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Cell
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Cell
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Angie, Constant Reader
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Jul 31, 2009 09:02PM
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Angie wrote: "ZOMBIES!!!! Who's reading along this month? "I am. Got my copy all ready to go :)
Just started. Gone 65 pages into it & really liking it so far.
I am half-way through the book on page 143, this is a fast read, and very addicting!! I am loving it!
I am not reading along, but I'll discuss... I think reading this one time was enough for me. I was really disappointed by this one. It started out so well, and I was super excited, because if you know me, you know I love zombies, but then around the mid-point, it just went downhill for me.
I finished Cell last night...can't wait discuss it. Fun read, even if the phone crazies aren't really zombies just zombie-like. Love that it's dedicated to Romero and Matheson. Angie- is the pic at the top of the group home page from EW when they printed the first chapter a couple years ago?
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Angie wrote: "Can anyone tell what's in the picture on the homepage? Or is it hard to see? "I love the pic!
I can tell what the picture is, and I like it, in fact the creepy thing is, that's how I pictured it, very odd. I am halfway through the book already and can't wait to finish, I am loving it!!
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I read the book back when it first came out. I also was somewhat disappointed by how it started well, but then went downhill about midways. But I still had a nightmare where the phone-crazies were after me while reading it. I like how King has taken something so common as cell phones and turned them into these horrible bringers of such chaos. Every time I am stopped by one of those cell phone salespeople at the mall, I just say to them that Stephen King showed me what will happen to me if I own a cell phone. ^_~ They look at me confused. I guess they're not King fans.
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I love that on my copy it says "Stephen King does not own a cell phone."
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Another thing that bothers me about the book was that Clay did find his son. I mean what are the odds of that?
**********************SPOILER********************************************************************************The whole Clay going to find his son end is kind of awkward. I think King was trying to tie up that end to give the reader a "happy" ending. Like his son may be a zombie but at least he's alive.
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I really enjoyed this book, and the ending made me cry, don't ask. Whenever a book involves kids like this I get emotional. I liked all the characters which is kind of odd, I loved the fast pace of the book and I would read it again! I gave the book 4 stars because of the ending, is his son saved or what? I definitely think they should make this book into a movie!
This was one of those SK books that I liked better upon the second reading. The first time I was a bit disappointed with the ending but after reading it again I found it much more "realistic"...having hit the lottery (finding his son) it made more sense to me that there would be a down side. This book reminded me a tiny bit of THE ROAD.
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Now see.....I said something about that in another group when we read The Road, and nobody seemed to agree with me....
And yes, Betsy. I would say that it was similar to The Road, only with the addition of plot, interesting dialogue, sympathetic characters, and grammar.....
Angie wrote: "I suppose there had to be some closure. But still he found his son in no time. And just sitting on the side of the road. I did like the character Alice. She's my favorite. "since I am not reading along and trying to go off of memory I might be making stuff up in my head but didn't they have some sort of arrangement to meet up if something happened?
Survival books always tell how you should have 2 places to meet up with family in case of catastrophe and 2 numbers that each member can call (1 local and 1 out of state) if the phones are working so that someone not in the disaster area can coordinate.
Chris wrote: "Betsy wrote: "This book reminded me a tiny bit of THE ROAD. ..."Now see.....I said something about that in another group when we read The Road, and nobody seemed to agree with me....
And yes..."
Sounds like you didn't like THE ROAD much! I'd love to read the discussion you are referring to. I liked THE ROAD though I found it disturbing. I think the way it was written...its "sparse-ness" added to the bleak tone of the plot. Looking forward to the movie.
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si..."
There was a plan to meet up somewhere some time. But who knows if that even is going to happen? I really didn't like it when Alice died but I knew it was coming. This is the first book I have read of King's that was a little predictable. He always seems to kill off a main character. Plus this book reminded me of the Stand and the Myst. The religious lady was there again. Though I guess in a big break down of society this would happen, the religious nuts would come out. I was also wondering what was going on in the rest of the world. Was this happening everywhere?
I would love to see this book as a movie or a graphic novel. I think a graphic novel would be really cool. I'm not sure why but for this reread Clay in my head kept looking like Joe Hill.
