Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Insomnia

3.71 of 5 stars 3.71 · rating details · 59,751 ratings · 1,156 reviews

Prepare for late nights selling unprecedented numbers of Insomnia in the wake of Viking's provocative new marketing campaign for Stephen King's latest smash hit. King takes his otherworldly talent for horror to a frightening new level, and Viking champions his achievement with an innovative, $1,000,000 marketing campaign--infiltrating every type of media--that is sure to g...more

Hardcover, 787 pages

Published October 1st 1994 by Viking Adult (first published 1994)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Books that made you cry!

470th out of 1,863 books — 4,996 voters

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Best Twists

326th out of 965 books — 2,618 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 25, 2008 Bill Harrington rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you find yourself with an afternoon to kill...read a magazine. If, however, you need to occupy yourself on a voyage to Mars, pick up "Insomnia."

It's long.

It is, however, quite good.

"Insomnia" begins as Ralph Roberts, a pleasant, not-too-cantankerous gentleman in his 70s, watches his beloved wife taken from him by cancer. Shortly after her death, he begins to experience "early waking" insomnia. Each night, it seems, he wakes earlier than the one before. Soon, he is awake all night.

In the deep...more If you find yourself with an afternoon to kill...read a magazine. If, however, you need to occupy yourself on a voyage to Mars, pick up "Insomnia."

It's long.

It is, however, quite good.

"Insomnia" begins as Ralph Roberts, a pleasant, not-too-cantankerous gentleman in his 70s, watches his beloved wife taken from him by cancer. Shortly after her death, he begins to experience "early waking" insomnia. Each night, it seems, he wakes earlier than the one before. Soon, he is awake all night.

In the deepest throes of this affliction, Ralph starts to see what he initially concludes are hallucinations, figments of the imagination of a sleep-deprived mind. Auras around people, animals, changing in shape and color to seemingly reflect that person's health, thoughts, mood and personality. He suffers, largely in silence, until the day where, almost by accident, he discovers that he is not alone in what he is experiencing.

It is here that King takes us into the world of the unseen. To say more might give away important plot points...suffice it to say that the reader must suspend reality for a bit and let their imagination steer the ship.

Meanwhile, all is not well in the sleepy Maine city of Derry, where the entire story takes place. A national pro-choice advocate, Susan Day, is scheduled to speak in support of a local woman's shelter which is also suspected of providing abortion counseling and referrals. In resoponse, a pro-life group begins to stage protests in the vicinity of the shelter and throughout Derry. One man, however, Edward Deepneau, plans to do much more than protest.

It falls to Ralph and his companion, to stop Ed at all costs, resulting in a battle that takes place both in this world, and the world of the auras.

As is typical of King, the character development is second to none. Ralph Roberts truly comes to life, and his world is painted with vivid colors. This is true of all of the characters in the story. Even an old stray dog, Rosalie, is described with such expert detail, that we feel every ache of her weary, arthritic old bones as she hobbles her way down the street looking for discarded scraps of food.

King takes his time in developing the story...nothing is rushed. This adds pages, to be sure, but the reader is treated to a much richer experience for it. A definite win for King.(less)

like 28 likes · see review

Nov 21, 2008 Nikki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, fantasy

I liked Insomnia a lot. I was quite surprised by the older protagonists, although of course there are things which compensate for their age. It wasn't a bad surprise, either. I thought it might be harder to relate to Ralph and Lois because of it, but it ended up not really being a problem at all. The most fascinating character for me, though, was Ed Deepneau. It was interesting how he kept the photo with him until the very end.

I loved a lot of the imagery that ran throughout this -- the auras, t...more

like 7 likes · see review

Jan 22, 2008 Emma rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who has read, or is going to read, the Dark Tower novels

Shelves: stephen-king, books-i-own, made-me-tear-up

I finished this one about an hour ago, so I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on it. Generally I'll finish a book and let it stew in my mind for a few days before attempting a review, but things are different with Stephen King.

The one thing I love most about Stephen King's work is that his characters are real. They're not superheroes; they're just ordinary people with ordinary lives, generally from Maine, with weaknesses and insecurities like the rest of us. Exciting plot lines aside, that's...more I finished this one about an hour ago, so I'm still trying to gather my thoughts on it. Generally I'll finish a book and let it stew in my mind for a few days before attempting a review, but things are different with Stephen King.

