Doctor Sleep

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's Summary

An epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted readers of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

King says he wanted to know what happened to Danny Torrance, the boy at the heart of The Shining, after his terrible experience in the Overlook Hotel. The instantly riveting Doctor Sleep picks up the story of the now middle-aged Dan, working at a hospice in rural New Hampshire, 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 tween 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....

©2013 Stephen King (P)2013 Simon & Schuster Audio

King By The Numbers

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I'm a big Stephen King fan and have very much enjoyed his last couple. While this wasn't classic King, it was certainly an enjoyable listen.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Finding out what happened to Danny Torrance after The Overlook burned down was the most interesting. Find out about The True Knot and, in particular, Rose the Hat, was often dull and predictable.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Will Patton?

I have; Alas, Babylon (which was fantastic). He's pretty good here and I have no problems with his narration, though he does sometimes get a bit over-wrought.

Was Doctor Sleep worth the listening time?

Way more worthwhile than answering the same question you asked first off in this review. Allow me to cut and paste...'I'm a big Stephen King fan and have very much enjoyed his last couple. While this wasn't classic King, it was certainly an enjoyable listen.'There. Happy now? Good. Moving on...

Any additional comments?

Not his best but plenty good enough. The middle third especially is outstanding, but the first third is too long and windy and the climax is oddly formulaic for King, something which can arguably said for most of the story. It feels like a good idea not quite seen through, if that makes sense.

A voice to DIE for!

Will Patton is undoubtedly my new best friend and greatest voice actor ever. I think I still have to decide whether Doctor Sleep is vintage King, i.e. better than his later books. However what is beyond argument is that Will Patton performs this book with breathtaking skill and craftsmanship.
He creates believable good characters and voices the evil ones in a manner that gives you cold shivers.
If Mr Patton were to read War and Peace in binary code, it would still be riveting.

Revisit The Shining if it's been a while

Seriously, I liked this book but I did feel that I wish I had re-read/listened to The Shining before listening to this one.

The Narrator - Will Patton does OK. His accents are alright but I got the feeling that there was no great love of Stephen King. Maybe I am wrong but I always felt that if I were to listen to one of these stories it would be read in a New England accent. "Heya" etc. Having said that the narrator does not impose himself and lets the story tell itself. So that is good.

The Story - The story was alright. You really expect something extraordinary from Stephen King. Even though he has written nothing extraordinary for a long time, you still expect it. It's kind of like going out with a friend who you used to laugh with a lot. Then the friend got old and bitter. You still go out with them because you remember that you used to laugh a lot and there is always a chance that things have improved. This book is like that. I bought it because Mr King entertained me all those years ago. This book only just did that. It's not great but it's still better than most.

A very silly story.

I am a great Stephen King fan and read everything he writes, even the shorter storys. But this is just the silliest book I have ever tried to read. I read The Shining on a fairly regular basis. So when Doctor Sleep came out I spent my credit without a qualm. After all, I can beleive in a haunted hotel with a drunk slowly going mad and as this is a follow up story about Danny, it should be good, I thought. But the idea of beings who live on the "steam" of terror, this is beyond my head to beleive in at all. I have tried to read it on several occasions, but each time I get to the "steam head" idea, my brain just yells, this is stupid. So my freinds if you can beleive in Zombies, which I am unable to do, you will probably love this book, but if you are like me, and used to Stephen Kings mind of Horror, I think like me, you should just give this one a miss.

A Good Sequel.

I worried at first that it was going to drag out and become boring before the crux of the story got started but I was wrong. Im glad I stuck with it and am now worried the film coming out later this year is going to leave out important stuff just so it can be connected to The Shining but that if it doesnt a lot of fans of the Kubrick film are gonna be pissed because the book continues King's vision of the story not Kubrick's.

The Shining returns

Doctor Sleep’s story follows Danny Torrance – the special boy who survived his father’s murderous possession by the Overlook Hotel twenty years ago – living a nomad’s life as he moves from place to place, wrestling with an alcohol problem that he uses to dull the effects of the Shining. His ability has become more powerful over the years and the demons from his childhood still haunt his waking hours and his nightmares.

