Ilija

Classic, beautifully crafted, favorite King's novel I've read (so far).
The way he creates suspense, with most of the novel taking place only in one room, with only 2 characters is exceptional. Book inside a book is a also fantastic, nice meta addition to this great novel. King, once again, proves he is a master of metaphor.

Absolutely haunting!
King really is an exceptional writer. His style, his themes, his characters... And this book really shows his skills. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for introduction to the work of Stephen King. It shows his ability to really put you in character's head and make you really understand them, portraying their thoughts as real as they come. But, with subtle note of horror that plays well with character's psyche.
Plot of the book is pretty straightforward: a family moves in the hotel over winter, to take care of it. But, the hotel is not what it seems. Basic horror setup. But, what makes it stand out are King's characters. Definitely not your typical heroes/protagonists. His characters are deeply flawed and unlikable, but in the same time, you feel for them and you sympathize with them. King brilliantly portrays such characters - they are not evil villains, they are people, with very human characteristics, but also have dark sides to them. And you are left with feeling of uncertainty whether you're supposed to root for them or not.
The whole hotel theme is secondary (at least, if you ask me). The main theme is Jack Torrance and his difficult relationships with people around him. Isolated haunted hotel just presents the perfect playground for explorations of those relationships and his own mind.

From the beginning of the book, with every character getting a hundred pages of introduction (even the 2 pre-murders in Derry), throughout it and to the end, it's the same convoluted mess. There is million of random characters getting chapters about themselves, even though you know they will be killed by the end of it. There is a lot of random philosophy moments (which I actually liked, but feel like there was A LOT of them and they kinda take you away from the story).
Main characters are interesting (a bit), especially the way we get to learn about them (through their introspection and flashbacks). But, I wanted to know more about them. Their whole stories in the novel were mostly about growing up, getting back to childhood, falling into same old habits.. I get that it's the theme of the book, but i feel like it didn't give a lot of room for character exploration.
I also liked side-characters (Henry Bowers & co, Tom, Audra...), although they weren't characterized a lot, except Henry and Patrick.
King's style of writing is great, as always - it creeps you out, it laughs you, it makes you sad, it makes you angry.... The way he writes those creepy scenes (e.g. Stan's introductory chapter) is really exceptional. I also like the structure of the novel.

To summarize, I enjoyed a lot of this book: creepy scenes, character moments (insights into Henry's and Patrick's psyche were great), some interesting visual descriptions.... But, it was too long, and there was a lot of unnecessary material.

Nicely written novel about life, downfall and rise of main character, with subtle hints of horror..until the end, when it goes into full horror mode. One of the better endings, not because it is surprising and shocking, but because it leaves you thinking about it...and in fear of it. ‘Cause what's more scarier than unknown and what's more unknown than life beyond?