The Shining/Doctor Sleep (no spoilers beyond back of the book)

[neadods]

Doctor Sleep is an extremely unsatisfying story. Not because King has lost his touch for horror per se, but because what makes The Shining so scary and thrilling is that it is a survival story; it is three people attempting to get out of an area alive. The ghosts in the Outlook, the things that happened in the Outlook, were there because they were *part of the Outlook* - "This inhuman place makes human monsters."

Doctor Sleep, on the other hand, is a story of man's inhumanity to man. And if you want to read about THAT, you can turn on the news.

Comments

[neadods.livejournal.com]

The Shining has grown on me over time, although it and the movie of the other hotel horror story (1402? Don't remember) are favorites. TBH, they're also the only two Kings I liked, although his son scared the crap out of me with Heart Shaped Box.