King has managed to take the idea of the Shining and develop it in ways not before thought of. We encounter characters who have a fair bit of “shine” that manifests itself as different abilities. Some of these characters are good, some are evil. The latter includes the True Knot; semi-immortals who were once human, but are no longer. They survive by feeding off the “Steam” that children with the Shining produce when they are tortured to death. Of course, Danny inevitably crosses paths with them as he seeks to save a powerful child from their insane obsession. It’s a good story. Nothing wrong with it at all. It just doesn’t stand out from King’s earlier works.

As to the narration, I’ve only ever seen Will Patton in movies and was a little sceptical as to his selection as the story’s narrator. I haven’t ever seen much acting range from the man. I was wrong. Patton brings each character to life in a performance that I wouldn’t have believed possible from the understated actor. He is brilliant.

this would be great if I could play it

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

I might if I could hear it

Who was your favorite character and why?

.

What didn’t you like about Will Patton’s performance?

performance was great in part one, part two and three, who knows? They won't download!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

audible sucks

Any additional comments?

sort out your crappy software.

WOW! just WOW!

loved going back to Doc's life. wish I had some shine. Kings work is the best.

A fun listen but not King at his best

I listened to Dr Sleep right after listening to The Shining. Which I recommend you also do because 1. The Shining is amazing and 2. Dr Sleep relies heavily on context from The Shining in order to make it more compelling.

While this sequel tells a captivating and heartfelt story in comparison to the prequel it is a little lacklustre in the scare department. That is if you are looking to be scared.

Dr Sleep is a different kind of story from The Shining and has it’s own merits and shortcomings. I’m glad I listened to it and I would recommend it IF you are a King fan but not if it your first time reading King.

My main gripe with this book is that the villain/villains just weren’t threatening enough. They get built up throughout the course of the book but by the end they fall a little flat and come across as cartoony, ridiculous and weak.

I did appreciate the ending though. All in all a worth while listen. No regrets.

Complicated story but quite possible. I enjoyed t

Struggle to remember the names and places. The little girl developed during the story, but little info on her mother.

Can't listen to it

narrator sounds like Donald Trump. Can't listen to it. story probably good though. I like Stephen King normally.

Doctor Sleep

If you want to listen to this book please do the shining first as this is the follow up many years after and the little boy best known as doc is all grown up. Mr King never disappoints this is a very clever story its gripping and sad ,it gave me goose bumps in places, doing both books back to back was fantastic.

Great book destroyed by a monotone reader

Any additional comments?

another great book from the king sadly ruined by a very Americanised accent with the tone of a very bored and elderly history teacher emphasising at all the wrong moments.

Buy the book but avoid the audio book version.

Exceeded expectations

I've never read King before but thought the film The Shining was superb, so I wanted to see what happened to that little boy. This sequel had me gripped from the first sentence. Hugely enjoyable and listening to his writing was like watching a film somehow. Great characters and an expertly crafted plot. The narrator was a perfect match for me, a great job by Patton.

Not What I Expected...

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

Will Patton's narration was first class. As with some of King's best novels I really enjoy his writing when he focuses on the stories/ thoughts of the characters major and minor. In fact I would go as far as to say that really the main story line doesn't ever really do it for me in King's novels- it's all about the characterisation. This book is no exception, the story line is ok but the characters, places and situations are what make this novel so rich and full of life.My favourite King novels are The Stand, Under The Dome & 11/22/63 - this didn't quite reach the heights of these books for me but almost and certainly better than some of the others I've read. I actually enjoyed it more than The Shinning which surprised me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Doctor Sleep?

The reference to Charlie Manx from Joe Hill's N0S4R2 by Halloran, I love it when books cross reference!

Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favourite?

I loved his portrayal of all of the members of the True Knot, proper hicks!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Pretty much, towards the end I started to lose a little interest as all the action was jammed into the final third.

