Doctor Sleep

A Novel

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 18 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Winner, Fiction, 2014

Audie Award Nominee, Solo Narration - Male, 2014

Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special 12-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless - mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky 12-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant "shining" power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes "Doctor Sleep."

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted fans of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

©2013 Stephen King (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Will Patton's delivery enhances King's prose in ways that make King's work so much more enjoyable in audio than just reading it…Patton's narrative voice captures the rhythm of King's words. His character voices, filled with a variety of regional American accents, remain consistent. Most importantly, the sinister aspects that embody characters and moments of this novel are superbly executed and will certainly leave listeners on edge." ( AudioFile)

"King, not one given to sequels, throws fans a big, bloody bone with this long-drooled-for follow-up to The Shining." ( Booklist)

"…a gripping, taut read that provides a satisfying conclusion to Danny Torrance's story." ( Publisher’s Weekly)

Can't get enough

I enjoyed Will Pattons narration. He perfectly compliments Stephen King's writing style. Now I want to purchase the rest of the books he narrated.

awesome

loved to find out what happened to danny Torres great book. love Stephen Kings stories

What a way to start back up

Such a great listen. I bought and started reading this book 10 minutes after seeing the film.
I have to say I definatley enjoyed the book hands down so much more because it actually followed the original book.
As per the norm, another page turned by the man. Thanks for telling the rest of the story, we all appreciate it.

Just as good as the Shining if not better

Just want to briefly say that Stephen King is a brilliant writer, one of a kind. I love his creativity and intuitive ability to reach into the minds of so many diverse characters and being them to life. I love to write. I love the process of creating stories and to returning to my own life and processing it on paper BUT I cannot imagine being able to generate all of these different voices and lives and stories the way King does. From reading “It” in middle school to now finally reading Doctor Sleep at 37, some books I love more than others but all are brilliant.

Anyway, Doctor Sleep doesn’t require anymore plot summaries. It’s a sequel to The Shining following Danny as an adult and another child with his gifts of telepathy and “shining”. Danny is an alcoholic and there’s a lot of time dedicated to explaining- very well I might add- the mindset of a dry drunk vs a sober person working the steps. I enjoyed the fantastical elements but also just the very real look at addiction, shame, guilt, attachment and courage. Now to watch the film (it’s Stephen King, of course there’s a film).

Another epic King Tale

I really enjoy the performance on this audiobook... Will Patton does a great job! another epic Stephen King tale!!!

I LOVED the narrator

Will Patton has to be the BEST narrator for a audible book,
He really makes you feel all the different characters.
He was as invested in this book as I was
BEST Story Teller out of any of my Audible books

amazing performance

A bit long but totally satisfying. the performance was VERY well done. Very enjoyable listen.

Amazing

It was amazing and loved it, could stop lisrening to it. King again does a great job

King continues his triumphant return to form

Where does Doctor Sleep rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Stephen King continues his fantastic return to form with Doctor Sleep. Following Dumas Key and Under the Dome, Doctor Sleep is not just a sequel to The Shining, it's a riveting enjoyable thrill ride that harkens back to why we fell in love with Mr. King in the first place. Clever, insightful and funny go hand-in-hand with exciting, scary and heart-stopping. I LOVE THIS GUY! Ranks among the best!

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Will Patton does a fantastic job. Great storyteller! I'll look for more books read by him.

If you could rename Doctor Sleep, what would you call it?

The Knot or True Knot

Never read or saw The Shining

I am familiar with some of the Stephen King titles but never read or saw The Shining. Interestingly enough I was able to enjoy this even though it was a sequel. It was written well enough to give you an understanding of what brought the characters to this point. I love the idea of someone who can help people pass on, those were my favorite parts. The struggle between good and evil and the empowerment it brings is well described. Some of the stuff that the "bad" people did was a bit weird but it's all part of creating the dramatic effect I suppose.

I must say that I agreed with those that liked the narration. Will Patton was awesome!