The one thing I love most about Stephen King's work is that his characters are real. They're not superheroes; they're just ordinary people with ordinary lives, generally from Maine, with weaknesses and insecurities like the rest of us. Exciting plot lines aside, that's got to be the reason behind King's success.

Insomnia is no different. Ralph Roberts is an ordinary guy. Except that at 70 years of age, he's no ordinary hero. Ralph has just lost his wife, and he's coping admirably considering. Then he starts to wake earlier and earlier each morning. And starts seeing auras, and strange little men who look to him like little bald doctors. From there, things keep getting weirder for poor Ralph.

The setting of Derry, Maine, is one which should be familiar, if not entirely comfortable, to most Constant Readers. This time around, Derry's Civic Center is to host a speech by America's most prominent feminist, Susan Day. Of course, things can't really happen quietly in Derry and its resident pro-lifers can't see past the fact that Ms Susan Day happens to be pro-choice. They start protesting and the mood in Derry soon turns sour.

Head of the pro-life movement, at least for a while, is Ed Deepneau. Formerly a neighbor of Ralph's, Deepneau has been acting strangely for a while now. Ralph has been witness to some of his stranger behavior and as time passes comes to understand more and more just why Ed has been acting so oddly. At the heart of it all lies the Crimson King (whose name will be familiar if you have read the Dark Tower series), who is simply using Ed as a pawn to get rid of a four-year-old boy named Patrick Danville. It is Ralph who is called upon to stop this from happening.

As with many of King's novels, the weakness here is in the ending. The penultimate climax in Atropos's den was quite thrilling, but the final encounter with the Crimson King all seems rather rushed, confusing, and anti-climatic. I have to say, though, that the very end of the book did leave me with a lump in my throat.

This is one of King's more supernatural novels, and although it has its creepy moments, I wouldn't go as far as to call it a horror novel. It broaches several touchy subjects, and Ed's kamikaze mission is going to get you thinking of 9/11 and terrorism.

This book is closely tied in with King's Dark Tower series, and although you can read it as a stand alone, it is far more fulfilling to be read in conjunction with that series. That ought to be taken into consideration if you're thinking of reading this book.(less)

like 8 likes · see review

Nov 24, 2007 Rachael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: adults

This book is not for everyone. For one its over 700 pages long. Another reason is that it deals with what some people say is uncomfortable topics:abortion, mental illness, domestic abuse and the afterlife and possible alternate worlds.

Another reason why this book is unique and different from other books is that the hero is a regular joe who happens to be in his 70's!

I loved this book. It took my mind to a place where few books can take me. I was not here reading the book-I was in Derry, Maine w...more

like 18 likes · see review

Apr 19, 2008 Laura Lynch rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am generally not a big fan of horror but variety is the spice of life. When it comes to the spooky, King is supreme. There are two key story lines in "Insomnia". The first revolves around Ralph an elderly man who losses his wife to brain cancer. He starts having problems sleeping and is seeing auroras, evil alien like creatures and observing his neighbors strange behavior. The neighbor (who use to be nice and normal) is a wife beating, pro life advocate who is becoming more crazed. Surprising...more

like 2 likes · see review

Dec 10, 2007 Aaron rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: any King fan

This is a long one folks. And it starts a little slow. So if you need to be entranced from page 1, don't pick up this book. You might need more like 130 pages to become committed. But the one thing I did like about this novel is the fact that all the main characters are older than 60. It's a great change of pace from the standard character set. And once King gets going with the story, it gets pretty interesting. I'll also say that if any of you are Dark Tower fanatics, then you should read this...more

like 4 likes · see review

Apr 24, 2007 Jenny rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read06

At first, I enjoyed this book. I hadn't tackled a Stephen King book before. He really writes well but I found myself tempted to skip to the end. I had enough suspense and build-up; I just wanted to know what would end up happening to the man who couldn't sleep at night. :)

I think I will wait to read Stephen King again until I'm on vacation or on a cruise, somewhere where I have nothing to do but read! (And I'd love to hear which book is his "best").

like 6 likes · see review

Jun 08, 2007 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: king

For anyone who has had a special 'grandfather' figure you may find the ending hard to accept... is it okay to admit that a King book got you teary at the end? ha!

