Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Pocket Books
Pages
683
Description
Fantasy. Fiction. Horror. Thriller. HTML:#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER �?� Before Doctor Sleep, there was The Shining, a classic of modern American horror from the undisputed master, Stephen King. Jack Torrance�??s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he�??ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote . . . and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-
Series
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1977-01
Physical description
683 p.; 6.75 inches
ISBN
0743424425 / 9780743424424
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member JGolomb
Stephen King’s “The Shining” is an amazing character study that drives a mood-heavy, emotionally deep, and unrelenting literary horror. The story centers on Danny Torrance, a young boy with a unique ability. Termed the 'shine', Danny can sense the future, and communicate mentally and
Stephen King writes ‘childhood’ masterfully. He's able to tap into the emotions of youth, and create evocative realism in their thoughts, dialogue and action. Also found in his magnum opus "It", King places children in extraordinary circumstances; yet still creates very realistic, thoughtful and down-to-earth reactions and behavior.
Also like "It", King explores what makes people different as they grow and mature, both physically and mentally. It’s this difference, this change from youth to adult, which sits at the core of the narrative. A doctor tries to analyze Danny's abilities, and rationalize the relative normality of what Danny's parents feel is extraordinary. Within his description, we view King's premise that certain superhuman capabilities can only be had in youth: "You know, schizoid behavior is a pretty common thing in children. It's accepted, because all we adults have this unspoken agreement that children are lunatics. They have invisible friends. They may go and sit in the closet when they're depressed, withdrawing from the world. They attach talismanic importance to a special blanket, or a teddy bear, or a stuffed tiger. They suck their thumbs. When an adult sees things that aren't there, we consider him ready for the rubber room. When a child says he's seen a troll in his bedroom or a vampire outside the window, we simply smile indulgently. We have a one-sentence explanation that explains the whole range of such phenomena in children--" "He'll grown out of it," responds Danny's father.
Danny is resilient, strong and vulnerable. He is often overwhelmed by his 'shine', but manages through. And while this capability is largely internalized, his mother Wendy is aware of her boy's uniqueness, “…she was in awe of her child—awe in the strict meaning of that word: a kind of undefined superstitious dread.”
In the character of Jack Torrance, Danny's father, King is clearly working through his own battles with alcohol. His personal demons become Jack Torrance’s and translate into wonderfully evocative internal monologue. As the book draws to a conclusion, one seems to be reading the insights of a fastly deteriorating mind-- what's inside a brain blurred by alcohol, and soaked in spirits (both liquid and ethereal).
King often turns his stories around the craft of writing, and unsurprisingly captures the essence of the tortured author in Jack. As Jack deals with his internal demons fueled by alcohol, and emotional monsters fed by an abusive father, King explores the nexus of abusive and violent behavior. He explores the human condition as it relates to self-control, and self-awareness, or lack thereof; when ones baser nature breaks loose. As caretaker of The Overlook Hotel, Jack repairs a section of roof and discovers a massive wasps nest embedded at the roofline. As Jack attempts to destroy the angry hive, King uses the wasps as a metaphor for Jack's violence (from his own father and toward his son, Danny) - a theme that recurs throughout the story. Jack ponders, "When you unwittingly stuck your hand into the wasps' nest, you hadn't made a covenant with the devil to give up your civilized self with its trappings of love, respect and honor. It just happened to you. Passively, with no say, you ceased to be a creature of the mind and became a creature of the nerve endings; from college-educated man to wailing ape in five easy seconds."
We learn early in the story that Jack, in a fit of range, broke Danny's arm when the toddler made a mess of his office. Jack lives with the image of a version of himself that had the capacity to inflict such a horror on his own little boy. The rational side feels that never again can he allow such a thing to happen, but it's clear that Jack is not always in full control of his faculties. There is no internalized redemption for ones past sins. They're just saved and kept hidden and out of sight; a destructive force, a menace, waiting for the next release of energy. The question King seems to raise is whether that force will target oneself or another.
The crux of King's dramatic (and horrific) tension is how he teases out just enough information to propel the plot and build the reader's suspense while obfuscating an equal amount detail by filtering the context through the eyes and understanding of a child. It's King's balance of the real and surreal, the normal and abnormal that drive the elements of horror in this novel.
If you’re familiar with the Stanley Kubrick movie version of the story, you’ll find much the same story arc. In the book, the details are sharper and the themes more poignant. This is an amazing book…ranking a close number 2 of everything I’ve read from King, right behind ‘It’. Don’t hesitate to pick this up.
Show More
emotionally with his inner self and other people, alive, and sometimes less so. Stephen King writes ‘childhood’ masterfully. He's able to tap into the emotions of youth, and create evocative realism in their thoughts, dialogue and action. Also found in his magnum opus "It", King places children in extraordinary circumstances; yet still creates very realistic, thoughtful and down-to-earth reactions and behavior.
Also like "It", King explores what makes people different as they grow and mature, both physically and mentally. It’s this difference, this change from youth to adult, which sits at the core of the narrative. A doctor tries to analyze Danny's abilities, and rationalize the relative normality of what Danny's parents feel is extraordinary. Within his description, we view King's premise that certain superhuman capabilities can only be had in youth: "You know, schizoid behavior is a pretty common thing in children. It's accepted, because all we adults have this unspoken agreement that children are lunatics. They have invisible friends. They may go and sit in the closet when they're depressed, withdrawing from the world. They attach talismanic importance to a special blanket, or a teddy bear, or a stuffed tiger. They suck their thumbs. When an adult sees things that aren't there, we consider him ready for the rubber room. When a child says he's seen a troll in his bedroom or a vampire outside the window, we simply smile indulgently. We have a one-sentence explanation that explains the whole range of such phenomena in children--" "He'll grown out of it," responds Danny's father.
Danny is resilient, strong and vulnerable. He is often overwhelmed by his 'shine', but manages through. And while this capability is largely internalized, his mother Wendy is aware of her boy's uniqueness, “…she was in awe of her child—awe in the strict meaning of that word: a kind of undefined superstitious dread.”
In the character of Jack Torrance, Danny's father, King is clearly working through his own battles with alcohol. His personal demons become Jack Torrance’s and translate into wonderfully evocative internal monologue. As the book draws to a conclusion, one seems to be reading the insights of a fastly deteriorating mind-- what's inside a brain blurred by alcohol, and soaked in spirits (both liquid and ethereal).
