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The Mist

3.82 of 5 stars 3.82 · rating details · 37,250 ratings · 656 reviews

Sound so visual you're literally engulfed by its bonechilling terror! Stephen King's sinister imagination and the miracle of 3-D sound transport you to a sleepy all-American town. It's a hot, lazy day, perfect for a cookout, until you see those strange dark clouds. Suddenly a violent storm sweeps across the lake and ends as abruptly and unexpectedly as it had begun.Then co

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Audio CD, Abridged, 73 pages

Published September 1st 1993 by Simon & Schuster Audio (first published January 1st 1980)

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Feb 15, 2013 Victor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

The first thing I ever read by Stephen King! It's been over four years! Four years of King!

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

Whether you are the type of horror/suspense novel that appreciates an in-your-face creature-feature, or one who is more unnerved by the unknown, you will enjoy this book, as it has elements of both.

In many respects, this is classic King. First off, it's set - where else - in Maine. The character development is solid, but the first-person narrative stye of the book limits this development to David, the main character, and thus is not as thorough as some of King's other works.

King also displays h...more

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Oct 28, 2008 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, post-apocalyptic

Perhaps it's cheating to have this marked as a separate book, since I also have the book of short stories it's in, from the library. It's a novella, really, although it probably could've been more, given the open end to it. Stephen King is pretty good at writing apocalyptic fiction, and I'm really fond of the way he does characters. Worth reading! Although don't buy the novella, get Skeleton Crew -- more for your money.

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May 15, 2013 Mario rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A modified version of this post originally appeared on my blog, Shared Universe Reviews

This is the first book by Stephen King that I’ve actually read. I’ve dismissed him for a long time because he’s known primarily for his works in the horror genre. I have a tendency to dismiss horror as a whole even though I’ve experience some good horror entertainment (in various mediums) and I have some favourite horror stories. I'm glad I took another chance with King and I’ve got to admit that the comic ad...more A modified version of this post originally appeared on my blog, Shared Universe Reviews

This is the first book by Stephen King that I’ve actually read. I’ve dismissed him for a long time because he’s known primarily for his works in the horror genre. I have a tendency to dismiss horror as a whole even though I’ve experience some good horror entertainment (in various mediums) and I have some favourite horror stories. I'm glad I took another chance with King and I’ve got to admit that the comic adaptations and prequel comics of King’s famous Dark Tower series played a big part in that decision.

What I liked the most about King’s writing in The Mist was the way he had his main character, David, observe his surroundings. King has been a writer his entire life and one of the things that clearly influence his writing are the observations he makes. In the story, David is an artist and he too makes very interesting and sometimes enlightened observations. The way he puzzles things about his situation is fascinating and has, perhaps, depending how you interpret the ending, saved his life and that of his son.

The Mist is horror story I which a secretive science facility, the Arrowhead Project, opens a portal to another dimension. A thick mist inhabited by strange, terrifying and predatory creatures. It’s clearly a horror story but the focus is squarely placed on the characters. The story is quite mysteries as to what is actually happening. The answers King provides regarding the mist, its origin and the creatures that hide within it are limited to the origins of its appearance in the city where most of the story takes place: the Arrowhead Project.

Throughout the story King provides the reader with glimpses of the monster hidden in the mist. You have fragments of what happened to the people outside the grocery store. The only things you know about some of the characters are what David has been able to read from their behaviour. Most I the conversations deal with the situation that is happening. He characters aren't asking each other about their lives or their loved ones. They focus on what is happening or they fade away in the deepest recesses of their mind.

Some of the characters kept busy with meaningless or meaningful tasks from taking turns on sentry duty or preparing food for the others. Many other characters were happy to do the minimum requirement of thinking and barely acknowledge the presence of others. David, he observed. He observed and based on what he saw, he acted for the benefit of A) his son, Billy, B) his own survival, and C) the survival of others. His surviving instinct are directly linked to how he views and interprets his surroundings.