Creepy small figures carrying siccors into peoples homes in the early pre-dawn hours visible to only a select few... Not including the dark tower series, this is one of my top 3 favorite books! If you enjoy the classic theme of good vs. evil, you'll enjoy this one.

like 4 likes · see review

Nov 12, 2012 Jane Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-mystery

My least favorite King book.

I could not finish. I read the first half and the epilogue. It was so boring. Too much description, ramblings, dreams, visions. The guy sees auras and things other people don’t see. The epilogue explained some major events. That was somewhat interesting, but not enough to make me want to read more. One of the things I love about King is his characters. I didn’t care about these characters. My favorite King books are Carrie, The Stand, and Rose Madder.

The narrator Eli...more

like 3 likes · see review

Jul 29, 2008 Katie pratt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who wants a challange. not an easy read by far.

Stephen king... what can i say. You can not prepare yourself for what this book delivers. I love the way he combines semi disturbing story lines with metaphysical themes. this book discusses abortion, fate, choice, engergy, auras.... and i could go on. although its a hefty book if your looking for an adventure that truely picks at your brain, give it a try. I fully enjoyed it and even happier to be done with all my unanswered questions finally wrapped up. If your looking for a fast and easy read...more

like 5 likes · see review

Nov 05, 2008 Jackie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: to anyone needed a doorstop

Shelves: horror

I HATED it. Extremely long-winded and convoluted. Horrible, absolutely horrible. Probably his most pointless story ever.
This is when I knew Stephen King had lost his awesome writing powers and I can't really bring myself to read him again. Bad enough I had to suffer through Black House, and then this.
He really should have quit while he ahead and still an icon in the writing world. As for me, I'd rather slit my own wrists than suffer through another one of his awful novels ever again.

like 7 likes · see review

Feb 25, 2009 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: stephen-king

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like 1 like · see review

May 06, 2013 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Boy, do I LOVE Derry.

As soon as I realized this story took place in Derry, I got so excited. The best stuff happens in Derry. And when I say best, I mean most horrific. Same thing.

And so we have Ralph Roberts, a typical older man who loses his wife to cancer or whatnot and becomes a widow. All is normal, life goes on what have you. Then he starts losing sleep. And more sleep. And then seeing things. And then all hell breaks lose.

To be honest, I found the overall story a little lengthy for it's...more

like · see review

Jan 25, 2013 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ralph Roberts, a retired widower, begins to suffer from insomnia. As his condition worsens, Ralph begins to see things that are invisible and intangible to others: colorful manifestations of life-force surrounding people (auras), and diminutive white-coated beings he calls "little bald doctors", based on their appearance. Roberts perceives other planes of reality and their influence upon the "real" world. He finds that his sweetheart, Lois Chasse, is also a sufferer. They eventually discover tha...more Ralph Roberts, a retired widower, begins to suffer from insomnia. As his condition worsens, Ralph begins to see things that are invisible and intangible to others: colorful manifestations of life-force surrounding people (auras), and diminutive white-coated beings he calls "little bald doctors", based on their appearance. Roberts perceives other planes of reality and their influence upon the "real" world. He finds that his sweetheart, Lois Chasse, is also a sufferer. They eventually discover that their insomnia has been induced by the two little bald doctors to help them defeat agents of the Crimson King.

Ralph and Lois name the two "good" doctors Clotho and Lachesis, while the third "bad" doctor is called Atropos; they are all named after the Moirai of mythology. Ralph overcomes Atropos and forces him to promise to stay out of their business, the doctors all being bound by their word. However, Atropos has his revenge by showing Ralph a glimpse of the not-too-distant future in which he claims the life of the innocent Natalie Deepneau. Ralph is able to counterbalance this however, by striking a deal with Clotho and Lachesis whereby he trades his own life for Natalie's.

Meanwhile, Ed Deepneau, Natalie's father and Ralph's neighbor, falls under the control of the Crimson King. Deepneau attempts to crash a light plane containing explosives into the Derry Civic Center during a heavily-attended rally. Ralph and Lois realize that the Crimson King is using Deepneau to kill a small boy named Patrick Danville, the focus of a prophecy concerning the salvation of The Dark Tower. Patrick Danville cannot, for undisclosed reasons, be killed directly by anyone born under either the Random or the Purpose.

