The Institute

An epic thriller from the No.1 bestseller and an acclaimed TV series

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Santino Fontana

NOW A MAJOR SERIES FROM MGM +

Combining the suspense of THE OUTSIDER with the childhood camaraderie in IT, THE INSTITUTE is a powerful new TV series and an epic thriller from the ultimate storyteller.

Deep in the woods of Maine, there is a dark state facility where kids, abducted from across the United States, are incarcerated. In the Institute they are subjected to a series of tests and procedures meant to combine their exceptional gifts - telepathy, telekinesis - for concentrated effect.

Luke Ellis is the latest recruit. He's just a regular 12-year-old, except he's not just smart, he's super-smart. And he has another gift which the Institute wants to use...

Far away in a small town in South Carolina, former cop Tim Jamieson has taken a job working for the local sheriff. He's basically just walking the beat. But he's about to take on the biggest case of his career.

Back in the Institute's downtrodden playground and corridors where posters advertise 'just another day in paradise', Luke, his friend Kalisha and the other kids are in no doubt that they are prisoners, not guests. And there is no hope of escape.

But great events can turn on small hinges and Luke is about to team up with a new, even younger recruit, Avery Dixon, whose ability to read minds is off the scale. While the Institute may want to harness their powers for covert ends, the combined intelligence of Luke and Avery is beyond anything that even those who run the experiments - even the infamous Mrs Sigsby - suspect.

Thrilling, suspenseful, heartbreaking, THE INSTITUTE is a stunning novel of childhood betrayed and hope regained.

Critic reviews

A terrific book - a flat out pedal to the metal thriller. One of Stephen King's best (Linwood Barclay)

Once pigeon-holed as a 'horror-meister', King has become a formidably versatile author, enabling him to pull off a captivating, hybrid novel that shape-shifts through several genres

A testament to the power of resilience and friendship . . . It does everything you'd expect of a masterpiece - and it is one

THE INSTITUTE will delight King's devoted readers and create a whole new generation of lifelong fans. The Master of Storytelling at his very best - which means better than anyone else (Matt Thorne)

Hums and crackles with delicious unease...King is supreme at crafting the building blocks of a story and laying them together in a slick, teasing and apparently simple way

Stephen King has written the most readable and electrifying tale . . . a thrilling, chilling ride

[King] has been a constant literary companion . . . I still look forward as much as I ever did to each new novel or short story collection. The Institute is another winner . . . It's familiar King territory and all the better for it. (Conleth Hill)

This hefty, provocative book will appeal particularly to King's long-standing fans.

King knows what he is doing, and has done for a longtime. His pacing, ear for dialogue and pure storytelling ability are all on display in The Institute

King at his best

The Institute is up there with The Stand, It and other best of King works. He's also arguably at the stage of his career when he writes much better and finishes a story much better, so when it's good - it's really good. Sure, he's cultural references are all over the place now, especially when describing modern teenagers. Also he now wears his politics on his sleeve way too clearly. That's funny, since the very structure of this (and all other best Stephen King works) goes against, subconsciously subverts his conscious party of choice. Those are minor nitpicks on a solid work. The last third of the book is a real page turner (or, I guess, minute listener).

Mr. Fontana, however, is sadly not on par with other Stephen King readers. He's okay doing the kids' voices, but lacks the gravitas and skill to do the rest of it.

Nice and innovative

The story is a classic King, characters you can relate to, and a story with a twist

First Stephen kings book I read

It was awesome, and Im afraid what if its true? What if there is institute for real? When I started this, I didn't know where the story will take but I thought its about Tim. But when I enter to luke ellis story it was like adventure.

Classic King with secret societies

The story flows well and avoids going too far down rabbit holes despite the content. I feel like this could have been a much longer story - maybe there’s an unedited version out there? Initially I found the narrator a bit of a change but he really grew on me. He was able to separate out the characters really well and some of the characters were hilarious. I guess if there could be improvement it’s in the voices of old males in the story. But this story has mainly young characters and I really enjoyed the narration.

Great book

Absolutely loved this book and the narration was great. A really captivating story. Would highly recommend!