Doctor Sleep

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)

The sequel to the book; not the movie

"Doctor Sleep" is the sequel to the book; not the movie.This is an important fact that Stephen King shares in his author’s notes. Although, I am a fan of both the movie and the first book, Stephen King makes it clear that if you want the true story of the Torrance family you need to read the “Shining,” published in 1977, and then you will enjoy the sequel, “Doctor Sleep,” that much more.

Little Danny Torrance was only five when he became an iconic character in one of the scariest books ever written; and the ethereal haunted Overlook hotel, room 217, “Redrum,” and his possessed and murderous, alcoholic father, Jack, will be forever remember in literary history.

In “Doctor Sleep,” Danny is grown up; he works in a small New England town as a hospice worker and has the special ability to help patients come to terms with their deaths. Given his history its no wander, like his father, Jack, he is an alcoholic; but is trying to cope with his addiction by attending AA meetings. Alcoholism is very prevalent in this book, as it was in the first book of this series; in fact its diminished exploration in the movie, “The Shining,” by Stanley Kubrick, is one of the many reasons Stephen King was not a big fan of the movie, as he struggled with his own challenges with alcohol addiction during that time.
Danny is still psychic, although his abilities have weakened with age and its obvious when he comes in contact with Abra Stone, a girl who, at the age of twelve, has not yet fully tapped into her powers.
The young girl, is in danger, and she needs Danny’s help to keep her safe from a group, called The True Knot, that feed off of psychic powers; particularly children.

“Doctor Sleep is more than just a sequel, although it has roots to “The Shining,” this is a story that has its own wings; and boy does it fly.

If you’re wondering whether to purchase the text or the Audio version, the narrator of this audio book should make that an easy decision. Will Patton gives a spectacular performance and should not be missed.

245 of 270 people found this review helpful

The Doctor is In

The particular genius of Stephen King at his best is an ability to concoct supernatural situations that are patently absurd, and then guide the reader down the twisting path of an inventive storyline toward unconditional credulity. By the time characters start swapping minds between their bodies or “flipping” into parallel dimensions, it has all become strangely plausible. This is one of those books.

“Doctor Sleep” provides the long-awaited sequel to “The Shining,” one of King’s earliest successes, and especially the character of little Danny, now all grown up and tormented by alcoholism and ghosts. It’s probably not necessary to know the original in order to enjoy the second, but it helps in small, significant ways.

Here is more of King’s pure invention: a band of elderly characters traveling the country in RVs, whose golf pants and liver spots mask a breed of ancient vampires called The True Knot (just “the True” to their friends). They feed—not on blood, but on the mystic essence of children who happen to possess the psychic powers of “the shining,” as Dan does. This essence is called “steam,” and its extraction is brutal, painful, and eventually fatal. For the True Knot, it's life itself. for centuries.

Downloaded in three parts, I wasn’t initially sure I’d stick with it. Not every King work is an unqualified page-turner for everyone. Before the end of the first third I was hooked. The reading by Will Patton is another tour de force, making a gripping story even more emotionally wired. He can do more with a harsh, throaty whisper than most could do with a scream, making your skin crawl. I couldn’t put it down, and I hated to see it end.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Because the Past Defines the Present

I discovered Stephen King the summer I was 13 years old. I remember reading "The Shining" (1976), "'Salem's Lot" (1975), "Carrie" (1974), and "Night Shift" (1977) over a hot and humid week. When the weather broke one night with a spectacular summer thunderstorm, I woke up screaming, convinced that a long-dead priest was in my room.

Carrietta White and Danny Torrance psychic abilities - their shines - fascinated me. Wouldn't it be fun to make the tight Jordache jeans the tall blonde who was "going with" the boy I had a crush, on split the bottom of her jeans wide open, just as she tossed her perfectly feathered Farrah Fawcett hair? But Margaret White, Carrie's mother was a religious zealot; and Jack Torrance, Danny's father, was a raging alcoholic. Carrie and Danny didn't use their shine for fun, they used it because the people who loved them were murderous. Only Danny survived his childhood.