One of the weakest elements of the story has to be the ending. It’s ambiguous and we only get to see a part of it and the rest is left wide open for interpretation. Although I didn’t enjoy it, it fit with the tone of the story and with everything else that was previously established. Overall, King provided few answers and he doesn’t give any more answers with the ending. The most upsetting thing about the end is how King makes fun of it. The story was written by David and he mentions himself that he’s run out of paper and the “end” is not actually the end. He continues to travel and heads towards what is hopefully the end of the mist. He specifically mentions how a lack of ending is frustrating and he even describes it as “Hitchcockian”. I get the feeling King wasn’t sure how to end it and this is the best he could come up with. Still, it fits with what came before but it lacks any real emotional punch. It’s no real surprise that he’s been so vocal in his appreciation of the movie’s ending which differs quite a bit from what King wrote.

Before talking about the movie adaptation of The Mist, I have two side notes I want to address. The first is that there was a surprising amount of references, mostly to household products and pop culture. I’m not sure if the quantity is a lot compare to other non-genre fiction (I read mostly fantasy and science fiction). It did seem to be a lot to me personally. Maybe the main setting of the story, a grocery store, is to blame for this.

The second side note has to do with survival fiction. When I write survival fiction I mean survival stories that occur after post-apocalyptic events or other cataclysmic changes. It’s interesting how there are locations that seems to provide much better grounds for survival than others. King addressed this a bit in The Mist when he has some of his characters check out a pharmacy next door occupying space in the same plaza as the grocery store. The pharmacy could have been an equally effective stronghold against the creatures in the mist except for one minor detail which resulted in the death of all the people who were sheltered there.
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Apr 19, 2013 Weathervane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

This is the first Stephen King novel I've read that I've given more than three stars. His huge popularity is what first compelled me to start reading his books, and I confess until now I've been mildly disappointed with every one of them. Here, finally, is suspense and terror. Whereas Carrie was too outlandish a concept, and Rage had unrealistic characters, The Mist has a somewhat believable concept -- errant scientific experiments are always a solid standby -- and the characters, while hardly b...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Enrique rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The purpose of Stephen King writing this book “The Mist” was to give a good scare to his readers and leave them in suspense. He wrote the book so his readers could fall off their seat because of how suspenseful and horrifying it is. Scared and shocking is the impact this book is going to have on its audience because of how much detail is put in on how people in the book die, it’s horrifyingly intense. The book will have readers changing their facial expressions every five to ten minutes or so,...more The purpose of Stephen King writing this book “The Mist” was to give a good scare to his readers and leave them in suspense. He wrote the book so his readers could fall off their seat because of how suspenseful and horrifying it is. Scared and shocking is the impact this book is going to have on its audience because of how much detail is put in on how people in the book die, it’s horrifyingly intense. The book will have readers changing their facial expressions every five to ten minutes or so, that’s how good this book is. This book will definitely have lasting value, without a doubt.
This is book is, without a doubt, a well written book. The amount of detail that was put in this book for such little scenes, it’s just so captivating. The way Stephen King showed the emotions in his characters was just amazing. Here’s a little scene from the book.
Ollie: “We have to tell them. The people in the market. We have to stop them from going outside.”
David Drayton: “They won't believe us.”
Ollie: “They have to.”
David Drayton: “I'm not sure I believe it, and I was here. What we saw was impossible. You know that, don't you? What do we say? How do we... convince them? Ollie, what the hell were those tentacles even attached to?”
It just goes to show how you can tell how suspenseful it is and how horrified David Drayton was.
The book was really captivating. I could relate to how the characters felt, because everybody feels fear, other than that, nothing. This book was horrifying, I was scared to read this book in the dark because I felt like if I kept reading, something was going to grab my leg or jump out at me or something, it had me a little freaked out.
The greatest strength of this book would have to be everything. There are no types of weaknesses in this book. The dialogue is amazing, the descriptions about certain places is explained clearly and thoroughly. I just find “The Mist” to be an excellent book. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend, because it’s just so amazingly written and this is my all-time favorite book. Hands down, for me, I believe this is the best book I’ve ever read.
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Dec 02, 2012 Matt Carter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Though Stephen King is best known for his novels, I think he really excels with shorter-form fiction. His short stories are generally creepier, and his novellas are oft among his most celebrated stories (i.e. The Body, Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption, Apt. Pupil, etc.). I think most of this comes from the fact that he forcibly limits himself and doesn't give in to his usual problems of overly padding stories and meandering toward the end. When he knows where he's going and when he k...more Though Stephen King is best known for his novels, I think he really excels with shorter-form fiction. His short stories are generally creepier, and his novellas are oft among his most celebrated stories (i.e. The Body, Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption, Apt. Pupil, etc.). I think most of this comes from the fact that he forcibly limits himself and doesn't give in to his usual problems of overly padding stories and meandering toward the end. When he knows where he's going and when he knows he has to get there soon, he's punchier, he gets to the point, and he often pulls out all stops on the ride over. The Mist is perhaps his finest novella for all of these reasons.

