Stephen King - Cell

[Michelle]

The basis of King's latest offering is The Pulse - a signal sent through cell phones, that drives the listener insane. What this leads to is most of the world's population becoming 'zombie-like'.. in my eyes, it was just a different way to resurrect an old story line.

 

King throws you straight into the story, and the beginning of the book is full of action. The rest of the book certainly continues to be a page turner.. it's an easy read.

 

But.. that's the problem.. that's not what I expect from King. There's no real depth in the characters, and I don't find myself particularly concerned about what's going to happen to them. There's no build up of tension, no real fear.

 

Don't get me wrong.. it's a good enough read, and I'm sure many people will like it. However, it's just not classic "King".

[Lilywhite]

This one arrived in the post for me yesterday and I'm looking forward to reading it. More so because of the mixed reveiws I've read.

[Ben]

My review.

 

Thought I'd bump the old topic with my views, as anyone else read it since this thread? What did you think?

[Mac]

I read it when it was first released and quite enjoyed it. I certainly thought it was almost a return to form for Stephen King. I feel that sometimes he's too gratuitous for his own good and that he wallows too much, basking in his own glory. I have really loved some of his other stuff, mind, like 'It', 'The Stand' and particularly 'The Talisman' which he co-authored with Peter Straub. Excellent stuff.

[Ben]

It was my first King novel, so I wasn't sure what to expect..

[Mac]

So, what did you think of it?

[Ben]

Well in short I enjoyed it, but if you want to read my review then it's there.. My review.

[Mia]

I enjoyed this, but remember being disappointed by the ending. (Not that I can actually remember the ending, just that I was let down by it. I'm sure my memory's going...)

[Ben]

I thought the ending was abrupt.. it ended on a kind of cliff-hanger, I don't know if that's typical King.

[Mia]

Ah, that was it - I hate cliffhanger/open endings! I think they're just lazy. If the author's taken the trouble to get you involved with these characters and caught up in their stories, the least they can do is tell you what happens to them in the end! If they don't, I always feel cheated. I don't think King is often guilty of this, though, he usually sees a story through properly.

[Ben]

Yeah I was a little annoyed.

[leah86]

I must admit that I've never read a King book,although I would like to sample his work. Can anyone recommend a good one to start with?

[Seiichi]

I must admit that I've never read a King book,although I would like to sample his work. Can anyone recommend a good one to start with?

If you just want to sample his writing then I'd go for Different Seasons, a collection of four short stories, three of which were adapted for film. They're not horror stories, so it might be a good first choice.

[Michelle]

I must admit that I've never read a King book,although I would like to sample his work. Can anyone recommend a good one to start with?

 

Can I please direct you to the main Stephen King thread, instead of letting this one drift off topic.

[leah86]

If you just want to sample his writing then I'd go for Different Seasons, a collection of four short stories, three of which were adapted for film. They're not horror stories, so it might be a good first choice.

 

 

Thank you,I'l give this one a go.

[The Library Nook]

It was my first King novel, so I wasn't sure what to expect..

 

I wouldn't base your opinion of King on this book.

 

I read Cell last year or the year before and was disappointed, especially by the end.

[Ben]

Yeah, well it wasn't bad, and it hasn't put me off reading others. I have Blaze on TBR.

[The Library Nook]

Excellent! I was only disappointed because I have a weird liking of end of the world type novels and it left me unsatisfied lol!

[baggiesfan]

I read this book when it came out and i liked it although the story isnt that much different from his book The Stand.

[Nollaig]

I actually really want to read this after reading what other people have to say about it. I think it'll be a while before I can spare any time for it though

[Rawr]

I found it a really quick and flowing read. I love the beginning how it all starts, it's a great image, i can still remember the exact scene now and i've only read it once. The ending was a little disappointing imo but i did enjoy the overall vibe of the book. I think it's just a good King novel though, definitely not one of his best.

[Nollaig]

Don't put me off it!

 

I have a thing about things that make people go crazy. Like in Resident Evil and 28 Days Later. So it's this Pulse thing Ben mentioned that caught my attention.

[Ben]

Ooer, if you've a thing for craziness then this would be brilliant for you.

 

And, Rawr, I agree with the start of the book.. certainly kicks off the action and I'm sure I'll remember the exact scene as well.

[The Library Nook]

I found it a really quick and flowing read. I love the beginning how it all starts, it's a great image, i can still remember the exact scene now and i've only read it once. The ending was a little disappointing imo but i did enjoy the overall vibe of the book. I think it's just a good King novel though, definitely not one of his best.

 

 

That first scene is great, I think I even had to read it aloud to share with lovely Mr Nook!

[Sedge]

I was quite disappointed with the ending too - does anybody else think there should be a sequel?