However, from time to time a being is born who is "undesignated". An undesignated person is described as being like a blank card, and is up for grabs by either side. Deepneau is one such person, in fact the only person on earth at that time of undesignated status. Ralph defeats the King and forces the light plane to crash into the parking lot; killing Deepneau and sparing Danville's life, allowing him to fulfill his destiny and setting the path for the Dark Tower series.

The story ends on a tragic note as Ralph, to uphold his bargain with Clotho and Lachesis, is hit and killed by a car to prevent Natalie Deepneau from being killed in his place. The story closes on the remark that Ralph is finally able to rest.

He killed the ending. (less)

like 1 like · see review

Jan 24, 2013 Isaac Beeman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the novel Insomnia, Ralph Roberts, an ordinary guy, starts to suffer from insomnia not long after his wife dies from cancer. Not only are his hours of sleep counting down to zero, but he starts seeing auras of light around everyone that somehow reflect their moods and health, and out of the top of the aurora he sees a “balloon-string”, which appears to be their soul. And if that's not strange enough, he starts seeing little, bald men dressed as doctors, who go to the homes of the dying with s...more

like · see review

Jan 23, 2013 Brian Schwartz rated it 2 of 5 stars

It took King almost 800 pages to tell his tale in INSOMNIA. The action seems to get going right away when, early in the story, Ralph confronts Ed Deepneau at a traffic accident. Ed insists the truck he hit is carrying the bodies of dead babies. Ed had been his friend and Ralph is struck by Ed’s seeming instantaneous insanity. It’s a well written scene and King grabs the reader’s attention with it.

Then, kING loses it with endless introspection, over explaining, and over development of characters....more It took King almost 800 pages to tell his tale in INSOMNIA. The action seems to get going right away when, early in the story, Ralph confronts Ed Deepneau at a traffic accident. Ed insists the truck he hit is carrying the bodies of dead babies. Ed had been his friend and Ralph is struck by Ed’s seeming instantaneous insanity. It’s a well written scene and King grabs the reader’s attention with it.

Then, kING loses it with endless introspection, over explaining, and over development of characters. Event after event unfolds, told in great narrative detail, with many words. Yet, each event reveals so little information. It becomes tedious reading. There isn’t any real action until the end and by that time, the reader just wants the book to be over if he hasn’t already put it down.

Then other parts of it are just foolish. Ralph discovers he has a karate chop that delivers and energy blast that hurts Atropos. Lois can shoot little bolts of energy from her finger like a pistol. In a story that seems to revel in the deep nature of human existence within the cosmos dominated by a mysterious Dark Tower, this is B-grade science fiction.

The political overtones also weaken the book. King’s narrative does not declare a side in the endless debate over abortion. But, the feminist nature of the story with evil men harming innocent women against the backdrop of an abortion battle is not a good setting – it’s a distraction. King did a much better job of creating the same type of mass hysteria in NEEDFUL THINGS without being so damned ideological.

While it was in It that the town of Derry was established and developed quite well, we learn more about this fictional Maine city and it becomes fully incorporated into the Dark Tower world because, as we learn, even with It dead, there are still dangerous creatures who lurk beneath the city. Derry is a place the minions of the Dark Tower are very aware of and it has shown in the town’s history.

As a stand alone novel, I would recommend avoiding INSOMNIA. King has written worse books – but not many. It is entirely overlong. Its central characters are not interesting. Its story is weakened by over telling. But for fans of the Dark Tower, it is essential reading. The information revealed in INSOMNIA is necessary for true appreciation of the story that is to unfold when King eventually returns to the story.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Nov 23, 2012 Zeo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: on-arguments, control, gender, hate, manhood, madness, violence, power-dynamics, spec-fic