Though there is some slight speculation about the origins of the mysterious disaster that traps a group of neighbors in a grocery store, surrounded by a mysterious mist full of man-eating monsters, King doesn't linger on the subject as he usually would. There's no talk of magic, no awkward attempt to shoehorn in the Dark Tower mythos, it's just a bottle story of a group of people perhaps trapped in the end of the world. The fear in the story at first comes from many of the freakish, otherworldly monsters who torment our heroes, but soon evolves into something more sinister as religious mania sweeps through the group and a low-grade despot comes to power. Though a fairly standard "trapped together, the true evil comes from within" kind of story, it is one of the best for hitting all the right buttons in the right ways.

My only complaint, that I'd probably use to give this story 4.5 stars instead of five if possible, is with the awkward sex scene he drops in for no apparent reason. He does this in a lot of stories (nothing could ever get as weird as The Raft's awkward sex scene, thankfully), and it never works. When you're working on a creepy, tense monster movie of a story, a weird sex scene where the characters involved don't even seem to be enjoying themselves really takes you out of the story.(less)

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Nov 30, 2012 Kaan Dogusoy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Kaan Dogusoy L9-10

THE MIST

Stephen King

It is one of the greatest Masterpieces of Horror. People who like to be scared should read it, but also everybody who cares and likes Stephen King’s writing style should read it, because this book is the best work he has ever did. This book takes place in a normal American town Bridgton, at our time (21st century). It looks like everything is normal, but actually it turns really weird. Nearly nothing is normal except these things.

I chose this book because I...more Kaan Dogusoy L9-10

THE MIST

Stephen King

It is one of the greatest Masterpieces of Horror. People who like to be scared should read it, but also everybody who cares and likes Stephen King’s writing style should read it, because this book is the best work he has ever did. This book takes place in a normal American town Bridgton, at our time (21st century). It looks like everything is normal, but actually it turns really weird. Nearly nothing is normal except these things.

I chose this book because I like everything about Stephen King. I learned this book from my friend. He said “You say to yourself Stephen King fan and you didn’t read ‘The Mist’ We have a problem Houston?” I got embarrassed and with that ambition I took that book rapidly and read half of it in a day.

After that book I thought Mist symbol is not really important. It is just something that holds people in that market. It can be something else like “terrorist attack”, still it will be a great book. In that fear people in the supermarket showed us the ‘not humanist’ reactions. However these reactions were actually so reliable, these are not phony at all. That shows Stephen King’s work. Even the story was not so good and creative; he made it great with his writing style.

After a hard storm, David Drayton worked for repairing his house. Then he had to go Supermarket for buy some food. He took his son Billy and they went to town with their neighbor Mr. Norton. While he was going he saw a weird thing. A mist with a straight edge and it was coming fast to them. They entered to supermarket and mist enveloped the entire building. There were creatures out there in the mist, scary monsters… This book is about what happened in that supermarket and after it. Characters’ feeling and reactions are really important fort his book.

