Finally Finished Doctor Sleep

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Hall Monitor

All bars serve the Beam.
Nov 7, 2013
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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.
 

NightShifter

Well-Known Member
Nov 8, 2013
63
344
Mansfield, Massachusetts
I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but I felt Dan's memory of his Dad was a bit inaccurate. Yes, his father was a drunk and had a temper, but the Overlook possessing him is what made him into a homicidal madman hunting down his wife and son. Jack Torrance may have lost himself in a fit of drunken anger, but not to the point where he would violently pursue his wife and son - that was the Overlook. I just think Dan, especially as a wiser Shiner who has overpowered the Overlook ghosts in his mind-traps, would be able to understand the Overlook tried to kill (or collect) him, not his father.

I really liked how the nick-name Doctor Sleep was shortened to Doc at the end of the book, bringing it back to what his parents called him before the Overlook happened. Dan getting a glimpse of his dad was touching too. I also loved to see how powerful the Shining actually was, especially between Dan and Abra (the body switching was awesome). I don't think I'll ever be able to look at a top hat again without thinking of Rose the Hatless - very creepy monster.
 
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Hall Monitor

All bars serve the Beam.
Nov 7, 2013
187
1,013
New Jersey
I'm not sure if it's just me or not, but I felt Dan's memory of his Dad was a bit inaccurate. Yes, his father was a drunk and had a temper, but the Overlook possessing him is what made him into a homicidal madman hunting down his wife and son. Jack Torrance may have lost himself in a fit of drunken anger, but not to the point where he would violently pursue his wife and son - that was the Overlook. I just think Dan, especially as a wiser Shiner who has overpowered the Overlook ghosts in his mind-traps, would be able to understand the Overlook tried to kill (or collect) him, not his father.

I really liked how the nick-name Doctor Sleep was shortened to Doc at the end of the book, bringing it back to what his parents called him before the Overlook happened. Dan getting a glimpse of his dad was touching too. I also loved to see how powerful the Shining actually was, especially between Dan and Abra (the body switching was awesome). I don't think I'll ever be able to look at a top hat again without thinking of Rose the Hatless - very creepy monster.

At first I thought the same thing about Dan's recollections of his father, but after thinking about it a bit I came around to that view. Basically, IMHO, the Overlook only boosted the qualities that were already present in Jack Torrance. Thus the backstory of Jack's father and his abusive nature. When Jack drank, he became his father, and capable of significant violence (Danny's arm, the kid at the school). When the Overlook got a hold of him, it took those tendencies and multiplied them, but they were still Jack Torrance qualities, just amped up.
 

Hall Monitor

All bars serve the Beam.
Nov 7, 2013
187
1,013
New Jersey
Not sure if this is a spoiler, but I'll mark it that way to be safe . . . one of my favorite moments of Doctor Sleep . . .

Awesome moment in Doctor Sleep, when Dan is interviewing for the maintenance job and equates it to his father interviewing at the Overlook . . . and without knowing it, he thinks Kingsley is an officious prick, just like his father did of Ullman.
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
5,428
25,651
NJ
Not sure if this is a spoiler, but I'll mark it that way to be safe . . . one of my favorite moments of Doctor Sleep . . .

Awesome moment in Doctor Sleep, when Dan is interviewing for the maintenance job and equates it to his father interviewing at the Overlook . . . and without knowing it, he thinks Kingsley is an officious prick, just like his father did of Ullman.
I'd say that qualifies as a spoiler. I enjoyed reading that part and slowly seeing where it was going. Wish there were more moments like that in the book.
 
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carrie's younger brother

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Mar 8, 2012
5,428
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NJ
As usual, Carrie's, we agree again. I didn't love it as much as I had hoped but I was prepared for that. Mr. King has a very different voice these days. I'm just happy I had a new SK to read. 2013 really has been a fantastic year for books.
Shasta! Haven't seen you in a quite some time! Good to know that one again, we're on the "same page."
I think if I had not read Joyland and loved it so much that I would have liked Doctor Sleep much more. It's just that I think the "good guys" in Joyland are much better drawn and much more likeable. I could not stand Abra's mother or grandmother in DS. Upon hearing of its eventual publication I thought Joyland would be a "throw away" book that I would read and soon forget. Turns out it's now in my top 10.
 

notebookgirl

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Oct 8, 2013
858
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Somewhere over the Rainbow
I think some of the aspects of the book were amazing.
I did have a hard time wrapping my mind around them as vampires. To me, vampires represent something different. Not a big deal, but leaving that word out of the book, would have been fine. The way he describes stuff. They didn't really need a name put to them. If that's a spoiler, let me know. I thought he mentioned they were vamps in interviews.
 