In 2001, about the time Danny is learning to become sober, Abra Stone is born into a family with two (mostly) normal parents and an adoring great grandmother. Abra shines, and shines brightly. Her parents realize it, and take an approach to the situation Andrew Solomon (Far From the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity, 2012) would approve of: they have a pediatrician observe her, confirm what they know - and love and support her.

Danny has a great evil to fight - alcoholism. He started drinking at 13. It dulls his shine, and considering what he does for a living - he's an orderly at hospices, and he helps people pass on, who could blame him? But, as any alcoholic knows, Danny drinks because he is a drunk. King has been sober for 26 years, and writes about Alcoholics Anonymous - 'the program' - with the passion, clear head, and understanding of someone who knows the program far deeper than being able to recite the Serenity Prayer from memory. King's description of Danny's longing for a drink at a dive bar with neon lights advertising $2 pitchers was so vivid, in one of the most narratively tense parts of Doctor Sleep, I found myself thinking, "Don't do it Danny, don't do it!"

Danny and Abra have another, prescient and cannabalistic evil to fight - Rose the Hat and "The True Knot," a band of seemingly ordinary people criss-crossing the United States in those spectacularly expensive RVs you sometimes see on long drives on the 10 West, heading into Arizona; or parked in a Walmart lot, easily taking up a dozen parking places. The people in them look normal - even dull - but . . . and Rose and the True Knot are very, very old - because they take something from children with the shine.

Would I have enjoyed Doctor Sleep as much as I did if I hadn't read "The Shining," or for that matter, "Carrie"? I think I might have liked it even more, because I would have been truly surprised by the Overlook Hotel/Lodge - and frightened by the ghosts, maybe as I was that long ago summer.

I'm giving the audio a 4, not because Will Patton isn't a fantastic narrator - he is. He's got the characters to a t. When he was Dick Hallorann, I actually saw Scatman Crothers from the 1980 movie "The Shining" in my mind. However, there's a small portion of the narrative that is difficult to follow as an audio book. It sorts itself out eventually, but that's why I knocked a point off.

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266 of 304 people found this review helpful

It's read by Will Patton... 'nough said?

A little bit of a slow start catching up with Dan and Wendy Torrance. But then, zoom, we were off on a brand new adventure and it was a good one.

This was not one of my all time top favorites by SK but a good solid book and well worth the credit. This is not one of his police procedurals but it is not really horror either. There is an element of the supernatural but the villains are relatable, you hate them but you understand them as well. SK brings in a number of elements in addition to the supernatural, the nature of human failings, the love of a family, shared bonds of hardship and friendship.

Overall there is a lot to like about this book and I thought he brought it together at the end in a very positive way. And, as mentioned, it's narrated by Will Patton. He does a surprisingly good job with female voices as well as his usual silky male voices.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

A great follow up to The Shining (the Book)

What did you like best about this story?

I'm very happy that this book faithfully follows the original book, not the movie.

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

Steam

Any additional comments?

Although the original was written nearly 40 years ago, the story picks up right after the original and it quickly fills in the gaps to move to present day, leaving the reader with just enough of the past to tie everything into a nice little package.

Those who read The Shining will enjoy the references to the original, but the story itself is self-contained, so you don't necessarily need to read the original to enjoy it.

I've read The Shining several times so far. Oddly, I've never seen the movie version, but from what I know, although it's a great film, it's not a good adaptation of the book.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

what happened to the kid from The Shining?

What happened to that little kid from The Shining, once he grew up? What would have happened to his dry drunk of a father, if he had found Alcoholics Anonymous? These are two of the questions Stephen King wanted to answer in Doctor Sleep, he explains at the end of the novel. King has built up quite the tale out of the Overlook Hotel’s ashes: this was just awarded best audiobook of the year at Audible.com a few days ago.

Doctor Sleep brings us that little strong, sweet, and smart kid Danny Torrance all cragged and grown up; Danny is such a painful portrayal of innocence lost he’ll make you wistful for your own early childhood, before all the mistakes started piling up. The Overlook still haunts poor Danny’s dreams, and he’s now a drunk who despises himself for turning out like dear old dad.

