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The Dead Zone

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 72,341 ratings · 948 reviews

Johnny, the small boy who skated at breakneck speed into an accident that for one horrifying moment plunged him into the Dead Zone. Johnny Smith, the small-town schoolteacher who spun the wheel of fortune and won a four-and-a-half-year trip into the Dead Zone. John Smith, who awakened from an interminable coma with an accursed power—the power to see the future and the terr...more

Paperback, 402 pages

Published August 1980 by Signet (first published August 30th 1979)

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Jan 14, 2013 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 2013, i-recommend, stephen-king-read, scifi-fantasy

What comes from knowing things? Nothing. What is the purpose of knowing the future? So you can change it? But wouldn't what you knew about the future and the change you were going to bring to the future, be the way it was supposed to be anyways? Just think about it...

I think in the case of Johnny Smith and The Dead Zone , I would have to say what happened to Johnny and the events surrounding him, happened for a reason.

This is not a horror novel, in my opinion. This is more of a sci-fi novel don...more

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May 01, 2012 Stefan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

For some reason, my recollection of reading this book before was very vague. Therefore, I went into the rereading process without knowing what to expect at all. Boy, was I surprised. After finishing it, I think that The Dead Zone is one of King's best novels.

The character development is superb and I think that Johnny Smith is possibly one of King's best developed characters. We also spend considerable time with his family members and the principle villains and these characters are all strongly d...more

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Apr 06, 2009 Manny rated it 3 of 5 stars

As people may have gathered by now from my reviews, I never liked Dubya very much. While he was President, I would often think of The Dead Zone and hope someone would try to shoot him.

I didn't want them to kill him or even cause him any physical damage. I just wished that he'd instinctively grab a nearby kid and attempt to use him as a human shield. Stephen King is right: that would have made people take notice.

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Aug 16, 2007 Eric Althoff rated it 5 of 5 stars

While Stephen King has rightfully garnered a reputation as a horror writer, some of his best fiction revolves around stories of everyday humanity affected by elements of the supernatural. After awakening from a five-year coma, John Smith has come back from the ether with a clairvoyance to see certain futures and hidden pasts of others by touch alone. Opting to use his powers for good, John is called upon for such tasks as helping the police to catch an elusive rapist. But when he shakes hands wi...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Daniel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Three-fourths into this book, I realized that the slow burn that King tended was turning into something much fiercer; after reading the final paragraph, I was struck with a keen sense of melancholy and loss. In brief, this is a story about a man who is struck with a tragic circumstance, and how he deals with it. A sketch of the social and political situation in America circa the mid-1970's runs, at first, parallel to this account; later, it all intertwines with the kind of neatness that one find...more

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May 14, 2013 Zach Sechler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Title:The dead zone

Author: Stephen King

Genre: fiction

Date Book was published 1980

The dead zone was published by Stephen King in 1980 and is about a young man who lived in the little town of Castle Rock and went by the name Johnny Smith. Johnny had a good life in college until he ended up in a coma from a car accident. Four years later Johnny awakens from his coma and, as time goes by and he gets a better idea of what is going on in his life, he begins to realize he has an uncontrollable psychic...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Nicholas Armstrong rated it 2 of 5 stars

This feels very much a precursor to 11/22/63. I won't drag into the details because I guess it isn't relevant to the quality of this book, but it is interesting, as if King couldn't let the idea go and crystallized it in 11/22/63.

Anywho, the problem with this book is mostly that it is out of focus. We are taken on a journey that scampers and leaps across time and characters. I never really felt like I had a strong grasp on any place, person, or thing because the novel leaps from one to the next...more

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May 22, 2008 Jason added it

The Dead Zone, one of Stephen King's earlier classics, follows one Johnny Smith, a regular guy with an amazing talent, a type of psychic ability that enables him, upon touching people, to know things about them, about their past, present, or even future.

It starts when Johnny's a boy and has an accident while playing on the ice and is blown wide open when he's in a near fatal car accident as an adult. After four years in a coma, Johnny wakes up with his abilities much stronger than they ever wer...more The Dead Zone, one of Stephen King's earlier classics, follows one Johnny Smith, a regular guy with an amazing talent, a type of psychic ability that enables him, upon touching people, to know things about them, about their past, present, or even future.

