The now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) must save a very special twelve-year-old girl from a tribe of murderous paranormals. On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless; mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death. Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant "shining" power provides the crucial final comfort …
The now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) must save a very special twelve-year-old girl from a tribe of murderous paranormals. On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless; mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death. Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant "shining" power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes "Doctor Sleep." Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival.
If you enjoyed The Shining, you'll probably like this one too. I enjoyed reading about Dan growing up and finding his place in the world.
Though it rarely shines, Doctor Sleep is not without its own brand of thrills and radiant characters who will get into your head.
кінґ — чудовий оповідач, і аудіоверсія французького перекладу трапилася якісна. отримав купу задоволення від цієї майстерно викладеної казки для дорослих. шукатиму ще кінґа в перекладі французькою! p.s. до речі, переклад укаїнською цієї книжки також бачив днями у київській «книгарні є». читайте =)
Yeah, it was alright. Nothing too special one way or the other. Pretty predictable, really. But even when Mr.. King phones it in, his books are still very readable. So there is that...
Just, wow. Fans of King know that you'll often need to suspend disbelief to lose yourself in one of his novels. Doctor Sleep is no exception, but the pay-off is well worth it. It's like a reunion to see little Danny Torrance, all grown up and battling his own demons... and what the years since The Shining have done with him. And King got creative - he didn't limit himself to simply writing a sequel - this book would stand on its own merits with the introduction of Abra Stone and all she brings to the storyline.
Also? The idea that retirees driving RVs are actually an evil cult of spirits? Sheer brilliance.
Short review...ok. Had it been a stand alone book, it wouldn't have been bad. But as a sequel to The Shining, it did not fill the big shoes that were left behind but that genuinely scary book.
L’histoire reprend quelques mois après la fin de Shining, Danny est encore un enfant, et tente de retrouver une vie normale malgré son don et la tragédie de l’Overlook. Le temps passe, Danny devient Dan, arrivé à l’âge adulte, alcoolique, à moitié SDF, il parcourt les États-Unis au gré de son humeur et des possibilités d’emploi. Pour mieux fuir son don et ses visions cauchemardesques, Dan s’est réfugié dans l’alcool, rompant sa promesse de ne pas reproduire les erreurs de son père. Au bout de plusieurs années d’errances et de précarité, il finit par trouver sa « voie » et devient aide-soignant dans un hospice, et accompagne les mourants dans leur dernier voyage. Mais ne nous y trompons pas, cet aspect-là n’est pas le principal du roman, car sa rencontre avec Abra va prendre le dessus et le contraindre à mener une mission autrement plus importante. Le Nœud Vrai, une …
L’histoire reprend quelques mois après la fin de Shining, Danny est encore un enfant, et tente de retrouver une vie normale malgré son don et la tragédie de l’Overlook. Le temps passe, Danny devient Dan, arrivé à l’âge adulte, alcoolique, à moitié SDF, il parcourt les États-Unis au gré de son humeur et des possibilités d’emploi. Pour mieux fuir son don et ses visions cauchemardesques, Dan s’est réfugié dans l’alcool, rompant sa promesse de ne pas reproduire les erreurs de son père. Au bout de plusieurs années d’errances et de précarité, il finit par trouver sa « voie » et devient aide-soignant dans un hospice, et accompagne les mourants dans leur dernier voyage. Mais ne nous y trompons pas, cet aspect-là n’est pas le principal du roman, car sa rencontre avec Abra va prendre le dessus et le contraindre à mener une mission autrement plus importante. Le Nœud Vrai, une étrange équipée de nomades en camping cars sillonnant le pays, menée par une troublante femme à chapeau, va convoiter le don exceptionnel d’Abra.
L’évolution de l’intrigue nous laisse le temps de découvrir Danny adulte, de voir comment il a survécu à l’Hôtel Overlook, et nous sommes bien obligés de constater qu’il n’a pas grand-chose d’un héros. Je pense qu’il est indispensable de lire Shining avant Docteur Sleep, pour mieux comprendre son personnage ainsi que ses faiblesses. On trouve de nombreuses allusions et des rappels à son passé et au drame de l’hôtel, mais je ne pense pas que tout m’aurait paru aussi clair sans avoir lu Shining auparavant. Là encore, l’alcoolisme et ses conséquences sont le thème central du roman. Mais contrairement à son père, Dan connaîtra une abstinence moins précaire, à l’issue plus bénéfique. Dan fait tout pour ne pas replonger, et le but qui lui sera imposé par sa rencontre avec Abra le mettra au pied du mur, l’obligeant à accepter et à exploiter pleinement ses dons. Les personnages secondaires sont tous parfaitement dépeints, King prend le temps de les construire, il leur donne de l’importance et ne font pas office de figurants. Si le père de Dan s’est retrouvé relativement seul face à son alcoolisme et l’Hôtel Overlook, Dan est quant à lui bien entouré pour faire face à l’avidité et à la convoitise du Nœud Vrai. Cette folle bande de vampires d’un genre nouveau est d’ailleurs elle aussi très bien campée. Si bien qu’elle aurait mérité un roman dédié à son histoire, car King laisse tout de même planer le mystère sur les origines et l’histoire du Nœud Vrai.
Docteur Sleep est une superbe suite au non moins superbe Shining. On y retrouve des personnages denses au passé compliqué et hors norme, et un rythme qui permet aussi bien l’action que la réflexion. Un très bon cru que celui-ci.
Okay, this wasn't nearly as scary as I was thinking it was going to be. Mostly I was stressed out about the impending bad things that I knew were just around the corner. Is anticipation the main ingredient of a horror novel, the little bit that makes one book more scary than another? Who knows. It did take Mr. King an awfully long time to get to the point, though. There was a lot of exposition for a book that was a sequel. Yes, I know there was a large gap between "The Shining" and "Doctor Sleep" and we needed to get that in between stuff to make sense of who Dan Torrance is now, but sheesh, it took a while. Don't get me wrong, I was never bored. Stephen King is another of those writers who always makes me wonder how an author can be a good storyteller but …
Okay, this wasn't nearly as scary as I was thinking it was going to be. Mostly I was stressed out about the impending bad things that I knew were just around the corner. Is anticipation the main ingredient of a horror novel, the little bit that makes one book more scary than another? Who knows. It did take Mr. King an awfully long time to get to the point, though. There was a lot of exposition for a book that was a sequel. Yes, I know there was a large gap between "The Shining" and "Doctor Sleep" and we needed to get that in between stuff to make sense of who Dan Torrance is now, but sheesh, it took a while. Don't get me wrong, I was never bored. Stephen King is another of those writers who always makes me wonder how an author can be a good storyteller but not necessarily a good writer. Fascinating conversation starter, that. Overall, a damn good tale.
This is King's AA book. As cultural phenomena go, I think AA is a good thing, though like so many helpful institutions, it can become reified and dogmatic. I read it because I wanted to know what happened next after The Shining. I'm not a King fan, but I think his writing has improved over the years and, well, I wanted to know! Now I do.
