DOCTOR SLEEP vs. NOS4A2

by Shaun Lawton

I am very glad that Stephen King won the Bram Stoker award this year for Best Novel with DOCTOR SLEEP. I think it is a superior achievement to NOS4A2 -- so long as you consider being darker, more serious, and having a real-life subtext (alcoholism) "superior" to the lighter, more fantasy-oriented (and without much subtext) approach Joe Hill took with his splendid third novel. Ironically: Joe Hill's book is over one hundred pages longer than DOCTOR SLEEP!

Stephen King's surprise sequel to THE SHINING takes some time getting kick-started. It required a serious effort on my behalf, one which I was willing to give due to the fact it's Stephen King, one of my favorite authors, not to mention it's the sequel to one of his best novels. The trouble I had getting into it is partly due to my hectic new Daddy life, and not necessarily a shortcoming on King's behalf.

After a hundred pages or so, things heat up, and once the entire cast of characters (including Dan Torrance and his cohorts at the hospice where he works, Abra Stone and her family, and our villains in The True Knot) becomes firmly embedded in the reader's head, the plot unfolds at a nice, consistent pace. A lot of us are aware that King seems to have a spotty reputation for wrapping some of his novels up. I've heard as much from more than one fan, and while I myself have only had problems with the endings of two of his books I can think of (IT and CELL), I guess can understand the apprehension. DOCTOR SLEEP is a book that I honestly feel would be unfairly dismissed by careless readers who don't really give it a try nor respect the material enough to hang in there until the final payoff.

*mild Spoilers to follow, without really giving away major plot points*

With me, I admit to a double-ending which, on the one hand--the *surface narrative* concerning Dan and Abra's confrontation with Rose the Hat and The True Knot at their Lodge---that left a tad to be desired, but I'm okay with it, really. It's my main criticism of the book, whose resolution of the *principle action* fell a bit short of expectations. However, the *subtext* has its own matters to tie up, and that played out in a truly heartfelt manner, resulting in a resolution which should satisfy the dear and devoted reader tremendously.

Also, the development of the True Knot, while not as in-depth as that of Dan Torrance and Abra Stone, nonetheless rendered some awesomely memorable villains. I really dig the whole idea behind them. And Rose the Hat was a badass. She and her clan remain one of the novels strengths, for sure.

In short: if it wasn't for the subtext of real life alcoholism, DOCTOR SLEEP wouldn't be quite as good, I think. It's that undercurrent of characterization which gives it the edge over NOS4A2, in my opinion. Joe Hill's novel doesn't seem to have as much of a subtext, which in truth is what lends it more power, based on the fact that it's just a straight-up kick ass story. DOCTOR SLEEP digs deeper. As a sequel to THE SHINING it's an outright success because of the fact it does not fixate so much with returning to the scene nor replicating the original formula; something King could've easily fallen prey to, and thankfully for us, didn't.

DOCTOR SLEEP tells its own story, and what makes it succeed is the very characterization which King built his early reputation on. He seemed to have lost his touch in that regard with some of the mid- to late-career novels (Cell comes to mind, although I enjoyed it well enough), but here with this sequel to his most classic novel, he is back in full swing with character development along with a solid story line.

Plus, the reader can't help but connect the dots from Abra Stone and her powerful "shining" gift, back to Charlie McGee from FIRESTARTER (in my Top 10 King novels for sure) not to mention CARRIE herself. I highly recommend DOCTOR SLEEP to any King fan or new reader. I don't think it's even necessary to read THE SHINING beforehand, but it sure helps a lot. It deserves at least 4 stars, but I'm giving it 4.5 out of 5 because it really satisfied me, and besides, NOS4A2 deserves a 4 out of 5 rating, itself.

I'm willing to bet some day in the future, Joe Hill's writing talent will continue to develop to the point he can show up his old man. But here in 2014, that has yet to occur. Joe's still got a ways to go to catch up, from where I sit. And considering the elder King's output--not to mention the critically acclaimed novel 11/22/63-- along with two more highly anticipated novels for 2014 (MR. MERCEDES and REVIVAL), young Joe will have to put the pedal to the metal in order to catch up to his old man. We'll just have to wait and see.

Catch up with Shaun at:

http://freezineoffantasyandsciencefiction.blogspot.com  

Running With NOS4A2

While running recently I read several chapters of Joe Hill's new book, NOS4a2.  I liked it a lot! 

