Insomnia
by Stephen King
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.74 You Save: $3.25 (41%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Insomnia
Book Review: Great premise, poor execution!
Summary: 2 Stars
Stephen King has a knack for taking seemingly mundane and ordinary objects (cars, dogs, menstruation, etc.) and transforming them into vehicles of pure, chilling horror. At other times he floats into the realm of fantasy or strict supernatural horror (Dark Tower series, It, Stand, Pet Sematary, The Shining) and succeeds at making the reader believe in the plausibility of the premise while simultaneously scaring us out of our wits. Occasionally, or perhaps I should say rarely, does he fail in either plausibility or chill factor. "Insomnia" is just such a rare book.The premise itself is great: Ralph Roberts, a man in his twilight years, begins experiencing gradual sleep loss to the point that he begins catching glimpses into another world, a world that those around him cannot see. Soon Ralph uncovers an evil plot begun against the town of Derry, Maine, that is far-reaching and backed by the more sinister powers of his sleep-deprived spirit world. Since Ralph is the only one who can see into this spirit world it is up to him to intercept the threat to the town before a terrible evil is unleashed. As Ralph struggles with what to make of his newfound abilities he also wrestles with the loneliness and pain brought about by his beloved wife's death. Will Ralph be able to overcome his pain? Will he be able to stop the threat against Derry?
The premise of one man's sleep loss allowing him to peer into another world has tremendous possibility for a horrific adventure, but upon reading further one gets the sense that King dictated the story a bit TOO much rather than letting the story dictate itself. Dialogue appears contrived a lot of the time, certain situations have you rolling your eyes in disbelief or boredom, and the story tends to drag in its narration (it's close to 700 pages; 500 would have worked better). Character's moods shift from terrified to syrupy-sweet at the drop of a hat, and there's little in the way of development for pretty much everyone but Ralph Roberts. We get to see Ralph Roberts, and ONLY Ralph Roberts, perform nearly every task of his waking life to the seclusion of all the other major characters. When it ends you are indeed connected with Ralph, but his friends and their personal plights are of little interest to anyone. I love King, and I'll read anything he puts out because he's simply the best there is, but "Insomnia" was overall a huge disappointment.
Below is a rundown of the major points of this book and how they rank. (10=Excellent; 1=Awful)
1. Dialogue - 5. Felt contrived and silly a lot of the time.
2. Pacing & Action - 4. Very unevenly paced. Could have been shortened and would have had a better effect. Action takes a long time in coming.
3. Narration - 8. I haven't really read a King book yet where his narration wasn't on the money.
4. Scare & Suspense Factor - 5. Few and far between.
5. Character Growth & Likeability - 4. Sole focus is given to Ralph and it severly impedes the rest of the story. Ralph is a likeable protagonist, however.
Throw-This-Against-The-Wall-In-Frustration Rating: 8
Suggested reading BEFORE "Insomnia":
1. Cujo
2. Misery
3. Pet Sematary
Book Review: Sluggish, Uneventful, Corny and Borrrrring
Summary: 2 Stars
I usually read Stephen King for his interesting ideas and imagery and expect his books to read fast and well. I've read three previous King books that have had the occasional long passages with overstated depictions of horror, doom, and grotesquery in order to immerse his readers into the tone of his story. This one takes the cake because what is meant to read as terror and horror is really ridiculous and unimaginative. And this is exactly what "Insomnia" is. This isn't a spoiler, just the author's note: at the end of the book we read Sep. 10, 1990- Nov 10, 1993- three years in which King took to write this book. Three years which were evidently wasted.
The other King books I've read were engrossing for their characterizations and character identification. "Insomnia's" Ralph Roberts is certainly a character the reader could identify with. He is strong, kind, has traditional gentlemanly views on aiding women in distress and regards them as beautiful and respectable. His counterpart Lois Chasse doesn't come across as identifiable. Instead she serves as a secondary character who has no real flair or identity other than being in love with Ralph. King doesn't usually do that with his secondary characters. Other characters with much smaller roles in this book come across as real and identifiable, like Ed and Helen Deepenau, the three bald doctors, and Ralph's numerous confidantes.