King often turns his stories around the craft of writing, and unsurprisingly captures the essence of the tortured author in Jack. As Jack deals with his internal demons fueled by alcohol, and emotional monsters fed by an abusive father, King explores the nexus of abusive and violent behavior. He explores the human condition as it relates to self-control, and self-awareness, or lack thereof; when ones baser nature breaks loose. As caretaker of The Overlook Hotel, Jack repairs a section of roof and discovers a massive wasps nest embedded at the roofline. As Jack attempts to destroy the angry hive, King uses the wasps as a metaphor for Jack's violence (from his own father and toward his son, Danny) - a theme that recurs throughout the story. Jack ponders, "When you unwittingly stuck your hand into the wasps' nest, you hadn't made a covenant with the devil to give up your civilized self with its trappings of love, respect and honor. It just happened to you. Passively, with no say, you ceased to be a creature of the mind and became a creature of the nerve endings; from college-educated man to wailing ape in five easy seconds."
We learn early in the story that Jack, in a fit of range, broke Danny's arm when the toddler made a mess of his office. Jack lives with the image of a version of himself that had the capacity to inflict such a horror on his own little boy. The rational side feels that never again can he allow such a thing to happen, but it's clear that Jack is not always in full control of his faculties. There is no internalized redemption for ones past sins. They're just saved and kept hidden and out of sight; a destructive force, a menace, waiting for the next release of energy. The question King seems to raise is whether that force will target oneself or another.
The crux of King's dramatic (and horrific) tension is how he teases out just enough information to propel the plot and build the reader's suspense while obfuscating an equal amount detail by filtering the context through the eyes and understanding of a child. It's King's balance of the real and surreal, the normal and abnormal that drive the elements of horror in this novel.
If you’re familiar with the Stanley Kubrick movie version of the story, you’ll find much the same story arc. In the book, the details are sharper and the themes more poignant. This is an amazing book…ranking a close number 2 of everything I’ve read from King, right behind ‘It’. Don’t hesitate to pick this up.
Show Less
LibraryThing member jseger9000
Without a doubt, The Shining is Stephen King’s best novel (okay, maybe it's in a dead heat with It), though it isn’t my personal favorite. The themes and characterizations are all expertly handled and mesh well together with one of the best hooks any horror novel has ever had.
The elegant
This year the caretaker has a family with him. Jack Torrence, a troubled alcoholic with a sometimes violent temper; his wife Wendy and their son Danny, who is gifted with a sixth sense, or a ‘shine’.
Since his cast is so small (especially compared to the whole town portrayed in his previous novel: ’Salem’s Lot), King is able to spend ample amounts of time building his characters into fully realized and ‘real’ people. You empathize with Jack. He is a deeply troubled guy, with a dark background trying to do his best while under attack from an outside malevolent force.
Stephen King proves he’s more than a hack thriller writer with Danny, a believable (to me) five year old character. The sections written from Danny’s point of view were never saccharine or cloying. Danny has trouble with concepts that we as the reader understand and that was handled very well.
All this talk of quality characterization shouldn’t lead you to think that The Shining isn’t scary. The Overlook is a masterpiece of a haunted house. Complete with a suitably nasty back-story and tons of atmosphere once the final (living) guests have checked out and Danny’s ‘shine’ was a brilliant mechanic to make the sometimes… dry... scares of normal haunted house stories much more visceral.
One flaw I had with the novel was that the ending felt a bit rushed. Still, it's a pretty minor criticism. It may just come down to personal preference. Overall, The Shining is a modern day masterpiece of a horror novel.
The elegant
Show More
Overlook hotel closes down every winter due to the extremely harsh weather. For six months out of the year it is cut off from the outside world, usually occupied by a single caretaker. Of course, every hotel has its share of ghosts…This year the caretaker has a family with him. Jack Torrence, a troubled alcoholic with a sometimes violent temper; his wife Wendy and their son Danny, who is gifted with a sixth sense, or a ‘shine’.
Since his cast is so small (especially compared to the whole town portrayed in his previous novel: ’Salem’s Lot), King is able to spend ample amounts of time building his characters into fully realized and ‘real’ people. You empathize with Jack. He is a deeply troubled guy, with a dark background trying to do his best while under attack from an outside malevolent force.
Stephen King proves he’s more than a hack thriller writer with Danny, a believable (to me) five year old character. The sections written from Danny’s point of view were never saccharine or cloying. Danny has trouble with concepts that we as the reader understand and that was handled very well.
All this talk of quality characterization shouldn’t lead you to think that The Shining isn’t scary. The Overlook is a masterpiece of a haunted house. Complete with a suitably nasty back-story and tons of atmosphere once the final (living) guests have checked out and Danny’s ‘shine’ was a brilliant mechanic to make the sometimes… dry... scares of normal haunted house stories much more visceral.
One flaw I had with the novel was that the ending felt a bit rushed. Still, it's a pretty minor criticism. It may just come down to personal preference. Overall, The Shining is a modern day masterpiece of a horror novel.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BenDV
I've decided to make it a personal policy of mine to always have a Stephen King novel on my shelf. Having recently read three works of very dry and not all that good science-fiction, I was in the mood for an accessible, character-driven novel that would re-energise me and thus make me more willing
Most will probably be familiar with the story of this novel thanks to the Stanley Kubrick film, so I won't bother reiterating it. If you have seen the film but haven't read the novel, don't let that put you off reading it as they're very different experiences. The novel has a massive amount of detail that could not be captured in a two-hour film, mainly in the development of the characters (Jack and Wendy Torrance are also just generally very different in terms of personality). There's also a different take on the involvement of the supernatural, and the ending is somewhat different too. There's more than enough to make the two very distinct experiences.
The Shining really is an excellent novel. I had been a bit let down by my first venture into King's work, The Stand; it fell apart toward the end, and there were so many characters King seemed to have a hard time juggling them all. These aren't problems here; The Shining has three main characters, one secondary character, and a very focused story. There is a lot of emotion in King's exploration of the back stories of the three Torrance's, and just like in the film the 'horror' scenes are wonderfully tense (though also very different). Undoubtedly the best are those in Room 217; Danny's experience here is not shown in the film, but in the book it is truly chilling. King draws out the events around that room in a very effective fashion, such that every mention of it raises the tension just a little bit.
