Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved Doctor Sleep. It seemed to me a coming of age not only for the main character, Danny Torrance, but for Stephen King as well. Going into this story with the expectation that it goes on where The Shining leaves off will only leave you disappointed, as many of the reviews I’ve read state. The author does his character justice by lending him new struggles, forcing him to put the past behind him. For what I remember of The Shining having read it last more than twenty years ago, I would say that Doctor Sleep can stand alone as an epic.
As a well-told and plausible continuation to the story of a little boy with the shining from the book of the same name, this novel not only exceeded my expectations, it left me wanting more.
I sincerely hope there is a third book, Mr. King.
lindaghill.com 
June 29, 2015 at 2:37 pm
I never read The Shining, but did see the movie a million years ago. Would you recommend reading The Shining first?
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June 29, 2015 at 2:40 pm
I dunno… the two books are nothing alike, and I think he explains everything well enough in Doctor Sleep that you’d get the gist of what The Shining is all about. Then again, if you’ve seen the movie, you have an idea already.
What I would actually suggest is read Doctor Sleep first and then go back and read The Shining if you feel like it.
Thanks for your comment, Rachel! 🙂
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June 29, 2015 at 12:59 pm
Well that’s good, I’ve just been given this, although it is at the bottom of my towering “to read” pile, so goodness knows when I’ll get round to it.
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June 29, 2015 at 2:05 pm
Here’s an idea – if you read a couple in a row you weren’t too impressed with, yank Doctor Sleep out of the bottom of the pile and read it next. It’ll renew your faith in good storytelling. 🙂
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June 29, 2015 at 2:26 pm
It’s a thought, although I spend so much time on the blog I rarely get time to read these days.
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June 29, 2015 at 2:28 pm
I hear you. For me it’s bedtime, meal times (when I eat alone) and waiting rooms (thank goodness for ebooks on my phone).
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June 29, 2015 at 2:33 pm
My trouble is, using my phone for everything and always having it with me, I’ve got no excuse not to write, or take photos, or do some editing, or GET HOOKED ON ANOTHER BLOGGER’S WRITING PROMPTS, not that I’m complaining you understand, hahaha.
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June 29, 2015 at 2:37 pm
Ha! 😉 And that’s the other reason I don’t have the WP app on my phone.
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June 29, 2015 at 2:52 pm
I wouldn’t be without it.
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June 29, 2015 at 11:55 am
That book had received some lukewarm reviews on Amazon, but I still bought it because I had enjoyed The Shining. I do not regret the purchaser – I thought Stephen King did a great job tying Doctor Sleep in with The Shining and maintaining an interesting story line.
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June 29, 2015 at 12:13 pm
I thought so too – I imagine we read many of the same reviews. It took me a long time to decide to buy it, but I’m glad I did. 🙂
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June 29, 2015 at 11:52 am
You know, I used to love Stephen King. And then I read “Under The Dome” and it ruined Mr. King for me. But just a tiny little itsy bit.
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June 29, 2015 at 12:12 pm
Ooooh, I’d planned to read Under the Dome next, even though my son told me the ending sucked… as they often do in Stephen King novels. Is it really that bad?
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June 29, 2015 at 11:25 am
I enjoyed it too. It didn’t scare me, but then again, neither did “The Shining” when I reread it before reading “Doctor Sleep.” But it sure did when I was 13!
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June 29, 2015 at 12:11 pm
Oh tell me about it! I couldn’t read it all the way through until I was well into my twenties. (I guess it was more than 20 years ago that I last read it. 😛 ) But yeah, I tried reading it when I was twelve. No go.
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June 29, 2015 at 10:52 am
You are the second person in one day that has mentioned this book to me. I love the old Stephen King…The Shining, The Stand, etc. I’ll have to give this a whirl!
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June 29, 2015 at 10:54 am
There was a time in his career that, in my opinion, he went into a slump. I stopped reading him for a while. But since 11/22/63 he seems to be back with a bang and better. I’d definitely recommend Doctor Sleep. 🙂 Thanks for your comment, Laura!
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June 29, 2015 at 11:09 am
I agree about the slump Linda. I stopped reading him as well. Didn’t he have some kind of accident or brain thing going on? I remember thinking he wouldn’t be around much longer. Maybe it affected his writing and now he’s better. Or maybe I’m imagining all of this! LOL. I’m going to download that now so I don’t forget. I’m excited to read another of his novels. Thank you!
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June 29, 2015 at 12:09 pm
He got hit by a car, (it was a hit and run) and for a while every story had a hit and run. It made him seem bitter, which he likely was. He seems to have gotten over it to an extent, though it always shows up in some form or another.
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June 29, 2015 at 1:00 pm
OH yesss…that’s right…a hit and run. Stuff like that can really affect us negatively. Not everyone handles things wonderfully like in the movies eh? Including myself! LOL. I’m glad he’s having another success though. So much talent.
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June 29, 2015 at 2:04 pm
So so much. 🙂
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