King takes us through Danny’s alcoholic bottom with the descriptive language he has such a knack for, making the first bits of the book difficult, but necessary, to get through. King loves to linger a bit on the rough stuff in life; rather than having an off-putting effect, this is part of what makes him a horror powerhouse. The man who spent paragraphs describing wind-up teeth in “Chattery Teeth” and didn’t shy away from documenting the split of a woodchuck into two in Under the Dome turns his attention to Danny’s low points with alcohol, and we are spared no detail of where Danny’s drinking takes him. Danny’s recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous is a part of the story, something that is becoming more common in novels and television shows.

Oddly enough I may have been happy with a story of Danny Torrance without the horror, but rather than only documenting Danny’s struggle to find recovery, King introduces a new and unlikely set of villains: a nefarious band of energy banshees called the True Knot, disguised as old folks touring America in RV’s and campers. They feed off of the shining that those like Danny possess. They sense something delicious in a bright young girl named Abra, who shines something strong and needs a mentor like Danny desperately.

The characters here were delightfully vivid for me. The evil figures, roving in a band of trailers, were reminiscent of the post-apocalyptic armies in Robert McCammon‘s Swan Song, and I’d be interested to know if King was influenced by that classic in any way while writing this book. King has in Doctor Sleep, as he does in many of his books, an appreciation for the full spectrum of human capability. It would have been so simple for King to write Abra as a one-dimensional sweetheart, but she has her own dark side–as we all do, King seems to be noting.

Where the story lost me a bit was in the action. Without giving too much away, many of the battle scenes felt a bit silly to me because they were taking place, well, in people’s minds. When used in books and in films, incredible mental powers (let’s face it, all magical powers) can often feel a bit hokey as they can at anytime become a cheap trick. I think King relied on this type of thing too much towards the end of the book. Things become much more cerebral than they did in The Shining, and I was disappointed there wasn’t a more epic The Stand style battle between good and evil.

The final question here is Abra, Danny’s delightful and powerful-beyond-belief mentee, whose temper matches her strength. Will we meet Abra again, in her own book? It would be wonderful to see the capabilities of an older Abra, adolescent and out-of-control. It seems like too good of a story not to tell.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

I missed you so much Danny!! Loved this book!

Stephen King, did wonders with this book,a storyline that gave me everything I could have every dreamed! More time with a favorite character, closer to my what ifs that would still be lurking in the back of my head!
Will Patton, you rock!! stopped listening for a few days because I didn't want it to end!! 💋

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A totally biased review CR#38,675,657

To say I loved this book is an injustice to the writing and disrespectful to the writer. As far as I know, there has never been another author able to consistently pick up the heart of the characters created decades later and breathe brand new life into us through them.

There was never a moment I didn't think about this book if I wasn't listening. It was extremely hard to put down. it became my 2am snack when I couldn't sleep, and I'm sure the reason my regular smoke break friends..smoke without me now at work.

Dive in. enjoy!! -Constant Reader since 1985

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Better than The Shining

Stanley Kubric's movie adaptation of "The Shining" is one of my favorite scary movies. So many people told me that I had to read the book that I finally did a few years ago. Now, Stephen King and his avid fans think the book is better, but I prefer the movie. "Doctor Sleep" is the story of a grown-up Danny Torrance. I was skeptical of a sequel to such a well-known story, especially after such a long time. I also approach Stephen King with caution. His books tend to be hit or miss with me. I thought "Salem's Lot" and "The Stand" rambled too much. I thought "Under the Dome" was very cliched and had a dumb ending. I love "Firestarter", "Joyland", and "11/22/63". "Doctor Sleep" falls into the category of Stephen King books that I love. I loved the characters and their relationships. The scary parts were suitably scary. Danny's character development seemed very authentic. I highly recommend this book with the caveat that you need to either read "The Shining" or see the movie before tackling this.

Will Patton's narration is practically perfect. I'm not sure if I've listened to any of his narrations before, but I surely will again. When trying to decide between text and audio, a Will Patton narration will definitely swing me to the audio.