One suggestion I have with this book; read it quickly. Try and get through it in under a week. I say this because the events in this book (or at least the second half) happen over a rather short space of time, but if you don't read it quickly and keep close track of events you may not appreciate this. The tension of the story may seem to ebb and flow. I was fairly busy when I read it, and it took two weeks to get through; this was the result. Then when I looked back through it, I realised the pace of events, and I had just been forgetting the details.
The Shining has succeeded where The Stand failed; it has made me highly enthusiastic about Stephen King's novels. I can't imagine there is any better starting point.
Show More
to tackle more difficult pieces of literature. King has a reputation for character-driven, exciting stories, and The Shining has more than justified this.Most will probably be familiar with the story of this novel thanks to the Stanley Kubrick film, so I won't bother reiterating it. If you have seen the film but haven't read the novel, don't let that put you off reading it as they're very different experiences. The novel has a massive amount of detail that could not be captured in a two-hour film, mainly in the development of the characters (Jack and Wendy Torrance are also just generally very different in terms of personality). There's also a different take on the involvement of the supernatural, and the ending is somewhat different too. There's more than enough to make the two very distinct experiences.
The Shining really is an excellent novel. I had been a bit let down by my first venture into King's work, The Stand; it fell apart toward the end, and there were so many characters King seemed to have a hard time juggling them all. These aren't problems here; The Shining has three main characters, one secondary character, and a very focused story. There is a lot of emotion in King's exploration of the back stories of the three Torrance's, and just like in the film the 'horror' scenes are wonderfully tense (though also very different). Undoubtedly the best are those in Room 217; Danny's experience here is not shown in the film, but in the book it is truly chilling. King draws out the events around that room in a very effective fashion, such that every mention of it raises the tension just a little bit.
One suggestion I have with this book; read it quickly. Try and get through it in under a week. I say this because the events in this book (or at least the second half) happen over a rather short space of time, but if you don't read it quickly and keep close track of events you may not appreciate this. The tension of the story may seem to ebb and flow. I was fairly busy when I read it, and it took two weeks to get through; this was the result. Then when I looked back through it, I realised the pace of events, and I had just been forgetting the details.
The Shining has succeeded where The Stand failed; it has made me highly enthusiastic about Stephen King's novels. I can't imagine there is any better starting point.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nyoung84
Reviewing The Shining without bias might be difficult for me. I decided to read it for two reasons: one, because I love Stephen King and this is one of the classics, but also, frankly, because I hated the Kubrick adaptation.
I heard that Stephen King also hated the movie, so I thought I’d give the
The movie explains nothing. It’s a well-directed jumble of randomly picked horror tricks with no sense and no explanation. I was hoping this was just a failure of translation, but I went into the book with reservations. I was pleasantly surprised.
The plot outdid my expectations. I had a few questions I wanted answered from the beginning, and it answered all those and more. There are a few lingering questions I have, which is why I give a rating of 4/5, but they’re just ambiguities – not inconsistencies. That is a key difference for my judgement of the success of a plot. I’m alright with not knowing a few background details of the Overlook hotel, though I wish I did, because the details I do have fit together and make sense with and of each other.
But what makes a Stephen King novel great is usually not the plot – the plot is just the structure. Rather, it’s the characters. I love and hate Jack, I love Wendy and Danny and Mr. Hallorann, despite their flaws. I feel like I know them and understand them. They’re beautifully human, with incredible strength and tragic weakness and endless lovability. The characters make sense, which helps make sense of the plot. Even in the thriller and horror genres, character is perhaps the most important aspect – if the characters are not believable, or you just don’t care about them, you won’t care about the book. Stephen King never fails on this point.
The Shining succeeds as a thriller, and at times as horror. My heart-rate shot up at times, and I definitely had to put the book away when my power started flickering in and out (great time for a windstorm, amirite?). The imagery is perfect, the descriptions vivid and relatable. When I read a scene by Stephen King in which scary things are happening – ghosts coming after a beloved character, for example – I often feel like I’m watching a horror movie. Except, of course, that I don’t have to hide under a blanket, because I’m a little less of a weenie when it comes to books. But Stephen King’s style is effective, his prose at times beautiful and at times terrifying and all the time exactly what the scene calls for.
The Shining lives up to its reputation. It’ll frighten you, sadden you, make you smile, make you laugh. Unlike the movie, it has depth – it’s not a cheap bag of horror tricks. Whether you like horror or not, the Torrance family is worth a shot.
I heard that Stephen King also hated the movie, so I thought I’d give the
Show More
book a shot. I had a few questions for the book based on my distaste for the movie, but all the questions boil down to the same thing – what in the hell is going on?The movie explains nothing. It’s a well-directed jumble of randomly picked horror tricks with no sense and no explanation. I was hoping this was just a failure of translation, but I went into the book with reservations. I was pleasantly surprised.
The plot outdid my expectations. I had a few questions I wanted answered from the beginning, and it answered all those and more. There are a few lingering questions I have, which is why I give a rating of 4/5, but they’re just ambiguities – not inconsistencies. That is a key difference for my judgement of the success of a plot. I’m alright with not knowing a few background details of the Overlook hotel, though I wish I did, because the details I do have fit together and make sense with and of each other.
But what makes a Stephen King novel great is usually not the plot – the plot is just the structure. Rather, it’s the characters. I love and hate Jack, I love Wendy and Danny and Mr. Hallorann, despite their flaws. I feel like I know them and understand them. They’re beautifully human, with incredible strength and tragic weakness and endless lovability. The characters make sense, which helps make sense of the plot. Even in the thriller and horror genres, character is perhaps the most important aspect – if the characters are not believable, or you just don’t care about them, you won’t care about the book. Stephen King never fails on this point.
The Shining succeeds as a thriller, and at times as horror. My heart-rate shot up at times, and I definitely had to put the book away when my power started flickering in and out (great time for a windstorm, amirite?). The imagery is perfect, the descriptions vivid and relatable. When I read a scene by Stephen King in which scary things are happening – ghosts coming after a beloved character, for example – I often feel like I’m watching a horror movie. Except, of course, that I don’t have to hide under a blanket, because I’m a little less of a weenie when it comes to books. But Stephen King’s style is effective, his prose at times beautiful and at times terrifying and all the time exactly what the scene calls for.
The Shining lives up to its reputation. It’ll frighten you, sadden you, make you smile, make you laugh. Unlike the movie, it has depth – it’s not a cheap bag of horror tricks. Whether you like horror or not, the Torrance family is worth a shot.