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Shasta

On his shell he holds the earth.
Shasta! Haven't seen you in a quite some time! Good to know that one again, we're on the "same page."
I think if I had not read Joyland and loved it so much that I would have liked Doctor Sleep much more. It's just that I think the "good guys" in Joyland are much better drawn and much more likeable. I could not stand Abra's mother or grandmother in DS. Upon hearing of its eventual publication I thought Joyland would be a "throw away" book that I would read and soon forget. Turns out it's now in my top 10.

Agreed and agreed, of course!!!

It's interesting because I felt a lot of angst in Joyland that I kind of expected to see in Sleep and it wasn't there. Boy howdy (yes, I said that!) did I love Joyland.

I actually liked the characters in Sleep just fine, I just thought they weren't as full-bodied (if you will) as I would have liked them to be. They seemed a bit flat.
 

Shasta

On his shell he holds the earth.
I think some of the aspects of the book were amazing.
I did have a hard time wrapping my mind around them as vampires. To me, vampires represent something different. Not a big deal, but leaving that word out of the book, would have been fine. The way he describes stuff. They didn't really need a name put to them. If that's a spoiler, let me know. I thought he mentioned they were vamps in interviews.

Have you read NOS4A2 by Joe Hill? I think it kind of ties back to that type of vampire, which I actually think, while not traditional, is an interesting concept.
 

Hall Monitor

All bars serve the Beam.
Nov 7, 2013
187
1,013
New Jersey
Have you read NOS4A2 by Joe Hill? I think it kind of ties back to that type of vampire, which I actually think, while not traditional, is an interesting concept.

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.
 

carrie's younger brother

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Mar 8, 2012
5,428
25,651
NJ
Agreed and agreed, of course!!!

It's interesting because I felt a lot of angst in Joyland that I kind of expected to see in Sleep and it wasn't there.

I actually liked the characters in Sleep just fine, I just thought they weren't as full-bodied (if you will) as I would have liked them to be. They seemed a bit flat.
You hit the nail on the head!
 

jarvi

Member
Jul 19, 2011
22
93
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I was skeptical going in to Doctor Sleep, but I ended up really liking it a lot. For me though, it was the beginning I had trouble with. I've seen boarders saying it went a little of the rails for them, and I couldn't disagree more. In my experience, it took Doc ZZZ a little time to find it's feet. At first, it almost didn't feel like King's writing to me. I loved the early stuff

with young Danny and figuring out how to lock up the manifestations

but once we got into present day it seemed like King lost his footing until

Dan finds the best train set a boy could have. Then it got great. Felt like modern King. I'm just going to stop pretending this isn't spoiler filled. I loved Abra Stone's journey. I loved how much the true Knot care for each other. They reminded me a bit of the Near Dark vampires. And I also love how deftly our good guys take them apart. To me it felt authentic. Dan even mentions that they're not used to dealing with a challenge and so it made sense to me that they would be easy pickings. I didn't foresee the surprise for the Knot in the Overlook Lodge and was a little concerned actually that Dan was suddenly given an ailment we weren't previously told about. Seemed too sloppy for SK and I thought he was trying to make it easier for us to accept Dan sacrificing himself for Abra. I should have seen the trick coming. Didn't though. He got me. I loved how tough Abra was. She was the hardcorest little girl ever. It seemed to stretch a little bit moving in to the home stretch, but I liked it a lot. Enough spoilers.

I loved all the AA wisdom thrown in. Didn't feel preachy to me at all, but I'm not surprised to find that voice here and there. Really good book. Joyland is still the King of '13, but Doctor Sleep was a really nice time at the pages.
 

notebookgirl

Well-Known Member
Oct 8, 2013
858
4,940
Somewhere over the Rainbow
Have you read NOS4A2 by Joe Hill? I think it kind of ties back to that type of vampire, which I actually think, while not traditional, is an interesting concept.
Not yet. I am stuck on his father for now. I should read it. His dad just puts out too much I haven't read yet! Now I am working on Dark Tower, don't want to switch. I liked the steam concept too. Breathing in someone's soul or energy as it's sometimes called.
 

Sunlight Gardener

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2013
375
1,273
I'm the opposite. I always have somewhat high hopes for ant SK book, just because... I didn't know how much I would get into the book, but I knew I would enjoy it for the most part. It way exceeded my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed it and felt like I could have read it in about 2 days if I set my mind to it. But I purposely took my time with it as others have already said. I didn't want it to be over because I liked it so much. What an awesome read. Great characters and great villains.