My favorite character is David Crayton. He is like a 21st century real hero. Even the world is burning, he thought about his son. He got shot but first think he said was ‘How is Billy? Is he okay?” Everybody wants to have a father like David. He is not a father, a hero of a child.

When I was just a little child I had some thoughts like this book. For me, making a doomsday and thinking about how to save people was a great thing. I remember something similar to book too. I had a similar ending, there was no end…

Who am I that can say a Horror master Stephen King, “You did this wrong, it was bad… etc.” Nobody can do it. I just feel great about this book. Nothing can be improved. Only thing that I didn’t like is the ending. I like clear and sad endings. However both of these things were not in the book.

Just read it, you may be sure that you will like it.
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Oct 31, 2012 Kristilyn (Reading In Winter & Winter Distractions) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, borrowed, read-in-2012

I always feel very intrigued by Stephen King’s works. I’ve seen a lot of his movies, but it seems that whenever I try to read one of his books, I lose interest halfway through.

I found this book as a full-cast dramatization at the library and saw it was only about 70 minutes long, so I thought I’d give it a go. Truthfully, I’m not really sure what to think about it! I know a lot of people like to listen to full-cast dramatizations, but this was … different.

The story was good, but it was definit...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Ethan D. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

From the dark and brilliant mind of author Stephen King, the story of a father and his son confronting the mysterious secrets that come from their small town in Maine and the monstrosities it brings. Original a novella in Skeleton Crew by Stephen King, it was reprinted as a individual book (To accompany the 2007 film). Like many of his other novels darkness looms of every corner of the page as King sets out to keep you on the edge of your seat with tales of unimaginable creatures and even the f...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Kasey Jane rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, doesnt-pass-bechdel

"There are things of such darkness and horror. . . that they will not fit through the puny human doors of perception." This best describes a world where a group of people are trapped by monstrous forces of the Other under an opaque blanket of fog.

I love stories of groups of people confronted by forces beyond any one individual's power. This impulse harkens back to my Uncanny X-Men days, I suppose. Stephen King has written some pretty decent books that fit this trope, but The Mist is not his best...more "There are things of such darkness and horror. . . that they will not fit through the puny human doors of perception." This best describes a world where a group of people are trapped by monstrous forces of the Other under an opaque blanket of fog.

I love stories of groups of people confronted by forces beyond any one individual's power. This impulse harkens back to my Uncanny X-Men days, I suppose. Stephen King has written some pretty decent books that fit this trope, but The Mist is not his best. For one thing -- with one awesome exception in the second half of the book -- women come in three varieties: Wife, Siren, and Witch. (As an aside, Stephen King loves making stocky middle-aged women into his antagonists; he develops an exercise on it in On Writing. For some more examples, see Carrie, Misery, and Sylvia Pittston in The Gunslinger.)

I think this probably stemmed from King's Lovecraft fandom, which -- as a Lovecraft fangirl myself -- is a good thing. Overall, however, I think King is a lot better at writing King than he is an writing Lovecraft.

Words Below
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Jun 07, 2012 Chris Meigh rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

A tale of survival and the human condition set to the back drop of one of King’s most malevolent horrors. David Drayton heads to the supermarket to get supplies following a freak storm that took out power lines and trees in Maine. His son and he are in the supermarket when a mysterious fog descends on the supermarket. What follows is a fight for survival against both the creatures in the mist but against the other people in the super market.

Not only is The Mist a great horror story that will hav...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Jeffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm piss-drunk.

Now, don't accept that as merely a facet of my reading a Stephen King novella. I just like to drink wine and eat cheese and crackers while I read. I'd be a classy guy, were I not piss-drunk while doing so, and an evil homosexual to boot.

