Cell
discussion
What happened?
I love zombies. I think King's pretty good.
This was WEAK.
This was WEAK.
I'm no huge King fan- I read the Green Mile, Misery, thought they were ok, couldnt finish It cause it was so long and boring, needed some serious editing, same with the Stand- apparently King's greatest work? But I thought Cell was amazing- the first 50 pages were the quickest opening pages of any book I have ever read. The book has excellent movement, fantastic characters you care about and want to follow, and I thought it was a great story. Not in any way a typical "zombie" novel, since they arent really zombies anyway. I keep reading about King fans who didnt like this one because it wasnt "old school King", but what was so good about old school King? More importantly, what is wrong with Cell? Its a tight, gripping, fast-paced thriller. He finally writes a book that isnt 600 pages and people hate it? I just want to know what the fans disliked about the book. I dont know what "old school King" means besides "lengthy."
It wasn't fast-paced at all; actually, it was quite boring (it took all my might to not skip over some of the long, useless passages). The beginning was the best part, and I will admit, that did move pretty quickly, but after that, I was just like "...where's the story going?" It took a far too long and boring route to get to a rather unsatisfying ending...
...In my opinion.
I added that so you wouldn't say I'm being closed-minded. If you like it, I'm glad for you, but don't be scornful and say that Stephen King writes books that are mostly too long and boring until you think about this:
you considered some of the most popular books in modern fiction to be okay or downright bad, and one of the least popular SK books as 'amazing'. I don't think there's something wrong with the rest of the SK-reading community...I think it has to do with you.
There's no need to make bad comments about SK because his fans don't agree with your tastes. If you don't like him, don't read him.
...In my opinion.
I added that so you wouldn't say I'm being closed-minded. If you like it, I'm glad for you, but don't be scornful and say that Stephen King writes books that are mostly too long and boring until you think about this:
you considered some of the most popular books in modern fiction to be okay or downright bad, and one of the least popular SK books as 'amazing'. I don't think there's something wrong with the rest of the SK-reading community...I think it has to do with you.
There's no need to make bad comments about SK because his fans don't agree with your tastes. If you don't like him, don't read him.
I have no intention of being disrespectful towards either SK or his fans. I don't think you are close-minded at all- you have an opinion regarding Cell, just as I do. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Now, according to a ranking on this site of SK's books, Cell is I believe in the top third (?) meaning it certainly isnt one of his least popular books according to his fans. What I am still curious about, and would welcome hearing your opinion on, is WHY his big-name books, like The Stand, are more popular. What is better about it? You claim they are among the most popular books in modern fiction- why? My questions were serious, I want to understand the draw of those books. And you accuse me of making bad comments about SK in a forum where I am writing about one of my favorite books, written by SK. You spent more time attacking me than explaining anything, but now that you have gotten your apparent dislike of my opinions out of the way, I would like to hear why you believe his other works are so strong.
I agree that this was one of his worst books, definitely the worst overall that I have read. I was more disappointed in INSOMNIA, but only because it started out so well and then fell apart. CELL just never seemed to get going, at all.
I quite enjoyed Cell, even if a lot of it felt similar to lots of other books/films. It suffered from the typical King failings in places, such as his inability to end a book in a satisfying manner.
I loved Cell. I loved the characters and it was well told. Just didnt understand what happened at the end. Did answering the phone make the kid get better or worse? I suppose SK's point was to make it a cliff hanger?
it was alright, more of a novella than a novel. it was also very similar to The Signal http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780607/ which was made at the same time as Cell was being written. quite forgettable but enjoyable enough while reading it
One thing I love about King is his grasp of characterization. Folks from some of his longest books still feel like people I knew. Not so with CELL. I honestly can't remember a single character or motivation, save that the main character was looking for his son. For those who really enjoyed CELL, what other King books do you really like?
one of the best starts to any of his books. amazing pace and the body count is insane...but simply goes downhill very quickly. not his finest hour.@Jaxxrunner - I love The Stand and have read it about 5 times in the last 20 years. Why do I love it...characters are great and the back story for each is superb. I love that you probably don't - but as you say we are all allowed our own opinion which is why lots of us like it. I dont care about long/short or old/new just whether the book is any damn good.
Would recommend Duma Key and Under the Dome (but the latter may be too long!)
@Paul- I've read Under the Dome, which was outstanding (although the physical size of the book was a bit ridiculous-- it would have been hundreds of pages shorter if the margins weren't so huge.) At this point, I think I should try The Stand again. Problem is, i've been told to read the original version, not the expanded uncut version, but the original is hard to find.
I would actually recommend the expanded version of The Stand. If you like King's writing, there's just more to love.
Ok, i'll give it a shot. I'm also interested in trying the Dark Tower series...so much to read...and he has a new book coming out this winter...