It starts when Johnny's a boy and has an accident while playing on the ice and is blown wide open when he's in a near fatal car accident as an adult. After four years in a coma, Johnny wakes up with his abilities much stronger than they ever were. A series of chance encounters, ranging from something simple like helping a lady find a lost wedding ring to saving lives, Johnny soon attracts much unwanted media attenion, which causes him to go on the road, reminiscent of David Banner in the old Hulk TV series, traveling from town to town, trying to avoid these supernatural encounters but somehow always managing to fall right into them, preventing him from ever living a "normal" life.

His dark gift eventually leads him to Greg Stillson, an up and coming politician who's rise to power is juxtaposed with Johnny's recovery and misadventures in the "Dead Zone". After shaking his hand at a political rally, Johnny envisions Stillson someday and President and leading the country into an apocalyptic nuclear war. Johnny is now faced with the horrible burden of this knowledge and dilemma ... how can he stand by and let this man get elected if he knows it will mean millions will die from it, tackling big issues like "If you could go back in time and kill Hitler, would you? Should you?"

The Dead Zone is a fun read and does ask some poignant questions about power and responsibility. I have heard it suggested that Johnny's power and sudden fame was a cathartic exploration of the author's, who'd, at the time of this books original publication, had just made it big with some of his mega bestsellers such as Carrie and Salem's Lot. It is also by far the most political of King's books, featurinig cameos from several well known political figures of the day.

The novel is flawed, possibly due to King's Freshmen's status as a novelist when he originally wrote it. The first hundred pages or so, the main character is in a coma and it follows his parents around mostly, bobbing between them and Stillson.

His sudden obsession with politics and with Stillson himself is sudden and awkward when it first starts. There's little build up to it, only subtle hints here and there. Seasoned readers and watchers of movies will of course know that some type of confrentation between the two men must be coming, but little in the book prepares you for it.

That being said, the character of Johnny Smith is sympathetic and even tragic, more so than most of King's characters in other books. Here's a man who's vision for himself, his life and his future is snatched away from him in a blink of an eye, never to be realized.

Once Johnny accepts his mission to stop the election of Greg Stillson, there is suspense and drama and you do want to get to the end to see how it all plays out.

It is a worthy read, especially for fans of King and his early fiction. (less)

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Feb 02, 2008 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: thehorrorthehorror

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

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Mar 01, 2013 Tina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: awesome

I know almost every person on this planet is familiar with the story, but I want to tell you this: Forget about any movie or TV series you've ever seen and get your hands on a copy of The Dead Zone. It's a book that will warm your heart and then rip it apart. A book that will tell you about finding love and losing it because it was just too good to be true; about the shit life has in store for us and the consequences we have to deal with; about getting a great 'power' and accepting the responsib...more

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Mar 08, 2008 sarafem rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007, royally-sucked, novels

I loved the TV show and watched it in its entirety before I even realized it was based on a book. I should have known how different they would be; it's not like you can string several seasons of episodes from one book. However, I was disappointed in the undeveloped characters and some of the differences that I had grown to love in the show.

I may have loved this book without being a fan of the show first, so perhaps the comparison is unfair. I can't shake it though; I recommend the show but not t...more

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Apr 29, 2013 Debbi rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm rereading this -- probably for the fifth time or so -- because it's likely my favorite of all of King's novels. The way he combines plot with characterization is nonpareil. This man is one of the very best contemporary novelists we have.