But all that aside, The Mist is worth your read if for no other reason that it can BE read in a few hours if you're in the mood. And hey, just for the record, if you're piss-drunk then you'll probably be in the mood. My Gods in Hell, I do like chea...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Gabriel Musselman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Mist by Stephen King is a novella, or short novel, first published in 1980. The short story was introduced as a part of the anthology Dark Forces, who’s other short stories include the works great science fiction writers such as Ray Bradbury. In 2007, director Frank Darabont made The Mist into a full-length film, raking in over eight million dollars at the box office opening week. Being only about two hundred and forty pages long, The Mist is a short, entrancing, and memorable read.
At the...more The Mist by Stephen King is a novella, or short novel, first published in 1980. The short story was introduced as a part of the anthology Dark Forces, who’s other short stories include the works great science fiction writers such as Ray Bradbury. In 2007, director Frank Darabont made The Mist into a full-length film, raking in over eight million dollars at the box office opening week. Being only about two hundred and forty pages long, The Mist is a short, entrancing, and memorable read.
At the start of the book, David Drayton, his son Billy, and his wife, Stephanie, are at their home in Bridgton, Maine, when a violent storm bears down upon the town. The three take shelter in their basement to wait out the tempest. After the wind dies down, David and his son venture outside to survey the damage, and they quickly realize that this is no ordinary storm, as a thick, heavy mist bears down upon Bridgton, blocking up the sun as it goes. The power lines are destroyed by the storm, and the two pick up their neighbor, Norton, and drive into town to get food and supplies, while David’s wife, Steph, remains at the house. At the town, David and Billy quickly go to the Federal Supermarket to get food, but when they walk through the doors, they have no idea what is going to happen next. People are lined up throughout the entire store when the mist arrives.
The mist comes and swallows up the entire town, trapping the people inside the store. Then, the store’s emergency generator fails, and David takes a small group back to fix it, but as soon as young bag boy Norm leaves the building, monstrous tentacles grab him and start to drag him into the mist, screaming for his life. The group tries desperately to pull the boy back in, but the tentacles rip him from their grasp. The group slowly walks back into the storefront and informs the trapped people of what happened, starting a panicked escape from some of the people. As they get farther into the mist, a huge, unseen creature kills them where they stand. The group of remaining people barricade themselves in the store, but split themselves into different groups, one that follows David, and tries to survive, one that does not believe that there are any creatures at all, and one that follows the town lunatic, Mrs. Carmody and believes that the Mist is the end of the world. The group of disbelievers walks out of the store, headed by David’s neighbor, and is quickly demolished by unseen monsters. The group now fights to survive, wondering where the creatures came from (some suspect that the monsters are from a secret government project taking place not far from the town.) and fighting off swarms of smaller creatures. Then, David and a few others attempt escape, seeking refuge in the pharmacy next to the store, but spider-like things in the mist attack the group. Finally, a group of about six people, including David and his son, dash for David’s car and escape to the highway, leaving the others behind. The novella ends with a cliffhanger, leaving you wondering if the small band of survivors gets to safety, or if they are swallowed up by the mist, never to be heard of again.
Throughout the entire book, I felt as if I could relate to David and his son, Billy. The way Stephen King writes is amazing all by itself, but the way he brings his characters to life is incredible. Throughout the book, I felt as if I was standing right in David’s shoes and experiencing the same emotions and pains he did. I think that this is not just the way I relate to the characters in the novella, but rather how the characters draw me into the story and make me feel as if I was there. King’s writing style is such that he takes the plot and the people in the story and makes the plot change the characters throughout the book, making a realistic and diverse depth to the characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. From the front cover to the last period, I felt immersed and in touch with the story. King’s monsters had me cringing in my seat, and his plot twists and turns had me begging for just one more paragraph, just one more chapter. Stylistic writing played a big part in developing the mood and feel of the book, as well as establishing a sense of depth and emotion for the reader. By the end of the book, I was rooting for the survivors, full fledged, cheering their success and grieving their loss. I believe a book that can do that is one that its worth remembering.
I have to say that I would recommend this book to anyone that loves good writing, great characters, and plot twists galore, and have. If you love epic storylines, fearsome monsters, and stories full of reverie, you should read this book. The Mist is one of those books that you finish wishing for more. I believe that The Mist is a great read for most everyone. I do, honestly, think that you should read this book!
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Oct 20, 2011 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was my very first Stephen King read. I’ve watched so many of the movies that have been adapted from King’s books, but I have always been a little too scared to read the actual thing. So it was recommended to me that The Mist be the one I start out with, as one of King’s shorter works. I was excited because The Mist is in the handful of King’s book-to-movie adaptations I haven’t seen. I will be honest: I thought I would wuss out and have to put the book in the freezer at some point. (Did you...more