Rachel wrote: "I would love to see this book as a movie or a graphic novel. I think a graphic novel would be really cool. I'm not sure why but for this reread Clay in my head kept looking like Joe Hill."LOL!!
I think Rachel is right. This book would be perfect for a graphic novel. Obviously a lot of his work translates well to that medium, so I bet it's just a matter of time.
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Just finished the book. I actually probably wouldn`t have read the book only it`s the monthly read. This was due to the fact that a lot of people said it was no good & that King had lost his touch....Having read it though, I must say I liked it. Certainly a fast paced book, particularly at the beginning. Wasn`t overly gone on the ending, but at the same time ut wasn`t bad. Really liked the kids in this story particularly. A question though...What was the significance of the date at the end (DEC. 30TH 2004-OCT. 17 2005). Didn`t the pulse begin on the first of October?
Chris wrote: "Betsy, it was in February at the Sy-Fy/Fantasy group here on GR: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show_b..."
Thanks Chris! What interesting discussions you guys had over there. Makes me want to read THE ROAD again!
I hope you're right Angie...It's been a while since we've seen a SK adaptation on the screen, big or small.
Martin...I'm not sure, but I think those dates are the period of time that SK wrote the book. Someone correct me if I'm wrong!
Martin wrote: "Just finished the book. I actually probably wouldn`t have read the book only it`s the monthly read. This was due to the fact that a lot of people said it was no good & that King had lost his touch...."I am not looking at my book to see where that actual date is, but usually he puts when he began writing and when he finished. Are those the dates you are referring to?
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I just pulled about 6 of my SK's at random and checked the back. He usually writes the start and ending date, or just the ending date. The earlier ones don't have a date at all
You`re all probably right. It makes sense. I just didn`t understand the relevance of the date at the end of the story.
Angie wrote: "I heard it is going to be a series on TV. Maybe that will be good? "From Fangoria.com:
Fango’s Tony Timpone just called up from Montreal’s Fantasia film festival with a hot scoop: John Harrison, whose Clive Barker-based feature BOOK OF BLOOD is premiering at the event, is writing a four-hour miniseries based on Stephen King’s CELL. The 2006 novel sees the population of America transformed into mindless, rampaging killers by a signal sent through their cell phones.
Harrison is scripting CELL for the Weinstein Company, which had originally planned to turn the book into a theatrical feature (with Eli Roth attached at one point to direct), but decided to abandon those plans and will be shopping the project to networks instead. Having served as assistant director/composer on the King-scripted CREEPSHOW and helmed TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE (including an adaptation of the author’s “Cat from Hell”), Harrison considers CELL one of King’s best recent books, with opening chapters that will make an incredible first 30 minutes on screen. The filmmaker adds that he doesn’t see this as a zombie story so much as a VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED-esque chiller, and enjoys the fact that the infected populace possesses a hive mentality. While he has been officially contracted to direct, he would certainly like to. BOOK OF BLOOD screens at Fantasia tonight at 7 p.m. (the show is almost sold out as of now); look for exclusive video of Harrison discussing BOOK, CELL and other projects at this site tomorrow!
I think a lot of the complaints about this book involve the "unzombi-ness" of the phone crazies. Calling them something other than zombies is probably a good idea. My only experience with zombies is The Night of the Living Dead, so I loved this book, but can see how someone could be disapointed if they were expecting something different.
I thought this book was really good. I bought a copy the day it was available and finished it quickly. I didn't reread for this 'cause I'm brand new and all but wanted to put my two cents in. The concept freaked me out for a while; I kept looking around in traffic at how many people were on cell phones at any given time. I like zombies but I'm not too picky about them. Like Kandice said these aren't really zombies, more like phone crazies. I also agree with those who said this book would make a fantastic graphic novel.
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This is my first newer King so that must be why I've never seen that before!
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They are closer to the "zombies" in 28 Days Later -- they aren't reanimated corpses, they are just people who have lost all cognizance and ability to think and reason and just want to kill and destroy. But that being said, if that's what they are, then let them BE that. I don't require my "zombies" to really be the broken-leg dragging walking corpses I said a long time ago when I first read this, but I do want them to be what they are, whatever that is.