I hated the first dark Tower book, but I recently read a short story featuring Randal Flagg and I love it. So now I'm torn. Opinions?
I enjoyed Cell. I like the way it ended, because sometimes, we shouldn't have to be spoon fed an ending. Sometimes, you should come up with your own conclusions.
What is appealing about SK's book is his wild imagination, to create the story and the characters, and he makes you think, as in Cell.The ending - well, it was for the reader to decide. That was the creepy part - who made the initial phone call to start the chain reaction, and why? We'll never know. It's a cliffhanger, and written so that made you look twice at your cell phone. (Ironically, we had just gotten our new smartphones while I was reading this book.)
The book may have been a little long, but I muddled through the slow parts, knowing it was par for the course and knew that finishing the book would be worth it.
I didn't care for The Stand, it took me a couple of months to finish it, couldn't follow the characters and the storyline. Maybe it was too much fantasy for my taste.
For instance, Needful Things is a conglomeration of many (maybe all, I can't remember) of his characters. Just bringing all of his characters and storylines together for a "grand finale" was wild ride.
Certainly not a book to show King at his best. It was okay, but I think he didn't get his stride back until DUMA KEY.Maybe because it was SK I expected more from the book. I also am not sure how I felt about the ending, a problem I also had with Under The Dome.
One of King's weaknesses of late is the abrupt, apocalyptic ending that feels (to me at least) rushed. Had that problem with under the Dome, definitely.
Steve wrote: "Certainly not a book to show King at his best. It was okay, but I think he didn't get his stride back until DUMA KEY.Maybe because it was SK I expected more from the book. I also am not sure ..."
I really liked Duma Key, as well. I give the guy a little slack. After all, he's been writing for what, 30+ years, add into the mix that whole accident and rehab ordeal. He's got a good run going, you've got to give him that.
Nigel wrote: "One thing I love about King is his grasp of characterization. Folks from some of his longest books still feel like people I knew. Not so with CELL. I honestly can't remember a single character or m..."I actually really liked Cell, and I consider myself a pretty big fan of Mr. King's work. I enjoyed The Talisman, The Dark Tower Series, Cujo, several of his short story collections, Duma Key, Needful Things, and several others.
Dark Tower I'm up in the air about, but I really liked Cujo and The Talisman as well. Still unsure as to whether I want to read Duma Key.
I recommend you give Duma Key a try. I think it is King at his best and reminded me of some of his earlier stuff, especially Pet Sematary.Also, if you haven't already, try a couple of his shorter books. Blockade Billy & The Colorado Kid are a bit different, but still nicely done.
Colorado Kid is on my "too read" list, though I haven't listed it here at Goodreads yet. (My "to read" list is basically a pile of books on my dresser!)
Steve wrote: "I recommend you give Duma Key a try. I think it is King at his best and reminded me of some of his earlier stuff, especially Pet Sematary.Also, if you haven't already, try a couple of his shor..."
Blockade Billy was fantastic.
I couldn't even finish this book, it was so dull, and when he killed off the only character I actually liked, I didn't see a point in finishing.
I liked Cell. It isn't my favorite SK book but I still enjoyed the story and the characters.
I liked Cell and got through it quite quickly. I have read SK books that I loved like The Stand but i have also read SK books that i have found difficult to read. Just started The Darktower series so will see how that goes. I think Cell suprised alot of his fans because it seems very simplified to what he usually writes, but if this brings in more fans surely its all good.
If you guys haven't read The Long Walk by him, I suggest it. It's probably my favourite book that I've read by him.
I'm an avid reader of King. The Dark Tower is my favorite series - but Cell didn't feel like King at all. I struggled through every page of that book but I still couldn't puzzle out what was actually happening.
I second "The Long Walk," and the rest of the Bachmann books.
I really liked cell. I thought that it was very suspenseful (I think I read it in one sitting) and that the characters were very well rounded- for instance, alice's thing with the baby tennis shoe- and I really cared about all of them. my other favorites of his are under the dome, the stand, and the shining.
I couldn't finish the book. And I have to admit that I forced myself to finish Dreamcatcher and From A Buick 8, which disappointed me very much because I've always been a huge SK fan. What disappointed me with Cell? It seemed uncomfortable; from the subject matter to the prose, it had the feel of a book written by obligation rather than a book written because he wanted to, almost like it was his obligatory nod toward the zombie craze.
Chantelle & Thomas - The Long Walk was a brilliant story and probably some of his best storytelling outside of The Stand - Jaxxrunner, I think the need for "some serious editing" is a matter of reader perspective and taste; the backstory, the characterizations, and the progression of the story were brilliantly built - my perspective and taste, of course. ;-). King has built his incredibly successful career on his ability to grasp and articulate character depth and that, I think, is what draws so many fans.
