There are many people who immediately dismiss Stephen King without having read him, or having only read one of his books. "I don't read him because I don't like horror," they'll say. I really feel sorry for those people. They've missed out on some of the most moving, exciting and well-written novels of the past 30 odd years. And only a few of them are technically 'horror' novels.
Uncle Steve is at the top of his game in his latest novel "Duma Key". Edgar Freemantle is nearly crushed to death by a crane in an accident at a construction site. His rehabilitation is long and frustrating and he takes it out on his wife, who divorces him.
So, newly single and not quite healed, Edgar moves to a remote island off the coast of Florida and discovers the accident has given him as much as it has taken...and I can't go into the plot more than that for fear of giving away the ending.
A word of warning: the last 50 pages are as frightening as anything you've probably ever read. Not bloody, or gorey like you might expect from Stephen King, who sometimes goes for the gross out, but actually creepily frightening.
It's no shock that I really enjoyed this (not as much as last year's "Blaze"), and I highly recommend it.
This was published this year so it qualifies for The Pub Challenge. Wahoo...one down, seven to go. :D
Monday, March 03, 2008
Duma Key
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17 have spoken:
completely agree with you about the "horror" pigeonhole. in fact, i really hate that we must categorize everything so.
i need to slow down. currently have 10 books i'm trying to read and i'm not quite at your level, kookie. so i'm closing my eyes to anymore of your book reviews. ;)
It's totally irritating when people dismiss Stephen King (or anybody who actually writes *well* but writes genre fiction) without even giving him a shot. While some of his stories aren't always my style (even though I *do* like horror), I've never been disappointed with the quality of his writing and his books are nearly always unputdownable (and not always horror, either!). Good to hear that he's on his game with this newest one...I think it's already on my wish list or on its way there.
I'm tempted to give Uncle Steve another shot with Duma Key. It sounds really good.
Poor Steve just gets no respect.
Glad to see this one is good. I have Lisey's Story here to read, and then I'll have to look into this one. Is it as long as some of his classics? (sometimes I think his books could be a wee bit shorter, but there is just more to love)
Anyone picks on Uncle Steve in front of me...them's fightin' words!
Uncle Steve's writing scares the crap out of me, but I love him. Delores Claiborne is one of the only books that had me bawling.
I just bought The Cell because I've heard it's more thriller. This sounds like it will keep me up at night...but maybe I'll try it.
Blame the publicity people. I didn't realize King wrote anything that wasn't horror till a friend insisted that I must read The Green Mile. I had to. I couldn't survive without reading it. Don't you love that kind of friend? I'd probably still be pooh-poohing King, if not for him.
Well most of his writing is plain...scary.
I'll read The Green Mile, but I just checked out the wiki article for Duma Key...two words, "Hell Naw."
Let me clarify, Uncle Steve writes in a genre that scares the mess out of me. I think he's a great writer, brilliant but I'm a wuss.
In other words, it's not him, it's me.
Monica, I agree that things shouldn't have to be labeled as one thing or another. Uncle Steve is unlabelable. :D
Megan, I know what you mean, sometimes his stories can be a little 'out there' but he's always good for the ride.
Do it, Chris. I think you'll like it. :D
Raidergirl, it is long, but it read really fast...if that makes any sense. It read faster than Lisey's Story or Pet Semetary.
Rock on, Bybee. :D
Iggy, I can only believe that Cell will, indeed, keep you up at night. That one is quite creepy. If I were you, I'd go with The Green Mile first.
Bookfool, see, even The Green Mile has 'horror' elements, but it's not a horror novel. Most of Uncle Steve's stuff since the mid-80s has been like that. I wish there was a label of "literary horror", because that suits him best, I think.
Really, like ghosts coming to get you scary? Or thriller, gross scary?
The former makes me cry...
Iggy, like gross zombies coming to get you scary. It's scary.
Thanks Kookie.
Zombie grossness I can do, it's scary fun. Ghost-y scariness means I'm sleeping in my daughter's bed.
Hmm, I think zombies are scarier than ghosts...I guess that's just me. :)
Hm. I don't like horror and have avoided Stephen King after reading two scary books and The Gunslinger, none of which I liked much. Perhaps I should give Duma Key a try, it sounds less on the gory/scary side.
Hey Kooks!
I'm finally here, and expect I'll be back again soon! Nice site; so much to check out!!
See ya ~
Ah, I was waiting for this, the first blog review of Duma Key. I didn't immediately get it because I was sort of vaguely disappointed in his last few books. I really prefer his earlier work, I guess, but I trust your opinion, so I'll be adding this to TBR Mountain, which, by the way, I swear to you is filing for a legal name change to TBR Continent.
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