Cell

A Novel

De: Stephen King

Narrado por: Campbell Scott

On October 1st, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is almost bouncing up Boylston Street in Boston. He's just landed a comic book deal that might finally enable him to support his family by making art instead of teaching it. He's already picked up a gift for his long-suffering wife, and he knows just what he'll get for his boy Johnny. Why not a little treat for himself? Clay's feeling good about the future.

That changes in a hurry. The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone. Everyone's cell phone. Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization's darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature...and then begins to evolve.

There are 193 million cell phones in the United States alone. Who doesn't have one? Stephen King's utterly gripping, gory, and fascinating novel doesn't just ask the question "Can you hear me now?" It answers it with a vengeance.

©2006 Stephen King (P)2006 Simon & Schuster

Reseñas de la Crítica

"King's imagining of what is more or less post-Armageddon Boston is rich, and the sociological asides made by his characters along the way...are jaunty and witty." (Publishers Weekly)

Wow

Campbell Scott did a masterful job of keeping me on the edge of whatever seat I happened to be sitting while listening to King's thriller. It had me from the first word to the last. If Mr. Scott wasn't available for this book, Scott Brick is the only other voice I'd have loved to hear.

King takes one of today's icons, the cell phone, and turns cell phone owners into what many of us sometimes think of them (even if we own one). Methinks that King stuck his tongue into one of his cheeks and had fun with people who have turned the world upside down: the gal who has to blab her latest intimate news in the grocery store; the guy who is so self-important that he feels that he's the only person in the theater or concert...in other word King casts a spell on cell phone users.

I give this highly entertaining piece of King's mind six stars. It's one of the best listens I've had in the last five years.

Compelling Story and Interesting Characters

Any additional comments?

Like all good Stephen King books, the combination of strong storytelling and intriguing characters are the main ingredients that make Cell a must read/listen. Although the premise of the story is quite ridiculous, examining how these characters respond and adapt to their changing environment keeps the reader locked into the story. Unlike many writers, Stephen King truly allows the reader to know his characters. We are feed small portions of character revealing information scattered throughout the book rather than outright biographies. The dynamics of how an initial team of strangers develop a shared and agreed upon mission is my favorite take away from the book. Cell is much more than a pseudo zombie book (although all the killing and survival keeps you engaged) but the development of friendships within the ultimate good versus evil backdrop.
Kudos to Campbell Scott! As the narrator he delivers a even pace and more character voice range than I anticipated.

Deja Vu, but a fun ride nonetheless

Once you've read enough Stephen King, you start to get deja vu with every new novel. The narrative techniques, the characters, the plot twists... everything seems like a rehash of something before. But can you blame the guy? He's written, what, a gazillion novels? Of course you will get some repetition.

But even so, I am amazed at his ability to grab hold of your imagination and keep you enthralled for hours upon hours. Most 12 hour audio books would take me at least a week to get through - I listened to this in about a day! And even though the book reminded me about so much King I've already read (Dreamcatcher and Dark Tower stand out for me, and I'm sure if I thought about it I could find several more), I still couldn't stop listening.

Some of the scientific explanation was a little hokey, but hey, when you're talking about a book from a horror novelist where cell phones create a world of zombies, you can't expect Azimov-level sci-fi.

The ending is fine. King does more than enough foreshadowing in the pages leading up to the end, and if you think about it hard enough you KNOW what happens next even if King doesn't say it.

The narrator was great. There were a few production issues (the tone of the voice changed suddenly on a few occasions) but it was minor. I'd listen to this narrator again.

Ok, not King's best

Pretty straight forward and simple plot that only follows one storyline, this is far from King at his best. The ending was almost as if King got tired and just quit. There was some closure but not much, definitely felt more like one of his short stories than a full length novel.
Interesting to see how many concepts from the book were borrowed from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.

I will never use my Cell again!

Loved the book. Fun, scary and interesting. Just a good book that has a interesting plot line.

Awesome!!

I'm tired of these people complaining about "you know how the author feels about guns, religion, politics, etc... in the first three chapters." If you have listened to enough Steven King then you should know where he stands right? I'm a gun toting, spiritual, conservative out on an acreage in Kansas so I totally don't agree with his views. Personally I put that aside and listen to the story.

Ok to the book. Right from the first it had me saying "hell yeah" and wanting more. I really got into the characters and could relate to some. There were very few moments of slow down and since I'm an impatient guy thats a big plus. Had me on the edge of my seat more than a few times. I will probably listen to this one again in a year which I never do. If you like a good story with a dose of gore and a good scare here and there then I totally recommend this book.

5 out of 5

This was one of Stephen King's best books....very entertaining, especially if you love end-of-the-world stories. Just FYI....this has no similarity to zombie books or zombie pop-culture. A couple reviews claimed this was Stephen King's take on Zombies. It has nothing to do with that genre. All in all, I highly recommend this audiobook.

Stephen King.....Rules the demise of happy endings

I am always prepared for the worst, maybe it is something from childhood, and Stephen King never fails to appreciate this trait. I loved it, most would hate it, but then your not a true fan of Kings work.......

Cell

This is awesome! King is at his best here. This is a truly visionary and very creepy piece of sci-fi horror.

Almost...

"The Cell" has shades of my favorite King book, "The Stand" but it does not complete the journey. If King is planning a sequel, I'll be all over it but if this is the end, then I am a bit disappointed in the ending. I feel a little cheated.

There is still a good creepy factor to this story. I thought twice everytime I used my cell phone and probalby will for a long time. What if this is the call that...

I too was very distracted bad sound mixing of the re-recorded of sections. They were so jarring I would pay more attention to them than the story. For the price being charged for this book, it could have been done better. There were also some continuity (logic) problems that I won't mention here.

I still love ya Stephen and I'll take a journey with you anytime and anywhere, even if I don't like the destination.