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Apr 30, 2013 Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'd seen The Dead Zone starring Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, and Brooke Adams in the 1980's, and only recently decided to take a crack at the original novel published in 1979 by Stephen King. Though it's been a good while since I've seen the movie, the novel has a different feel to me, because of how deeply it delves into the main character's reality. The novel centers around a likeable young teacher in Maine, Johnny Smith, who because of a childhood head trauma in a skating accident also p...more I'd seen The Dead Zone starring Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, and Brooke Adams in the 1980's, and only recently decided to take a crack at the original novel published in 1979 by Stephen King. Though it's been a good while since I've seen the movie, the novel has a different feel to me, because of how deeply it delves into the main character's reality. The novel centers around a likeable young teacher in Maine, Johnny Smith, who because of a childhood head trauma in a skating accident also possesses a preternatural ability to glimpse into the future. These visions of things to come appear to him when he touches a person's hand, a family heirloom, or even when he sits at a park bench. His eerie gift comes to a head at a local fair where he takes his date, Sarah, and after an evening of taking in the usual carnival attractions, they try their luck at winning cash at the Wheel of Fortune, a roulette game. An astounded crowd watches Johnny's improbable streak as he hits the winning numbers at every turn. But the Wheel of Fortune also serves as a running metaphor throughout the novel of the tragic events unfolding shortly thereafter and which change Johnny's life forever. Thematically, the Wheel of Fortune underscores the key idea about Johnny's ability to forecast future events and the moral implications one faces with such an otherworldly power. In a parallel narrative looms Greg Stillson, a folksy politician who kisses babies at campaign rallies while in the shadows thugs carry out his dirty work so others bend to his will. King's portrayal of Stillson is spectacularly menacing and the story ensnares us closely toward the conclusion in which Johnny Smith's and Stillson's paths inexorably cross in the explosive denouement. In the Dead Zone, Stephen King paints a colorful and true-to-life panorama of 1970's America, touching on the volatile political environment following Watergate and the Vietnam War. King's book also successfully interweaves popular culture during Jimmy Carter's presidency with the murkier world of psychic phenomena. The Dead Zone raises fascinating questions about personal responsibility when one has the power to foresee, and even change, a possible terrifying future.(less)

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Apr 03, 2013 Nieva rated it 5 of 5 stars

So, the plot. Johnny Smith is a teacher, dating a fellow teacher called Sarah. They have a potential future together – it's tentative but brewing – until they go to a fair one day, and Johnny wins a lot of money playing Wheel of Fortune. Long story short, there's a car crash, and Johnny ends up in a coma for the next five years. When he wakes up, nothing is like it was: Sarah is married, his father has been praying he'd die, his mother has found a cult-like branch of Christianity to join, and th...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Aaron Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have always considered this King's greatest book from a literary perspective, even if it lacks the lurid thrills of his tome It. This book has a hero with a curse, seeing the future, and its status as a curse is dealt with convincingly and vividly. Most brilliantly, the narrative weaves together elements such as the Holocaust, a serial killer in small town USA, fear of nuclear war, and corrupt politics. The villain, Greg Stillson, owes something to Robert Penn Warren's Willie Stark.

John Smith...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Aditya rated it 5 of 5 stars

The dead zone has got to be one of the most criminally under-rated King books of all time.It is rather a psychological or a paranormal thriller than a conventional horror book.It deals with Johny Smith who gets precognition power after a fateful car accident.In spite of sounding cliched i must say this book critically examines the concept of "With great power comes great responsibility" way before Spider-man turned it into a pop culture reference.

This is a dark book & also has an interesting...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Clement Leveau rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Dead Zone
By Clement Leveau
The Dead Zone is a very mysterious intriguing book written by Stephen King. The story is about a man named Johnny Smith. After returning his girlfriend to her house, he takes a taxi cab which crashes landing him in a 4 year coma. While he is asleep his girlfriend, father, and mother mourn for him dearly. His mother being very religious is the only one left who believes he will come out of the coma alive because she believes that God wants him to do great things....more

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Dec 30, 2012 Lulu rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. In a way I think that whether you find a book 'good' or 'bad' depends mostly on your own personal tastes in reading. Overall, The Dead Zone is a book that confused me with its jumping from character to character and place to place and even through spaces in time. Maybe it was because of the reading culture I'm used to or the kind of books I read (this is the first King novel I grab) but I didn't really like this book, from the writing style to the frustrating characters to the 'not really there'...more In a way I think that whether you find a book 'good' or 'bad' depends mostly on your own personal tastes in reading. Overall, The Dead Zone is a book that confused me with its jumping from character to character and place to place and even through spaces in time. Maybe it was because of the reading culture I'm used to or the kind of books I read (this is the first King novel I grab) but I didn't really like this book, from the writing style to the frustrating characters to the 'not really there' plot, it failed to really enthral and enthusiast me into the story. Through the course of the book we meet a young John Smith that falls while skating and gets his first 'vision', after that we go straight to the adult him that is already working and has a girlfriend, we know nothing of whatever occurred in the middle of his life; after the accident we get presented with a series of side characters that, while all serve a particular purpose, are underdeveloped; even the main character John is a bit frustrating at times, his former girlfriend is a completely selfish person with a masochistic streak and no real sense of herself while his mother is a lunatic; the only character I could find any sympathy with would be Herb, an already aged man who does as best as he can to cope with his son's coma and his wife's madness. Then we got a mad cop that rapes and strangles women because of his stupid mother and finally, and this is the cherry on the cake, a corrupt politician that would bring the end of the world if he became president of the USA, and Smith's 'mission' is to stop him; which in the end he sort of does. The ending gave me some mixed feelings, it felt a bit melancholic (which went well with the whole book) and at the same time I think that not killing Stillson might have been the better ending, if John had succeeded in killing him, the man would have been a martyr but since he survived by using a child as a shield, the people got to see his true self, which in a way is a better thing.