Somewhere within about a year before or after A God in Ruins and (bafflingly) thinking it was amazing (it is, but not the good sort of amazing), I finally followed a friend's repeated recommendations of King and read Nightmares and Dreamscapes. After hating that and wondering if it was that he was better at novels or if I just didn't like short stories enough, I gave It a shot and gave up a third of the way through. As a jaded, bitter teenage goth it was really easy to dislike King as popular,...more Somewhere within about a year before or after A God in Ruins and (bafflingly) thinking it was amazing (it is, but not the good sort of amazing), I finally followed a friend's repeated recommendations of King and read Nightmares and Dreamscapes. After hating that and wondering if it was that he was better at novels or if I just didn't like short stories enough, I gave It a shot and gave up a third of the way through. As a jaded, bitter teenage goth it was really easy to dislike King as popular, and scorn mainstream goth types who enjoyed his work. There's that whole running joke that he writes shitty books that make great movies. As I got older I found plenty of intelligent people who I otherwise respected who disliked King and gave reasons for it that I found to reflect my politics and values, from his juvenilely simplistic ideas about organizing government in The Stand to his magical negroes in...well, a lot of his books.

I'm still jaded and bitter, but I also know that that's gotten me into some embarrassing performances of my own ignorance (such as encouraging people to read A God In Ruins), so recently I decided to give King another shot. Because I wanted to start with a novel rather than re-try the short story route, and because I'm an idiot, I started with this tome. (To be fair, that's how I tackle most projects: find the deep end and bring a shovel.)

And, it's really good (and not just because Wallach's reading is great). The weakest parts appear to be the story elements that have further backstory elsewhere in his Dark Tower series, and I'm okay with the novel not being written to be standalone. It would have needed a few hundred extra pages at least to flesh out those stories and make this book standalone, at which point it'd really need to be split into two books anyway, so I don't feel like anything was missing so much as haven't come yet. It's slow and methodical in a way that reminds me of Hudson River or Düsseldorf-school paintings. It's like Ivan Shishkin paints Edward Hopper's Lord of the Rings with occasional input from Playboy-era Shel Silverstein. What? Sure!

Anthony Burgess said of his A Clockwork Orange that it was written in the aftermath of his wife's assault and rape, and was his attempt to figure out what to make of the people who did it, the world that allowed it (no wonder he was so unhappy with what the story spawned). In reading Insomnia I felt like King had some similar inspiration and was trying to deal with a horrible personal|political situation in the way he best knew how: to combine the real and the fantastical, to bring precise characterization to blatant symbolism. Did it work? He almost went the route of having the human villain doing his wifebeating at the behest of the supernatural villain, and then didn't. Honestly, if he'd left the responsibility with the supernatural villain, I probably would have let this be my last King effort, even with the writing quality. But he structures his supernatural elements to interact with humans being human, rather than being an origin story for them, and in so doing manages to pull together what I imagine to be King desperately pulling everyone he's ever cared about into a room together and begging them, pleading for them to just hear each other out. This is the writer as go-between, at his best.

I've written and re-written a paragraph for about forty-five minutes now trying to explain how I feel this is, in some ways, a feminist horror novel. I'm not certain. If you feel you can write that paragraph, or think it's a load of shit and want to tell me why, please do. I'm really not sure where to take that thought.

Incidentally, I feel a bit better about my previous dismissal of King after hearing that Roger Ebert had to get over the same (as he put it) "snobbery."(less)

like 1 like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Janie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

King, Stephen. Insomnia. 21 CDs. unabridged. 25 3/4 hrs. HighBridge Audio. 2008. ISBN 978-1-5988-7763-2. $59.95; F

I used to be a huge Stephen King fan but stopped reading his books when my children were young. I found that I stayed up too late reading. "Just one more chapter,'" I'd say, and since often his chapters are a few pages long, I'd reach the end and say, "Just one more." Fast forward to 15 years later. I picked up a copy of Insomnia on CD to listen to in the car. This title originally r...more

like · see review

May 31, 2012 Justin Offermann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, horror

I thought this book had a bit of a Lovecraftian feel to it, at least insofar as the idea of a reality (or multiple realities) behind our own normally perceived reality and of course the terror that a glimpse into this hyper-reality would entail. The most striking difference, of course, is that whereas Lovecraft's characters remain invariably mired in a sort of fatalistic horror at their sheer unimportance and impotence, King's works are somewhat more optimistic. Good may not always (or even usu...more

like · see review

Feb 28, 2012 Daniel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There's no denying that King is a terrific storyteller. He has a no-nonsense, down-to-earth practicality that slides along smoothly, easily, and (usually) painlessly. In many ways, it's true that he could apply his pen to almost anything and give it a modicum of interest.

