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Title: Cell
ISBN: 0743554337
Author:
Stephen King
Publicate Date: 2006-01-24
Publish: 2006-01-24
List Price: $49.95
Average Customer Rating: 3.5
Format: Audio CD
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $8.69
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $1.30
Amazon Merchant Price: $32.97
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| Customer Review: |
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1: If you have time, read it...if not, don't 'make' time!
I have yet to not enjoy a King book, but must admit I've been spoiled by the Dark Tower series. There are very few King books I haven't read yet, so I understand his style now. Though I enjoyed this book, I think it might be more due to familiarity of King's style and sick sense of humor than anything. The story is a bit scary, (never have liked my cell-phone!) because it involves something so easy to connect with and familiar to so many people. Overall this is a classic King book, with the following (and very important ingredients) missing: Character development (this is huge for me, and generally a large part of King's books...to get to connect with the characters) There were many parts of these people's 'beings' that the reader is never clued in on, and it left me a little cold where their fates were concerned. There were new characters introduced very late in the story, as well, and that added to the general confusion when names were mentioned. The other issue was the ending. I'm not going to spoil it, but it left me unfulfilled. Tons of unanswered questions, lots of loose ends, and for some that might be fine...but it doesn't happen with most of King's books. I enjoy closure (even if it's open closure, ie; Dark Tower)
So those two items aside, the book was enjoyable. It was worth reading, but I forced it into my schedule and that was my mistake. I'm hoping there may be another part coming...but I'm not about to wait on hold for long. (hee)
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2: A great read if you think "The Stand" is too long
It's a fast and gory read about the end of the world as we know it. It also veers a little into sci-fi territory--there's one section where a character references William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, and even Greg Bear. I enjoyed it, but halfway through the book it started feeling more and more like an alternate universe version of "The Stand," where Randall Flagg is replaced by The Raggedy Man, and the nuclear bomb is replaced by... well, never mind. It's a good summer book but not a classic. If you *haven't* read "The Stand" and enjoy "Cell," you should definitely pick up the older, better-written title.
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3: 5 if he would have actually finished it
I don't want to go too far in depth as to possibly spoil the book for some, but as many others have pointed out, the ending is completely weak (actually there wasn't one). Aside from that, Cell is masterfully written which will make you keep reading bit after bit. Another part I liked is that the chapters are fairly short, so you have many, many convenient places to stop (when you finally decide that you must sleep). One of his other character's (Teddy Duchamp) quotes sums up Cell best, "Yeah, it's a great story Gordie, I just didn't like the ending."
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4: Ok, But Not His Best!
I liked the idea of this book, a bit of an update on the 'Invasion of The Bodysnatchers' theme, but I found the book just a little bit disappointing. I felt the main characters were a bit cliched, and a bit more two-dimensional, than in other novels by this author.
I also felt, that there were a few 'loose ends' that were never really tied up at the end of the book. I felt there was a bit of an unfinished feel to it. Overall, it wasn't too bad a novel, but, in my opinion, far from the best, by this author.
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5: Don't Use Your Cell Phone
The wonderful thing about King's new novel, Cell, is that he takes a relatively ordinary phenomenon of contemporary life and turns it into a shocking horror fest. This is King's great talent, and no one does it better. From the pet cemetary in the woods to the nice family doggie (who now has rabies), King populates his middle-class American landscape with familiar things that have now turned nightmarishly psychotic. In Cell, King jams an urban myth into the highest gear. What if cell phones didn't cause cancer? What if they did something much worse? What if they turned the user into a zombie killing machine? From the first page to the last, you're hooked. It doesn't matter if the reading calories are empty; you can't stop reading. That's why King, above everything else (and perhaps in spite of everything else) has remained the best selling author in the world. You can't stop reading him.
Donald Gallinger is the author of The Master Planets
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