Not entirely liking this book is not really going to stop me from reading other King novels, since authors mature and change and I'll just keep on reading until I find the genius he's presumed to be.(less)

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Nov 23, 2012 Charlie Eastbourne rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've always had sort of weird feelings about The Dead Zone. It is a fantastic novel, yet it has never rated among my personal King favorites. Maybe it's because I envision the story taking place in a cold, harsh world, devoid of color and light. This really isn't a horror novel at all, so there are really no thrills and chills to be found until the few exhilarating moments that make up the climax of this pretty depressing story. The Dead Zone is one of King's most accessible novels, however, and...more I've always had sort of weird feelings about The Dead Zone. It is a fantastic novel, yet it has never rated among my personal King favorites. Maybe it's because I envision the story taking place in a cold, harsh world, devoid of color and light. This really isn't a horror novel at all, so there are really no thrills and chills to be found until the few exhilarating moments that make up the climax of this pretty depressing story. The Dead Zone is one of King's most accessible novels, however, and it exemplifies so many of this great author's strengths. First and foremost, the man knows how to tell a story - no one does it better, in my opinion. King's magic gift for characterization is also on display here, as John Smith, a thoroughly "Everyman" protagonist comes across as quite real and exceedingly human; he's a truly ordinary man placed in the most extraordinary of conditions. King truly does the character right in the form of a truly masterful conclusion, as well.

If you could go back in time to 1932 and meet Adolf Hitler, would you kill him? That's the question that ultimately comes to consume Johnny's mind as this story nears its end. Would you sacrifice yourself for the lives of so many other people, virtually all of them strangers?

John Smith is just an ordinary fellow; he's got a job he enjoys, he's fallen in love with a good woman, and he's as happy as he's ever been. Then The Accident happens, and Johnny wakes up to learn that his world will never be the same. He's been in a coma for well over four years, and he faces a painful road to recovery both mentally and physically. His girl has married someone else, his mother has gone off the deep end of religious zeal, he faces painful, scarring surgeries in the brutal months ahead, and he really struggles to find a reason for living in such a harsh new world. He has gained something from the awful experience, however, and it's both a blessing and a curse. At times, he can see the future just by touching a person or an object. It's a frightening power, one that alienates him even further from those around him. When word gets out, he finds himself deluged with pleas for help from people all over the country. All he wants is to live an ordinary life again, but his psychic powers make this impossible. His mother believes God has special plans for Johnny, and in the end he thinks she may be right. He alone, as things turn out, can save his country and maybe the entire world from devastating future destruction wrought by a madman.

Smith is one of King's most sympathetic characters. He's one of us, really, and we suffer along with him as he starts life anew. His physical problems are horrendous, but they pale in comparison to his emotional loss. He's lost his girl, yet he can't even blame her for thinking he would never recover and thus starting her life anew in someone else's arms. He doesn't know what to think or do about this strange power he has developed; it scares people, and it scares him - yet he knows it allows him to do some good things for people. He also knows he can't run away from it. The problem is that no one really believes his predictions until they have proven themselves to be accurate. That is why he has to make the most heroic, most gut-wrenching decision of his life completely on his own.

John Smith is a fabulous character, and The Dead Zone is a truly masterful modern novel. While some of the subtext of the story is rooted in the 1970s, this really is a book for all seasons. It will never make my list of King's top five novels, but it's one of the most compelling stories you'll ever read. (less)

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Oct 23, 2012 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I watched a discussion on "The Review Show" on BBC2 about Stephen King's new novel "11.22.63", and heard what a good writer he is, I searched on Amazon for a non horror novel I might try. Having never read a single book of his, and also having been recommended by Linda at Book Club to try one, I plumped for his 1979 novel "The Dead Zone". I have to say that it was a gripping tale, and boy can King tell a story. But for me, plot, excitement, character and action was all we got. And for me th...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Chelsea rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012

