2024 the best stephen king books review

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(as of Nov 18, 2024 10:17:34 UTC - Details)

The number one New York Times best seller about a famous novelist held hostage in a remote location by his “number one fan.” One of “Stephen King’s best…genuinely scary” (USA Today).

Best-selling novelist Paul Sheldon thinks he’s finally free of Misery Chastain. In a controversial career move, he’s just killed off the popular protagonist of his beloved romance series in favor of expanding his creative horizons. But such a change doesn’t come without consequences. After a near-fatal car accident in rural Colorado leaves his body broken, Paul finds himself at the mercy of the terrifying rescuer who’s nursing him back to health - his self-proclaimed number one fan, Annie Wilkes.

Annie is very upset over what Paul did to Misery and demands that he find a way to bring her back by writing a new novel - his best yet, and one that’s all for her. After all, Paul has all the time in the world to do so as a prisoner in her isolated house...and Annie has some very persuasive and violent methods to get exactly what she wants...

“King at his best...a winner!” (The New York Times)

“Unadulteratedly terrifying...frightening.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Classic King...full of twists and turns and mounting suspense.” (The Boston Globe)

Reviewer: Shannon Kiley
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Unforgettable!!
Review: WHAT. A. RIDE! This book is INTENSE! The first half is a bit of a slow build but when you think things can’t get any worse….oh they doodily-do! The second-half is worth the wait though as it ramps up the tension to 11. I’ve never read a book that left my heart racing like this did.What it did well:👍Mood & Tone - The book pulls you along through the emotions that Paul is experiencing. King has such a way of describing scenes that I found myself almost living through the unease of Annie’s kindness and the horror/fear of her cruelty along with Paul. Whenever I put the book down to take a break I’d notice the tension in my shoulders and this gnawing sense of claustrophobia and fear in my mind. When a book can make me FEEL like that, it’s a good one.👍Characters - Paul is a solid protagonist. He’s realistic and you can see and understand how his responses to his predicament change over time. You’re rooting for him the whole way but in the times when he feels hopeless, you truly can’t blame him. Annie….she’s horrific. I think she may be one of my favorite villains of any story I’ve read.👍Really interesting insights into the writing process. Since Paul is a writer, we learn quite a bit about his writing process and how he thinks. I can’t help but assume that these nuggets are pretty candid pieces of King’s own experience writing.👍It’s a great, albeit dark, exploration of abuse and trauma. Paul goes through hell and I think it’s incredibly powerful to see how the abuse he endures effects him. Too many stories about torture are 1. committed by men and 2. upon women. So turning that trope on its head was refreshing, especially since it didn’t lean on Paul being ‘wimpy’ or less manly to justify how he ‘let this happen to him’.👍It knew when to end. It didn’t feel like it dragged on any longer than it needed to. Suspense and tension cannot be built up and maintained forever and the plot knew just the right moment to swing for the fences.What it could have done better:👎I wish there was more backstory about Paul; who he was, what his life was like. You do get a sense of him over time and you learn little things about him here and there but he feels lacking in depth compared to other Stephen King protagonists.👎I wasn’t the biggest fan of the pages-long passages from the book Paul is writing. I don’t think they should have been removed necessarily (they make sense to the narrative) but I still kinda dreaded slogging through them.If you’re a fan of King’s writing and want a good, tense, knuckle-biter of a story. Misery is the book for you. Even if you’re not a constant reader, I would honestly recommend this book as a great chance to see why he is the KING of horror.

Reviewer: Julie T.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent, of course. I had read this back...
Review: When it 1st came out, I was a kid. My supervisor at a job had the hardback, new of course, the book was new itself. She had been reading & it freaked her out too much, she knew I devoured books, asked me if I wanted to read it, yes, I did.It freaked me out too, but I also couldn't put it down. I had already read many of King's books prior, I read Cujo when I was in the 8th grade. I have seen this film so many times, I can probably recite it. I remembered the book was different, better, more in depth, always, right? I bought it. There r a number of things I had forgotten that r indeed different. The hobbling for one, I totally remembered the addiction, no spoilers, sorry. Final analysis being it's great still, any book that is well written, w/great story + characters, u can re-read ad nauseam. Cheers 😊 p.s. Gerald's Game is an all time fav of mine, I wanted to write the screenplay for it. Alas, it's been done now. Not to the level I wanted or would do it myself, but done all the same. I have my own writing to finish anyhow. 😊🐦

