22, live in North Wales. I've done quite a few reviews that aren't on Ciao here: http://www.gamesboo...
22, live in North Wales. I've done quite a few reviews that aren't on Ciao here: http://www.gamesbooksfilms.com :)
Member since:19.06.2003
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The Shining is certainly among the most famous works of horror fiction in the 20th century. Written in 1977 when King was still a comparitively inexperienced writer (this was his third book, after Carrie and 'Salem's Lot), The Shining was propelled to fame three years after its original release when the Stanley Kubrick-directed film-adaptation arrived. There is no doubting the popularity of the film, but what about the book?
For thoughs who have missed The Shining in one form or another, here is a brief description: Jack Torrance has applied for a job as Caretaker for the Overlook hotel during the winter months when it will be closed and most likely snowed off. He gets the job and so travels there with wife Wendy and son Danny. The term 'shining' comes from what Dick Hallorann, the hotels chef, describes he sees in Danny. Shining is the ability to, in some cases, read peoples thoughts, but more defined is the sense of danger and hostility. When things start to go badly wrong in the hotel, it becomes a matter of life and death for Wendy and Danny as they try to escape the clutches of the crazed Jack and the Overlook itself. Danny's ability proves very useful to him and crucial to the outcome of the story.
Judging
by most of the other reviews on 'The Shining' book, I can understand that my three star rating won't be massively popular, but I can honestly say I didn't enjoy this as much as many of King's other supernatural thrillers. It takes a hell of a long time to really get started - there is probably around one hundred pages of dialogue describing in minute detail the turbulant past of the Torrance family. Things do start to pick up after they eventually reach the hotel but the story never seems to go at anything above a leisurely pace, and consequently it becomes a bit of a bore, even in some of the tenser scenes.
'The Shining' is not unreadable though - far from it. If you can force yourself through the torturously dull but neccesary opening part then there is a spooky horror story awaiting you, littered with good set-pieces, with the best scenes saved till last.
Whilst rarely scaring greatly at any time, 'The Shining' is lifted by its excellent characters. Jack Torrance becomes very much the anti-hero as the story moves forward, the hotel has a strange affect on all it's occupants but Jack's sanity is broken down fairly quickly, his violent mood swings are a cause for concern for his wife and son. More strangely though, he spends a lot of time in the empty ballroom - talking to the dead caretaker/barman Lloyd, who after a couple of meetings convinces Jack he should kill his family. The hotel seems to feed off of his shady past and torment him about his treatment of Danny and a boy whom he had lost his temper with in college the a few years before. Wendy is managing to resist the Overlook's influence a lot better than her husband, although she becomes a nervous-wreck by the end - knocking out Jack after he had attacked her and then locking him in the cellar in an act of sheer desperation. Perhaps the best character in the story though is the intriguing Danny. Only six years old but hyper-intellegent, Danny idolises his father and understandably has a tough time witnessing him going demented. He lapses into dream-like states where he talks to 'Tony', a slightly older boy, who despite seemingly coming from Danny's imagenation, gives him some useful advice. The final scene where Danny is trying desperately to get through to whatever part of his father was left to get him to see reason was really good, though you'll have to read nearly 400 pages to get to anything as good as that, sadly.
As i'm sure you have already guessed, this book isn't suitable for the younger audience for all sorts of reasons - as with many King books it's a bit of a swear fest (the first line of the book includes the thought: 'Officious little prick'), and whilst it isn't gorey there are nevertheless some pretty grim scenes scattered throughout the novel. Apart from this of course the level of text and vocabulary means kids would struggle to understand what was going on, if indeed they were bothered.
If you have seen and enjoyed the film, then there is still a fair bit of value to reading this; several scenes, most notably the ending, differ between the two versions.
At just over 400 pages, this shouldn't feel overly-long as King has written many books (Insmomnia springs to mind) much longer that have managed to maintain the interest of the reader throughout. 'The Shining' grinds along for the first hundred or so pages in what feels almost like a misjudged introduction to the story. On the whole, it is still a good book and needless to say if you are a horror fan it is worth a try at least. By King's standards, it is pretty mediocre stuff though - not as scary as Misery nor as imagenative as Insomnia, 'The Shining' simply provides a long-winded, if ultimately adequate read.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: Stephen King's claim to fame ; Superb atmosphere ; Sublime plot ; A vivid imagination that stretches all supernatural boundaries ; Probably responsible for some of the best horror films of the 70's and 80's Disadvantages: Some unessesary background in the first half ; Kubrik mucked up the story too much ; Could have been much more
Advantages: Chilling- suspense gradually builds up to utter horror- perfect! Disadvantages: A few long 'factual' sections which get slightly boring. Film fans beware- this is different to what you've seen!
Advantages: Stephen King's claim to fame ; Superb atmosphere ; Sublime plot ; A vivid imagination that stretches all supernatural boundaries ; Probably responsible for some of the best horror films of the 70's and 80's Disadvantages: Some unessesary background in the first half ; Kubrik mucked up the story too much ; Could have been much more
Advantages: Stephen king's first and one of his best novels,a sweet and sad tale of pain and sweet vengeance,clever twists and dialogue,excellent Disadvantages: NONE
darkangelwing 30.08.2005 ·
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