Title: The Shining Pdf
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-year-old.
Good entertainment, great horror I generally find it difficult to get terribly engrossed in horror novels where supernatural entities (or divine for that matter) play a prominent role, and The Shining is a good example of such for me. However, though I may not really have lost myself in this novel, King's skill at building suspense kept me turning the pages late into the night multiple times and it's been a while since that's happened. There are many who write more eloquently, many who craft more impressive plots, and many who are more deft at building characters, but I think few exceed King in ability to make a reader simultaneously desire and dread reading the next paragraph or turning the page. He is very, very good at describing various evil beings' appearances, actions, and manners of speaking. I re-read several passages in The Shining multiple times just to gape again at what was happening or how a character just barely escaped a horrific death.Apart from The Running Man, a quite different type of novel, this is actually the first book by Stephen King I've read. I do have a few more on the shelves and am really looking forward to them, not so much for the stories / plots but rather for the goosebumps and tension I experienced while reading The Shining.I ought to mention that King's style here is dry and matter of fact, and the family members seem quite wooden initially. Over several chapters he does throw in a great deal of background history on the family and this helps flesh them out quite a bit, but they never became completely convincing to me. This and the somewhat formulaic plot based on a haunted hotel detracted somewhat from the overall experience, but once winter set in and the action began I easily understood why King is so celebrated.But I was actually caught off guard and found myself loving the book more then I loved the movie I had seen the movie before I read the book so going in I thought I knew what to expect. But I was actually caught off guard and found myself loving the book more then I loved the movie. I still think the movie is good but this book is just... more.The characters in this book are just so complex. Each one of them feels real. One moment I am sympathetic with Jack a man who just can't seem to get a break. But the next moment I am scared of him and what he might do to his family. Wendy is also so much more complex. I found myself really interested in her and absolutely scared for her life.Danny though is my favorite. He's such a bright and sweet boy and it was interesting to get into his head. I loved to read how conflicted he got between protecting his family but also not wanting to upset them. I also really love his interactions with Dick Hallorann who is also very interesting.Overall this is an excellent creepy read.Sorry to say, the movie is better Everyone likes to say "the book is better" whenever the subject of a movie that was based on a book comes up, whether they've read it or not. Stanley Kubrick did it better than Stephen King. I don't want to give spoilers, but in typical King fashion, this story entertains the supernatural more than the movie did, which I personally do not appreciate. My brain is not as artistically imaginative as Stanley Kubrick's work, and without the amazing acting by everyone in that film to fill in the blanks, it didn't make it into any kind of top 20 all time list for me like the film did. I do like that Danny is the main focus over Jack though, and I like the background it provides that the movie does not.Even so, it was gripping enough that I read it in 3 nights. And I'll probably reread it again in a year or so.
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