The terrifying, spine-tingling world of the grandmaster of the horror genre comes to life in a chilling new novel about the terrors that walk by night, by the inimitable author of The Stand. 1,500,000 first printing. $1,000,000 ad/promo. BOMC.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Insomnia
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From Publishers Weekly
Forget the lean, mean King of Misery, Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne. This is the other King-the Grand Vizier of Verbosity who gave us It, The Tommyknockers and Needful Things. There's much of everything in these 800 pages, including the worthy. Notable is a rare septuagenarian hero, recently widowed Ralph Roberts, whose broodings on old age immerse readers into the aging psyche almost as clearly as other King heroes have revealed the minds of children. Then there's the slam-bang final 300 pages, in themselves a novel's worth of excitement as Ralph battles demonic entities to prevent a holocaust in his small town of Derry, Maine (site of It). The problem is that the finale is preceded by more than a novel's worth of casual, even tedious buildup: Ralph's growing insomnia; his new ability to see auras around all living things; his dismay as Derry's citizens divide violently over the impending visit of a radical pro-lifer; his slow realization that celestial forces have marked Derry as a battleground between good and evil. King remains popular fiction's most reliable mirror of cultural trends, in particular our continuing love affair with horror (Barker and Koontz are palpable influences here). If this novel were liposuctioned, it would rank among King's best; as is, it's another roly-poly volume from a skilled writer who presumes his readers' appetite for words is more gourmand than gourmet. 1,500,000 first printing; $1 million ad/promo; paperback rights to Signet; simultaneous audio release from Penguin Highbridge; BOMC selection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
YA?Ralph Roberts has been waking earlier and earlier every night for weeks, and the forgetfulness and weariness caused by sleep deprivation are starting to affect him. When he begins to see brilliant auras around people and objects, his concern grows. As his nights become shorter, his visions become more terrifying, and yet more real. Strange forces are maneuvering for power in Derry, Maine, and somehow Ralph is a part of the conflict. Well-read students will note references to Greek mythology, the Bible, and to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (Houghton, 1967) interspersed with modern cultural allusions. King's forte, however, is characterization, and there is no shortage of it here. Good guys and evil are well developed, with a depth that makes them believable. Although Ralph is clearly identified as a septuagenarian, he is never stodgy or prudish, and will appeal to teens. Some of King's more recent novels, such as Gerald's Game (1992), have been disappointing, but Insomnia is closer to It (1987) and Needful Things (1992, all Viking) in its suspense and entertainment potential. A good return trip to Derry, Maine.?Robin Deffendall, Bull Run Regional Library, Manassas, VA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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First Sentence
No one-least of all Dr. Litchfield-came right out and told Ralph Roberts that his wife was going to die, but there came a time when Ralph understood without needing to be told. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
No one-least of all Dr. Litchfield-came right out and told Ralph Roberts that his wife was going to die, but there came a time when Ralph understood without needing to be told. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
Format:Hardcover
I loved everything about this book. When the main character starts tripping out when hes first getting insomnia was soo funny, I was right there with him seeing a bunch of weird things. The little bald doctors, the whole bit. The story was interesting, funny, a little spooky at times, overall just darn right great. Very well written and one of my new favorite Stephen King books.
By J R Zullo
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Stephen King is an author gifted with a great power of development: his characters are, almost always, believable, even if the situations they are involved in are completely fantastic. Among SK's greatest characters we will notice many children. In "It", "The eyes of the dragon", "The talisman", "The shinning", the most interesting character are always children or young people. "Insomnia" is completely different in this aspect.
The main character in "Insomnia" is Ralph Roberts, a man pushing seventy, and not in a very good health. After the death of his wife, he starts having sleeping problems, and, stragest thing of all, his perception rises to fantastic level: he starts to see colored auras around people, little bald doctors with scissors and scalpels, and other unbelievable manifestations. Soon Ralph finds that all this has a specific purpose, and the fate of many worlds may lie in his old hands.
The beginning of the book is a little slow, very strange, but when the pace increases, it's hard to put it down. I don't think "Insomnia" has any political conotation whatsoever, even with the abortion issue. Serious as the matter surely is, I think it's there only to provide a thrilling background to the story.
I don't consider "Insomnia" my favorite Stephen King book, but nevertheless I was never bored while reading it. I think it's very good, but a little confusing at some parts. The confusion and the sense of pointlessness will be greater if the reader is not acquainted with the Dark Tower series. For that, "Insomnia" can be considered a standalone, but more like a complement to the Dark Tower books.
I would not recommend reading "Insomnia" without reading the Dark Tower first.
Grade 8.2/10
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
If SK managed to make me read this long-winded detailed book up to the very end, then there must be something in that man's writing. At another author's hand, this could be easily one of the worst books this world would see but SK somehow manages to tie every boring-seeming detail so well at the end that you are amazed how you did find them boring in the first place. Never expect a Shining or It before you open the first page otherwise you will be extremely disappointed like me. In my second sit with a more open mind, the pages started to fly as I understood what SK was trying to do and the last 200 pages are really a showcase of his talent that even when he is not saying anything, he says a lot of things. The ending is one of a kind!
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3.6 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
LET THE GOOSE BUMPS RISE, AND ENJOY EVERY LINE
A method actor who received much of his training at the famed Actor's Studio, Eli Wallach has been delivering stellar performances on both stage and screen for the past 50 years. Read more
Published on Sep 26 2008 by Gail Cooke
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not so fast
I read Stephen King's Desperation and just loved it! Even though this isn't usually the genre I enjoy. So, I thought I would try Inc=somniac... Read more
Published on July 5 2008 by R. Corson
4.0 out of 5 stars
What the ???
At first when I was reading this book I wasnt sure what to expect with it. I thought the story was sooooooo slow and a little boring... Read more
Published on Feb 13 2005 by Michael Beveridge
5.0 out of 5 stars
Creative And Great
This definatly isn't Stephen King's greatest book. This book is probably one of his worse ones. But that doesn't mean it isn't a good read. Read more
Published on July 15 2004 by Matt Daigle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Tower fans will enjoy it better
Stephen King is an author gifted with a great power of development: his characters are, almost always, believable, even if the situations they are involved in are completely... Read more
Published on July 15 2004 by J R Zullo
3.0 out of 5 stars
An OK book at best
I read Insomnia because it is tied in to the Dark Tower series, which I love. I really disliked the characters in Insomnia, especially Ralph. Read more
Published on July 9 2004 by didntvoteforhillary
1.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect cure for insomnia
If you have insomnia, read this book. You'll be cured quickly by this massive bore. King's brain must have been fried when he wrote this clumsy book.
Published on Jun 11 2004 by Jeff in Santa Cruz
5.0 out of 5 stars
not for people who dont want to think
Like several other readers that reviewed this book, I have to say the first time I read it I wasnt overly impressed. I was just bored. Read more
Published on May 30 2004
3.0 out of 5 stars
Boring but satisfying
I thought that this book was good and bad at the same time. The book was about a guy who couldn't sleep cuz he always sees murders. Read more
Published on May 28 2004 by Oscar Ramirez Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Second time around was much better
This has to be one of King's most misunderstood and underappreciated works. When I first read this in 1994, I was in my early twenties and didn't really connect with the older... Read more
Published on May 24 2004
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