Show Less
LibraryThing member PhoebeReading
Thanks to the Kubrick film adaptation, Stephen King's third novel has become so firmly planted in the consciousness of Americans that I had expected the story to feel well-worn and predictable; after all, a camp counselor had recited the film's plot in lieu of a more traditional scary story to me
Show More
and a bunch of other campers when I was nine (nightmares, of course, ensued).However, the story of Jack Torrence, struggling writer, his psychic son, and the claustrophobic Overlook Hotel differ significantly from what we find in the film--there's no "Here's Johnny", no hedge maze, no "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." And strangely, the absence of these tropes has no impact on the quality of the story. King crafts a vivid, if somewhat messy narrative. The plot has a sprawling, gritty, and terrifyingly possible feel. Every character (even minor characters that crop up in the novel's second half, like the chatty older hippie woman encountered by Dick Hallorann on the plane) is well-developed and absolutely believable, with clearly deeply developed histories that are often only hinted at. It's King's later work--from Misery to Lisey's Story--rather than the Kubrick film that make this feel a bit dog-eared and repetitive. He'd later return to the themes of alcoholism, abusive parents, and struggling writers again and again and again. A place not unlike the Overlook even crops up in Lisey's Story. However, he did it first and best in The Shining, and despite the fact that these themes have subsequently become King cliches, this is nevertheless both a terrifying and touching read. Show Less
LibraryThing member bardsfingertips
This reread was really fascinating for me. There were a lot of little things I remembered (chewing Excedrin tablets) and many things that were very unfamiliar despite my relatively active memory. Anyway, I loved reading this book. Knowing what I know now about Mister King's life when he was that
A lot of people have a shared problem with The Shining: it is far too dense. I disagree completely on the mere fact it is not just a suspense novel, and nor is it just a horror novel: it's an exploration of the psychology of being a parent and of addiction. I feel that the breadth that is practiced therein is necessary for that exploration. As much as I can say there is usually a King formulae, Stephen King does not adhere to any preexisting formulae when it comes to fiction. With that in mind, I am happy that a novel with such a small cast of characters has such dense prose. After all, it's not always easy to explore your own demons.
Show More
young and writing this turning-point novel, a lot of it makes me sense to me. I think he wrote it before meeting the demons of his own alcoholism and various addictions. It was also at this time his kids were still really young, so you can ponder his own frustrations of being a parent through the avatar of Jack.A lot of people have a shared problem with The Shining: it is far too dense. I disagree completely on the mere fact it is not just a suspense novel, and nor is it just a horror novel: it's an exploration of the psychology of being a parent and of addiction. I feel that the breadth that is practiced therein is necessary for that exploration. As much as I can say there is usually a King formulae, Stephen King does not adhere to any preexisting formulae when it comes to fiction. With that in mind, I am happy that a novel with such a small cast of characters has such dense prose. After all, it's not always easy to explore your own demons.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Momtosamandliv
Hands down the scariest book I have ever read. OK, it was October, in the evenings, after work when I read it, and it didn't help that I was soaking in the bath tub when I read the bath tub scene, but still, King masterfully develops the mental images then lingers artfully until the image is
Show More
unshakable...I have never loved being creeped out so much! The characters are so believable, and likable, even Jack...to a point. Highly recommend reading this one, in the dark, alone, and in a tub if you can :-) Show Less
LibraryThing member OscarWilde87
Stephen King's The Shining was published in 1977 as the author's third novel. It is as much about a hotel, The Overlook, as it is about the life of a family, the Torrances. The Overlook is a mountain hotel in Colorado which has a history of changing ownerships and strange goings-on. The hotel being
The book gets its title from a special ability that certain people have which is called the 'shining' or the 'shine' in the novel. The 'shining' allows those who have it to communicate with other people by reading their thoughts and sending some sort of thought messages back. The novel depicts several characters who 'shine', among them the hotel cook Dick Hallorann and Danny and Wendy Torrance. The ability to 'shine' obviously plays an important role. First, the Overlook Hotel seems to have only little influence on people who have this ability. Jack Torrance, who is in the beginning said to have no shining at all, slowly succumbs to the hotel's will while Jack's wife and son feel that there is something terribly wrong with the hotel but always resist its temptations to violence and murder. Also, Dick Hallorann resists the hotel's command to kill Danny and Wendy in the end. Second, once the CB and telephone lines are destroyed Danny's shining is the only way of communicating with the outside world. Without his special ability he would not have been able to call for Dick Hallorann's help.
The Shining is on the 1001 books you must read before you die list. Although being on this list is far from saying something about the quality or literary merit of a book, this novel is definitely not among the best of King's works to my mind. A lot of time is spent on the build-up to the final catastrophe and the background story of the Overlook Hotel. While this background is certainly relevant to understand the novel, the ratio of background and actual plot is somewhat off to my mind. One can certainly read the novel as a character study of Jack Torrance but it lacks something. I cannot really put my finger on it but I assume that the book did just not live up to my expectations. Having read several of King's novels I probably expected many different characters, which this book does not have. I'm not saying that this aspect makes it a bad novel. Rather, I find the handling of a multitude of characters is one of King's strengths as an author and he did not use it in The Shining.
An interesting aspect for a re-read would be a focus on the forces that drive the Overlook and make it become alive. Towards the end I was much reminded of King's recurring theme of the 'Crimson King'. In many novels, for instance in the whole Dark Tower Series, the 'Crimson King' is a satanic figure that always remains in the background and controls certain people and events. One of these people might be the mysterious character of Harry Derwent, although I would have expected him to have RF as his initials since they are quite often associated with the 'Crimson King' in King's novels (for example 'Randall Flagg'). When the Overlook explodes the descriptions revolve around black ashes in the form of a manta combined with the orange and red color of the flames. Another aspect about color imagery is the vivid and colorful description of blood and the hotel's interior design. There are also many passages containing dark figures hiding behind corners but being magically gone when looked at. Finally, there is the repetitive cry of “Unmask! Unmask!” which also reminded me of the 'Crimson King' and his many masks or faces.
On the whole, The Shining did not live up to my expectations. Nevertheless, it is a fairly good novel. 3 stars.