If the Pulse ruined their brain, then it ruined it, and they should be ravenous killing machines ever after to me. The evolution they underwent, meaning the fact that they learned to think and reason again and then joined the Republicans in their desire for a New World Order, just ruined the story for me.
I remain completely disappointed with the latter half of the book.
I have to say -- I yield to no one in my admiration/adoration of SK's writing. But I do think that, were you to ask him personally, he would be absolutely appalled by any reader's preferring a potboiler like "Cell" to a genuine classic by an acknowledged master like Cormac Macarthy's "The Road."
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I appreciated the feeling The Road aroused in me, but I detested that book!!!!!!
Hmm... I did prefer The Road to Cell, but only because 1) Cell was SUPER disappointing to me
2) I really identified with the man and his son in The Road, and kept putting myself in their place. I didn't care for the writing in The Road, and had to reread some sections several times in order to get what the hell McCarthy was trying to say.
But I didn't prefer The Road because of who wrote it or because it's a "genuine classic" or because Cell is a "potboiler".
Those are the worst reasons for me to like something. I like what I like because it elicited a response out of me, or the story was really entertaining or whatever - NOT because I'm supposed to automatically write off popular writers in favor of someone who supposedly writes "genuine classics" or whatever it is that McCarthy writes.
And you know, I can't really say whether a book written in 2006 is a "classic". I think that The Stand or The Shining would qualify though, if only as a cult classic.
As usual, I do feel drawn in the middle -- Given personal choice, I can love an ordinary potboiler as well as anyone, but I do guarantee you based on an old, old friendship that Steve wouldn't even begin to compare "The Cell" to "The Road"And yes, I agree
The Stand" and "The Shining" are both classics - by anyone's standard.
Are you personal friends with Steve? I guess you'd know his personal opinions better than I would! I don't really get Cormac McCarthy. I've read one book by him, and that because it's a post-apocalyptic book, and I happen to like the genre. I'd never heard of the "acknowledged master" before, but I saw the book in a used bookstore and picked it up.
I did identify with the characters, despite, or maybe because they had no identities of their own. I didn't really care for the writing style, and I think that he could have gotten the same point across by using full sentences. Like I said before, I had to re-read certain passages several times. I did say in my review of the book that it was like a series of snap-shots or memories, and it was, but some of them were like trying to figure out exactly what it was the photographer took a picture of.
But despite that, I did like the book overall. It made me put myself in the characters' positions, and I like when books can do that. I just didn't like it enough for me to want to read anything else by him.
I don't really understand why writing something in an obscure and difficult to read way automatically makes people shout "GENIUS!" or whatever the similar catch-phrase of the day is.
I've read almost every book King has ever written, which in my opinion makes HIM the "acknowledged master". I don't really understand, aside from my own personal disappointment with the development of Cell, why this book is automatically inferior to The Road just because it was written by someone whose apparent trademarks are difficult to read sentence fragments and bleak storylines.
I'm sorry if that comes off as grouchy, but I do get so frustrated with popular writers' works being discounted in favor of a gimmick.
I love anyone who can tell a good story and SK has always done it for me. As far as THE ROAD goes, I did think there were similarities between it and CELL, but mostly in the sadness of the stories and the relationship between father and son. McCarthy's writing style is completely different and I think probably an acquired taste. I found it lyrical...almost poetic, which was an interesting contrast with the plot which was dark and frightening. Yes, it takes a bit to get into the rhythm of it, but I enjoyed the style as well as the story.
I'm not a big poetry fan, which probably contributed a great deal to my dislike of the writing style. I think imagery that has to rely on the reader filling in the gaps themselves is pretty lazy, actually. In books like Blindness, it works, because what you cannot see is a major factor in the story. But to continue that writing style through other books, in my opinion, is a gimmick. In The Road, it works because the world is bleak (although again, when actually describing something, as the characters CAN see, a description WOULD be nice).
But I still think I'm missing how McCarthy is an "acknowledged master" because of this. Is it the "Oprah" stamp of approval?
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