Then there's the whole abortion mess. This central political issue crumbles midway thru and seems to serve no purpose at all in the story. Though King does provide an interesting and seemingly objective commentary on the issue via Detective Leydecker (albeit with a tranparently pro-choice slant), it serves no relevance to the theme of the story but just hangs there on display used for no more than a story device.
I gave the book two stars because I am an aspiring writer and reading this provided me with some of the devices that are important to utilize as part of a writer's arsenal. The devices were obvious and all thru the reading I asked myself, 'How is King going to get through this?' His weapon of choice was most often Ralph Robert's narration (via third person) that analyzed the events of the story and interpreted its meaning and significance. It seemed whenever King was in trouble in the story, he would use Ralph as his solution and let him think it out and guide it for him. This is a useful tool for a beginning writer, but King used it as a crutch to tell a story that had no pulse from the beginning.
One last thing, the villians just don't work. They are not frightening, they are not demonic, they are not vicious or malign. Three little bald doctors with scalpels and scissors? Their defining characteristics are being small and bald- does that really frighten anyone? The real villian among them dances around and jump ropes to reveal his evil madness. Then there's the Crimson King, the evil supernatural mastermind we read about from page 100 who finally enters the story on page 550 as a Catfish in one of the most terrible, anti-climactic scenes ever rendered. I rest my case.
Book Review: A Bit of a Sleeper
Summary: 3 Stars
There's no denying that King is a terrific storyteller. He has a no-nonsense, down-to-earth practicality that slides along smoothly, easily, and (usually) painlessly. In many ways, it's true that he could apply his pen to almost anything and give it a modicum of interest.
This story, about a character named Ralph who starts suffering from insomnia, takes its time to get started, moseying through the land of background and exposition, but by the time it finds its true pace, you're chin-deep in a world of abortion extremists, spiritual auras, multiple planes of existence, vigilante "justice," and -- of course -- story elements that dove-tail into King's world of the Dark Tower.
Fans of that epic work will, of course, be into this story. Even those readers not familiar with the Gunslinger or the Red King are bound to be intrigued by this tale of psychic deaths and the conflicting worlds of Purpose and Random. King draws you into Ralph's world with a seductive sort of empathy that moves (mostly) in quiet and unobtrusive ways. To truly enjoy this story, you must be patient. There are many rewards in the end.
However, I don't want to give the story more credit than it is due. King's prose may be nimble and graceful, but the writing itself is a vehicle for story, and in this case, the story is lacking some. It's got the typical King thrills and spills (although those fans of the horror and gore in books such as It and Desperation will find those elements noticeably muted here), but in the end, I found the whole thing to be, ironically both over-written and under-written.
Parts of it seem to be completely unnecessary and diversionary (I'm thinking of Ralph's other-worldly encounter in the plane), and other sections seem to be lacking more depth and fleshing out (there are missing elements -- like the identity of the Man with the Green Aura who provides a pivotal prop to the story; and there are underdeveloped moments -- mostly those that tie into the Dark Tower series ... King is relying on his past novels to provide enough weight for these moments, and neglects other first-time readers who might need more to go on).
Finally, the last caveat, King succumbs to a heart dose of redundancy, not just in the repetition of plot elements and character speculation, but also necessarily in the details. As Ralph's insomnia escalates, he starts to the see a hyper-real world of auras and spiritual halos, and after about the 400th page, the description of these auras becomes understandably redundant and mundane. There's only so many ways even the best of writers can describe all the pretty lights.
Overall, I would recommend this book to King fans, as well as to patient readers interested in stories of dramatically magical realism. However, if you're looking for horror or a thriller, try Desperation (in my opinion, perhaps one of the best King books out there).
Book Review: A Portal Novel Among King's Works
Summary: 3 Stars
This book takes me back. I read it after school for about a week straight following its release, and I remember thinking how it was one of the first times Stephen King really showed us the interconnectedness of his works, something he'd been hinting at for years. "I'm actually only writing one long story in dozens of volumes," King had said on occasion, and Insomnia proved him right. With cross-over's, tie-in's, and references to so many previous King tales, from Pet Sematary and the Gunslinger on, Insomnia was like some massive transit station held between two manic looking red book covers.
