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)

fantasy horror with emotional truth

For all of the imagined horror and magic, I identify with Dan T. and his middle aged alcoholics sense of regret. And also with his transformation as he experiences his role as a mentor to young Abbra Stone. Suspense, horror, and ultimately wonderful.

WOW!

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

Doctor Sleep is a GREAT (perhaps overdue) sequel to King's 1977 masterpiece, The Shining!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Abra of course! King's extraordinary ability to view the world through a child's (Abra ... and Danny Torrence) eyes is indeed remarkable.

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?

The BEST, bar none .... totally awesome! Throughout, he sounds as if he's a great actor on stage giving the performance of his life!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, the gruesome death of the baseball boy.

Any additional comments?

I'm about to "reread" the shining!

Awesome, satisfying, fascinating.

Been looking forward to this for months and I was not disappointed. So glad to have this book. Suspenseful, satisfying, scary, and clever.

Skipped a chapter

Would you consider the audio edition of Doctor Sleep to be better than the print version?

No, not better than the printed version

What did you like best about this story?

The authors ability to character sketch

Would you be willing to try another one of Will Patton’s performances?

Yes

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes

Any additional comments?

The audio version played through the "Cloud-Player" skipped a chapter that was crucial to the story. I am wondering where the origin of the error occurs.

King's best in some time

I have read and listened to Stephen King for 40 years. He is to me, along with John Irving, one of the authors whose work will be read 100 years from now. I had wondered about Dan Torrance for years...this novel makes him come alive all over again in a wonderful and redemptive way. Abra is his best new character in many, many years. Read and/ or listen to this novel. You will NOT be disappointed.

Worth every penny

This is a great story, a fair sequel. Stephen King takes you on a compelling adventure! This is now one of my favorite books.

Good

A great sequel to The Shining. Will Patton did an excellent job in the narration. Everyone has a little bit of the Shining

The book is always better then the movies

It's a plain fact that books are better than the movies. I am late to his line of work, but I don't regret discovering gems like this.

Awesome to the last sentence!!

The sequel to "The Shining", it is another masterpiece by Stephen King. The narrator was fantastic and really brought the story to life! This book follows the events of the book, not the movie. I never read The Shining, so I downloaded and listened to that first, and I'm so glad I did!! I STRONGLY recommend you listen to it first. Even though the books were written over 25 years apart, you'd never tell because of the seamless transition.

a good sequel

I enjoyed listening to this novel I was waiting to find out what happened next