I listen to audio books when I run at night.  In fact, an ipod is just about my favorite  bit of exercise equipment.  Listening to horror novels as I run through our small, dark town is great!  (A coyote and I stared each other down tonight.)

I've put off reading Joe Hill because I'm usually pretty busying reading King fore scares.  When I want to read someone other than King, the pool seems too big to just hover near one section.  I've been reading Swan Song off  and on and also enjoy Bradbury, Richard Laymon and Dean Koontz. 

It's hard to just ignore a writer who is getting as much positive attention as Joe Hill.  So, I decided Joe could go running with me for a few nights.

I started out with a little speech to myself as I did a warm up walk.  "Now self," (this is the best way to address yourself) "try to forget that this is Stephen King's son.  Don't expect anything too super-duper.  Writing is an art, everyone should get a fair shot and no one wants to be compared to their famous father.  Just read it for fun."

So I tried hard to forget that it was Stephen King's son.  Try not to think about an elephant.  But the story drew me in.  From a killer who suddenly jolts awake and knows about the nurses son to a flashback about a girl whose bike seems to do an interesting magic trick -- I was engrossed.  Breathing hard (because I was running) I began to wonder exactly how Stephen King had thought of a particular bad guy. As King always does, he took me right inside the guys head.  It's a frightening thing to find yourself identifying and understanding the mind  of the deranged.  And then I realized something really startling -- "HEY SELF!" I hollered in my head, "YOU'RE NOT READING STEPHEN KING!"

The writing really is so similar that it could pass for Stephen King on a good day.  We're not talking Thinner good -- we're talking IT good.  yeah, having taken a few long runs with Joe Hill, I'm pretty sure he could have written IT.  Or, in turn, I'm pretty sure Stephen King could have written NoS4A2. 

There is a charming little girl, a bike and even a bit of magic involved.  And then there are some scary -- I mean really scary -- folk in this thing!  We're talking guys messed up enough to wander through a Thomas Harris book. 

No spoilers or heavy review from me -- just a short note on how much I've enjoyed this book.

Audible Review Of Joe Hill's NOS4A2

I just bought NOS4A2 at audible.  I liked this description:

Editors Select, May 2013 - Christmasland is a place where every day is Christmas morning and every night is Christmas Eve. This might not sound like fertile ground for a horror novel, but rest assured; just as there's nothing funny about Pennywise the Dancing Clown in Stephen King's It, there's nothing merry about Christmasland in NOS4A2. Joe Hill tells the story of decrepit child thief Charlie Manx, who travels the country in his Rolls Royce Wraith taking mistreated kids to Christmasland, where they live happily forever playing games like "bite-the-smallest" and "scissors-for-the-drifter". The only girl who managed to escape his clutches and put Manx in prison for life finds that even Manx's death can't keep him from his quest to make sure every mistreated child is taken to Christmasland. As eerie as a Bing Crosby album played at half speed, NOS4A2 is a thoroughly creepy and compulsively readable supernatural thriller. Kate Mulgrew shines as narrator, turning in a spot-on performance as Victoria McQueen, a tough-as-nails if emotionally frail heroine. —Michael, Audible Editor

Does Flagg Darken Hill's NOS4A2 ?

When Joe Hill decided to dive into writing as a career, he made an interesting choice -- he decided not to tell potential publishers -- or readers -- that he was Stephen King's son.  Instead he let the process of rejection refine his writing, so that when publication did come, it was on his own merits, not because he was piggybacking off his famous pa.

Hill has certainly carved his own niche -- kinda.  Of course, his work does dabble in the same territory as his father.

It seems that with Hill's latest novel, NOS4A2, he has decided to take some of his dads characters for a joy ride. Mark Daniell at jam.canoe notes, "His villain, Charlie Manx, bears similarities to King's recurring Randall Flagg (The Stand), and drives a murderous Rolls Royce, with a vanity plate, NOS4A2, that has shades of dad's Christine."

Should we add Charlie Manx to the many faces and names of Randall Flagg?

Daniell quotes Hill, "Now that I've had time to get comfortable with my own voice, I thought it might be fun to confront some of the Stephen King stuff instead of trying to evade it."

In April, 2012, King said that Joe could finish Joyland if something happened to him, because their writing styles are “almost indistinguishable.” (talkstephenking.blogspot.com)

What would be really cool is if Hill stuck his foot in The Dark Tower.