Finally Finished Doctor Sleep

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Haunted

This is my favorite place
Mar 26, 2008
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The woods are lovely dark and deep
I agree. SK has been both liberal and conservative on the vampire front, as Pennywise/Dandelo have also been called vampires of a sort. You have your traditional, Barlow and the grandfather-type vampires on one front, and the True Knot/Pennywise/Dandelo on the other. What they have in common is that they all feed off of the living, just some take blood, some take emotions, and others take "steam". To get technical, they are really all forms of parasites.
Well said!!
 
Oct 17, 2013
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And I have to say, I did not love it as much as I thought I would. Having just reread The Shining, I was primed to read Doctor Sleep. It started out well, gained some momentum for a while, lost steam and then the ending was rushed and I feel too "tidy." Yes, I have read others' opinions of the good guys all staying alive and how that was "refreshing" for a change, but I just do not feel that way. Of course, this is all personal opinion and I realize I will not love every book SK writes, but having absolutely loved Joyland, I thought Doctor Sleep would do the same for me.

I absolutely loved this book. The only thing i will say that disappointed me was
the fact that they never revealed what happened to Bradley Trevor to his parents? This was one of the most sad and amazing sub plots i have ever read and i could have sworn that was one of the reasons why Abra wanted them to go to Iowa. The funny thing is i didn't notice this until after i finished the book and someone pointed it out. The book was so good and it's really such a small thing, but now that it's been sinking in i really wish they would have closed Bradley Trevor's story and somehow let his parents know.
 

Hall Monitor

All bars serve the Beam.
Nov 7, 2013
187
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New Jersey
I absolutely loved this book. The only thing i will say that disappointed me was
the fact that they never revealed what happened to Bradley Trevor to his parents? This was one of the most sad and amazing sub plots i have ever read and i could have sworn that was one of the reasons why Abra wanted them to go to Iowa. The funny thing is i didn't notice this until after i finished the book and someone pointed it out. The book was so good and it's really such a small thing, but now that it's been sinking in i really wish they would have closed Bradley Trevor's story and somehow let his parents know.

I agree with you, but I do think they imply that they give that closure

John wants to tell his parents immediately, but Dan wants to wait a little longer, to put more space between their visit and limit the chances that someone will link his visit to the hardware store. If I recall, they agree to wait two months. So we don't get to see the closure, but I do believe it was handled.
 

fmurray

Active Member
Nov 29, 2011
37
3
Canada
I really enjoyed this book -- couldn't put it down until I finished it and
it had a very satisfying ending. But I felt the True Knot were a little "weak", and too easily defeated, although it was suspenseful. The other thing that bothered me was there was no explanation as to why the Knot didn't go after Danny when he was little and had the strong shine (did I miss it by reading too fast?)
Other than those two things, it was a very satisfying book and a good follow-up to The Shining. I loved Abra, especially as a baby. Stephen King really shines in writing little kids :). He has a way of making them so loveable.
 

carrie's younger brother

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Mar 8, 2012
5,428
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I really enjoyed this book -- couldn't put it down until I finished it and
it had a very satisfying ending. But I felt the True Knot were a little "weak", and too easily defeated, although it was suspenseful. The other thing that bothered me was there was no explanation as to why the Knot didn't go after Danny when he was little and had the strong shine (did I miss it by reading too fast?)
Other than those two things, it was a very satisfying book and a good follow-up to The Shining. I loved Abra, especially as a baby. Stephen King really shines in writing little kids :). He has a way of making them so loveable.
He certainly does. Danny in The Shining and Abra in Doctor Sleep are both well-drawn characters that are immediately lovable and have such depth. Creating and developing children in his novels really is one of SK's strongest skills.
 
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Hall Monitor

All bars serve the Beam.
Nov 7, 2013
187
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New Jersey
I really enjoyed this book -- couldn't put it down until I finished it and
it had a very satisfying ending. But I felt the True Knot were a little "weak", and too easily defeated, although it was suspenseful. The other thing that bothered me was there was no explanation as to why the Knot didn't go after Danny when he was little and had the strong shine (did I miss it by reading too fast?)
Other than those two things, it was a very satisfying book and a good follow-up to The Shining. I loved Abra, especially as a baby. Stephen King really shines in writing little kids :). He has a way of making them so loveable.

I agree, it felt like the Knot went down pretty quickly. Granted, Abra and Dan were pretty powerful, but for some reason I never felt that they were seriously threatened, even when she was captured.

I'm not sure about why the Knot didn't go against Danny when he was younger, but part of NOS4A2 by Joe Hill might explain that. Charlie Manx references the Knot at one point, and I seem to remember something about respecting each other's territory. If that is the case, maybe that would explain why we've never seen the Knot before. When Danny was at the Overlook, perhaps the Knot wouldn't enter their territory (although it was also pretty clear that they didn't know much about the actual history of the Overlook). Once he escaped the Overlook, he learned how to shut himself down and control his power better, so there may not have been a strong signal to hone in on. That could be a good reason we've never seen them go after any of the psychic children in Stephen King's universe, as they all had some conflict ongoing that might have kept the Knot away, many times possibly the Crimson King had them marked as his. Also, they make it pretty clear that the "steam" level has gone down significantly in recent years, so it could be possible that they missed him just because he was one of many targets so they just didn't come across him. Abra is noticed not only because of her extreme power but because she is one of the few lights shining in the darkness.
 
