears to my eyes and was just perfect.

Whether you’ve read The Shining or not, I highly recommend Doctor Sleep by Stephen King.

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

Hook Me: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Title: Doctor Sleep
Series: The Shining #2
Author: Stephen King
Publisher: Scribner (September 24, 2013)
Genre: Horror

Book Description: Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special twelve-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father’s legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant “shining” power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes “Doctor Sleep.”

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan’s own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra’s soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of devoted readers of The Shining and satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

First line: On the second day of December in a year when a Georgia peanut farmer was doing business in the White House, one of Colorado's great resort hotels burned to the ground.
Last line read: The scuffed tophat cocked on her head was jarring, but otherwise she was the most beautiful woman Andi Steiner had ever seen.

Overall Impressions: As a fan of The Shining and Stephen King, I knew I would eventually want to read Doctor Sleep. The sample did not disappoint. First King lets us know what happened to Dan Torrance a few years after the incident at the Overlook Hotel. Then, we're dropped into the story. The characters are weird, unique, and purely Stephen King. The writing is intense and gripping, and I want to know what happens next.

Would I keep reading?: Yes!

H is for The Hollows series by Ben Larken

 

For 2013's A to Z Challenge, I am talking about book series, particularly some favorite series as well as series I've been waiting to read for a LONG time.

H is for ... The Hollows series by Ben Larken

It's been a long time since I read The Ticking, book one in The Hollows, but that book has stayed with me since then. I do hope Mr. Larken gets back to writing this series. It's such a great horror novel that kept me up at night.

1949: A young girl is traumatized when she witnesses a grisly murder in the forest behind her home.

1999: A loving wife disappears in the middle of the night, leaving no trace of her whereabouts.

2009: Former detective David Alders rents an apartment at a typical complex; a quiet unassuming place nestled in the outskirts of Fort Worth called The Hollows.

David is at a dead end after ten maddening years searching for his vanished wife. With mounting bills and a daughter on the verge of college, he makes the only logical choice: sell the family home, get back to work, and take a cheap apartment. His daughter, Melanie, is secretly thrilled about the change hoping it means a fresh start for their withering family. 

But The Hollows has other plans...

As a new community welcomes the Alders into its midst, elusive figures watch from the periphery, waiting for their moment. On the first night, a grotesque, burnt man seizes Melanie in her bed, spewing insane ramblings before disappearing into the darkness. She struggles to convince her father what happened was real, but David has his own problems.
Like the fact that he has just woke up in the wrong day.

Welcome to a tour through the dark underbelly of the last half-century where invisible hands take you by force to the demons of your past. Where you can find terror, time travel, and murder-all for one low monthly rent. Welcome to...

THE HOLLOWS: Pray that the lease agreement expires before you do.

Click here to read my review.

Teaser Tuesdays: L'IL GAL AL AND THE ZOMBIES OF AMARILLO by Christine Rains

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

L'il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo by Christine Rains

Pg. 5 of Word Doc.

It looked a bit yellow. Everything around there was just too yellow.

 

Do you have a teaser? If so, leave it or a link to one in the comments. By the way, this novelette is free on Smashwords.

Book Review: L'IL GAL AL AND THE ZOMBIES OF AMARILLO by Christine Rains

Title: L’il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo

Author: Christine Rains

Format: Novelette ebook

Source: Author

Genre: Western Horror

Goodreads 

Alma Sweeney might be scrawny, but the last yahoo that called her “L’il Gal Al” got shot in the foot.

Using her frontier skills to protect travelers and businesses alike, Alma escorts a group of settlers into Amarillo, a town with too many yellow flowers, drunks, and zombies. Within minutes of her arrival, she finds herself doing the sheriff's job. He's a nice enough fellow, but a little green, and he has no clue how to stop the horror dragging itself into his town.

Lucky for the sheriff, he has Alma. Her first night in town yanks her into a foul mystery. Zombies walk the streets and people are driven from their homes and businesses. Alma thinks it easily solved, but in the desert, things aren't always as they seem. The clock is ticking and the zombies are swarming. Alma needs to know where to point her gun or else be torn into pieces.