Show More
closed in winter, Jack Torrance is hired as the caretaker to see it through the off-season without bigger damage. For Jack Torrance and his family, that is his wife Wendy and his son Danny, this is one of the last chances to make a living and come closer as a family again. Jack is an unsuccessful author with writer's block who has a past of violence and alcohol abuse that both put a strain on the relationship to his wife. When he finds a scrapbook about the history of the Overlook in the hotel's basement, Jack learns about several murders committed in the hotel. A former caretaker who also spent the winter at the Overlook went mad and killed his family and eventually himself. Intrigued by the scrapbook, Jack tries to find out as much about the hotel as possible in order to write a book about it. In the process, the Overlook gets into his head and influences his thoughts. When past and present finally fall into one, Jack plots to kill his family, seeing them as the main hindrance to his success in life.The book gets its title from a special ability that certain people have which is called the 'shining' or the 'shine' in the novel. The 'shining' allows those who have it to communicate with other people by reading their thoughts and sending some sort of thought messages back. The novel depicts several characters who 'shine', among them the hotel cook Dick Hallorann and Danny and Wendy Torrance. The ability to 'shine' obviously plays an important role. First, the Overlook Hotel seems to have only little influence on people who have this ability. Jack Torrance, who is in the beginning said to have no shining at all, slowly succumbs to the hotel's will while Jack's wife and son feel that there is something terribly wrong with the hotel but always resist its temptations to violence and murder. Also, Dick Hallorann resists the hotel's command to kill Danny and Wendy in the end. Second, once the CB and telephone lines are destroyed Danny's shining is the only way of communicating with the outside world. Without his special ability he would not have been able to call for Dick Hallorann's help.
The Shining is on the 1001 books you must read before you die list. Although being on this list is far from saying something about the quality or literary merit of a book, this novel is definitely not among the best of King's works to my mind. A lot of time is spent on the build-up to the final catastrophe and the background story of the Overlook Hotel. While this background is certainly relevant to understand the novel, the ratio of background and actual plot is somewhat off to my mind. One can certainly read the novel as a character study of Jack Torrance but it lacks something. I cannot really put my finger on it but I assume that the book did just not live up to my expectations. Having read several of King's novels I probably expected many different characters, which this book does not have. I'm not saying that this aspect makes it a bad novel. Rather, I find the handling of a multitude of characters is one of King's strengths as an author and he did not use it in The Shining.
An interesting aspect for a re-read would be a focus on the forces that drive the Overlook and make it become alive. Towards the end I was much reminded of King's recurring theme of the 'Crimson King'. In many novels, for instance in the whole Dark Tower Series, the 'Crimson King' is a satanic figure that always remains in the background and controls certain people and events. One of these people might be the mysterious character of Harry Derwent, although I would have expected him to have RF as his initials since they are quite often associated with the 'Crimson King' in King's novels (for example 'Randall Flagg'). When the Overlook explodes the descriptions revolve around black ashes in the form of a manta combined with the orange and red color of the flames. Another aspect about color imagery is the vivid and colorful description of blood and the hotel's interior design. There are also many passages containing dark figures hiding behind corners but being magically gone when looked at. Finally, there is the repetitive cry of “Unmask! Unmask!” which also reminded me of the 'Crimson King' and his many masks or faces.
On the whole, The Shining did not live up to my expectations. Nevertheless, it is a fairly good novel. 3 stars.
Show Less
LibraryThing member TheGrandWorldofBooks
Woah...this book was scary! Not that I'm probably telling anybody anything they don't know, but I just feel like I can't say it enough. I read it in October because I wanted a good scare for Halloween, and that is exactly what I got, and boy, was it fantastic?!
I have just 2 complaints, the 1st of
The second of which being that the parts in parentheses were somewhat distracting. And apparently the Kindle edition was not converted as well as it should have been, because parts that were supposed to be in quotations inside parentheses were not...instead they were surrounded by question marks or exclamation points. And because of the parts in parentheses in general, I often found myself going back to the original sentence to catch up with what it should be saying.
For the scariness factor, I really expected the book to be a nonstop scare-fest. Which, of course, it wasn't. Up until somewhere probably around 70% or so, there were just little pockets of terror...which I realize were just preparing me for the scare-fest to come. And it was glorious! Once it started, I simply could not stop reading...I was like a woman possessed. I HAD to know what was going to happen. It felt like the fate of the characters depended on my continuing to read.
Overall, I loved this book!! I loved Danny's character...he was very interesting, and quite an amazing little boy. But still vulnerable at times, which I think is important. And I liked Wendy, too, though I think she should have just divorced Jack outright. But then we wouldn't have had a story, either. I thought Jack was terrible. And maybe that's unfair, all things considered, but I just couldn't bring myself to like him.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good scare. It provides a great story and a great scare all in one package.
I have just 2 complaints, the 1st of
Show More
which being that at one point in the book, Danny knows the word "abrogated" (which means repeal or do away with...I had to look it up), but he calls the Presidential Suite, the Presidential "Sweet". Now, I know his parents never "talked down" to him, but I still wonder how he would know how to use abrogated. But in the overall excellence of the book, I really feel this is more of a minor point than a major one. The second of which being that the parts in parentheses were somewhat distracting. And apparently the Kindle edition was not converted as well as it should have been, because parts that were supposed to be in quotations inside parentheses were not...instead they were surrounded by question marks or exclamation points. And because of the parts in parentheses in general, I often found myself going back to the original sentence to catch up with what it should be saying.
For the scariness factor, I really expected the book to be a nonstop scare-fest. Which, of course, it wasn't. Up until somewhere probably around 70% or so, there were just little pockets of terror...which I realize were just preparing me for the scare-fest to come. And it was glorious! Once it started, I simply could not stop reading...I was like a woman possessed. I HAD to know what was going to happen. It felt like the fate of the characters depended on my continuing to read.
Overall, I loved this book!! I loved Danny's character...he was very interesting, and quite an amazing little boy. But still vulnerable at times, which I think is important. And I liked Wendy, too, though I think she should have just divorced Jack outright. But then we wouldn't have had a story, either. I thought Jack was terrible. And maybe that's unfair, all things considered, but I just couldn't bring myself to like him.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good scare. It provides a great story and a great scare all in one package.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sublunarie
I am so happy.
I was never a fan of the film version of The Shining. I had given it a go, but it it always felt like something was lacking. I know it's supposed to be some classic cult horror masterpiece, but I was never able to see it that way.
About a year ago I watched Room 217, the documentary
And here I am in 2015, and I've finally gone back to the start. And not only does everything make so much more sense now, but I have found I f*ck*ng love this story of the Torrance family and the Overlook Hotel. I love Danny Torrance and Dick Halloran and I love how all of these things are connected through family and through time and space.
