Cell

A Novel

by Stephen King

Hardcover, 384 pages

English language

Published Aug. 7, 2006 by Scribner.

ISBN:: 978-0-7432-9233-7
OCLC Number:: 814293919

View on OpenLibrary

(59 reviews)

THERE'S A REASON CELL RHYMES WITH HELL.

On October 1, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and Clayton Riddell, an artist from Maine, is almost bouncing up Boylston Street in Boston. He's just landed a comic book deal that might finally enable him to support his family by making art instead of teaching it. He's already picked up a small (but expensive!) gift for his long-suffering wife, and he knows just what he'll get for his boy Johnny. Why not a little treat for himself? Clay's feeling good about the future.

THERE'S A REASON CELL RHYMES WITH HELL.

That changes in a hurry. The cause of the devastation is a phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse, and the delivery method is a cell phone. Everyone's cell phone. Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization's darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature. . .and then begins to evolve.

There's really no escaping this nightmare. But for Clay, an arrow points home to Maine, and as he and his fellow refugees make their harrowing journey north they begin to see crude signs confirming their direction: KASHWAK=NO-FO. A promise, perhaps. Or a threat . . .

There are one hundred and ninety-three million cell phones in the United States alone. Who doesn't have one? Stephen King's utterly gripping, gory, and fascinating novel doesn't just ask the question "Can you hear me now?" It answers it with a vengeance.

38 editions

LemmiSchmoeker reviewed Cell: A Novel by Stephen King

Compelling first half, but then King starts to forget his own premises

3 stars

Though I don't know too many of King's books after the early nineties, I'd say he is in top form here, stylistically speaking. The first 150 or so pages are flawlessly compelling, and King manages to build up a palpable tension that is all the more impressive as there are almost no action scenes.

This continues up until the middle part of the book, where new characters are introduced and quite satisfyingly brought to a conclusion.

Once the great quest is underway, however, the sloppiness sets in: King lets his characters work out what must have happened (which is never a good idea for such a setting), and it makes little sense. From the beginning, the “phone people” have shown behaviour that doesn't match the explanation at all. Even worse, King seems to forget his own premises time and time again so that the finale is completely random.

Still, it's …

This continues up until the middle part of the book, where new characters are introduced and quite satisfyingly brought to a conclusion.

Still, it's a fun way to kill an evening or two, and the weak parts only become apparent once you begin to think about the book. And that's rarely helpful with a King novel ...

Magnus reviewed Cell: A Novel by Stephen King

Review of 'Cell' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Solid Stephen King book! The pacing was excellent!

David reviewed Cell: A Novel by Stephen King

Review of 'Cell' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I absolutely loved this. I may never get over Alice Maxwell.

The Gnome King reviewed Cell: A Novel by Stephen King

Review of 'Cell' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Stephen King's Zombie book and the bible for those paranoid about mobile phones. Not the best book in this genre but it is really well written and worth 4 stars.

Clayton is a strong character, he meets an interesting group of people as he fights his way through many crazy violent "zombies" hunting for his son, hoping that he hasn't been affected.

The book is worth reading, seeing as it has been made into a movie I might have to give it a re-read.

WellWorthARead reviewed Cell: A Novel by Stephen King

Review of 'Cell' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

If you like a good end of the world story, or at least the end of the world as we know it, I would recommend Cell for you. Being a New Englander I loved the setting. I think it added to the chill factor for me that my husband has worked in many of the towns mentioned, and would likely be in one of them should the "pulse" ever actually hit us. (giggles) I did read some reviews before I bought the book, and noticed quite a few people were unhappy with the ending. Several felt that it was left unresolved. King has often left room for the reader's own imagination and that is not a style that bothers me. The ending is whatever you make of it. I am satisfied with the ending that was conjured in my mind.

okenwillow reviewed Cellulaire by Stephen King (Livre de Poche)

Review of 'Cellulaire' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Un signal propagé par les téléphones portables provoque la folie et le chaos. Les premières victimes étaient en ligne au moment de « l’impulsion » et s’adonnent subitement à des excès de violence et d’agressivité souvent fatales pour leur prochain, et pour elles-mêmes. Un point de départ à une histoire post-apocalyptique bien menée, qui nous dépeint une Humanité contaminée par un étrange virus que les geeks apprécieront. L’interprétation est un peu alambiquée, mais passe assez bien. Le héros traditionnel avec une quête à accomplir évolue dans un monde victime de la technologie. Un très bon roman de fin du monde bien prenant, avec son lot d’angoisse, de brutalité, de lutte pour la survie, et sa dose de morts, même parmi les principaux protagonistes. Car King n’a pas de pitié.

Misty reviewed Cell: A Novel by Stephen King

Review of 'Cell' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This makes me want to prepare my Zombie apocalypse emergency kit ASAP. Pho pho you you.

Anonymole reviewed Cell: A Novel by Stephen King

Review of 'Cell' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Basic test [yes/no:]: Would I recommend you read this book or not. Was it worth the few hours spent reading it? Am I pleased that I spent the time reading it? --- Yes ---

DaveCline reviewed Cell: A Novel by Stephen King

Review of 'Cell' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Basic test [yes/no:]: Would I recommend you read this book or not. Was it worth the few hours spent reading it? Am I pleased that I spent the time reading it? --- Yes ---