The Shining

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Danny is only five years old, but in the words of old Mr Hallorann he is a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Danny's visions grow out of control. As winter closes in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. It is meant to be empty. So who is the lady in Room 217, and who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive? Somewhere, somehow, there is an evil force in the hotel - and that, too, is beginning to shine….

©1977 Stephen King (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Obviously a masterpiece, probably the best supernatural novel in a hundred years.'' (Peter Straub)

One of the 1000 best books to read before you die!

This is a wonderful book that is exquisitely well scripted and definitely worth a read!

Captivating.

Definitely going down as my one of my favourite books ever. Enjoyed every minute.
Brilliant narrator 👌👌

Sleepy narration damages great story

Having only seen the movie previously, but read other Stephen King novels, and actively listening to It. I loved the story. But the narrator was just bored it felt like except when voicing Mr Hallorann and a few other characters.

Great performance, great story

The performance of the reader really helped to engage me into the story.
Obviously The Shining is a classic, but I would still have liked to see more redemption or something for Jack or maybe he could have finished his play and left a legacy in that way

Great narration

Story much better than film as usual. Great narration makes the book compelling to listen to.

Such lacklustre Narration

Such a monotonous drone, he sounds utterly disengaged at times like an AI program. Often it’s just bizarre. I don’t know how anyone with a pulse could manage to bring such banality to a brilliant story like this

High Expectations

Isn't it funny? The things we most anticipate or which we have been most hyped-up for, are usually the most disappointing. It's not that there is anything 'wrong' or 'bad' about the film, the book or the person (in the case of meeting an influencer or celebrity); its just that they were built up to such extraordinary heights, the reality had no chance against the fantasy created by our expectations.

The foregoing paragraph is just my convoluted way of saying that I couldn't find anything really special about The Shining. Having enjoyed a few Stephen King novels in the past (as well as films based on Stephen King novels - if you care to include those as a relevant reflection on King's creations), I was often told I should read The Shining. Since I had passed over it on countless occasions, I eventually decided to use a credit and have a listen.

Maybe it was a combination of the narrator's performance or the story itself, but I struggled to get through the almost 16 hours of playtime it takes to finish this book. Mr. Scott wasn't bad, but I never really felt immersed in the story... Except for parts where a character is supposedly shouting, then the narrator's grating raspiness would be difficult to endure, at least for my ears.

That being said, the unpleasant whisper-shouts of the narrator on occasion were the only really scary bits of the Audible version of this 'program'. I expect a certain level of eerie horror from King (even in 11.22.63, which wasn't supposed to be 'scary', in my mind, had a creepiness about it that left me looking over my shoulder from time-to-time).

Whether it was due to the performance, the story, my expectations or a perfect storm of all these factors, I cannot in good-conscience recommend The Shining - well, at least not the audio version.

Anyway, I hear the film's quite good...

Not my cup of tea

If you like lengthy elaborate descriptions with a little action interspersed, you may enjoy this. For me it was far too long a book. One third of the length would have made it more palatable.