It would be impossible to know if I would feel differently about the film had I read the book first. Maybe I'd like it even less because of the way things were omitted or changed (I think that's likely), or maybe I would have appreciated the way it focuses more on the mythology of the Overlook instead of the inherited alcoholism. I'll watch it again soon and see what happens now that I'm armed with the knowledge I have from the book.
Bottom line: This is considered one of King's best novels for a clear reason.
I was never a fan of the film version of The Shining. I had given it a go, but it it always felt like something was lacking. I know it's supposed to be some classic cult horror masterpiece, but I was never able to see it that way.
About a year ago I watched Room 217, the documentary
Show More
about the film version of The Shining that discusses not only the making of but also tons of theories about the story in the film. I really loved that documentary, even though I didn't like the original film. And it got me to thinking that clearly there was something that wasn't being told in the film that was important.And here I am in 2015, and I've finally gone back to the start. And not only does everything make so much more sense now, but I have found I f*ck*ng love this story of the Torrance family and the Overlook Hotel. I love Danny Torrance and Dick Halloran and I love how all of these things are connected through family and through time and space.
It would be impossible to know if I would feel differently about the film had I read the book first. Maybe I'd like it even less because of the way things were omitted or changed (I think that's likely), or maybe I would have appreciated the way it focuses more on the mythology of the Overlook instead of the inherited alcoholism. I'll watch it again soon and see what happens now that I'm armed with the knowledge I have from the book.
Bottom line: This is considered one of King's best novels for a clear reason.
Show Less
LibraryThing member booklove2
Classic horror - I've been meaning to read this one for a few Halloweens but with all the snow in this one, December works too. I'll just have to read something sunny next. I've tried to avoid the movies for this one as I knew I wanted to read the book eventually. This is well written and I'm
Show More
surprised to find it's King's third book. So many books since this one! Though somehow this one wasn't as page flipping fast as some other King books have been. The most interesting thing to me, is the note in my old edition in which King says there was no hotel that inspired the haunting mountain hotel, but since then it has been revealed that the Stanley hotel actually inspired the book. It makes it a bit spookier that King was denying the inspiration... why hide it? What really happened in the Stanley hotel? Sadly, I'm too aware of the movies after all and it seems like some scenes that are probably just common pop-culture knowledge weren't even in the book at all. Hopefully I'll get to the sequel next Halloween... and not a few years from now. Show Less
LibraryThing member Edward.Lorn
Part of the reason I'm rereading all of King's books in chronological order is to watch the progression of a creative mind. I believe The Shining is King's strongest piece, his most well-rounded achievement. Fantastic opening, amazing character development, truly terrifying scenes, and one epic
There are only a handful of authors who can scare me with implication. Point in fact: the hedge animals. I mean, even if the lions had gotten a hold of Hallorann, what were they going to do? Foliage him to death? Still, every single scene involving the hedge animals is terrifying. And you don't even know what they're capable of because their actions are never shown, only implied. Don't even get me started on that f*ck*ng fire hose. Nightmare inducing sh*t...
In summation: If you don't read any other King novel, read this one. That's all I have to say on the subject.
I know this review sucks, but it's also my fourth or fifth time reading this book, so give me a break. I'll do better on the next one, promise.
Show More
ending. No other King book has that combination. Or at least I do not recall one that does. Has my opinion changed? Not yet.There are only a handful of authors who can scare me with implication. Point in fact: the hedge animals. I mean, even if the lions had gotten a hold of Hallorann, what were they going to do? Foliage him to death? Still, every single scene involving the hedge animals is terrifying. And you don't even know what they're capable of because their actions are never shown, only implied. Don't even get me started on that f*ck*ng fire hose. Nightmare inducing sh*t...
In summation: If you don't read any other King novel, read this one. That's all I have to say on the subject.
I know this review sucks, but it's also my fourth or fifth time reading this book, so give me a break. I'll do better on the next one, promise.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cattylj
Stephen King had me crying on like every level while reading this. Crying from terror, crying from heartache, crying from relief. Point is - I was drained when I finished this and had a major book hangover. In a good way.
LibraryThing member musicgurl
Stephen Kings masterpiece ‘The Shining’ is obviously the best horror novel in centuries. ‘The Shining’ is a perfect example of Kings high standard writing. The book will certainly be told decades into the future.
Five year old Danny is a 'shiner', alive with psychic voltage. When Danny’s
As winter blizzards close in, the hotel gains a life of it’s own. If it is supposed to be empty who is the lady in room 217? And who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? Somewhere within this creepy hotel, there is an evil force which is becoming more powerful than ever.
When reading this novel, it captures you in it’s world. It is full of descriptive writing and graphic details. Defiantly not for the faint-hearted audience as the world that Stephen King has wonderfully created imprisons you until finish the novel. This book is one of the must-reads for by the pool on holiday or on a plane.
Five year old Danny is a 'shiner', alive with psychic voltage. When Danny’s
Show More
father gets a job as a caretaker at the old Overlook Hotel, Danny's visions become dangerous.As winter blizzards close in, the hotel gains a life of it’s own. If it is supposed to be empty who is the lady in room 217? And who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? Somewhere within this creepy hotel, there is an evil force which is becoming more powerful than ever.
When reading this novel, it captures you in it’s world. It is full of descriptive writing and graphic details. Defiantly not for the faint-hearted audience as the world that Stephen King has wonderfully created imprisons you until finish the novel. This book is one of the must-reads for by the pool on holiday or on a plane.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Artiluna
This book finally made me understand the draw of Steven King. I had previously read three other novels and been unimpressed, but in The Shining, King's mastery of writing is easily experienced. I was hooked from page one and hesitated every time I was forced to put it down. An absolute must read!
LibraryThing member mainrun
This book came out in the late 1970's, I first read it in the early 1980's, and just re-read it.
I was in my early teens during the first reading, and remember parts of the book: the first meeting between Jack and the Overlook manager, the Hallorann / Danny talk about 'Shining,' the wasps coming to
My thoughts after the first reading was that the book wasn't as scary or exciting as I thought it would be. I remember being bored, especially jack's time talking with the bartender in the lounge. I enjoyed the book much more this time. I enjoyed reading about a destructive, alcoholic person more as a 48 year old than I did as a 13 or 14 year old.
