Cell: A Novel by Stephen King Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Cell: A Novel
Book Review: A compelling read with a forgetable ending.
Summary: 3 Stars
I will try to keep this as spoiler free as possible.
Let me just say, the first 3/4 of the book are prime SK. I tore through the book in no time. Some have complained about the cookie cutter characters, and although that criticism has merit, it doesn't (for me) detract too much from the overall reading experience. This in not an epic like Dark Tower. It is a fun read that you can easily digest in a weekend.
But as entertaining as the premise is, the last 1/4 of the book prevents me from giving it a higher rating. Why? Because of 3 very tired cliches.
1. The "What are the chances of finding one particular person among thousands in a world of chaos" Syndrome. Those of you who have read it know what I mean.
2. The "Forced endearing family habit". In this case, it was Clay's continual use of the phrase "Fo fo you you" in regards to his son answering the phone. It gets battered over your head repeatedly as the book draws to a close, and (again, for me) just gets more annoying.
3. Finally, in regards to an attempt to cure someone of the effects of the Pulse, the "Fred Flinstone school of psychology" trick. That is to say, if something like a blow to the head gives you amnesia, then a second blow to the head will bring it back.
So, if you are looking for some light reading with an entertaining premise, this book is fine. If you are looking for a book that will make you say to your friends, "Wow! Can you believe how it ended?", you might be a little disappointed.
Book Review: A critique of contemporary culture, Stephen King style
Summary: 5 Stars
If there is one question Stephen King is the master of asking, it's "What if?" What if a killer flu wiped out three-fourths of the people in the world? What if our level of reality is only one level in a Tower that controls our existence? What if something unspeakably evil exists deep in the Nevada desert? What if Buicks were transports to different worlds? What if vampires, aliens, and Tommyknockers exist? In his latest novel, King again addresses the "what if" question; this time, the question is, "What if a pulse was sent out in all the cell phones in the world that turns anyone who makes a phone call into flock-minded zombies who listen to Bette Midler and 'Baby Elephant Walk'?"
This is the premise of CELL, King's latest novel in his "retirement". Clayton Riddell is a happy man on October 1, 2005. He's just sold his comic book series to a graphic novel publishing house in Boston, and to celebrate, he's bought a present for his estranged wife. He's on his way to buy his 12-year-old son, Johnny-Gee, a comic book, when the Pulse occurs. All around him, people start going crazy. One man bites the ear off a dog; a teenage girl smashes her face into a light pole asking over and over again who she is; a woman in a business suit attacks the driver of an ice cream truck, speaking gibberish the whole time.
Clay, along with the others who don't use cell phones, become the "normies." Those who did listen to the Pulse become "phoners," who, at first, are zombies straight out of a Romero film, complete with vacant stares and wounds that won't heal. Clay is determined to head North to Kent Pond, Maine, where his wife and son live; his mind is filled with thoughts of the bright red cell phone Johnny-Gee got for Christmas last year. Along with fellow normies Tom and Alice, whom he meets in Boston, he heads out of the burning city. As their journey continues, the travelers begin to learn more about the phoners, who seem to be changing--"rebooting," if you will--into something less vacant and more purposeful. This fact, coupled with group dreams starring a frightening phoner in a red hoodie and a mysterious sign reading KASHWAK=NO-FO, makes Stephen King's latest novel truly scary, incredibly unique and gripping from the first page to the last.
It's a real testament to King's abilities that he's written a novel about something that sounds cheesy (cell phones that turn people into zombies?), but in his expert hands seems terrifyingly possible. Back to the "what if" question: What if terrorists had a way to send out such a message through the airwaves? In today's society, when we're all so in love with technology...what would we do if technology became our downfall? CELL is definitely a critique of contemporary culture, written as only Stephen King can.
What I liked about CELL--and also what frustrated me about the novel--is that its perspective is very narrow. Although we are told at the beginning of the book that the Pulse occurred worldwide, we only get to see what's happening in New England. We're also never told who--or what--orchestrated the Pulse. We don't know if it was a terrorist plot gone terribly wrong, or just a glitch in some master computer somewhere. I liked this narrow perspective. It lended a sense of immediacy to the novel and put us more in touch with King's characters; if they didn't know something, we readers didn't get to know it either. But at the same time, I wanted to know what was going on! In that sense, I was--if this makes sense--deliciously frustrated, but unable to stop reading. (Stephen King novels do that to me; when I'm reading one, I'm totally at King's mercy.)