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Oct 04, 2011 John Rymsha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When 9/11 happened George Bush was informed that one of the twin towers were just attacked he was visiting a school classroom. If u watched the 9/11 tribute it shows how calm he was when someone came up to him and whispered in his ear about the attack, he just nodded his head and stayed head strong and from there on he handled the attack in a good manner. He got NY and the whole United States through a tough time and even though both towers were brought down George Bush stayed strong and now Ne...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Small.t rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Maybe it is only because I am a HUGE sucker for monster movies and monster books, but THE MIST was one of Stephen King's best novellas.

It involves commercial artist David Drayton who leaves his wife Stephanie behind at their home the night after a voilent thunderstorm while he goes to collect supplies and food at the local supermarket with his young son, Billy.
For months, a heat wave had plagued his hometown of Brigton, Maine, and it was finally broken with the thunderstorm, which brought a ver...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Marlena Frank rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopias, horror, fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I read this quite a while ago, and way before the film came out. It was perhaps my favorite Stephen King story until I got into The Gunslinger and the Dark Tower series. There are three factors to this story that make it amazing: 1) the gruesomeness of the creatures they go up against, 2) how you don't know what's really out there until the end, 3) and the social paradigms that get fully explored.

The fact that the vast majority of the storyline takes place in a small local grocery store only mak...more

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Aug 28, 2009 Phillip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: advisory-10th

This book is about a devistating mist that have invaded a town. This mist is no ordiniary mist. In this mist it contains creatures from another dimension that have enough power to kill many people. In this book it shows how a devistating force can change everyone to taking sides and believe who is right and wrong. In this book a man and his son takes a trip to the supermarket and eventually a mist overcomes the outside of the supermarket.

Everyone closes the doors as they see a bloody man running...more

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Jul 18, 2009 Tom Meade rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, science-fiction

Oh boy, if I had read this when I was fifteen it would have been my favourite book in the world.

I actually saw the film of this first, which may have hurt my appreciation of the novella. The film, you see, follows King's book almost to the letter, but at the same time it fleshes-out a lot of the minor characters, cuts-out King's incessant pop-culture name-dropping and ill-advised sub-plots (the relationship betwen Amanda and David is pointless and ill-conceived, and really should have been shelv...more Oh boy, if I had read this when I was fifteen it would have been my favourite book in the world.

I actually saw the film of this first, which may have hurt my appreciation of the novella. The film, you see, follows King's book almost to the letter, but at the same time it fleshes-out a lot of the minor characters, cuts-out King's incessant pop-culture name-dropping and ill-advised sub-plots (the relationship betwen Amanda and David is pointless and ill-conceived, and really should have been shelved unless King intended to flesh this out into a full-length novel), and provides a portrait of the villain, Mrs Carmody, which is simultaneously more over-the-top and mustache-twirling and more believable than that presented in the book.

I'm not just bashing this work for not being as good as its adaptation, however. In fact, the two complement each other quite nicely. King's story is very much a pulpy yarn, clearly written with little thought other than to take this really cool idea he'd hit upon and just get the story out. The film, conversely, is a somewhat heavy-handed political allegory that occasional forgets it's a horror film (often, but not always, to its detriment).

Putting all this aside, The Mist is a really cool idea. It's a mist! Full of monsters! That's covered-over the entire world! That's a great premise. My only real quibble is that King decided to have all of his characters trapped in a super market for another re-reun of Night of the Living Dead. He was obviously trying to conjure a sense of brooding, apocalyptic hopelessness, but the rushed style he adopts kind of undoes him, here, and the book often reads more like either a bloated short story or the skeleton of what could have been an excellent novel. If he'd fleshed things out a bit, and had the characters take-off across country trying to survive, then that would have been marvellous. I do get the sense that he just sort of ended it where he did, because he couldn't think of anything else to write.

