Insomnia

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Eli Wallach

Length: 25 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

A number-one national best seller

Since his wife died, Ralph Roberts has been having trouble sleeping. Each night he wakes up a bit earlier until he's barely sleeping at all. During his late-night walks, he observes some strange things going on in Derry, Maine. He sees colored ribbons streaming from people's heads, two strange little men wandering around town after dark, and more. He begins to suspect that these visions are something more than hallucinations brought on by lack of sleep.

There's a definite mean streak running through this small New England city; underneath its ordinary surface awesome and terrifying forces are at work. The dying has been going on in Derry for a long, long time. Now Ralph is part of it...and lack of sleep is the least of his worries.

Returning to the same Maine town where It took place, a town that has haunted Stephen King for decades, Insomnia blends King's trademark bone-chilling realism with supernatural terror to create yet another masterpiece of suspense.

©1994 Stephen King (P)1994 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A yarn so packed with suspense, romance, literary reference, fascinating miscellaneous knowledge, and heart that only Stephen King could have written it. Marvelous - that is, full of marvels." ( Booklist)

Great story, horrible production!

I want to know what insane audiobook producer thought putting HUGELY ANNOYING music into the background in seemingly random places at quite a high volume level was a good idea?! I'd like to wring his neck! So distracting it was difficult to focus on the narrator, who was good, btw. As was the story.

Why the music between chapters?

I'm not sure who decided have music played between chapters or dramatic points in the book, but I felt it was way to load, at most times louder that the narrator, and when it started to play really scared me, I listen to books with headphones and music was very unexpected

Hard to get into but...

Very well read by Eli Wallach. The story is less horror and my fantasy but it’s fun to listen to as it cross references other works by King. While not like visiting an old friend, it feels like spending time with a distant uncle and finding you have things in common.

Wonderful Story

The story is wonderful! The performance is really good. The music is horrible. It blocks out the story by being way to loud from time to time.

Music?

I absolutely love this story, it is one of my favorite books. I was very much looking forward to listening to it. I still love the story, and the storyteller is doing a fantastic job, but someone decided to work music into the background and I don’t like that at all. It completely detracts from the gravity of the story. The music is inserted during curious or tense moments, but a good story doesn’t need background music. Not happy with this one Audible. Not at all.

Great narrator and story, music needs adjusting

Incredible Narrator, especially considering the age of the protagonists. There's creepy music that plays at times during the story which is sometimes interesting but can be loud and overpower the narrator which is completely annoying and takes away from the story. Great book, especially if you're a fan of the Dark Tower series.

Insomnia

Book was excellent, I really hated the sound effects though. The reader represented the old man well but was not good doing other voices

Music is atrocious!

The story and narration were great. The horrible, very loud transition music almost made it unlistenable though.

Not THAT bad

A lot of people complain about the musical interludes in this production. Although jarring at first, you get used to them.
The story itself starts very slow, I'd say it doesn't pick up until a little after half done. It is a totally different book after a point and well worth a listen, especially as part of the DT series. Don't skip it.

hate background music

loved the story and the reader. he did great. but that backround music needs to go.