I was delighted to see the Dark Tower references in CELL; it's nice to see that, even though King's finished the series, he's not going to abandon references to the Dark Tower in his novels. Charlie and the Choo Choo, as constant readers will know, is a blatant DT reference, and I have my suspicions about the Raggedy Man and his red hoodie--could he be a stand-in for the Crimson King, or for Randall Flagg? This is pure speculation, but could the events that take place in CELL be what caused the world to "move on"?
Comparisons to THE STAND are apparent, but CELL is still an incredibly original work. The novel is terrifying because, well, it really could probably happen. As is typical of King, the ending isn't needlessly optimistic, and the reader is left with plenty of questions. Will King write a sequel? No, probably not...but it would be really cool to see CELL on the big screen--possibly directed by George Romero?
If this is the way all of King's "retirement" novels are going to be--well, he should have retired years ago! As the inside flap of CELL says, "There's a reason 'cell' rhymes with 'hell'"...and CELL truly is a hellaciously good novel. I continue to be a constant reader, and I'm looking forward to LISEY'S STORY in October.
Book Review: A delightfully horrific return to the genre
Summary: 5 Stars
Remember the utter horror of "Pet Semetary?" Remember the oppressive atmosphere of "'Salem's Lot?" The stark hopelessness of "The Stand?" The unmentionable evil of "It?" Stephen King hasn't forgot--though he has made some well-written departures from horror (wrapping up his "Dark Tower" series, and the non-story mystery "The Colorado Kid"), he returns to the horror genre with the impact of a .44 caliber--"Cell," his latest and most horrific book in years.
Who can resist the ringing of a phone? No one, really--especially not people with cell phones. But on October 1, when cell phones start ringing and everybody answers...something bad happens. A signal, a Pulse, is transmitted through the receiver and into the listener...turning them into a mindless being, something less than human and twice as mean. Not Clayton Riddell, though--he never trusted cell phones. Clayton's paranoia saved him from becoming a "phonie," but it cursed him to life among them, worrying about his son, hundreds of miles away. With a small band of survivors, Clayton sets out to make sure his child is alright.
But the beginning of his journey is also the beginning of his nightmare. The "phonies" are evolving. First, they use tools...then, they listen to music...then, they move things with their minds...before long, the "normies" find themselves fighting a losing battle against physical AND psychic enemies--while drawing closer and closer to the source of the nightmares, to a secret too horrible for them to even contemplate: their hope may be nothing more than a feeble illusion...
Stephen King has proven, with every novel he's written, that he is one of the best writers out there; his characters are always realistic, so human you feel like you know them; his plots, no matter how outlandish, always feel like they could really happen. "Cell" is not his best novel, but then, that doesn't matter much; Stephen King at his best is just about the best thing you will ever read. What "Cell" IS is a wonderfully horrific journey into the heart of terror and technology. It is a dark, twisting ride that will leave you breathless, from first page to last. It is Stephen King scaring the crap out of you...and that, my friends, is a ride you will never forget.
Book Review: A disappointed King fan...
Summary: 1 Stars
this book feels like King has lost his magic touch for characters, unanswered questions, and just too many holes in the plot. I have read more King than I can recall, but this is, perhaps, the biggest let down I have ever experienced. I plodded through just to finish....I had read the reviews and saw a good number of them expressing disappointment; I wish I had listened. The ending is so dull, that it almost feels like King was bored. King seemed to have trouble holdig back on his personal politics in this one.Book Review: A fun yet familiar story.
Summary: 4 Stars
Cell is classic King. It throws you right into the action within a couple pages. It is inspired by the returning popularity of Zombie films and stories. I really enjoyed it but one thing did bother me a little...I already read this story. In 2004 Brian Keene released a book titled The Rising. The premise is almost identical to Cell. A single father fights his way acorss the eastern part of a Zombie infested America to get to his son who lives with his mother. The mechanics of the Zomibes are different but other plot elements are oddly familiar. The endings to both books are in essence the same in that you are left with a cliff hanger. However, putting that aside I loved Cell. How many different ways can you tell a Zombie story?