I am a frighteningly devout Stephen King fangirl, but sometimes his writing habits just become too tedious and this was one of those times. His fixation on religious fanaticism is particularly boring to me at this point in my consumption of his work, so I had only irritated sighs for the parts of this book that involved the mother. It is interesting that Joe Hill recently listed it as one of the five best books of all time, since I do not think it contains anything remarkable or even very memora...more

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May 02, 2012 Remo rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2005, novela

En general, estimados lectores, odio a Stephen King [SK]. ¿Por qué? Porque siempre pico. Una y otra vez. Soy incorregible y no aprendo de mis errores. Stephen King escribe como quiere, es algo que no puede negarse. Tiene un estilo fluido que sabe llevar al lector a donde le dé la gana al autor en cada momento. Y esa es mi perdición. Todos los libros de SK que he leído tienen comienzos soberbios. Impresionantes. De estos comienzos que lees y te relames diciendo "vaya pedazo de libro que ha caído...more En general, estimados lectores, odio a Stephen King [SK]. ¿Por qué? Porque siempre pico. Una y otra vez. Soy incorregible y no aprendo de mis errores. Stephen King escribe como quiere, es algo que no puede negarse. Tiene un estilo fluido que sabe llevar al lector a donde le dé la gana al autor en cada momento. Y esa es mi perdición. Todos los libros de SK que he leído tienen comienzos soberbios. Impresionantes. De estos comienzos que lees y te relames diciendo "vaya pedazo de libro que ha caído en mis manos, me lo voy a pasar pipa". Y de repente, en la página 80, aparece la maldita niña que puede ver el futuro, o el demonio, o un tipo que puede curar con las manos, o unos bichitos de otra dimensión, y se acabó la fiesta. Porque a mí la literatura sobrenatural no me acaba de convencer. Creo que es más difícil terminar una novela sin recurrir a lo sobrenatural. SK escribió, por ejemplo, El resplandor o Cadena perpetua, una obras maestras de las que luego se hicieron películas, de nuevo obras maestras, con Jack Nicholson en uno de sus mejores papeles o con Tim Robbins y Morgan Freeman. Y en ninguna de las dos hay nada sobrenatural. Bueno, en el resplandor quizá un poco, pero para dar miedo, no para sacar adelante la historia. Por eso, tras haber disfrutado tanto con esos libros, sigo leyéndome otros de SK esperando encontrar de nuevo una obra de arte. Pero por lo visto a SK la va más el rollo paranormal. En la novela que nos ocupa, un joven tiene un accidente de coche que lo sume varios años en un coma. Al despertar descubre que (sí, por desgracia) tiene poderes y puede ver el pasado y el futuro de las personas al tocarlas o tocar algo que perteneció a ellas. Intenta aislarse del mundo, que lo acosa con miles de cartas pidiéndole milagros, pero hay algo que le impulsará a salir de su reclusión para nada menos que salvar al mundo (o a los EE.UU, que para SK son isomorfos al planeta Tierra).
La novela, qué les voy a decir, está muy bien escrita. Como todas las de SK, se lee de un tirón, aunque uno esté desencantado con el enfoque que el autor le da a todo. A la gente que disfrute con estos temas les debe de encantar SK, porque es el amo. Mi nota: Entretenida, aunque SK tire siempre del mismo recurso para sacar adelante la historia.(less)

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Feb 03, 2012 Nicola rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reason for Reading: I am re/reading Stephen King's books in chronological publishing order. This was my next book. I have also gotten into the habit of starting my year off with a Stephen King novel.

I was really looking forward to this one. I have fond memories of really enjoying the book. I have only read it once before which was this exact paperback copy and I would have been 12 at the time. I don't really remember the story from the book, though, as I have flashes of scenes from the movie wit...more Reason for Reading: I am re/reading Stephen King's books in chronological publishing order. This was my next book. I have also gotten into the habit of starting my year off with a Stephen King novel.

I was really looking forward to this one. I have fond memories of really enjoying the book. I have only read it once before which was this exact paperback copy and I would have been 12 at the time. I don't really remember the story from the book, though, as I have flashes of scenes from the movie with Christopher Walken in my head, some which actually don't even happen in the book. And I was a fan of the TV series which was loosely based on the same premise as the book. So it was great to re-read the original and get the real story firmly planted in my head again.

