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)

Hard to put away.

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

Dr Sleep was slow starting for the first section. I almost returned the book for something else but by the time the second section started I was unable to shut the book off. One of the best of Stephen Kings works that I have read in the last 10 years.

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

Can't even compare this books to the orignal The Shining. There is no comparison.

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

none

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

Rose the Hat because I like to play with fire.

Prefect follow up to The Shining!

This was exactly what I was hoping it would be. Finding out about the characters that I loved from The Shining was extremely fun. Abra was a joy. Must Read!!!!!!

Just what I needed

finished in 2 days just a perfect tale my 8th king book the last couple months been loving it

Will Patton makes this work

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

Will Patton's ability to convey emotion and range without going "over the top" is remarkable.

Wonderful! Don't hesitate, buy it!

I have been a fan of Stephen King for a long time, since he first started publishing. I didn't want to get my hopes up in regards to this book because the original was so good - heck, you know what they say about sequels.

Be aware that the book takes a while to build the characters and give background information. The first half was interesting, but I started getting really hooked on the story when I was about halfway thru, when I was glued to my (car)seat, on tenterhooks and waiting anxiously for the next chapter to begin.

King doesn't disappoint with old characters, new ones, and a really good showdown at the end. Will Patton was EXCELLENT as the narrator - he voiced Danny Torrance so well (and King wrote the character so realistically) that I'm a little embarrassed to say I had a bit of a crush on Danny when I finished the novel.

Buy this book and listen to it - you won't be disappointed.

Exceptional!

This book is so fantastic! The narrator adds something you can't get just reading. He makes an already great story come alive. Love it!

awesome listen.

For a writer who doesn't really do sequels, this was awesome. Stephen King is my favorite writer.

Good one!

What did you love best about Doctor Sleep?

Great story, fantastic follow up to one of the best King novels.

Any additional comments?

A must read

Nice follow-up to the classic, The Shining.

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

Good combination of story and narrator

What did you like best about this story?

Very complete story arc.

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

Nice cadence and inflection that added to the characterizations.

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

"Shining on..."

Any additional comments?

A little heavy on the twelve steps but good story

Stephen is King.

Loved it! Thought I'd dislike hearing Will Patton read it, but he did very well. I loved The Shining, and was very glad to see what Danny was up to.