Anyway, this was a very enjoyable story. The characters are reasonably fleshed-out, the writing is decent, the ideas are wonderful, and there are some excellent set-pieces. I'm just a little bitter, because as good as this is, with a little more effort it could have been a genuine classic. The idea is simply too good for anyone to be allowed to half-ass it, even if it's also good enough to mean that people can simply coast on it if they want.

I definitely recommend it, anyway. Just don't see the movie first, because it might spoil things for you.(less)

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Jul 05, 2009 Janelle Dazzlepants rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror, sci-fi, mystery

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

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Jan 20, 2013 Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

There are some pairs of words in the English language which appear at first glance to be simple synonyms, but which conceal a subtle difference in meaning. Words like “enrapture” and “enamour”, or like “osteopath” and “chiropractor”. (The subtle differences between these words are given at the end of the review.) Another such pair is “fog” and “mist”. What, pray tell, is the difference? Well, according to Her Majesty's Government's Meteorological Glossary (5th edition), fog is microscopic dropl...more

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Nov 06, 2012 Nathan Morales rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book is told in first person from the point of view of a middle aged man named David Drayton. He and his and his son take a trip to the local grocery store after a huge storm ripped through their small town in Maine. Soon a very thick mist covers everything and the people in the grocery store soon find out that there are other-worldly beings in this mist that are out to kill everyone.
The thing I enjoyed most about this book is the anticipation and suspense. Just like any other typical Steph...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Eric Bartol rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Are you a veteran "King-er" or a newbie?

Either way, pop some popcorn and snuggle up with your sweetheart because this is a great B-movie of a book! Start with a quiet, unseasonably hot afternoon. Follow that up with an unusually harsh end to the heat. Back to normal? Nope! Not here. Not while Stephen King is at the helm. He's gonna take a hard turn into the surreal.

David Drayton, son of a noted artist, leaves his wife, Steff, at home and heads into the small town of Bridgton with his 5 year old...more

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Aug 24, 2012 TheKesser rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I started reading this short story about 2 years ago, but never finished it. I was kind of ADD about the whole thing and was flipping between books that I wanted to read.

I'm glad that I finally read this story though.

I must admit, the ending wasn't what I was expecting at all. I was expected a neat tied up bow about it, but that wasn't the case at all. I'm actually glad that he didn't do that. I think it made the story more interesting 'cause now I'm wondering what has become of them. I actually...more I started reading this short story about 2 years ago, but never finished it. I was kind of ADD about the whole thing and was flipping between books that I wanted to read.

I'm glad that I finally read this story though.

I must admit, the ending wasn't what I was expecting at all. I was expected a neat tied up bow about it, but that wasn't the case at all. I'm actually glad that he didn't do that. I think it made the story more interesting 'cause now I'm wondering what has become of them. I actually wish there was more now. I hope they made it out alright and I'm hoping that they are alive still.

I really liked David and his son Billy. They were great characters. I loved how they weren't at all perfect, but they were willing to basically admit that.

I loved Mrs. Carmody. She was crazy! But somehow that added so much more to the story. I like the fact that there was someone like that. And I like how she died, which makes me sound really morbid I know, but I don't care. haha

I like the way this story was written too. The first person account was so well done, and I never felt like it was too much "I did this, and I did that." Sometimes stories in the first person can be too much for that, but this one was perfect.

And I absolutely loved the limited knowledge that the story teller had. It's nice when you have a story that the person telling it knows just as much as you do. It places you in the same position as the character and I thought it was amazing. I loved that he was very blunt about how he didn't know some things. He didn't know if his story would ever be found or not, he didn't know if they would even make it to their destination. They didn't know what would be come of them, but they were at least willing to try. It's another almost 'triumph of the human spirit' kind of a story. Even faced with things they didn't understand or know how to handle they still faced it and were willing to fight for their lives and the ones that they loved.

