Sample
  • Doctor Sleep

  • A Novel
  • By: Stephen King
  • Narrated by: Will Patton
  • Length: 18 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (38,620 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Doctor Sleep

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Will Patton
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.46

Buy for $22.46

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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)

Featured Article: The definitive guide to the very best Stephen King adaptations


If you’re a Stephen King fanatic, or are interested in learning about the movies and shows made from his books, this round-up will provide you with a comprehensive list of the very best Stephen King screen adaptations. Watch the adaptation and then listen to the audiobook, or vice versa—this choice is yours. Either way, you can see how the adaptation stacks up against the source material and experience these legendary frights over and over again.

What listeners say about Doctor Sleep

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    29,192
  • 4 Stars
    7,294
  • 3 Stars
    1,528
  • 2 Stars
    369
  • 1 Stars
    237
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28,223
  • 4 Stars
    5,273
  • 3 Stars
    1,135
  • 2 Stars
    271
  • 1 Stars
    183
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    26,154
  • 4 Stars
    6,627
  • 3 Stars
    1,633
  • 2 Stars
    378
  • 1 Stars
    210

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best books I've read!

Any additional comments?

Stephen King has done it again. Great job! I couldn't stop listening.
Would love to see a movie of it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Really good... until the ending (no spoilers)

Would you listen to Doctor Sleep again? Why?

Yes. It was a cool story. The fact that everything in 'The Shining' is all backstory is cool.

Any additional comments?

This was a really good story and Will Patton did an awesome job reading it. Yet, the ending was kind of a let down. I found it to be kind of underwhelming. It was also a little confusing.

This is just my opinion. I would be interested to know if anyone else feels the same. So, listen to it and drop me a line.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story and perdormance

Way too much volume change. had to keep turning it up and down. otherwise it was great

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Sequel Well Worth the Wait!

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

Absolutely, but only because of Will Patton. He really delivered!

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?

Everything - he is exceptional!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another home run!!

The story was a brilliant follow up to The Shining! Quite unexpected and very entertaining!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A good read

Not by far the best book he has ever written, but a very good read I enjoyed it

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I Love Will Patton

Stephen King's books are excellent but even better when Will Patton narrates. It is such a joy to listen to him move from one character to the next . Even when he is narrating a new novel but with characters he has brought to life previously he doesn't skip a beat.
I really enjoyed the characters in this novel and the storyline . Hope there's a sequel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not The Shining, Different like apples and pineapples

Dr. Sleep is an interesting book. It's not really a sequel to The Shining, despite the many things it has in common. Maybe it would be better to call it a "cousin" to the previous novel. They both have character and a past in common, but as real-life cousins, can grow apart, so too has this book grown apart from it's older relative. I liked this book - King has a flair for writing "real" people- then he puts them in situations that no one else has imagined. Read The Shining - it's still as good or better than you may imagine- then read this book, but expect it to not be the same, but eerily similar- like a new-found relative you didn't know you had.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

love Stephen king!

such a great book! The guy reading it did a good job, too. I'll definitely be reading this again!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it

This book was thought provoking it kept me interested the whole time. The line between science and religion were explored in a way that was entertaining yet gave pause to many questions. One is what are line's we shouldn't cross?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!