Duma Key: A Novel by Stephen King
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Book Reviews of Duma Key: A Novel
Book Review: Welcome Back Stephen!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been reading Stephen King books since 1979. I was always on watch at stores anxiously awaiting the next new one to be released (in those days there was no Amazon.com to tell me in advance I could order and exactly when it would arrive).
I devoured King's book all these years and mostly walked away fulfilled and content. There certainly were times that I would get ANGRY with him (why oh why is it taking you so long to finish The Gunslinger series...???), but mostly I was thrilled when the new book arrived and spellbound when I finished it. I certainly was one of the "constant readers" King always talked about.
At some point it seemed to me that King began taking shortcuts. His books would begin with interest, but it seemed to me that an interesting concept would take very bland turns in the story, and the ending would be something that "would work" as opposed to being really King-worthy. The intense characterization that King is known for became weak.
I recall reading The Stand, or Salem's Lot, or Christine. The characters' thoughts and histories were explained so well and in such detail that not only did you find those completely alien acts they did and situations they were in to be NORMAL, you also UNDERSTOOD and further EXPECTED those actions from them. You knew those characters so well, the same actions in another author's book that would be laughable became very, very real in King's. This, to me, was the popularity of King -- that ability he had to make you BE the character, not just read about him/her.
I have no doubt that King's "constant readers" know exactly what I'm talking about. And that they recognized the lack of that depth in his last several books.
I am most happy to announce to them, that Dumas Key has brought back the old ability to BE the character, and that the story was as gripping and intensely interesting as anything he has ever written.
Welcome back, Stephen.
Debi Drick
Book Review: ... and that's why King is King
Summary: 5 Stars
There is no way to tell you about the story without ruining it, something I wouldn't dare do even if they came to my doorstep with a tray loaded with cheese fries smothered in bacon. Mr. King's latest, Duma Key, is something that I think needs to be experienced with as little knowledge going into it as possible. The book runs about 600 pages give or take and for about the first 300, I read it very slowly. Why, you ask? Think about how you savor a dish that you don't want to end. That's exactly what I was feeling as I read this book. The combination of anticipation and dread as I read on was a feeling I haven't experienced too many times before. The book is frightening indeed and clearly serves to show that the man has not lost his touch, especially when it comes to giving you a clear idea of exactly what it is that lurks in the shadows of your worst nightmares. I didn't want the book to end but at the same time, I absolutely could not wait to see how things would turn out. I love the slow build up and how King just feeds you tiny bits of info here and there, akin to a hand that appears from time to time to lead you out of a dark cave, only to suddenly disappear and leave you fumbling again for awhile before leading you again. I'm sure anyone familiar with King and the accident that nearly claimed his life years ago will sense how personal this story is. There are a lot of things going on underneath the story itself and I'm sure that for King to successfully paint the picture of Edgar Freemantle, the story's protagonist, he didn't have to dig too deep. That's another thing worth mentioning, the characters in this story are wonderfully realized, enough so that I was almost brought to tears on several occasions.
I'll leave off here but not before saying that this is one of King's best books and an absolute must read, especially if you appreciate the man like I do. And read it cold before someone ruins it for you.
Book Review: A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Stephen King's newest novel, "Duma Key" is, to put it simply, great. I admit to being a pretty hard-core SK fan, having read everything that he has written - usually within a week or so of its release. I think King is a great writer, regardless of subject matter or genre. Like every writer, the great and the not-so-great, some of his works are better than others. "Duma Key" is right up there with his best. I won't bother describing the plot (which is great) since you have already seen that from the publisher's description and the other reviews. And for me, as good as the plot is, the writing is even better.
King has clearly matured over the years. He can still describe horrific scenes graphically with tremendous clarity and emotional impact. And he still does. But he has also mellowed. Somehow now he is able to evoke the same memorable visceral responses as in scenes from Cujo or The Stand, but in a more refined and distilled way. He can still write long novels (Duma is about 600 pages long) but one gets the feeling that compared to 20 years ago he says more with less. His prose is crisp and clean and sometimes really memorable. There is some great dialogue in the book and some of the best is spoken not by the main character, Edgar, but by his close friend Wireman.
King's recent work seems to express more emotion and express it better than ever before, and this is in evidence in Duma Key. There are a lot of relationships in this novel. The relationships between Edgar Freemantle and his daughters and his wife, Edgar and Wireman, and Wireman and Elizabeth Eastlake are slowly unfurled and become richer and more complex as the story moves along. Good things turn bad and things heat up rapidly during the last quarter of the book, and it was tough to put down. I think just about all SK fans will thoroughly enjoy this book. I think it also may turn a bunch of new readers into converts too.
Book Review: King has done it again. CD version is great
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd like to make it clear that I listened to this book (unabridged audio CD) so my experience may be different from those that read the physical book. This review is for those thinking about the audio version.
Avoiding a plot rehash, which has been done so many times here, the quality of the reading is in this case is excellent. John Slattery does an excellent job and that's a very important point. Too often an otherwise great book can be ruined by an incompetent reader (CD version of Wicked comes to mind). For most of us, this will be quite engaging and enjoyable listen.
I often find that when listening to a book rather than reading it yourself the story takes on a completely different quality. If you're able to simply listen and let the story unfold, it can be a rich experience (driving means your main focus should lie elsewhere). For me audio books often allow more acceptance of the characters as they are (or as read); their dialog, described mannerisms, etc. are simply a given there is no need to start filling in these blanks for yourself. The characters come alive in a new live and fresh way.
I've read some other reviews here that criticize the lack of Miss Eastlake's character development, the affected dialog of Wireman, the ending, etc. With audio, we can, and should, judge these aspects for ourselves. For me these weren't a problem. The reader/narrator makes it more comfortable and more believable. The story flows like a good story should, slower at first while principal characters are established, picking up speed as the environment and circumstances develop, and ultimately culminating in an unavoidable and turbulent head long rush over the falls.
In short, I throughly enjoyed Duma Key and can easily say that if you're a King fan, you absolutely will not be disappointed. It's and extremely enjoyable story and highly recommended to all audio/King fans!
Book Review: Loved this book
Summary: 5 Stars
Another book, another classic. That seems to be the phrase people always say whenever a new Stephen King novel comes out. That was certainly the case when Duma Key was released, much to the delight of his many fans out there, including yours truly.
I pre-ordered it on Ebay and when it came to me in the mail, I was shocked to see that it was a hefty 600+ pages. But when I actually started reading it I found I couldn't put it down. I found myself gobbling up the pages by the hundreds. That is the greatest testament, I think, to the greatness of this book.
The protaganist, Edgar Freemantle (also the narrator), met an accident at work and it turns out he lost an arm. And subsequently, his wife. He, unable to deal with the loss, wanted out by way of suicide but decided to head to Duma Key to 'heal up' instead. And that's where the strange SK happenings started.
I won't spoil the story here, but I'll just say that if you love SK books you will be in familar turf here. This story is similar to many of his recent works. And fans of his 'first person' books or works will likely find the first person narration of the story to be very familar as well. SK fans will gobble up this book, I practically guarantee it.
However, there is a flaw I need to point out, the over-saturation of imfomation. I found myself refering back to past events just to get my facts right on more than one occasion. It disrupted the reading experience overall and I think Stephen could've made it alot easier on the reader in regards to the information provided to them.
That said, I don't think there's much else to criticize the book for. The only other thing, perhaps, would be that the book eventually ends. Sad really, I loved this book too much.