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)

One The Best Ever Listens!

Any additional comments?

Wow, what a great book! Stephen King is the best story spinner of our time. I put off reading (listening to) this book since it is the sequel to The Shining, and I had read that decades ago and didn't know that I would remember it fully. SK just weaves the story so well and even though I think I read The Shining probably 30 years ago, this story draws you in within a few moments. I think it's probably one of SK's best and it was really fun to see what had become of "the little boy from The Shining". This is set primarily in current day and I don't think any SK fan, any fan of the genre, or any person who is just looking to be entertained would be able to stop thinking about this book long after they've finished reading or listening to it.

Great Story. Great narration.

If you could sum up Doctor Sleep in three words, what would they be?

Engaging. Scary. Well-paced.

What did you like best about this story?

Dr. Sleep tied in so well with The Shining that the years between the two novels was almost unnoticeable. As a separate story though, it stands just as strongly as The Shining on its own.

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?

This was my first experience with Will Patton as a narrator and I am wholly impressed. He brought this story and the characters to life. He will be narrating Mr. Mercedes as well, so on the strength of his narration alone, I anticipate it will be well worth listening.

Who was the most memorable character of Doctor Sleep and why?

Danny Torrance. The way his life has gone since the Overlook hotel and how his experiences there shaped him makes him a very believable character.

King is king of story telling. always enjoyable

I've been on audible for over a year now and finally got a king book 2 months ago. I loved it so I got this one and guess what, I couldn't stop listening. I usually like my sci-fi but I will start to mix in thrillers more often

King Writes a Great Sequel

Would you listen to Doctor Sleep again? Why?

Yes, I enjoy Stephen Kings books too much to not want to reminisce with his tales and characters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Abra Stone was such a brave young little lady. You rooted for her from the beginning. Dan Torrance was heroic but scarred. His tale was very heavy. Seeing what happened to him since the Overlook made you look for a positive ending for Abra's tale.

What does Will Patton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Patton reads with such emotion, so just reading it you might miss this bit of life he breaths into it.

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

The True Knot

Excellent book, excellent narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

So good, I re-listened (is that a word?) to the Shinning. One of few sequels that improves upon a classic.

What did you like best about this story?

King's has the most engaging children characters in many of his books. He lets them be fully formed, intelligent and confident.

Nice to know what happened to Danny

Although not quite as scary as The Shining, this is a solid work by Stephen King. It was great to find out what happened to Danny, Doc Halloran, Wendy, and the evil grounds that birthed the nightmares of the Overlook Hotel, as well as get a chance to meet some new characters to move the story forward. The plot was compelling, but as usual, where King really delivered was creating a set of well-rounded, enjoyable, and believable characters--people you WANT to root for. The narration by Will Patton was fluid, animated, and easy to follow. Overall, a very enjoyable audiobook experience.

So freaking fun!

Would you listen to Doctor Sleep again? Why?

Nope.

What other book might you compare Doctor Sleep to and why?

Well, as hard as this may be to believe, The Shining, by an up-and-coming young author, Stephen King. Not terrifying like the Shining, but in the same flavor and very suspenseful.

Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favorite?

He can do no wrong. They were all fab.

If you could take any character from Doctor Sleep out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Dick Halloran's grandmother. Or Dick. Because.

Any additional comments?

Thanks for a great time!

Great sequel!

On its own, it's a great story. Not quite as good as the original, but getting to find out what had happened to those oh so memorable characters of the Shinning... well, saying "satisfying" just isn't good enough.
Thank you Mr King, I've been enraptured by your books/movies/stories since my late teens. Which means since you have been publishing.
Thank you to Will Patton for such a wonderful vocal rendition of this story. I like that he simply read it in a nice, smooth manner, without feeling the need to act it out. That way it remained Mr King's story, & allowed MY imagination to flesh out the characters just like I did when I got to read the book the first time.

You will not sleep

What made the experience of listening to Doctor Sleep the most enjoyable?

Knowing it was the sequel to The Shining.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dan, he is awesome.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this from beginning to end, the story and the characters. Really wanted it to keep going.

perfection, yet again

if I ever were to meet Mr. King in person, I believe I would simply shake his hand, give him one of my "mamma bear" hugs and just thank him for years of joy and horror. thank goodness he never let his stories stay hidden in his mind, never to be shared with us Constant Readers.