I thoroughly enjoyed "Cell". I actually have a little short story about when I first started reading it in the Best Buy where I bought the book. You should check that out on Associated Content. LINK. Otherwise, I really just thought it was a good take on the whole zombie thing that has become more and more prevalent these days. Not that I have a problem with zombies.
I really liked Cell. It was such a great modern day tale of zombies. The mindless way they all became zombies reminds me of the mindless zombies out there in real life who cannot get that phone out of their hands to save their life. Smart Phones have become a source of buffer between people and reality. I am constantly amazed at the people using them while driving, while using the bathroom, and even while in church. The funniest though are the ones texting each other when they are in the same room or at the same table. I liked the book because I could see it happening. Also because the story moved along from drama to drama rather fluidly.
I third The Long Walk and will throw in Desperation and Christine. These three are my favourite books for SK. Desperation especially kept me hooked.
I told myself to go into 'The Cell' with an open mind, much like I try do with most of the books I read, even those writers that I have really loved and especially those I maybe just 'like', I have to tell myself each and every new book is a completely new story. It should have the ability to stand alone, on it's own merits and be able to survive separate from the writer's history. This one did.
The tempo was slower and overall was written in a lower key, and if you had expected it to be a match to something which sprang before, yes, you would be disappointed that this one lacked an earlier one's pace or pitch.
The Cell took place outside of Castle Rock...In the many very real suburbs of the US northeast, so those that might have been hoping for another round of Castle Rock might have been slightly disappointed with the lack of that 'character' as well.
I was not disappointed, this proved upon the full reading, to be a story that could stand on it's own and finally it really did, albeit a bit more slowly than most of the other King books, but in this case that slow tempo seemed somehow essential and perhaps even needed to grasp every important grain as it was threshed out. It was a tale that sprang to life in my mind as it went along with the true clarity that most of King's work is famous for...That's his gift, fast or slow, he can get it, if you do read it.... into your head.
This book was one of that,never ever loving books ever...I like his books, but this one... It was total failure, but the idea has had some potential...
I love this book!! King can do no wrong in my eyes really though so maybe I'm just a biased fan. Actually no, scratch that, Firestarter I really disliked!http://divaliciouzbookreviews.blogspo...
it was like a generic version of The Stand, not really good at all.
I enjoyed it. I listen to books on tape while driving and this one kept surprising me with twists and turns.
At the beginning I was enthusiastic. By midway, apprehensive. At the end I sighed and left in a cafe. Maybe whoever found it will enjoy it more.
I partly agree. While i think the first 200 pages took FOREVER to get through, the last bit went by so fast. The ending totally did it for me, and saved the whole thing form being yet another zombie disaster.
I listened to both CELL and INSOMNIA as audiobooks, and liked both of them. CELL actually put a little nagging fear into my head that something like that could be possible, and INSOMNIA was refreshing because it dealt with a demographic usually ignored. I've been going through King's audiobooks one by one. Under the Dome is my favorite, with Duma Key a close second, with Gerald's Game being my least favorite, and I never finished it.
It had a non-ending for all the work it took me to finish it.
You know what really chapped my ass about Cell? No explanation whatsoever concerning the cause of the "pulse". I know we are supposed to decide on our own but, come on.For the first hundred pages I wondered when the culprit would be revealed. Halfway through I just decided that giant panda bears created a Facebook group which had only one goal, world destruction. Not being phone savvy, I patched together a loose idea of how the P-bears Facebook group created a virulent signal, which was terribly difficult considering the P-bears lack of opposable thumbs, that was ultimately beamed down from our satellites causing the events unfolding on the pages in front of me.
So as you can see, King's decision to let the reader use their imaginations really did not help me enjoy this book much more. In fact, it left me kinda confused and altogether mistrusting of panda bears.
Good book that could have been much better.
Don John wrote: "You know what really chapped my ass about Cell? No explanation whatsoever concerning the cause of the "pulse". I know we are supposed to decide on our own but, come on.For the first hundred pages ..."
ha ha ha! that's great! XD
Kirby wrote: "Don John wrote: "You know what really chapped my ass about Cell? No explanation whatsoever concerning the cause of the "pulse". I know we are supposed to decide on our own but, come on.For the fir..."
Thanks Kirby. My mind, it wanders. :)
Dreadful dreadful dreadful. I think the first quarter had great potential, and then it just wandered off into easy answers. Incredibly disappointing.
Nigel wrote: "I hated the first dark Tower book, but I recently read a short story featuring Randal Flagg and I love it. So now I'm torn. Opinions?"probably already addressed but Flagg was in the stand, not the Dark Tower, unless it's been so long I have confused the two.
One of my favorite books of Stephen King! Loved it from the first page till the last!
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I kept waiting for the good part. Stephen, where's the good part??!!!
Oh I was soo disappointed. Anyone else think this is the worst of his books?