Doctor Sleep (The Shining, #2) in Bookworm Buddies

Jul 12, 2019 Celeste rated it really liked it

Shelves: girl-power, thriller, horror, spooky

Revisiting a famed story over 35 years after its original publication has to be terrifying for any author, even the King of Horror. However, King handled this with great aplomb and, though I was skeptical in the beginning, I feel that he did right by Dan Torrence. In his author’s note King said that this story spawned from two questions: “Whatever happened to that kid from The Shining?” and “What would have happened to Danny’s troubled father if he had found Alcoholics Anonymous instead of tryin Revisiting a famed story over 35 years after its original publication has to be terrifying for any author, even the King of Horror. However, King handled this with great aplomb and, though I was skeptical in the beginning, I feel that he did right by Dan Torrence. In his author’s note King said that this story spawned from two questions: “Whatever happened to that kid from The Shining?” and “What would have happened to Danny’s troubled father if he had found Alcoholics Anonymous instead of trying to get by with what people in AA called “white-knuckle sobriety”?” Through Doctor Sleep, we get answers to both of these questions, but with Danny himself standing in for Jack Torrence in the alcohol department.

“There are other worlds than these.”

Even after escaping the Overlook Hotel, Danny is haunted by both his past and the beings that plagued his stay at the Overlook. As an adult, Danny still has the Shining but adulthood and alcoholism have weakened it considerably. When he finally finds a place that feels enough like home to draw him away from his marauding, people are put in Danny’s path who help him sober up and stay that way. He manages to crawl out of the bottle and build himself a pretty good life, working at a hospice and helping scared people ease their way out of this life and into the next. When a child in the area begins reaching out to him telepathically, he lends out his own invisible friend from childhood. But when this Shining girl finds herself hunted by RV-driving vampires who feed on the death screams of children like her, Danny must not only come to her aid but face a past he had hoped was long buried.

“The Shining. It was a good name, a comforting name, because she had always thought of it as a dark thing.”

Both the secondary protagonist (a girl named Abra with a more massive dose of the Shining than anyone Danny has ever met) and the main antagonist (a beautiful vampiric woman named Rose the Hat, for the top hat that she always wears) are fascinating characters who King imbued with epic portions of personality. Dynamically crafted characters are one of King’s specialties, in my opinion, though their development throughout their stories isn’t on par with authors like Joe Abercrombie and Robert Jackson Bennett, for instance. Side note: I always thought this cover was weird, but now that I understand it I adore it.

“There came a time when you realized that moving on was pointless. That you took yourself with you wherever you went.”

King is also a master craftsman of unique plots, or putting unique spins on older ideas. In both cases, the man knows how to write a captivating story, even if he doesn’t always seem to know how to end them. I don’t have as much of an issue with his endings as some of his fans, but I’m also not the pickiest of readers. I did think that the climactic scene of this book was a bit too cut-and-dry, and that it wrapped up too neatly and too soon.

“I changed it. I had to. Do you know why?" She studied him, her eyes grave. "Because that was then and this is now. Because the past is gone, even though it defines the present.”

One of my favorite elements of King novels is the hunt for references to his other works. This book didn’t disappoint in that regard. Early in the story, King even referenced a villain crafted by his son Joe Hill in the book NOS4A2, which I thought was a very fun addition. It’s the inclusion of little references like these, combined with unique plots and interesting characters, that keep me reading King’s work. I can’t believe I was ever not a fan.

“Learning itself is a present, you know. The best one anybody can give or get.”

Doctor Sleep wasn’t perfect, but it was far from disappointing. I was completely enthralled from the first page to the last. As with his other works, reading this book just made me want to immediately read more novels from him, which is a wonderful side effect for a reading experience to have. I’m sure I’ll be looking askance at any RV I see for quite some time. If you visited the Overlook Hotel in the past and enjoyed your stay, I strongly suggest you pick up this book. Just watch out for beautiful women in raggedy top hats.

You can find this review and more at Novel Notions. ...more

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Sep 29, 2013 Kathryn rated it really liked it

Shelves: stephen-king-read, buddy-reads, horror-read, own, 2013

My first experience with The Shining was in the latter half of 2012. The story and the writing were top-notch King, and it quickly became my favorite King novel. It actually really frightened me.

