Stephen King - The Dead Zone.

[Maureen]

Ok ....some sort of review....here goes:

I was rather surprised to note that this book was first published in 1979.

The story is about an man who was involved in a very bad traffic accident, in which he was the sole survivor - but which left him in a coma for four and a half years. Eventually he came out of the coma....to find out that he had lost everything he had - his girlfriend, his job, his home but got a rather unpleasant gift in return- that of foresight.

This was my first King, and I must say I did not know what to expect - for some reason I always thought his books are gory horror - but I enjoyed this one. I tried him out as so many members mentioned him in the first place - so I thought I will give him a try. I will surely add King to my list of favourite authors after this book though. It is very fast paced, and although the ending is inevitable, the build up to it is quite imaginative.

Happy reading!

[Michelle]

Thanks Maureen. :)

You will that Stephen King has quite a variety of books, so have a good look round, and do ask here if there's a particular type you're looking for. :wink:

[Kell]

I'm going to have to get hold of this one - I've been meaning to for donkey's years. I don't know why I haven't done so far!

[Maureen]

...Well I have one up for grabs....wanna swap?

[Kell]

Yeah, why not - I've got my swap list posted so take your pick if there's anything you fancy.

[Maureen]

Any Stephen King? Might as well sample some more :D

[Kell]

How about Gerald's Game, does that take your fancy? It's a slightly battered, much-read, well-loved book (I just checked inside the cover & it's got my maiden name in it & is dated 1999, so I've had it a fair while). It's not a "horror" per se - more of a thriller & very much set in reality, so you might well enjoy it. I'll be pleased to swap it & widen your King repertoir.

[Maureen]

Yep Great.....just PM me your address and I'll do the same.

[Kell]

Looking forward to it. I'll find out postage & everything this weekend & then it'll be winging its way to you in sunny Malta...

[Maureen]

Yep still sunny here.....23C today......... Know what....my book is going somewhere I have never been before!!

[Kell]

Know what....my book is going somewhere I have never been before!!

So's mine. And it was pretty sunny here too today, although the temperature was a bit more baltic than what you had - LOL!

[Maureen]

Did you read this yet Kell?

[Kell]

I'm reading it now actually - I'm about 2/3rds of the way through & enjoying it a lot, thank you. :)

[Kell]

Kell's Review:
Title: The Dead Zone
Author: Stephen King (http://www.stephenking.com/)
ISBN # 0751504327
Publisher: Warner Books
1st Published: 1979
467 pages

Waking up from a five-year coma after a car accident, former schoolteacher Johnny Smith discovers that he can see people's futures and pasts when he touches them. Many consider his talent a gift; Johnny feels cursed. His fiancée married another man during his coma and people clamour for him to solve their problems. When Johnny has a disturbing vision after he shakes the hand of an ambitious and amoral politician, he must decide if he should take drastic action to change the future.

I didn’t see the movie before reading this, although I’ve seen a couple of episodes of the TV series starring Anthony Michael Hall, & thanks to my buddy, Maureen, I finally got hold of the book & came to it almost completely fresh (I knew the basic premise of the story, but none of the actual events within).

It had kind of a slow start, despite having the lead character in a near-fatal accident within the first 50-or-so pages. It didn’t give me long to get to know the characters very well, but I liked Johnny pretty much from the start, although I’ll confess to not thinking all that much of Sarah (that continued throughout the story, I’m afraid).

The story, though pretty much in chronological order, seemed to jump around a bit between characters, but there were long stretches where the story, from one character’s point of view, was just hanging around doing nothing much while the rest of the story progressed. As a result, I think I either missed or forgot large chunks of the earlier parts of Greg Stillson’s tale as I was more interested in the rapist-murderer story (which, again, was stilted & slotted in between other scenes).

I particularly enjoyed the descent into religious madness by Johnny’s mother – it was vividly painted, the anguish of Johnny’s father as he struggled to keep things together while his son lay comatose & his wide grew increasingly manic was incredibly moving – he’s the character with whom I most closely identified & felt the most compassion for.

The ending was, ironically, something I sensed early on – the outcome was not unexpected in the least & therefore I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of a twist in the tale. However, the pace did quicken over the last 75 pages & I enjoyed that section most, despite the fact that I saw it all coming a mile off.

Overall, The Dead Zone is an enjoyable read, though not one of King’s most consistent works. I’ve read better, but I’ve also read a hell of a lot worse.

[sparkymarky]

one of the best king adaptations to big screen too-christopher walken was excellant as johnny and martin sheen equally as the presidental candidate-funny could not watch sheen in west wing without picturing his character in the dead zone
recently made into a american tv series featuring shy kid from breakfast club,anthony michael hall i believe his name is- as johnny-equally as good though missed some episodes on channel 5 so want to get it on dvd soon...