This story, about a character named Ralph who starts suffering from insomnia, takes its time to get started, moseying through the land of background and exposition, but by the time it finds its true pace, you're chin-deep in a w...more There's no denying that King is a terrific storyteller. He has a no-nonsense, down-to-earth practicality that slides along smoothly, easily, and (usually) painlessly. In many ways, it's true that he could apply his pen to almost anything and give it a modicum of interest.

This story, about a character named Ralph who starts suffering from insomnia, takes its time to get started, moseying through the land of background and exposition, but by the time it finds its true pace, you're chin-deep in a world of abortion extremists, spiritual auras, multiple planes of existence, vigilante "justice," and -- of course -- story elements that dove-tail into King's world of the Dark Tower.

Fans of that epic work will, of course, be into this story. Even those readers not familiar with the Gunslinger or the Red King are bound to be intrigued by this tale of psychic deaths and the conflicting worlds of Purpose and Random. King draws you into Ralph's world with a seductive sort of empathy that moves (mostly) in quiet and unobtrusive ways. To truly enjoy this story, you must be patient. There are many rewards in the end.

However, I don't want to give the story more credit than it is due. King's prose may be nimble and graceful, but the writing itself is a vehicle for story, and in this case, the story is lacking some. It's got the typical King thrills and spills (although those fans of the horror and gore in books such as It and Desperation will find those elements noticeably muted here), but in the end, I found the whole thing to be, ironically both over-written and under-written.

Parts of it seem to be completely unnecessary and diversionary (I'm thinking of Ralph's other-worldly encounter in the plane), and other sections seem to be lacking more depth and fleshing out (there are missing elements -- like the identity of the Man with the Green Aura who provides a pivotal prop to the story; and there are underdeveloped moments -- mostly those that tie into the Dark Tower series ... King is relying on his past novels to provide enough weight for these moments, and neglects other first-time readers who might need more to go on).

Finally, the last caveat, King succumbs to a heart dose of redundancy, not just in the repetition of plot elements and character speculation, but also necessarily in the details. As Ralph's insomnia escalates, he starts to the see a hyper-real world of auras and spiritual halos, and after about the 400th page, the description of these auras becomes understandably redundant and mundane. There's only so many ways even the best of writers can describe all the pretty lights.

Overall, I would recommend this book to King fans, as well as to patient readers interested in stories of dramatically magical realism. However, if you're looking for horror or a thriller, try Desperation (in my opinion, perhaps one of the best King books out there).(less)

like · see review

Dec 10, 2011 HannahN rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is only the second Stephen King book I've ever read - the first was Pet Sematary, which I picked up on a whim. Pet Sematary was so good, it made me rabid for more Stephen King novels. I ran right out to the used bookstore and picked up Insomnia and The Stand - completely random choices, since I know nothing of Stephen King.

OH MY GOD THIS IS A BAD BOOK.

I pushed through and read the whole thing, because I kept thinking of Pet Sematary and how it haunted me after I finished reading it. I thoug...more

like 4 likes · see review

Sep 13, 2011 Jay Smolka rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A book that I noticed mainly because I myself am plagued by insomnia, it surprised and delighted...I mean, pleased, me. The story flowed quite well, and I loved the references to other stephen king books (if you read pet sematary, you will mutter, "heyyyy..." when the character notices a childs cap filled with blood). It really isnt much of a horror, more of a sci fi thriller, but it does have its "scary parts" (I like to think I have been desenseitized to horror due to my early and prolonged e...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jul 30, 2011 Kevin Mak added it · review of another edition

Shelves: stephen-king

A great Stephen King novel that not only explores insomnia, but also the life of retired elderlies, death, domestic violence, woman's rights, abortion, and finally, the power of love.

It is not really a horror novel, but more like an adventure story. The rise of an unlikely hero and his journey from a common person, to a super power hero, to saving the world, back to normal life, and the final conclusion of his hero journey and his life.