Excluding the Bachman books, up to this date "The Dead Zone" was King's first non-horror story. This is a story about a psychic and involves him solving a serial killer case and later on facing a prediction that he must decide whether he should take care of the problem before it happens and contemplates that age old hypothetical question, "If you could go back to 1932, knowing what you now know, would you murder Adolph Hitler?" The book carries a rather small cast, comparitively for a King book and we get to know Johnny, the main character, very well. He is very likable and someone we can relate to throughout the book. This book kept me up late at night as I just didn't want to put it down and had virtually forgotten how the book ended though it wasn't hard to predict. King uses very little stream of consiousness in this book; it is a plot driven novel with great character insight and a fast read. I loved it even more than I expected to! Great early King!

While re-reading these books, I also like to look for the connections to previous books and found three while reading. A girl actually mentions the book "Carrie", there is a street named Flagg (a nod to Randall Flagg from The Stand) and the town of Jerusalem's Lot is mentioned. (otherwise known as 'Salem's Lot).

If you are not really into horror books but would like to sample Stephen King, this is an excellent book for your first read and fans can't miss out on this classic old-school King novel. (less)

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Oct 31, 2011 Vassi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overall 3.5 stars.

I didn’t realize how long ago this book had been written – until I started reading it. The Dead Zone is one of Stephen King’s earlier books and it revolves around a man named “Johnny Smith” who happens to be a regular guy with a talent of ‘foresight’ which, in the beginning of the book , is illustrated as a case of really good luck.
The Dead Zone, one of Stephen King's earlier classics, follows one Johnny Smith, a regular guy with an amazing talent, a

After years in a coma, Joh...more Overall 3.5 stars.

I didn’t realize how long ago this book had been written – until I started reading it. The Dead Zone is one of Stephen King’s earlier books and it revolves around a man named “Johnny Smith” who happens to be a regular guy with a talent of ‘foresight’ which, in the beginning of the book , is illustrated as a case of really good luck.
The Dead Zone, one of Stephen King's earlier classics, follows one Johnny Smith, a regular guy with an amazing talent, a

After years in a coma, Johnny wakes up with a psychic ability that enables him, upon touching people, to know things various things about them (past/present/future). Johnny uses his abilities to hunt down a serial killer – but the notoriety wears on him and he starts to hate his ‘gift’. Eventually, the book turns political when Johnny has to find a way to kill Mr. Greg Stillson – a politician aspiring to become president. After shaking hands with Stillson at a political rally, Johnny gets a vision that Stillson will become President and will lead the country into world-wide nuclear war. Johnny has to decide what he must do with this information. Can he stand idly by and do NOTHING? He tries to get an answer from family and friends by asking them a loaded question: "If you could go back in time and kill Hitler, would you? Even if it means you will not survive the assassination?”
The novel had a wonderful premise and the idea of foresight is really intriguing. What would you do if you had that kind of ability? But the novel is flawed in many ways: The first few chapters can drag on – especially Sara’s (Johnny’s girlfriend) inner dialogue – spare me your self-pity. The last chapters could have been more hair-raising and anticipatory. I felt a lot of sympathy for Johnny and I am all about books with a protagonist who gets a happy ending. In a way, it worked out for him – but he had to die to accomplish something. Overall – it wasn’t a bad read, but it wasn’t great either. I would give this one 3.5 stars.

(less)

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Sep 09, 2010 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

So I think I've learned that no matter how uninterested I am in the beginning of a King book, I should just push through it because I always end up satisfied.

For me, King's work divides itself into two categories. There are the novels that grab you by the throat( usually indicative of his later work) and the novels that build slowly but no less intensely(his earlier work). Bag of Bones is one of the former, The Dead Zone and 'Salem's Lot are of the second. While the Dead Zone starts off innocen...more

