The Dead Zone

FALSE

Reread an old book to see if it's as good as I remember. It's still an engaging story: The plot, character, pacing, and tension are all there. Back when I first read this, Johnny's fragility compelled my interest and his hope for happiness or normal life again after the accident gave him his unwanted ability. Will he find another woman after Sarah? Where will his new ability take him, etc.?

I was struck by the religious themes this time around. His mother, driven by her faith, is painted as a nutcase. Even her husband becomes enraged by her behavior, justifiably when she risks their financial life by giving money away to various religious causes/groups, hoping this would save Johnny. Religious=crazy, but is Johnny a kind of messiah? He “dies” and resurrects with a gift that saves several people, future victims of a serial killer, high school students who would have burnt up in a fire, and so on. His “gift” means can't lead a normal life. He's feared and hated by some, yet other “believers” petition him for guidance.

Johnny's final gift to humanity is to take down the false or perceived political messiah figure of Greg Stilson. The common man worships and sees him as the hope of those who aren't born into privilege. Stilson's corruption goes unnoticed, except by a few who are quickly eliminated in a way that never catches up to him. The idea of Stilson, a politician who “understands and cares” about people, is the dream. (Note how he is not Dem or Rep.) Yet, Johnny sees a future where Stilson's power is boundless and causes great destruction and suffering. He appears to be what the country needs, but he's false and Johnny's final act reveals Stilson's cold, manipulative soul. A true savior of the common man is a myth.

Devotion to a messiah=crazy. The hated and feared Johnny makes the sacrifice. The rest of us are left safe but without hope. But wait. The final bit shows that Sarah's husband has a political possible future. Will he be one of the good ones or just another power-mad charlatan?

This is still a complex, readable story. My above interpretation is one of many that are possible. Other than some quaint, outdated sexual/gender politics around Sarah, this is a timeless classic novel of the supernatural.

This book is more entertaining when Johnny is in a coma.

DNF. I gave it about 100 pages and this just doesn't feel like a Stephen King book, despite the subject matter.

A solid read but nothing spectacular. I had a similar feeling after reading this as I did when reading King's other classics. Perhaps because other books/films/series have built on what King created they can seem predictable and old hat whereas his newer books like 112263 and Mr Mercedes are far from it.

8/10

I don't know how I hadn't read this one. I wanted a book for a road trip, one that would draw me in, be easy to listen to, and make the miles pass by quickly. This book was that.

I've enjoyed Stephen King since I started reading him many years ago. This was classic King, but what I really enjoyed about this one was the internal monologue of John Smith and the idea of consequences. When he's trying to figure out about people believing only after events and not before, and the idea of fate and whether he really can change it. The religion aspect is interesting too - there are no answers, only questions. Did God put Johnny there to do those things? Was his mother actually not entirely crazy?

I'll save up another King for my next road trip, maybe Cujo or Salem's Lot, another two that have passed me by.

Totally loved this from start to end. Had me hooked straight away and never let go until the end. A great thrilling journey with a fantastic cast of characters. Highly recommended.

I read this as part of The Grand Stephen King Experiment for TannerWillbanks.com.

I loved this book. I thought it was a wonderful character study of a man who loses everything he wanted in one fell swoop. He fights his way back but encounters roadblocks at every step of the way. While I know that King is considered a horror writer, this is far from being a horror novel. This is a book about a man who has something extraordinary happen to him and the way that he deals with that.

Highly recommended.

This book absolutely held up. I basically just wanted to listen to it straight until I finished. Definitely rising it higher in my list of favorite King books. Genuinely perplexed why it's not one of his higher rated books.

I'm conflicted on this one because I loved the beginning but thought the second half was just ok. By King standards, this one was on the short side but still managed to throw in a few superfluous story lines. I feel like if he could've kept things a little more concise, this one could've been a lot better. I also quite enjoyed the ending not so much for the action but for Johnny's moral dilemma when dealing with Stillson and how things turned out. 3.5 out of 5

7.7/10. I want to love this novel more that I do. It's got some great characters and a good story. My problem is that it feels like a part of the book is missing. Their are moments that are supposed to be more impactful than they come across but due to the lack of some characters having their own chapters or separated by distance. It seems some plot lines kinda drop off. But the ending is very satisfying imo.

The book started off really good then slowly started to peter off but is still one of my favorites.
It's a sci-fi/murder mystery/thriller about a clairvoyant named Jimmy, who after a bad wreck wakes from a coma with the ability to tell certain things in the future by touching people. When people find out he's not a phony they bombard him with wanting their future told, only some don't like what they hear. He decides to keep his secret hidden but eventually he must drag it out again to solve a murder and later after shaking hands with a politician he realizes that he must do something to save the world from this tyrant.

The first book in my chronological SK readthrough that I find hard to rate. There are elements of it that I loved but others that I really wish played out differently.

I would have enjoyed a whole book about the characters dealing with good and bad “luck”, twists of fate, and troubled personal relationships. I loved the dread and sadness of the early parts of the book; the idea of an accident unlocking a frightening new power in you, its isolating effect on every interaction and relationship you have, and the loss of years of your life. But the plot ends up being fairly pedestrian “What would you do if you were psychic?” fare, i.e. solving crimes and altering world events, of course. I preferred the more personal scale and stakes before that.

I really liked the fragmented storytelling style, with short vignette-like chapters switching between different characters - it's one of my favourite aspects of the book. But I can also see how this maybe worked against it, with villains not really given enough groundwork with the protagonist for their storylines to land for me.

Great character writing, brisk pacing, dodgy plotting, and a very King ending that I'm not sure how I feel about. I enjoyed it and was gripped by it, but ultimately it frustrated me a bit.

Accidenti che libro! Ogni volta che leggo King, rimango folgorato.

Ho conosciuto questo autore solo ultimamente e ogni tanto prendo in mano un suo libro e mi metto a leggerlo, come un buon vino che si tiene solo per le occasioni speciali.

I temi toccati in questo racconto, pieno di ritmo come il King prima maniera sapeva fare, sono tanti. Per citarne due, forse i più sentiti: la diversità e la nostalgia.

Il protagonista principale mi ha colpito tantissimo, costruito alla perfezione, forse uno dei personaggi che più mi hanno affascinato e commosso di tutte le mie letture. Una storia calamitante ed abbagliante di un uomo che si risveglia da un coma dopo cinque anni con il/la dono/maledizione di vedere il futuro delle persone solo toccandole.

Una storia scritta meravigliosamente che ti porterà piano piano in un finale struggente, commovente e degno di un libro così bello. Consigliato a tutti, imperdibile.

Although the idea behind this book was good, the first half of it or so was extraordinarily boring and disengaging. It really only picked up in a few points, and overall was very underwhelming. Only as many stars as it has because the character of Johnny and Greg Stillson were both interesting and engaging themselves, even if the story/plot was lackluster.

Otra gran historia leída del Maestro King. Como siempre sus personajes no decepcionan, aunque debo reconocer que el villano estuvo muy flojo, por suerte es un personaje bastante secundario. Y el final, aunque me gustó cómo se cerró el tema principal, su preámbulo, más los epilogos fueron innecesariamente largos.