I was in my early teens during the first reading, and remember parts of the book: the first meeting between Jack and the Overlook manager, the Hallorann / Danny talk about 'Shining,' the wasps coming to
Show More
life in Danny's room, Jack's time in the Colorado Lounge, Halloran's snowmobile trip, the redrum thing, the violence with the mallet, and the conclusion. However, there were things I didn't remember: Jack's and Wendy's back story, Tony, how Jack found the wasp nest, the scrapbook & the research Jack did about the Overlook Hotel, and that Jack was a writer/teacher.My thoughts after the first reading was that the book wasn't as scary or exciting as I thought it would be. I remember being bored, especially jack's time talking with the bartender in the lounge. I enjoyed the book much more this time. I enjoyed reading about a destructive, alcoholic person more as a 48 year old than I did as a 13 or 14 year old.
Show Less
LibraryThing member chaghi
I honestly don't know why I didn't read this before. You know, I love Stephen King. I really do. But somehow I haven't read most of his classics yet. Reading The Shining was my first step in my personal quest to fix that. This is what I call a real page turner. Loved it. Every single page of it.
LibraryThing member peterjameswest
I committed the cardinal sin of watching the Shining film several times without actually reading the book. I am a great fan of the Stanley Kubrick's film the Shining, and also a fan of Jack Nicholson.
But as an author myself and a fan of many of Stephen King's stories, I eventually came to reading
The book has certainly lost none of its appeal. It presents the Overlook Hotel, not just as a collection of walls and rooms but as a living entity. The rich history of the hotel provides a fantastic setting for the main characters to unfold.
The original story is quite different from the the films that followed, perhaps explaining Stephen's apparent dislike of them. Although the setting is the same, the films have ignored large sections of the book and added many sections that aren't present in the book. This is probably an ongoing friction between authors and screen-writers. The latter is 'based on' the former but veers off where it pleases.
But the book is a highly entertaining read, frightening in places and very good at leaving the reader in a sort of tense apprehensive state, wondering what will happen next. The characters were good and the story was strong. The setting adds great atmosphere and the book shows the early talent of King as it was just being unfolded many years ago. Since then he has learnt many new tricks and produced story after story becoming one of the most prolific story writers of out time.
I'm not sure what Stephen thinks when he looks back at his early work, no doubt there will be bits here and there he wouldn't do the same way with hindsight, but this book still stands out as a great story even many years after it was first written. No doubt it'll be here for many years to come also.
At the start of the book there is a new introduction where Stephen describes how the book came about and what it meant to him at the time. It was a turning point in his career where he could have played safe but went the extra mile to take risks and produce a story that is greater than the sum of its parts.
I highly recommend this book to any reader, not just horror fans.
Shine on
But as an author myself and a fan of many of Stephen King's stories, I eventually came to reading
Show More
the Shining book rather a long time after it was written.The book has certainly lost none of its appeal. It presents the Overlook Hotel, not just as a collection of walls and rooms but as a living entity. The rich history of the hotel provides a fantastic setting for the main characters to unfold.
The original story is quite different from the the films that followed, perhaps explaining Stephen's apparent dislike of them. Although the setting is the same, the films have ignored large sections of the book and added many sections that aren't present in the book. This is probably an ongoing friction between authors and screen-writers. The latter is 'based on' the former but veers off where it pleases.
But the book is a highly entertaining read, frightening in places and very good at leaving the reader in a sort of tense apprehensive state, wondering what will happen next. The characters were good and the story was strong. The setting adds great atmosphere and the book shows the early talent of King as it was just being unfolded many years ago. Since then he has learnt many new tricks and produced story after story becoming one of the most prolific story writers of out time.
I'm not sure what Stephen thinks when he looks back at his early work, no doubt there will be bits here and there he wouldn't do the same way with hindsight, but this book still stands out as a great story even many years after it was first written. No doubt it'll be here for many years to come also.
At the start of the book there is a new introduction where Stephen describes how the book came about and what it meant to him at the time. It was a turning point in his career where he could have played safe but went the extra mile to take risks and produce a story that is greater than the sum of its parts.
I highly recommend this book to any reader, not just horror fans.
Shine on
Show Less
LibraryThing member DChurch71
I remember reading this ironically during a winter snow storm that left stranded one weekend. I curled up with this book and was sucked by the haunting story and with my snowy surroundings it made the book seem so surreal. The book conveys Jack Torrence's descent into madness in a way that can not
Show More
be drawn out successfully on the silver screen. Just reading his thoughts while he was going mad really made him such a diverse & interesting character. It is thoughts that we all have had randomly in our lives but would never act on or admit to having them. This is one of the first books I ever read (not counting the ones you are forced to reading in school & college) own my own for pleasure. This started my obsession with reading, so it will always remain one of my favorites. Show Less
LibraryThing member jmourgos
Stephen King’s The Shining
I thought I was familiar with this story when I watched the Jack Nicholson film many years ago, but I was totally wrong!
The book is about Danny, which the Kubrick film (although well-made) completely misses. Danny is the most powerful psychic in these parts and the kid
Jack was a teacher but also loved binge drinking with his buddy Al. One day they ran into a bike on the road. No person on it, just a bike. They both have an epiphany that they need to go cold turkey. How the bike arrived there is not explained, but is probably something Danny put there?
Fascinating workings of Jack’s mind throughout – his alcoholism, his fits of violence, and a few pages devoted to his father who, like Jack, did some pretty damaging things to his family.
The Overlook is a summer resort hotel with a mysterious past. Jack gets a job there as a caretaker and finds that the previous one killed his family and then himself. Not gonna happen to him though. OK!
And Wendy, which character seems very weak-willed and only turns on the guns when her motherly instincts turn on. The story is grerat when I have to yell at the book for Wendy to not go into the hall! And how can she carry a knife and not use it while Jacks beats on her?
History and Hysteria
Loved the Overlook’s mysterious parts – the woman in the bathtub, the 70 years of haunts floating through the halls, the mysterious barkeep who fuels up Jack into fits of rage and to prove Jack is in fact managerial material.
Finally King’s black cook, Dick Hallorann, a man who shines but not nearly as much as Danny. Disappointing as I was hoping for a white horse riding in and saving the day. They were lucky to get away with their lives.
Bottom Line:
Horror, when done right, is fast-paced and takes your breath away. King does this in spades.
Can’t wait for Doctor Sleep!
I thought I was familiar with this story when I watched the Jack Nicholson film many years ago, but I was totally wrong!