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Mar 22, 2010 Kyle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Kyle Nadler English
English Report 3 3/10/10
The Dead Zone By
Stephen King
The Dead Zone by Stephen King is a deep and thrilling novel. It’s full of secrets about the main character and has twists and turns that start to lead you in the wrong direction. It’s a great book to read and I recommend it to all Stephen King fans and everyone who would love a good mysterious thriller. The main character has many quotes, wish I could tell you them all but only two can be written. Stephen King has always w...more Kyle Nadler English
English Report 3 3/10/10
The Dead Zone By
Stephen King
The Dead Zone by Stephen King is a deep and thrilling novel. It’s full of secrets about the main character and has twists and turns that start to lead you in the wrong direction. It’s a great book to read and I recommend it to all Stephen King fans and everyone who would love a good mysterious thriller. The main character has many quotes, wish I could tell you them all but only two can be written. Stephen King has always written very great books but if I had to compare this book with some of his other writings, this book would rate on a scale from one to ten, I would give it an 8 and a half.
The Dead Zone has an awesome theme to it and there is definitely something to learn from it. What Stephen King was trying to teach us, well more like make you think about is do you have it in you to sacrifice yourself to save the world. The main character John Smith received a certain gift to tell the future, only if he shakes your hand will the gift work. He first realized his gift when he was at home "He was alone now, walking down this gloomy and deserted hall of shadows. And it began to seem to him that it wasn't an illusion or a mirage or a dream - at least not of the ordinary kind."(King 94) Of course John shakes the right hand and the wrong hand. He shook hands with the future president and his future was to set off a nuclear war. So now John the main character must make a decision to either sacrifice himself for the world or let the future become the present. I believe the theme of the book does relate to real life, because the main character John Smith is an average everyday normal person except for the gift but I believe we all have gifts, it’s how you use it that changes the world. Also he received the gift when he got into a horrible car accident and went into a coma. "She read a good deal about head injuries, homeless, and brain damage. None of it was very encouraging."(King 70) It was after he woke up that he got back on his feet and went on with his life as a school teacher. Relating to John Smith’s gift in the Dead Zone is a little out of this world but I believe I relate to him is because I have a gift to write music I don’t know how to change the world like John but I’m sure my music will change many people over time.
Stephen King is a fantastic writer and in his books he never really use’s different writing styles but I know before he starts a book his imagination will set in like mine with music and he thinks of what could happen if a man like John Smith got into a horrible accident and received a gift from god to save the world. Stephen also of course use’s different techniques in his writing that no other writer can match that’s what I love about his books. Stephen King always impresses’ me with his novels he’s never disappointed me yet.
The plot from this book really had me guessing for most of the book until I read the part about our future president’s decisions. After this point in the novel I realized what the main character John had to do. So you could say this book had a little bit of both, it had me guessing at the beginning and then the plot became formulaic close to the end. Stephen King has taught me very different but great lessons about the world around us and what can happen at any point in time. The theme, the plot, the artistry of writing and the main character John Smith was all part of a great novel and I recommend it to everyone.
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Mar 06, 2010 Natalina rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very good novel, one of King's best, in my opinion, if not what I would necessarily call 'horror'. There is present the signature vague, almost superstitious sense of evil breathed into otherwise ordinary life that King excels at which is the crux of the story: a young man, John Smith (ordinary beyond even the usual ordinaries that are King's protagonists), has a fall on the ice as a child that affects his head, and, years later, is inflicted with a more serious head trauma due to a c...more

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Dec 24, 2009 Marvin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autographed, horror

I have to say The Dead Zone is my favorite King novel for a rather non-literary reason. Although I have a number of signed books by him, it is the only book in my collection which is personally inscribed to me from Stephen King. I met Mr. King at a book signing. At that point in his life, he was not yet flooded with fans so there was plenty of time to say a few works to him and ask a few questions... and for him to actually add a personal touch in his signings. Oh, for the old times...

As for the...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Rob Ross rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Stephen King, the Twilight Zone, weird stories, and paranormal fiction.

I love reading Stephen King because his voice tends to draw me in and keep me there until the very end, regardless of the subject matter. The Dead Zone - in my opinion - seems to have a voice of its own, and the story, though remarkable in its own right, is remarkably not typical of the popular conception of King. That's why I read his work widely - because he's not all haunted lamps and killer clowns. The Dead Zone is like one of those stop-off points on a highway that only lets you off in the...more

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Oct 07, 2011 Bsddakotad added it

Shelves: 2011-q1

When Johnny was a child, he suffered a head injury that he soon forgot about. When he was in his twenties, he was in a car wreck, and he went into a coma. He stayed in the coma for five years. When he woke up from the coma, he had psychic abilities. Whenever he touched someone, he knew things about them. Like, when he touched his physical therapist's hand, he somehow knew that she had left the stove on at home, and that her house was going to burn. Eventually, when he got out of the hospital, he...more

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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 Dead Zone

“Some things were better lost than found.” — 46 people liked it

“We all do what we can, and it has to be good enough, and if it isn't good enough, it has to do.” — 14 people liked it

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