31 of 39 people found this review helpful

"All we see or seem is but a dream within a dream"

In appreciation of the hours of terrifying enjoyment King has given me over the years, I felt I owed it to this author to digest on this newest novel at least a few days before putting in my 2 cents and my initial reaction. I also wanted to be honest and not just pander to fellow King fans.

5,861 die-hard fans of Stephen King contributed to the completion of Doctor Sleep, having voted in a poll on King's official website whether he should write a sequel to The Shining, or write the next Dark Tower novel. Dark Tower lost by 49 votes. It's hard to not love anything from an author that seems so dedicated and accessible to his readers/fans. I realized that it's unfair to compare King's books, or expect each new work to start from the high point of the previous book and then surpass that zenith. If I became desensitized along the way -- that was failure on part of this reader rather than the fault of the writer.

In an interview, King said, writing this book, he is not the same man that wrote The Shining, Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary, It. Those were written while King was a young man tormented by personal demons, and "you write about what you know." King came face to face with a much scarier adversary than any monster he could make up while facing those demons in his publicized battle with addiction. He said about returning to one of his fan's favorite novels, it was daunting to write the sequel from where he is now, to a book he hadn't visited for 30 years. For the factual continuity, he hired an avid, long-time reader/fan to go over The Shining, making sure Doctor Sleep was in sync with the previous book, and accurate. *[Remember the *chocolate Payday* fingerprints in The Stand? Let's face it...some of his novels could be used in college courses to show the importance of doing your research!]

Doctor Sleep melds both kinds of monsters King was so familiar with. A grown Danny Torrance is fighting the alcohol addiction he has used to shut down his *shine* and keep the residual monsters, both mental and physical, from the Overlook Hotel contained. After one booze and cocaine fueled night, he takes money from a woman he has spent the night with, a messed up young mother, then later is haunted by a *bad shining* about her little toddler that stumbled into the bedroom while Danny was making his escape. This, he realizes, is his rock bottom. Vowing to stay straight, he takes a new job, but without the dulling liquor the Shining starts again, threatening his new sobriety. In his clear-headed state, he also begins picking up thoughts from another with the Shining, a young girl named Abra.

Joining the villainous ranks of Pennywise, Randall Flagg, little Gage Creed, and the vampire Barlow -- is King's latest: a group of polyester-wearing, RV driving, Wallmart shopping nomads called the True Knot, whose top knot is *Rose the Hat,* a fabulous Cruella Deville on steroids kind of female villain (that I would love to see more of). Her group caravans across the country from their home base near the now burnt out Overlook Hotel, in a necessary search for children with the Shine, to suck out their *steam* and rejuvenate themselves -- whatever they are (much like the 3 witches from Hocus Pocus). When the murderous convoy picks up deliciously strong signals from the gifted Abra, the fight between good and evil is on.

As noted by reviewers, this can be a stand alone novel. Much of the connection to the book The Shining is given through the characters conversations and thoughts. The familiar *Easter eggs* (as King's son calls the trivia-like references to previous books included in all of King's novels) tell you that you're in King's familiar and resourceful hands (there are even a few familial nods to NOS4A2). Danny wasn't a forceful character in The Shining (even less so in the movie) and isn't much grander here, but Abra was well thought out and feisty to Danny's passivity, and Rose the Hat was a character I'd love to see fleshed out with her own story. During the listening process, I may not have appreciated this as much as I do after a little reflection. While traditional King, this is also a smarter book, one that it takes a little wisdom, maybe a bit of life's hard knocks, to really get an appreciation for the levels of evil contained. I ended up going from 2* to 3maybe4* with my pondered rating, and think I might even read this one again one day -- less eager and more attentive. And Will Patton...he could read George Carlin's list of ugly words and I would adore him; he does a great job giving the book (especially ol' Crow Daddy) some complimentary gusto. Doctor Sleep is old King and new King; a King with some hard earned wisdom on top of that natural talent.

101 of 132 people found this review helpful