I definitely would recommend this book.(less)

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Sep 26, 2011 Leo rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of those very rare cases where the movie outshone the book. I watched the movie about 2 years ago and it's still my favorite monster movie, between it's awesome mix of practical and cg effects, the acting (mrs. Carmody is ten times as frightening in the film) and then VERY different ending. I really suggest that anyone who read this book but missed the film should give it a watch whenever you have time.

All that said, I did like the book. It's still a fun read, it was just a little ha...more

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May 22, 2011 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Mist is a brilliant example of one of King's best plot variations: that in which he removes and obscures (in this case, by means of an impenetrable, terror-ridden MIST)the comfortable world of normality--although come to think of it, the world, whether real or of King's creation, is never NORMAL to begin with, is it?
The cover of this particular edition is a good indicator of the overall feel of this book. The reader, like the characters, is stumbling around in a world that is no longer recog...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Usually when I learn that a book I'm interested in has been made into a movie (or a movie I'm interested is based off a book)I try to read the book first. However, with "The Mist," that didn't happen. I didn't know it was a book until the first time I watched the movie when it first came out and saw the whole "based on the novel..." thing in the opening credits. One of my favorite parts of the movie was the ending. It is so sad and frustrating. It will just rip your heart into a million pieces....more

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Mar 20, 2013 Gjacobsen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: end-of-world

I picked this up in an airport to have something to read during a round trip flight nearly across the country. From a purely practical standpoint this was a perfect selection based on length alone. The story: solid enough when you don't actually want to think, but only to not think about the people around you. Not the highest bar, but I've had some annoying flights.

"The Mist" was the first Stephen King book I ever read after 20+ years of avid reading. No particular reason, other than I have an...more I picked this up in an airport to have something to read during a round trip flight nearly across the country. From a purely practical standpoint this was a perfect selection based on length alone. The story: solid enough when you don't actually want to think, but only to not think about the people around you. Not the highest bar, but I've had some annoying flights.

"The Mist" was the first Stephen King book I ever read after 20+ years of avid reading. No particular reason, other than I have an irritating habit to never fully consider things in the "popular" realm. I say this because I have subsequently tore through Books I through V of the Dark Tower series.

For my purposes, the characters in "The Mist" were pretty well fleshed out if you suspended your disbelief in a few things - and not the supernatural aspects of the story. I refer to a series of snap decisions made by the leading characters. The rates at which they come undone, fray, and rise above the unknown terrors that confront them are fast-paced, somewhat superficial when all is said and done. The protagonist's love interest in the haven of the grocery store comes about quick, though he's married. Lust is one thing. Our hero is literally thinking that she'd make a good mother for his son, while just barely accepting the notion his wife may be alive, let alone scared witless about her missing son and husband. As King is wont to do, he throws in a religious zealot eager to utilize doom and destruction for her own benefit (her, as that also seems to be King's wont, in my experience). While quick decisions are made by those around her as to whether or not she's a holy mouthpiece, these are less frustrating because the language used is entertaining and adds more conflict to the story.

We never learn much about the creatures of "The Mist", and the end of the book leaves one wondering as to what will happen to our hero (much unlike the movie), but its a book that really requires no answers. It's quick, easy, and involves creatures from another dimension. Perfect for plane rides.u(less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Deepti rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

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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)

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Quotes from The Mist

“You know what talent is? The curse of expectation. As a kid you have to deal with that, beat it somehow. If you can write, you think God put you on earth to blow Shakespeare away. Of if you can paint, maybe you think--I did--that God put you on earth to blow your father away.” — 7 people liked it

“Something in the fog!" he screamed, and Billy shrank against me-whether because of the man's bloody nose or what he was saying, I don't know. "Something in the fog took John Lee! Something-" He staggered back against a display of lawn food stacked by the window and sat down there."Something in the fog took John Lee and I heard him screaming!” — 1 person liked it

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