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Neil W

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May 27, 2008
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I tend to regard Doctor Sleep not as a sequel, but as a follow-up to The Shining - it builds on the story and characters as opposed to simply saying "Well, here we are again." I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was interesting to see Dan fighting and beating the demons that had bested his father and, as is often the case, I enjoyed looking back at the story and seeing how it was constructed: how all the different pieces were fashioned and how necessary they were, not to mention how well they fit together.

The most audacious such piece, of course, was
Lucy being Dan's half-sister
, which was so outrageous that it almost dumped me out of the story for a moment. But only for a moment because, by the time I had finished, I was looking at it as an exquisitely hand-crafted piece of the story - a bit flamboyant, maybe, but something to look upon as recompense for what The Overlook, his father, and life had put Dan through.
 

prufrock21

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Jun 2, 2011
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And I have to say, I did not love it as much as I thought I would. Having just reread The Shining, I was primed to read Doctor Sleep. It started out well, gained some momentum for a while, lost steam and then the ending was rushed and I feel too "tidy." Yes, I have read others' opinions of the good guys all staying alive and how that was "refreshing" for a change, but I just do not feel that way. Of course, this is all personal opinion and I realize I will not love every book SK writes, but having absolutely loved Joyland, I thought Doctor Sleep would do the same for me.
You have deprecated Doctor Sleep. No doubt your time in Clive Barker's charnel house will be most taxing.
 

Hall Monitor

All bars serve the Beam.
Nov 7, 2013
187
1,013
New Jersey
I tend to regard Doctor Sleep not as a sequel, but as a follow-up to The Shining - it builds on the story and characters as opposed to simply saying "Well, here we are again." I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was interesting to see Dan fighting and beating the demons that had bested his father and, as is often the case, I enjoyed looking back at the story and seeing how it was constructed: how all the different pieces were fashioned and how necessary they were, not to mention how well they fit together.

The most audacious such piece, of course, was
Lucy being Dan's half-sister
, which was so outrageous that it almost dumped me out of the story for a moment. But only for a moment because, by the time I had finished, I was looking at it as an exquisitely hand-crafted piece of the story - a bit flamboyant, maybe, but something to look upon as recompense for what The Overlook, his father, and life had put Dan through.
I must agree, the part you mention in your spoiler did set me back a bit at first as well, but once I finished, I realized that it was not a deus ex machina but actually a critical story element. Without that connection, I don't think Dan would have ever been connected with Abra in the first place and the events would have unfolded a totally different way.
 
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Swede74

Active Member
Nov 7, 2013
33
172
I finished it yesterday. It was a good read, but not one that captivated me.
I would like to have learned a little about what happened to the members of the True Knot who lost faith in Rose and jumped ship. I also could have done without the last few pages where Fred Carling is dying. It would have ended on a mawkish enough note if the last scene had been Abra and Dan talking and hugging after her birthday party.
A marginal thumbs-up from me.
 

Hall Monitor

All bars serve the Beam.
Nov 7, 2013
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New Jersey
I finished it yesterday. It was a good read, but not one that captivated me.
I would like to have learned a little about what happened to the members of the True Knot who lost faith in Rose and jumped ship. I also could have done without the last few pages where Fred Carling is dying. It would have ended on a mawkish enough note if the last scene had been Abra and Dan talking and hugging after her birthday party.
A marginal thumbs-up from me.
Hi Swede,

I agree, I would like to learn a bit more about the remaining members. For the last part, I actually thought it was a good ending, as it showed a certain growth in Dan, as he was able to move past his personal feelings and do what he was meant to do. The Dan Torrance earlier in the novel wouldn't have been able to do that, so I kind of liked that last bit.
 
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AnnaMarie

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Feb 16, 2012
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Hi Swede,

I agree, I would like to learn a bit more about the remaining members. For the last part, I actually thought it was a good ending, as it showed a certain growth in Dan, as he was able to move past his personal feelings and do what he was meant to do. The Dan Torrance earlier in the novel wouldn't have been able to do that, so I kind of liked that last bit.

While reading that part I was worried King would
start going through Fred's childhood, showing he was who he was because of abuse he suffered as a child. Fortunately, he didn't.
 

Hall Monitor

All bars serve the Beam.
Nov 7, 2013
187
1,013
New Jersey
While reading that part I was worried King would
start going through Fred's childhood, showing he was who he was because of abuse he suffered as a child. Fortunately, he didn't.
I agree . . . I don't think we needed to feel sympathy for Fred or excuse his actions, which made Dan's actions so much more meaningful.
 
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The Darkening

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Feb 23, 2008
100
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Liverpool, England
I agree with the OP. The ending was a bit disappointing in the sense that it was too 'easy' and convenient to get rid of the 'bad guys' in the very end.

I had also decided to read The Shining before I read it as I have never before read The Shining in full (a few aborted attempts in my mid twenties, ten years ago). the week of it's release I went out and got it, came home, sat down (with a cuppa), and began to read. I actually really enjoyed it. It was ONLY the ending that I thought let it down a bit. I'd give it an 8 on 10.
 
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VultureLvr45

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Mar 15, 2012
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I actually found it a bit refreshing. As I was reading it, I was mentally slotting the characters with characters from prior novels, surprisingly a lot from 'Salem's Lot.

I equated Doctor John with Jimmy Cody, Abra's parents with Mark's parents, etc. I realized that I go into the novel trying to identify which characters will survive and which will not. Thus, I really appreciated the curveball, as the only way to really surprise me was that everyone survived! I also got the feeling that this story is not finished, that we might just hear from Abra and Dan again, if not in a full novel, maybe in a cameo role.
HM... wouldn't that be sweet!
 
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