The book is about Danny, which the Kubrick film (although well-made) completely misses. Danny is the most powerful psychic in these parts and the kid
Show More
broadcasts out like crazy. He can read minds but still has a little kid’s attitude and does not have the maturity to handle such a gift (or curse?).Jack was a teacher but also loved binge drinking with his buddy Al. One day they ran into a bike on the road. No person on it, just a bike. They both have an epiphany that they need to go cold turkey. How the bike arrived there is not explained, but is probably something Danny put there?
Fascinating workings of Jack’s mind throughout – his alcoholism, his fits of violence, and a few pages devoted to his father who, like Jack, did some pretty damaging things to his family.
The Overlook is a summer resort hotel with a mysterious past. Jack gets a job there as a caretaker and finds that the previous one killed his family and then himself. Not gonna happen to him though. OK!
And Wendy, which character seems very weak-willed and only turns on the guns when her motherly instincts turn on. The story is grerat when I have to yell at the book for Wendy to not go into the hall! And how can she carry a knife and not use it while Jacks beats on her?
History and Hysteria
Loved the Overlook’s mysterious parts – the woman in the bathtub, the 70 years of haunts floating through the halls, the mysterious barkeep who fuels up Jack into fits of rage and to prove Jack is in fact managerial material.
Finally King’s black cook, Dick Hallorann, a man who shines but not nearly as much as Danny. Disappointing as I was hoping for a white horse riding in and saving the day. They were lucky to get away with their lives.
Bottom Line:
Horror, when done right, is fast-paced and takes your breath away. King does this in spades.
Can’t wait for Doctor Sleep!
Show Less
LibraryThing member ssimon2000
This was a reread in preparation for the release of the sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleep. I rarely read books over, so this review will be odd...
I first read The Shining in the late 70s, and it was one of the scariest books I've ever read. Now, 36 years later, not so much. Perhaps because of my
Looking forward to Doctor Sleep!
I first read The Shining in the late 70s, and it was one of the scariest books I've ever read. Now, 36 years later, not so much. Perhaps because of my
Show More
own experiences growing up, the terror just wasn't there this second time around. It was scary, but my jaded viewpoint just didn't allow the scenes to jump out this time. Still, it's well-written and a page-turner, but that description fits just about every book Stephen King has ever published. Looking forward to Doctor Sleep!
Show Less
LibraryThing member SebastianHagelstein
The way that Stephen King builds up to the climax and increases the tension makes it even better when the ending does come. Jack doesn't seem evil even though he slowly goes crazy and tries to kill Danny and Wendy.
LibraryThing member mybucketlistofbooks
I don’t read many books in the horror/supernatural genre. The reason for that is I simply do not believe in supernatural occurrences, ghosts etc. I am a skeptic (in the best sense of that word). I have to believe that something is at least plausible before I can enjoy it. Or, the world
It did take a while but I was finally able to disassociate my normal skepticism from the story I was reading - to the point I could really enjoy this book. And, as I was deep into it I realized that everything that happened in the book could potentially be explained without resorting to the supernatural.
Without revealing too much for those that have not read it, The Shining deals with a family (father, mother, son), who move to an isolated Colorado resort where the father will act as the winter caretaker. The premise is the characters and the hotel itself have back stories that begin to manifest themselves in some very horrible ways. Eventually the hotel takes over the mind of the father who it convinces must kill his family in order to complete his reintegration with the hotel. The son has a special ability called “the shine” that allows him to see into the minds of others, and to experience past events. In many ways he is the central character of the book, it is he who sees that horrible things will happen before anyone else is aware something is wrong, it is he who realizes the hotel itself is attempting to control them, and it is he who is ultimately responsible for saving he and his mother’s lives.
I began to realize though, as I got deeper into the book, that everything described is from the perspective of one of these three characters. Everything that happened to them was experienced by them alone (with one exception…the in season cook who also has “the shine”). It is entirely plausible that everything described could be the result of a psychosis that affected them as they became more isolated in the hotel. One of the lingering mysteries for me is whether the supernatural was “real” (within the parameters of this world), or were simply created in the minds of three people sinking deeper into mental illness..
I won’t go further so as not to ruin it for those that have not read it…but I found it to be a very deeply layered book, with complex and interlocking story lines that really made it a pleasure to read!!!
Show More
constructed has to be so divorced from the world we live in that I can construct a whole new reality in my mind that allows me to “turn off” my skepticism. This is why I can enjoy the Lord of the Rings or the Harry Potter series. Those works don’t even pretend to take place in a world we are familiar with.It did take a while but I was finally able to disassociate my normal skepticism from the story I was reading - to the point I could really enjoy this book. And, as I was deep into it I realized that everything that happened in the book could potentially be explained without resorting to the supernatural.
Without revealing too much for those that have not read it, The Shining deals with a family (father, mother, son), who move to an isolated Colorado resort where the father will act as the winter caretaker. The premise is the characters and the hotel itself have back stories that begin to manifest themselves in some very horrible ways. Eventually the hotel takes over the mind of the father who it convinces must kill his family in order to complete his reintegration with the hotel. The son has a special ability called “the shine” that allows him to see into the minds of others, and to experience past events. In many ways he is the central character of the book, it is he who sees that horrible things will happen before anyone else is aware something is wrong, it is he who realizes the hotel itself is attempting to control them, and it is he who is ultimately responsible for saving he and his mother’s lives.
I began to realize though, as I got deeper into the book, that everything described is from the perspective of one of these three characters. Everything that happened to them was experienced by them alone (with one exception…the in season cook who also has “the shine”). It is entirely plausible that everything described could be the result of a psychosis that affected them as they became more isolated in the hotel. One of the lingering mysteries for me is whether the supernatural was “real” (within the parameters of this world), or were simply created in the minds of three people sinking deeper into mental illness..
I won’t go further so as not to ruin it for those that have not read it…but I found it to be a very deeply layered book, with complex and interlocking story lines that really made it a pleasure to read!!!
Show Less
LibraryThing member skgregory
This is one of the best King books. Its creepy and claustrophobic and a must read for horror fans.
LibraryThing member silversurfer
One of his best books! Have re-read it numerous times. King at his best! Scenes that are really creepy....forget Kubrick's horrible film {IMO} and read this.
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2006)
Gandalf Award (Nominee — 1978)
Locus All-Time Best (Fantasy Novel — 27 — 1987)
The Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (Science Fiction and Fantasy)
Call number
FIC G Kin