As for the tale it tells in its own right, Insomnia, King's mid-90's mega-novel, breaks the traditional storytelling mold by being set among a cast composed mostly of people in their seventies and beyond. As he is stricken with insomnia and begins to see some very strange things in the dead of night, Derry, Maine resident and man of advanced years, Ralph Roberts, is unwittingly a witness to creatures from an alternate dimension caught up in the midst of a terrible war. On one side are beings of good who serve order, and on the other are those who seek to bring about the chaotic reign of the dreaded Crimson King, a figure of inhuman evil and insanity who comes to be of great importance in King's Dark Tower (and other) books. Alongside Ralph is another senior citizen and fellow insomniac, Lois Chasse, who has also seen the creatures who inhabit the night. Together these unlikely heroes quest to halt the plans of evil, which have been fed by and become focused on the growing dissention in Derry which surrounds the visit of a powerful and divisive figure in the "Pro-Choice" movement who is scheduled to speak at a crowded civic center. In due time Lois and Ralph learn the murderous intentions of the Crimson King, who has possessed the mind of a citizen of Derry. This man is being unwittingly employed by evil to carry out an act of mass murder, all with a goal of eliminating a single individual who stands in the way of the Crimson King and his minions.
Insomnia has a likable tone and a denser than expected storyline that skips along at a rapid pace and is populated by familiar landmarks, references to other books, and characters so welcoming that it takes a devoted Stephen King reader a long time to notice there really isn't a lot going on in this novel. Mostly if King's career is studied as a whole Insomnia fits in more as a gathering point to re-direct the entire canon toward the conclusion of the "one long story" foreshadowed in the Dark Tower. Although it contains a beginning, middle, and end, and could be read alone without turning the page of any other Stephen King book, Insomnia really functions best when it is understood to be what it is at its core: a signpost passed by on a much longer literary journey.
Three and a half stars.
Book Review: Lessons In Dreaming...
Summary: 5 Stars
INSOMNIA is about a man named Ralph Roberts. When Ralph's wife succumbs to a fatal aneurism and the `ticking of the deathwatch' ends, Ralph's ensuing insomnia awakens him to a world that is very different from the world he is used to seeing, touching, smelling, tasting and hearing.
Ralph really wants to sleep; he tries everything from booze to folk remedies that are mostly wives' tales. When his sleep becomes so disturbed that it looks like he soon won't be sleeping at all-he's so tired by this time that he can believe suicide might be the way some people cure their insomnia-Ralph begins to view the world through a different lens. Things become more colorful. Things that weren't there before become visible to Ralph. Ralph renews his efforts to get some sleep, because a voice inside him tells him that as unbelievable and marvelous as this new world is, he must be cautious.
Ralph Roberts is right to listen that voice.
I won't spoil the plot and tell you the story.
What I will say is that Stephen King does a great job in INSOMNIA of making the reader understand what it is like to be an old-timer like Ralph Roberts and his peers: One day you are twenty and think 60 is old; then you wake up one day and find that you are 40 and 60 doesn't look so far away...or as old as it did at 20. Yes, your reflexes may slow, your vision may worsen, your skin may wrinkle. But you still have the same heart and mind. You have more experience. The world wants to forget about you and discount your thoughts and feelings much like a child who has been followed up by 2 or 3 other kids in the family and is no longer `the baby'. Discarded and invisible is what this country's elderly become. I took a lesson from this book. I saw that we don't even speak to the elderly for the most part; we talk AT them and speak DOWN to them. This should be scary for all of us, because if we don't die first, we can ALL count on getting old.
The information King weaves in about sleep disturbance, dreaming, REM sleep and theories surrounding these hugely fascinating (in my opinion) topics-of course this is necessary foundation for Ralph Roberts' character and the story really-makes INSOMNIA interesting on a Discovery Channel level. In other words, it whets your appetite to read and study more about dreams and dreaming. A very cool topic.
King's layering of the story and characters-he is a master architect, building each character and storyline and failing to do or say anything without a reason-is impressive and incomparable (again, in my opinion). Reading this book was a lesson in writing and creating. King designed and planned this book in a way that is nearly perfect. Five Stars.
Stephen King Didn't Fail To Plan & The Book Doesn't Fail The Reader.