The setting of this novel is so colorful that I wonder why D...more

like · see review

Jan 29, 2010 Graham rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

After a decade and a half of lean, pacy, horrifying reads, King changed track and went for the epic novel with IT. Since then, a decade of huge, unwieldy paperbacks have lined the shelves from the horror author, books that take a huge chunk of your life and are, by default, heavy going. INSOMNIA is definitely far from King’s best novel, but it has its moments which make it worthwhile. I’m not sure whether it’s his worst, as I haven’t finished them all yet, but it’s this novel’s long-winded natur...more After a decade and a half of lean, pacy, horrifying reads, King changed track and went for the epic novel with IT. Since then, a decade of huge, unwieldy paperbacks have lined the shelves from the horror author, books that take a huge chunk of your life and are, by default, heavy going. INSOMNIA is definitely far from King’s best novel, but it has its moments which make it worthwhile. I’m not sure whether it’s his worst, as I haven’t finished them all yet, but it’s this novel’s long-winded nature which drags the rating down.

Things start off well with plenty of deep characterisation, which puts us into the very mindsets of the creations. Ralph is an atypical hero, pushing seventy and afflicted with insomnia, which makes for an interesting twist on the usual tale. Otherwise it is very much business as usual, with supporting characters dying gruesomely, everyday normality affected by a whole unseen world of evil, and an apocalyptic climax that threatens to blow up the whole of Derry. Yep, we’re in familiar territory.

Some of King’s genius is present in the various set-pieces which are occasionally awe-inspiring. There’s a siege in a burning women’s refuge (King enjoyed the setting, so returned to it in Rose Madder) and an excellent ending onboard a light aircraft. Various bits of his mythos pop up, with reference to Ralph the Gunslinger and the Crimson King, entities from other stories, but these mentions are a bit obscure to those who haven’t read the books. Atropos is an excellent bad guy, really sadistic, who deserves everything he gets, but the encounter with the Crimson King left me a bit cold – it’s too familiar to be scary.

The big problem with this book is the middle. 500 pages of long-winded plot exposition and needless description, which doesn’t offer much to the reader. King would have done better to cut out this whole section, then the book would have a higher rating. Instead it gets boring and sometimes stultifying, resulting in a four-month hiatus before I could be bothered to pick up and finish the story off. His writing is efficient and true-to-life, but for nothing happen for 500 pages except for Ralph to see the auras more clearly is a cheat.

Blood and guts are sometimes present, sometimes viciously so, although it isn’t as horrifying as his other books. Far from it – this is more like a voyage of discovery than a horror story. Yet King’s imagination is on fire here, and his themes and ideas of auras and fate and the random are what make it worthwhile. Fans should lap it up.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Sep 13, 2009 christa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is only one thing to do while your boyfriend is part of a world-wide online project devoted to reading the book "Infinite Jest" over the course of three months: Pick up your own big fat book so you can sympathize with him when he mentions how his David Foster Wallace weighs down his backpack, and how he has 600 plus pages to go, and my-God he has barely made a dent.

Okay, okay ... Stephen Kings' Insomnia has nothing to do with Infinite Jest, beyond the fact that they both weigh as much as...more There is only one thing to do while your boyfriend is part of a world-wide online project devoted to reading the book "Infinite Jest" over the course of three months: Pick up your own big fat book so you can sympathize with him when he mentions how his David Foster Wallace weighs down his backpack, and how he has 600 plus pages to go, and my-God he has barely made a dent.

Okay, okay ... Stephen Kings' Insomnia has nothing to do with Infinite Jest, beyond the fact that they both weigh as much as a melon. But it did take me more than three weeks to finish, which is a Karenina-ian length of time for me to spend on any single piece of fiction.

"What does it matter," the aforementioned boyfriend asked. "You would be reading anyway. Why does it matter if it is still the same book?"

Um ... because I have the attention-span of a 20-something with Adderall withdrawl? I like to move on to the next book. Preferably a new book, with a shiny author photo, and fresh blurbs to comb.

"How long it takes to read" weighs heavily in my personal book-ranking system. This is unfortunate, because I did really like this book. Ralph Roberts, pretty deep in his AARP years, is struggling with early-waking insomnia. His wife has just died, and he starts waking earlier and earlier until he barely gets his Zzzs past 2 a.m. He starts seeing strange things: Colorful auras coming off of the people in his small Maine town; Small bald men dressed in scrubs and carrying scissors.

His neighbor Ed Deepneau has lost his ever-loving mind, and begins beating the crap out of his sweet wife Helen. It's very out of character, and when Ralph tries to talk to him, Ed says these strange things about the Crimson King and dead babies. Somehow it all connects to the arrival of a controversial feminist who is coming to their town to give a speech.

