Are you looking for a thrilling book to read right before Halloween? Have you read The Shining by Stephen King? Many consider it one of his most haunting books. Doctor Sleep by Stephen King asks the question, what happened to little Danny after the events of The Shining. This book makes a fantastic sequel or even a great stand alone book. However, I recommended reading it after The Shining because it fully develops Danny’s character and concludes a nice arc from the first book. Without further ado, here is the summary.
The Summary
As hard as Dan tried to be different from his father, he learned alcohol helps dampen his ability, the shining. Dan started drinking in high school which in turn continued for many years. Dan roamed from place to place because he could never hold down a job. This led to his most shameful moment. Dan stole money from a single mother he picked up at the bar. The money helped him leave town and buy more alcohol.
Dan eventually drifts into a small town in New Hampshire, where he meets Billy. He notices Billy has a little of the shining in him. Billy introduces him to his boss Casey which in turn introduces Dan to the world of Alcoholics Anonymous. Dan realizes he does not want to drink anymore because it leads to regrets and problems. By having that community too lean on, Dan finds himself a home in the small town. He takes a job at the local hospice where he becomes known for helping the patients pass on to the other side.
Meanwhile, on the other side of town is a girl named Abra. She possesses the shining stronger than any known character. This gives her powers which Dan never possessed, such as moving objects with her mind. While sleeping, Abra dreams about these beings who murder a boy for his shining ability. A few years go by where Abra sees the boy in a missing persons article. This allows her to focus on the missing boy and see who killed him. She discovers these beings call themselves the True Knot. They are beings who cannot age as long as they eat the shining. The leader of the True Knot, called Rose, discovers Abra watching her and realizes how much shining Abra contains. Rose makes it her mission to hunt down and kill Abra.
Abra realizes this and reaches out to Dan to help her deal with the True Knot. Dan is once again confronted with evil spirits seeking his shining. He agrees to help her because he sees it as a way to make up for stealing the money from the single mother.
They meet up to discuss Abra’s power and the best way to deal with the True Knot. The True Knot come to their hometown to try and kidnap Abra. By using Abra’s power of projection, the True Knot thinks she is in a different location than she actually is. By doing this, Dan and his friends lead the would-be killers into a nice little trap.
After the True Knot’s plan fails, Dan and Abra know Rose will never give up the pursuit to kill Abra. This leads them to enact another plan to remove the True Knot from this world forever. Rose and the rest of her gang are stationed at the spot where the Overlook Hotel once stood. Dan must return to one of his greatest fears to finally confront Rose and accept his past. The showdown is epic and Dan’s plan is full of surprises. You’ll just have to read to learn the thrilling conclusion of this book. It is highly worth the read.
The Good
Stephen King writes some amazing characters. I find myself growing attached to them all. In this novel King writes characters with fatal flaws who want to better themselves. King writes about alcoholism, addiction, and AA in such an eye opening way. I have more respect for AA and the things they help people in the program accomplish. King never sugar coats how difficult it can be for a recovering alcoholic. I know if I ever need to seek that kind of help, how open their community is and how willing they will be to help one another.
Abra is another amazing written character. She is a strong and confident teenager with her own flaws. She loves her family and friends and works hard in school. Minus her anger issues and her overconfidence she seems like the perfect child. I could see another book just about her with all her uniqueness. The bond she and Dan shared felt special. I left the book wanting to read more just about their bond and relationship.
Lastly, I love how King connected Doctor Sleep to The Shining. This book fills in gaps, gives us more information about some of the characters in The Shining, and better explains the powers that come with the shining. The ending of Doctor Sleep almost came full circle. King showed the similarities between Dan and his fathers behaviors while drinking. Instead of trying to quit alone like his father, Dan finds AA and that extra support to provide him better opportunities to quit drinking. His relationship with Abra could have been the relationship he always wished he had with his father.
The Bad
There were two things I did not like from this book. Both, I believe, are due to personal preference. When I picked up Doctor Sleep I expected another horror novel and was greeted by a thriller instead. The villains, while evil, were not the most frightening to read about. Their motivations made sense but they were not the monster I expected in this book. I enjoyed some of the ghouls from The Shining making an appearance but they were still more frightening than the main villains.
Secondly, the book contained many time jumps. Luckily, it never jumped back and fourth only forward. However, I have never been a fan of time jumps. I think having only one time jump in this book could have improved the story slightly, or even more gradual time jumps where it wasn’t explicitly stated. I like to read my story from start to finish and when there is a bunch of jumps I feel like I missed out on some important events that might’ve happened in the characters lives. If you think I am crazy and you enjoy time jumps be sure to let us know down below.
The Conclusion
If you like Stephen King’s books you are bound to like this one. He writes characters so well and the story keeps your interest. I would not recommend it to our younger readers as it is a mature book with mature themes. I would say high school age and above is okay. High school is when I started reading Stephen King books. If you are looking for a thriller, not a horror, to read this Halloween season, this book is also for you. Although the villains are not scary, it is still an exciting read with a great face off. Abra and Rose make perfect contrasting characters to go against one another. This book will keep you reading from start to finish. I regret it took me so long to pick up after reading The Shining.
9/10 A fantastically thrilling read
Have you read this book or The Shining? What did you think? What should we review next? Leave a comment below, we love to hear from you!
As always, happy, spooky reading!
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