Reviewer: Cherise Isabella
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Misery is proof why King's work will go down in history.
Review: This was my second King Novel and I really enjoyed it. I'm noticing that his writing is unique, as he has a way of skillfully building tension and setting up the characters. In other words, he takes his time lol.The book opens up with Paul Sheldon in and out of consciousness after being rescued by a very deranged Annie Wilkes, following a horrific car crash.Immediately the tone of the book takes on an atmosphere of dread and foreboding, as readers get a sense of how unstable Annie really is.It did take a while for things to pick up but in that time, the level of unease I felt throughout the book was palpable. The unpredictability and instability of Annie, made for one of the most unhinged and unsettling books I've ever read. As a reader I was completely transported into this story and felt like I was right there in the room with these characters.I really enjoyed Paul's inner dialogue and the inclusion of the actual Misery story. I was completely unprepared for just how sharp of a turn this book would actually take. I'm not complaining though. Every discovery that was made about Annie, added to the overwhelming sense of dread and doom as you realize just what this woman is capable of.The scenes of torture and murder were really executed well; they had just enough descriptions without it being too gory or gruesome. The ending was brilliantly crafted and the build up to it was phenomenal as well.The only reason I'm not rating 5 stars, is because some parts seemed to be drawn out a little too much. However, as mentioned before, this seems to be a thing with King and you either love it or hate it.Overall, a seriously enjoyable thriller read and, I will be exploring more of his work.

Reviewer: Ginnie Harris
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Awesome Read!
Review: I read this book probably 20 years ago? I've seen the movie many times so when I started reading it again I realized it was really the same book as the movie, but more gruesome! I couldn't put it down, I had to see the differences between both. The vividness of his journey made me feel sad for Paul and loathing Annie. She was so much worse! Her obsession with him and the lengths she'd go for her obsession. Definitely read this!! I am a huge fan of Stephen King but I could NEVER do anything to him or any other person. I would never claim to be his "number one fan" because that's too Annie. The King of great stories is definitely shown on track!!!!

Reviewer: Dale Zang
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: good book

Reviewer: Ricardo García Mainou
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: El libro es excelente y llegó en muy buen estado. Lamentablemente las fotos del producto lo enseñan como un ejemplar firmado y por lo tanto de colección. No viene firmado. No hay valor añadido a poseer una de las mejores novelas de King.

Reviewer: Justme
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Mr. King deserves every million on his bank account. After IT and Shining this is an all-time classic I will read again and again and again. This man sure knows how to write.

Reviewer: Anya
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Such a well written book! The character development and story are incredible.

Reviewer: Colin Hayes
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Misery was written by Stephen King in response to the reaction of some fans when he wrote a book that didn't have any of the horror elements that had made him famous.In many of his books King can have a vast array of characters but in Misery for most of the book it's a two hander between writer Paul Sheldon and his "number one fan" Annie Wilkes. Paul is a writer of romance novels and when he is involved in a car accident he's rescued by Annie who has has very set ideas about what he should be writing and she's not impressed with his latest offering.It's a great thriller and it shows that Stephen King can sustain a novel with just two main characters as well as a large cast. Anyone who's had a glimpse of any sort of fandom whether it's that of a writer like King or a TV or movie franchise will have met Annie Wilkes or a version of her. People who not only don't like the latest offering of the writer/TV series/ Film but who think they know better than the writer what they should have delivered. These uber fans can be a bit scary although admittedly Annie Wilkes takes it to extremes.As a fan of a number of things myself I think the most healthy way to look at it is to realise how preposterous it really is to be a fan, it's really not normal behaviour. No doubt my obsessions will continue but hopefully I'll not take myself too seriously to the extent that I become the next Annie Wilkes.Misery was a throughly enjoyable book with a pleasing ending. It shows that the horror in many of Stephen King's books isn't necessarily based on supernatural elements but on what people can do to one a other. That's far more scary and sadly it's based more in reality than I wish was true.