Ralph realizes he has more super powers than he realized. And one of his best friends, Lois, confides that she is also experiencing insomnia. They join forces in a sort of Hardy Boy-and-Nancy Drew meet Mario and Luigi, as they shoot sparks out of their fingertips, steal power from strangers and hop between layers of reality.

This is all very sweet and adorable, and I ate the epilogue -- not just because it meant I was almost done with the book, but because it is a cute finish. I cried. (less)

like 2 likes · see review

Oct 29, 2008 Elena rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-italian

As the Latin said, sometimes "Nomen Omen" (i.e. In one's name, you can find his/her destiny). The protagonist sleeps less and less every day, till he starts to see strange things around him... And we start to feel a bit sleepy instead. I mean, the story is interesting as it deals with domestic violence, controversy on abortion, lives of old people etc... But, it's often too (and uselessly) verbose and repetitive, so that the readers at times might lose his/her attention indeed.

like 2 likes · see review

Nov 01, 2012 Dua'a Behbehani rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
Well it goes like this: the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Well, your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips s...more

like · see review

May 25, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A King fan, I had avoided Insomnia for some reason. I thought it was a "one-problem" type of horror novel. I read on line that it ties in with the Dark Tower books, so I was on it! It is a long and thought-provoking book, which does provide a look at some DT material from yet another point of view--that of an elderly pair in wicked old Derry, Maine, who get caught up in supernatural adventures. The insomnia of the title is really just a vehicle for . . . well, I don't include spoilers.

While goo...more

like · see review

Aug 13, 2010 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an excellent book for several reasons. Firstly it takes place in Derry, ME which is the same setting as It. (If staying alive were a priority in my life, I would take my chances in Compton, or the Gaza Strip before moving to Derry). I like Derry simply because it's the city of It. Secondly, it is the most closely interwoven with the Dark Tower of all of his books that aren't one of the seven in that series, yet it can still stand alone as a book, and doesn't require any knowledge of the...more

like · see review

Jul 11, 2010 Leslie Parrish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not my favorite of King's, but the bones of a great book are all there. I love Ralph, the protagonist even more now that I'm 15 years older than I was when I first read it.

My only criticism here is that interspersed with King's typical brilliant writing are really clunky bits. Tons of back and forth dialogue that goes on in these huge paragraphs, with each character repeating the other character's name. People just don't talk like that, and King is usually much more sharp with his writing.

The...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Did it make you bored and sleepy?	24	131	Apr 30, 2013 08:46am
BETWEEN THE COVERS: Insomnia	6	11	Mar 29, 2013 02:45pm
Underrated and Under Appreciated King book?	15	94	Feb 17, 2013 06:03am
Stephen King Fans: Insomnia	58	244	Oct 07, 2012 10:21pm
Read by Theme: Insomnia - Stephen King	8	37	Aug 07, 2012 07:10am

combine
Other Editions (26)

More editions...

Genres

Horror

1,463 users

Fantasy

176 users

Thriller

111 users

Fantasy > Supernatural

48 users

Suspense

44 users

Mystery

35 users

Science Fiction

26 users

Novels

26 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

24 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

17 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance
by Robin Furth
The Stephen King Universe: The Guide to the Worlds of the King of Horror
by Stanley Wiater
Creepshow
by Bernie Wrightson (Adaptor, Illustrator)
The Stand, Volume 3: Soul Survivors
by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Adaptor)
Floating Dragon
by Peter Straub

About Stephen King

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of the elderly couple. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He and Tabitha Spruce married in January of 1971. He met Tabitha in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University of Maine at Orono, where they both worked as students. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many of these were later gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.(less)

More about Stephen King...

Books by Stephen King

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Insomnia

3 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Insomnia

“It's a long way back to Eden, Sweetheart, so don't sweat the small stuff.” — 64 people liked it

“It was life, often unsatisfying, frequently cruel, usually boring, sometimes beautiful, once in a while exhilarating.” — 11 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Insomnia
avg rating	preview: Insomnia Goodreads rating: 3.71 (59751 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102417.Insomnia?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309288290l/102417.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102417.Insomnia?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Insomnia by Stephen King[/url]

Insomnia

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website