Any additional comments?

At times I felt that the narrative was a little clichéd and rushed, I loved the first two thirds but lost a little interest towards the end.

Stick with The Shining

Strangely enough, unlike other reviews, I loved the narration and didn't much care for the story - I felt the narrator was monotonous in parts, but that was due to the listless insommnia of Danny at the time, so it actually added to the performance.

Overall, I think you should leave a great story as it is, like in films, remember Jaws 2 eating the electric cable? Enough said.

A wonderful follow-up.

Would you listen to Doctor Sleep again? Why?

Yes, absolutely. There are so many layers to the story, and the narration was spectacular

What did you like best about this story?

I like that years had passed. I liked that Danny didn't end up just living happily ever after - that his story was more realistic to his circumstances and everything he had experienced. You don't walk away unscarred.

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This was my first experience of him as a narrator, but not my last. Unfortunately he has set the bar high and is now the narrator everyone else has to live up to.

Any additional comments?

Sometimes sequels can be disappointing, but that wasn't the case here. There were a couple of small character niggles from things introduced here relating to the previous book that I wasn't sure we're true to character, but they didn't bother me too much, just made me think about it a little more. I listened to The Shining right before this so it was all fresh in my mind.

It does stand alone quite well, though it really is better appreciated if you've read The Shining. If you've only seen the movie, please make sure it's the TV mini-series rather than the Kubrick movie so it has better continuity when you follow on with this book.

Stephen King still has it!

Any additional comments?

Did you ever wonder what happened to Danny Torrance? I Know I did. My expectations were high and King delivered, once again. Wonderful audio performance by mr Will Patton. Listened to it almost continuously. absolutely wonderful

Cheap and hardly scary

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, I would not.
The story starts well. It's consuming has a thrill uncovering more and more about 'the true knot' ,but that ends quickly.
From about halfway through it becomes predictive and almost boring in consequence of events. The ancient true knot's members first depicted as horrifying become lousy and helpless in all of their actions. It's just so hard to believe that the one that ventured across earth for centuries has never had measles or never came across a sick kid with it or any other sickness. I simply don't buy it and see it as a massive flow in the plot.
The new look at 'the shinning' as a power feels like a stretch and as if it was taken from some of the recent teen's series.
And the end had no sense as well.
There're just so many things that just don't make sense. Why didn't they sense Dan if his power was so great to put up a fight with Rose the hat ?! How come a ghost was able to strangle one of the true knot if for that it needs someone with shine to feed it with power.
And 'the gas bomb' that killed them all, that was just lame.
Also, reference to 'the game of thrones' ?! That's some really bad parenting if 12 year old is allowed to watch it, or worse read the book. It might be another way of invasive advertising like with adding names of hotel chains or car rentals. I don't see what purpose it could serve to the story and see it as a very low blow that made me cringe.

Apart of those, when it finished I had only one feeling in my head that brought a single phrase out: 'a cheap story'.
So, no I would not recommend it.

Would you be willing to try another book from Stephen King? Why or why not?

King needs to start writing something newer and fresher than rehashing ideas of vampires mixed with paranormal activities for me to get started with another of his books.
Maybe one of the old once, though.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration was ok. I simply didn't like a voice of the narrator.

Was Doctor Sleep worth the listening time?

Not really. I sort of feel betrayed and disappointed.
I was expecting an exciting continuation of a thriller and got this mediocre story that may thrill girls between 12-16 years of age that may identify with a character in the story.

Any additional comments?

Don't rise your expectations, otherwise you're up for a disappointment.

Wicked!

This story is exactly what I was hoping for. I'd put this up there with Bag of Bones and The Stand, this was a very enjoyable ride. It took a while to get used to the narrator, who unfortunately gives every word a full-on performance, but the book is so good that in the end I didn't mind. It took me maybe a couple of hours to really get into it, but once it really started, I couldn't stop listening. It's not high literature, but it's pure King.