Danny's dad Jack seems to finally have some financial luck when he is offered a job as the caretaker of a huge ancient hotel where he has to stay during the winter season. Once there and isolated from the rest of the world, a series of strange events only seen and felt by young Danny start to happen in the hotel, and Jack seems to get posessed by a malignant force living in the building.
Just a brief review of a work of art which deserves one of highest positions in Kingīs ratings. I remember reading this novel for the first time when I was about 15-16 and feeling truly horrified that same night looking at the main doorīs eyehole and imagining someone would be snooping on me from the outside.. someone or something that once could have been alive but that now was just a hideous being trying to reach me. That's the kind of reaction that this book has in any reader, regardless of age or literary taste: it turns him/her into a child again and brings back all that fears that seemed forgotten.
"The
Shining" is basically the story of a tormented child, Danny. He is tormented not as much by the "real things" - like his fatherīs addiction to alcohol, or his motherīs consideration of getting a divorce) - but mainly by the strange and disturbing things that he is able to see and feel and that no one else seems to sense. Things that sometimes seem to be harmless, or even helpful, but that other times just scare the hell out of him and donīt have an apparent meaning that he can interpret. When the date to leave his home and head for the impressing Overloook hotel comes near, Danny's psychyc powers seem to focus on one concrete idea: not going there under any circumstance. Some unknowm force makes the Overlook the least appropiate place for Dannyīs family to be. But his parents are going through a specially rough economical patch, and this job appears as the only way of getting over it.
Once in the hotel, the warning implied in the messages shows to be real and extremely dangerous. The kid's power - named as "the shining" by an old cooker that works at the hotel and becomes his only friend and counsellor - lets him see and be the victim of the presence living on that hotel, which apparently starts using Jack's alcohol addiction to control him and access the boy. Danny has to confront his love for his father with the fear from what the hotel is doing to them both.
What makes this story truly horrifying is not only its supernatural implications (the kid's psychological ability or the hotel's malignant power), but the terrifying idea of being trapped with the person you love the most (Danny's dad), just to see him become your worst nightmare. This fantastic novel pushes you into a kidīs world that is suddenly torn apart between his need of survival and his urge to save his father's soul. There are lots of magistral moments of real terror in this book: from the kid being chased by hedge animals, the snake-like hosepipe, and the not-so-imaginary dead boy in the playing pipe, to the terrifying horror in room number 217. All converge into a situation that seems to get worse page by page and keeps you breathless from the beginning to the end.
There are, as far as I know, two adaptations from the book to the screen. The first one, thanks to a marvellous performance of its main character, Jack Nicholson, has become a cult movie that almost everyone has seen. Not a very fair adaptation though, since it changes many of the main point in the book. The second one, a miniseries starring Steven Weber, is much more accurate speaking in terms of plot and story. Nevertheless, it's precisely this surgical accuracy which ends up making the film slower and even boring at times, losing the originality and genuine taste of the first film. But we must not forget that, after reading a honestly good novel, it becomes very hard to find a film that can match the feelings that it promoted in us.
So in short, this is a book with which no reader will remain impassive, specialy when darkness comes in the next days after starting it...
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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: The mix of claustrophobia, remoteness, the supernatural, and the compelling personalites of the characters and hotel is potent. Disadvantages: I really, really mean - leave this alone unless you WANT to be scared. Really.
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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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
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