occult

This is, as incredible as it sounds, the first Stephen King book I've ever read. I would like to start by saying that it is indeed scary, and an enjoyable read. Reading this book for a prestigious literary course, I had to put all stereotypes aside, that a thriller can't be worthy of literary praise, that a cover the screams #1 bestseller isn't going to have any literary worth when I read the book, as my teacher assured us that Stephen King does know a think or two about literary conventions. Theme, worldviews, and characterization-it's all in there.

In fact this novel is written in the five-act Shakespearian structure; exposition, inciting incident, rising action, crisis moment, and falling action/ resolution. In a thriller book, this is the only logical way to present the thrill. However, I admit that I felt the book should've been shorter, mostly because I felt like I knew the ending from the beginning (and I've never seen the movie). The prose seemed simple; so simple sometimes I felt almost as though King wasn't granting any credit to the readers.

The overall thematic intent of the book seemed muffled. At first I thought it was somewhat of a ghost story, but then it seemed as if the alcoholism that Jack suffered from took over with the dramatics, then back to the ghosts of the Overlook hotel. All the while both, not to mention the psychic encounters his son Danny faces or a talent King calls "shine", are destroying the family. In the beginning there is a definite distinction between the Torrence family competing against the Overlook hotel, which are equally corrupt. Then Jack is removed from the family because the hotel spirit has defeated him personally because he was the easiest target, corrupt past, drinking problem, bad tempter etc. These issues were explained in the beginning exposition, or act one, so it seemed to spoil a potential suspense for later in the novel. So then with Jack under the control of the hotel evil, it is obvious that Wendy and Danny aren't equally capable of defeating this opposition on their own. Very predictably, a character reappears to save the day.

One very important dramatic decision King made was establishing a past for the rivals. This is where the theme of history repeating itself is introduced. Knowing that it is cyclical in nature the reader waits to see if either opposing force can defeat it's own history. The lesson to be learned here is that if you aren't informed, history will repeat itself; hence the "overlook" name. Those who violate those laws of nature are punished in the end. Luckily, so the ending being in agreement with every reader's expectations saves the overall worldview.

Another disappointment for me was the falling action. As I said, I felt I knew what was going to happen so perhaps it took away from the suspense. The material was well put together in the beginning, very scary, and well positioned. However it seemed that in the progression of the five acts, the end fizzled, it didn't explode. And with a book of that potential all through the beginning and middle parts, it needs to go out with a bang!

I read The Shining with Carrie and Salem's Lot in a multi-novel book in April. Compared to the other two, The Shining creates a catagory all of its own. It's amazing how he pieced this novel together.

It begins with a family moving up to the Overlook Hotel. The father is to be the caretaker so the family gets to live there during the winter while it is closed. One the first day they are there, a boy (the only child in the family) meets the cook, and finds out a little bit about how he "shines".

As our story continues, we learn more about the family, as well as the history of this hotel. And as more is revealed, the fear and horror builds. The rising action is magnificent, and the father's corruption was absolutely brilliant.

With a climax that will blow your mind, and characters that feel like you can reach out and touch, The Shining is one of King's top five best books he's written. I reccomend this book to fans of the genre, and also to people interested in reading a good book. The Shining is just plain entertaining, and you'll think about it for months after closing it, only to open it up again and relive the adventure one more time.

- MB

Over 25 years after it was published, "The Shining" remains ones of King's best novels to date. It is not simply the story of a supernatural hotel, but also the all-too-normal corruption and degradation that can exist within the human heart.

Jack Torrance is a deeply-flawed man, both as a husband and a father, and when the evil presence in the Overlook Hotel finds him, it exploits his every weakness. "The Shining" is a gripping book, and it is one of the few books of King's that I would say is truly frightening. King captures his characters here with a sharp eye for detail, and tells a powerful story.

This book has suffered not one, but two adaptations to screen (one by King himself), but neither of them really captured what makes The Shining such a standout novel, not just in King's work, but in the field of American letters in general. When King is considered, in years to come, one of the 20th century's great novelists, this will be one of the books studied extensively.