Brief Insomnia Review - Spoiler Free

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NightShifter

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2013
63
344
Mansfield, Massachusetts
Finally finished Stephen King's Insomnia this week and I was not expecting all the Dark Tower connections. I have not read Dark Tower yet, but this may be my catalyst. The book has a hard time standing on its own and I'm happy I had an idea about the Dark Tower series so I could follow what was going on. Even so, I'm sure a lot went over my head. I would not recommend Insomnia as a standalone novel, only for those Tower fans looking for a companion piece.

My biggest criticism is the story is nearly 650 pages and it could have been told in 350. It is a slow read. The irony is the book actually put me to sleep a lot because it was so slow. Another negative is the book is just very weird and I can see a lot of people putting the book down for that reason alone. You spend a lot of the book just not knowing what's going on and there are some odd creative choices King makes.

I enjoyed reading a book where the heroes are an elderly man and woman. This is a refreshing change and I loved it. There are three supernatural characters nicknamed Doc #1, Doc #2, and the evil Doc #3. I really enjoyed these characters and found them fascinating, especially when they interacted with the heroes. Ralph, the main character, calls them doctors because they look like pint-sized medical professionals. The ending is very strong, which cannot always be said for King stories.

With the movie on the horizon I may be starting Dark Tower next.
 

NightShifter

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2013
63
344
Mansfield, Massachusetts
Insomnia seems to be one of those books you either love or don't much care for. I loved it. I wish it had been longer lol.
Yea, that seems to be the general consensus. There are parts I liked and parts I didn't. I loved the scene where Ralph asked Clotho and Lachesis if they shook hands. I really likes those two characters a lot. And I loved the ending. The whole Epilogue was masterful.
 

Walter Oobleck

keeps coming back...or going, and going, and going
Mar 6, 2013
11,749
34,805
I often imagined Simon Barr Sinister when I thought of the good doctors, or the one anyway, maybe not so much the two better docs. Three of them is too much.
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Enjoyed the heck out of the story, have read it multiple times. I read the dark tower stories before Insomnia. The story moves fast for me, had no problem with the flow and yeah, I really liked the connections. You'll appreciate it even more once you read the dark tower stories.
 

Doc Creed

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Nov 18, 2015
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United States
My biggest criticism is the story is nearly 650 pages and it could have been told in 350. It is a slow read. The irony is the book actually put me to sleep a lot because it was so slow. Another negative is the book is just very weird and I can see a lot of people putting the book down for that reason alone. You spend a lot of the book just not knowing what's going on and there are some odd creative choices King makes.
I felt the same way the first time I read it, when it was first released. It was like eating an airy, ersatz ice-cream cone...or maybe two dozen. I love long books and I wasn't intimidated by its length but the plot became excruciatingly slow at times. I love the characters, and I actually like the weirdness, lol. Readers criticize The Tommyknockers for similar reasons but I believe The Tommyknockers, despite being bloated, was far more entertaining. I was less focused during Insomnia and think the book would've benefited from a shrewd editor.
 

kingricefan

All-being, keeper of Space, Time & Dimension.
Jul 11, 2006
30,011
127,446
Spokane, WA
Definitely could have been whittled down in size. I just can't make myself believe that a person of Ralph's age listened to and knew the music of Pearl Jam. Was it Pearl Jam? I can't remember, but I thought that there was no way he would listen to the type of music that he did. I did like the book and all of its Tower ties.