review 1: So I read The Shinning (again) before reading this one. I was glad to read about Danny again as I missed that little boy. I also got to hear the first chapter of this story back at the start of 2012 when Stephen King came to our city and read it to us. Let us just say that I was dying to get my hands on this book once it was released. I will say the difference I felt about this book compared to The Shinning was it did not have that pure sadness to it. In The Shinning I felt so alone while reading it because of how alone the family was, but that was different for Danny this time. I also liked how Danny changed from the path he was following like his dad. To me this was a little lighter but still a great Stephen King read. review 2: Good but not great read. Not... more near as good as The Shining but I think King knew that going in and honestly wrote it so he could find out what happened to Danny Torrence. He was curious as were a lot of his fans. Few issues I had. 1. the villain(s) aren't that scary and are in some ways empathetic. The final showdown scene is rather one-sided and I never really felt scared for the hero. 2 there's a gratuitous plot twist that felt very forced for a King novel. I think it ultimately weakened the narrative. The pace is typical breakneck but the suspense is not as tight and breathtaking as 11-22-63. I'll still read everything he writes and look forward to his next book which I'm sure is done or almost done and will be out in a year or two. less
