Ever since I read The Shining in my younger years, I often did wonder how Danny's adult life had turned out to be. I know it sounds strange, but I am not ashamed to admit that I had such thoughts. I was really excited to hear STEPHEN KING was revisiting Danny in his new novel Doctor Sleep. This book though is not exactly a sequel to The Shining, so if you are looking to check into The Overlook Hotel and encounter Jack Torrence, you will be dissapointed. Stephen only writes a quick recap of the history of Danny in this one.
In Doctor Sleep, Danny is a grown man who is just beginning to win his longtime battle with alcoholism. He is an employee at the Rivington House, which is a hospice facility in a small New Hampshire town. His collegues have nicknamed him Doctor Sleep, due to his ability to help patients pass on with ease. His excessive drinking depreciated his shining capabilities, but he runs into eleven year old Abra Stone who seems to possess way stronger abilities than he ever did. Danny fears for Abra's safety. They are special groups of people travelling around the country who are interested in kids like her who have special abilities. The introduction of these groups is a very creepy section of the book. We also find out that all the other characters from The Shinning have since died. Danny is the only one still living, and he has to take up the mentorship role of Abra, like Dick Hallaran had done for him when he was a young boy.
Who is STEPHEN KING? He has written over fifty bestselling books. His other book Under the Dome was turned into miniseries and is currently showing on CBS. He has recieved many awards over the years such as the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller and also the Best Hardcover Book Award from the International Thriller Writers Association. In 2003 he was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. Stephen currently resides with his wife Tabitha in the city of Bangor, in Maine. This student becomes the teacher storyline is just brilliant. It was even better with the added twists, that you never see coming.
MR. KING has once again done a very good job with character development and as always the story telling is impeccable. You will find yourself heavily engrossed in the story especially if you possess a very vivid imagination and enjoy really good story telling. There is some child sexual abuse content, which may be offensive to some readers. 9/11 survivors may also have issues with some sections of the novel. So if you are offended by those two subjects, you have been forewarned. You may want to skip those sections or avoid reading this book as a whole. It is totally up to you, of course.
Doctor Sleep in my eyes is the best sequel. You have everything in there from moody scenes, to magical, mysterious, suspensful and even scary ones. The ending is slightly predictable, but still perfect for this novel. One thing is clearly evident when you read this book, STEPHEN KING is a master story teller. This is however not classic STEPHEN KING, so do not expect the gore, frights or the in your face horror..
Available in several formats - Start reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King now.