When I heard there was going to be a sequel to The Shining, I admit, I was both apprehensive and excited. I was excited because I wanted to know what happened to Danny, what type of person he grew up to be, and ultimately what horrors would await us. I was apprehensive because I was afraid the sequel wo ...more

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Oct 09, 2013 Chris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, horror

I started this book right when it came out. I was waiting a long time because Doctor Sleep was originaly set to come out in January 2013, but then it was pushed back to September. I made it a little over half way through the book when I had to take quite a break from reading due to life changing events. It always bothered me not having time to pick up this book because the story was really good and I was hooked. Plus I hate leaving things unfinished. I was so glad when things calmed down, and I I started this book right when it came out. I was waiting a long time because Doctor Sleep was originaly set to come out in January 2013, but then it was pushed back to September. I made it a little over half way through the book when I had to take quite a break from reading due to life changing events. It always bothered me not having time to pick up this book because the story was really good and I was hooked. Plus I hate leaving things unfinished. I was so glad when things calmed down, and I was able to jump back into this. I couldn't put it down. That break gave me new excitement to find out which road King would lead me down next. Once it was finished I decided I needed to take some time and really think over what I wanted to say about this book. After a few days of thinking about it I am still at a loss for words. I loved this book, and I wasn't sure I was going to. Sequels can be a let down sometimes.

I have only been reading King for a few years now. My first King novel was The Cell and I loved that one. I was hooked instantly. When Lisey's Story came out the following year, I jumped at the chance to get it. That book killed King for me, so I didn't bother reading anymore for a long time. Three years ago a bunch of friends started telling me how great the Dark Tower series is, and I was willing to give it a try. With how many people said they loved this series I decided that I had to read it for myself. Those books made me the die hard "Constant Reader" I am today. Since reading those I have made it my mission to read all of his work and collect some select titles in hardcover. Last year I decided to read The Shining in preparation of this book. It was also January, and I figured that was the perfect time to read The Shining while snow fell outside. I really liked The Shining but it wasn't as scary as I had expected. It didn't scare me like IT and Salem's Lot. Still, it was a really good story. Doctor Sleep was the same for me. Not scary, but a wonderful story filled with real, likable characters that had me hooked from the very beginning.

I loved this book!!! It was a thrill to see Danny Torrence as an adult who tried so hard not to follow in his father's footsteps but ended up just like him. The other main character in this book, Abra, was so well written that I loved every time she was featured. Abra is a teenage girl who has the shine so strong that she has powers and abilities that rival those of Danny himself. The way King writes characters is amazing. He makes you feel like each one is a close friend you have known all your life. It really allows me to get into his books.

There really is so much to love about this book. I could probably go on for pages. Some of the things I really enjoyed was reading more about the "Shine". We get to see more of what this can do in both Danny and Abra. King also introduces us to a group of travelers who call themselves the True Knot. These people feed off of the shine and are becoming a threat to Abra. This book was really fast paced, and I was hooked from the very beginning. I will say that this can be read alone if you haven't read The Shining, but it will spoil the ending of The Shining, and there are some references that you might miss out on as well. Dr. Sleep is not one of King's scarier stories, but it was amazingly written, and I actually would love to know more about Abra or even the True Knot. King could do a whole book on the True Knot, and I would be fine with that. Maybe down the road he will wonder about what Abra is up to and write a book featuring her. Like King did, Danny is one of those characters that as soon as I finished The Shining I wondered what would become of him. This book is definitely one of my favorites, and I give this an enthusiastic 5 out of 5 stars. I would say this is a must read for any Stephen King fan.

One last thing before I end this review. I am usually not a fan of book trailers. I think they are cheesy and a good book should speak for itself. If I am not captivated by reading the dust jacket or the description on Goodreads then a trailer is not going to get me to read it. That being said, I really think the Doctor Sleeep trailer was pretty cool. It has some things that having read the book I picked up on. It was also rather creepy to watch. If you haven't seen the trailer then check it out. ...more

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Dec 03, 2013 Tonya rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014-personal-challenge, horror

Doctor Sleep is a great read, delightfully creepy and kept me reading until the wee hours of the night. This is considered to be part 2 of the Shining, I've read the Shining and watched the movie numerous times, so I knew the background story but I believe this book could be read on it's own. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a great horror story! ...more

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