Review: A scrawny yet spunky heroine, zombies, and a good ol’ western standoff fill the pages of Christine Rains’ L’il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo.

After leading a group of travelers safely to Amarillo, Alma Sweeney is ready to mosey on out of town for the next job. But when she stops a drunk man with a shotgun, the sheriff wants to make her his new deputy. She declines the offer, but she is willing to stick around—for a day or two. Yet not all is well in Amarillo. They need L’il Gal Al’s help, but for once, the danger might be too great for this feisty frontier lady.

L’il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo throws the reader back into the Old West. The characters are well written, especially Alma Sweeney. Rains excels in creating strong female characters. I don’t think I’ve ever read anyone like Alma, but she quickly wins the reader over. She’s quick, intelligent, strong-minded, and spunky. Her strong-will and no-nonsense attitude almost become a detriment when faced with the supernatural. The plot is fast-paced like novelettes should be. The zombies are delightfully gruesome, and Rains had me guessing until almost the very end on what was causing the zombies to rise from the dead. The writing style suits shorter fiction and horror very well, and I love how the dialogue gives a hint of the period without going overboard.

Take a bite out of L’il Gal Al and the Zombies of Amarillo by Christine Rains, a wonderful horror story set in the Old West. I’d love to see more of Alma Sweeney and her adventures.

Five Bookworms = I loved it!

Teaser Tuesday: LUCRETIA AND THE KROONS by Victor LaValle

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 

Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle

46% of eARC

She must be dreaming. None of this made a lick of sense. Yet somehow she knew she wasn’t.

Do you have a teaser? Feel free to leave one or a link to one in the comments.

Book Review: LUCRETIA AND THE KROONS by Victor LaValle

Title: Lucretia and the Kroons

Author: Victor LaValle

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group (July 23, 2012)

Format: eARC Novella

Source: NetGalley

Genre: Horror

Goodreads 

Lucretia’s best friend and upstairs neighbor Sunny—a sweet pitbull of a kid, even as she struggles with a mysterious illness—has gone missing. The only way to get her back is for Lucretia to climb the rickety fire escape of their Queens tenement and crawl through the window of apartment 6D, portal to a vast shadowland of missing kids ruled by a nightmarish family of mutants whose designs on the children are unknown. Her search for Sunny takes Lucretia through a dark fantasyland where she finds lush forests growing from concrete, pigeon-winged rodents, and haunted playgrounds. Her quest ultimately forces her to confront the most frightening specter of all: losing, forever, the thing you love the most.

Lucretia and the Kroons is a dazzlingly imaginative adventure story and a moving exploration of the power of friendship and the terror of loss. This all-new novella serves as the perfect companion piece to The Devil in Silver, a thrillingly suspenseful work of literary horror that continues the story of Lucretia.

Review: A strange tale of friendship and loss, Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle is a trippy novella at times reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland.

Lucretia just wants her best friend Sunny at her birthday party, but Sunny has cancer and is receiving treatments too far away. A day comes when Sunny can finally come to play, but she’s disappeared, and it’s up to Lucretia, also known as Loochie, to find her. She is certain the Kroons in 6D have taken her friend, and she climbs up the fire escape to find a nightmarish world where children are lost forever. But will she be too late to save her friend and herself?

Lucretia and the Kroons is odd, quirky, and at times very touching. Lucretia is at that awkward stage between childhood and being a teenager. Her old friends seem to be growing up without her. Her actions were believable. The dialogue stands out in this novella. The relationships between the characters were a highlight of this novella. Then we came to the Kroons’ apartment, and at times, I was wondering what was in those Chinese cigarettes Loochie smoked. That section had a very Alice in Wonderland feel but not nearly as magical as what Carroll created. I found the horror lacking and forced with too many descriptions of the Kroons’ world. I have to admit I found myself skimming too much in a sagging middle. I wanted to learn more about Sunny and Loochie’s friendship, but it never really happened.

In the end, I was a bit disappointed with Lucretia and the Kroons by Victor LaValle, although I did really enjoy the beginning and end. I wished it focused more on the touching relationship and loss of friendship between Loochie and Sunny.

Three Bookworms = I liked it!