Shining (alkuperäinen julkaisuvuosi 1977; vuoden 2017 painos)

4.5*
I liked the overall plot of this Stephen King novel. I wasn't sure what the expect since I knew this was a movie and all that I had ever known about it was, "It's scary." I may have to actually give watching it a try now that I have read the book and would technically know what was coming. That may make watching it bearable.

I loved all the characters in this book so much! Even (and maybe especially) those who were flawed. I felt bad for Jack even though at the same time I thought some of his actions were pretty stupid at times. I kept wondering how he couldn't be thinking of his family at certain points. Even Wendy (my least favorite character) had dimension that I liked. Her background was one that I was left curious about and wanted to know more about what her past was like (we learned more about Jack's past but little about hers).

I also wanted to learn more about how the Overlook Hotel came to be like it was. Did it all start with one person? It almost felt like there was one person who had sold their soul to the Devil or something along those lines. There were certain parts of the Overlook that I wanted more information about. Like the park scene... What was it and how did it come to be there. (That is all I feel comfortable saying without giving something away.) We hear about several news stories through Jack's point of view as he is reading through them, but I wanted to hear more about some of the specific deaths that were "swept under the rug". Between learning more about the Overlook and the characters themselves, I kept coming back for more in order to learn more about them.

However, there were times while listening that I found myself thinking about things, but I don't think I would have done that while reading it myself so I bumped this up by .5 stars than I would have probably rated it right away. Those points in time that I found myself mentally elsewhere were at times that King was building up the novel's characters and giving us background information. There weren't a whole lot of times that this happened, but it always seemed to be during those times that I would lose interest then "mentally" come back.

Overall though, this book was highly entertaining and I found myself only listening to it during the daylight hours because I was afraid that that story would become "too scary" for me when daylight ended. Funnily enough, I also listened to this while on a few walks and was scared shitless when a lady came out of nowhere and passed by me powerwalking. I had just been thinking to myself that if someone were to walk up to me out of their yard, I would end up freaked out because I wouldn't know they were coming. Low and behold, a woman came out of nowhere and made me slap my hand over my heart and say, "Oh my God!! You startled me!" This may not be a good book for listening to while walking! :) ( )

I read this because of the sequel that's due out later this year. Very much the same as the film except the ending which I won't tell you about, you'll just have to go read the book, it's actually entirely different and a much more satisfying ending in my view.

The slow creep of madness and ratcheting up of desperation and terror is felt much more deeply over the course of the novel than the film I thought. I really enjoyed this.

Excellent stuff. Can't wait for Doctor Sleep. ( )

Like much of Stephen King's work, The Shining requires a lot of time and perseverance to get to the good stuff. His verbose is indulgently descriptive and his long set-up leaves nothing to the imagination. At times, it can feel a bit dry. All of that aside, this is still truly one of my favorite horror novels.

The book itself is split into five sections. The first two, Prefatory Matters and Closing Day, are focused on background information and character development. Not quite snore-worthy, but close. When you finally flip the page to the third section, from the first word the book is transformed into an all-consuming black hole. It is completely engrossing from that moment on.

King's characters are like-able, well-developed and as alive as The Overlook hotel itself. This is a book that will haunt you all the way to its explosive finish. ( )

Like much of Stephen King's work, The Shining requires a lot of time and perseverance to get to the good stuff. His verbose is indulgently descriptive and his long set-up leaves nothing to the imagination. At times, it can feel a bit dry. All of that aside, this is still truly one of my favorite horror novels.

The book itself is split into five sections. The first two, Prefatory Matters and Closing Day, are focused on background information and character development. Not quite snore-worthy, but close. When you finally flip the page to the third section, from the first word the book is transformed into an all-consuming black hole. It is completely engrossing from that moment on.

King's characters are like-able, well-developed and as alive as The Overlook hotel itself. This is a book that will haunt you all the way to its explosive finish. ( )

I'd seen the movie a few times and always loved it, one of the best horror movies ever made. Basically I wanted to explore the plot a little more and initially that's what I was doing. There was some more background to the story and a bit more about the 'shining', which promised to be intriguing but as I progressed this book started to drag more and more. Some parts were really long winded and at times the writing style irked me, so I really had to force myself to finish it.

Of course, even though the book is not exactly the same as the film, I reckon that knowing what is going to happen is fairly damaging for the enjoyment of a horror book. Still, for me, The Shining was underwhelming. Must admit I'm disappointed, considering how much I love the movie. I'll round up to 3 stars because without this the movie wouldn't have existed. Nor the hilarious Simpsons parody. Go crazy? Don't mind if I do!

2.5/5 ( )