The Dead Zone (Signet)
by Stephen King
List Price:
Our Price: $4.55
You Save: $3.44 (43%)
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 Summary Information
Author: Stephen KingEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1980-08-01
ISBN: 0451155750
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Signet
Book Reviews of The Dead Zone (Signet)
Book Review: A whole book report!! From school!
Summary: 5 Stars
"The dead zone"
By
Stephen King
1) I have chosen the book because of the author. I have read only one Stephen King book before and that was "The Body" published by Penguin readers. Books by Stephen King are said to be great horror books, full of thrill and mystery. So I decided to read a "real" Stephen King book and looked for some books at amazon.at. When I found a book called "The Dead Zone" I was fascinated by the cover and its title.
Because of the title I suppose the book to deal with the subject of death. There isn't any blurb, so the reader doesn't know anything about the plot of the book at this time. The layout of the cover confirms my suspicion of a book with a focus on death, because of the veiled face, which is slightly light up and covers the whole front of the book. The cover is coloured in black, grey and an iridescent mixture of green and blue. The colours grey and black stand for pain, fear, sorrow and death. The iridescent mixture of blue and green is a symbol for mystery, subconscious and things you can not describe in a conventional way, just like supernatural power and death.
I expect the book to be a good read, but I'm afraid that Stephen King's writing style is fairly high developed and so there will be problems with understanding the text. In addition I fear that it will take me very long to read through this novel of more than 400 pages.
The aim of writing this paper is to prove my development of my writing skill. I want to demonstrate that I have already improved my writing skill and my style through all the years of book reports, tests, home-exercises and the English course in Ireland.
The problems I will most likely encounter might be problems with expressing my ideas in the right way. I find it difficult to pick the right word out from the large offer of opportunities of the meanings of a word. It is hard to find the correct word, which expresses my idea and fits into the sentence at the same time.
Probably I will also have troubles with word order and the correct use of time, adjectives and adverbs.
I'll try hard to reduce the number of mistakes.
2) The plot is divided into four parts. The first part is the Prologue in which King introduces the main character Johnny Smith, when he was a teenager.
Johnny was ice skating with some other guys. Suddenly he bumped into another one and fell down. He hit the ground with his head and blacked out. The impact on the ice damaged a little part of his brain. Nobody ever noticed anything and so he lived on without any suspicion, that there isn't everything alright with him. But soon he will find out that he is not that Johnny he was before. The skating accident changed his life drastically.
The second part of the book is the most explained and most important one, and it is about two third of the whole novel. It is called "The Wheel of Fortune" and is about Johnny Smith as an adult.
Johnny Smith is a school teacher in the Maine town of Cleaves Mills, along with his girlfriend, Sarah Bracknell. One day, Johnny takes Sarah to a local fair and gets a bad headache while riding the roller coaster. The part is called The Wheel of Fortune, because the ride on the roller coaster "activated" his powerful gift. Johnny decides to try his luck by playing "The Wheel of Fortune". As he always bets on the right number and makes a lot of money with it, Sarah gets frightened and wants him to bring her home. At the Wheel of Fortune Johnny discovered the power to look into the future the first time, but he wasn't aware of it. He brings Sarah home and organises himself a taxi. Unfortunately the taxi was involved in a horrible car accident: The taxi-driver dies and Johnny falls into a deep coma.
Five and a half years later, Johnny awakes from the coma, although everybody, the parents, Sarah and the doctors gave up hope. Johnny wakes up in a special clinic run by Dr. Sam Weizak, and is surprised to realize that five years have passed and that the whole world has changed. He finds out that he has lost his job, that his girlfriend Sarah was married to another guy and got a child called Danny, and that his mother fell into some kind of a religious mania, when praying all over the years for him. But the most astonishing thing is to find out about his strange new power. He can see into the future and the past of people by touching them or something belonging to them. Certain aspects of his vision, however, are blocked, and he can't always figure out the whole picture. This is the area of his psychic vision Johnny calls "the dead zone".
With his powerful gift he changes the life of everybody he gets in contact with. To give a few examples of his influence on the people around him: He saves the life of the nurse's daughter, when having a vision of a burning house with a girl in it, by touching the nurse. He also changes Dr. Weizak's life by seeing his mother living in California, although she was supposed to be murdered in the World War II.
The most important role Johnny plays in the Chapter "The Wheel of Fortune" is to find out, who the dangerous murderer and rapist is, the police is searching for.
In the third part, "The Laughing of the Tiger", there is a sad climax: Johnny finally finds his death, when he tries to assassinate Greg Stillson, a politician who is going to candidate for the position of the president. When Johnny shook hands with Stillson after a speech, Johnny had an insight into Stillson's soul and saw that this guy is crazy and full of hate. He also saw that Stillson will become president and that then he is going to start a nuclear war, which would leave the world in total destruction. Johnny feels in duty bound to save the world from Greg Stillson, being awake to the fact that this means his own death. He fails to assassinate Stillson, but Stillson commits suicide, when all the newspapers reported about him, using a baby as a human shield. Johnny is shot by a bodyguard.
As an ending, Stephen King added the fourth part called "Notes from the Dead Zone". There we can find alternatively letters of Johnny and Sarah, as well as some newspaper articles about Johnny's power and the failed attempt of Greg Stillson's assassination, and excerpts from the testimony given by the so-called "Stillson Committee".
The story is much like a roller coaster ride. At the beginning Johnny's life hits its peak: He leads a pleased life, he loves his job and his girlfriend Sarah, who he wants to marry.
The car accident flings Johnny out of his tracks, so his life suddenly hit rock bottom. After the coma he suddenly has lost his job, his girlfriend, five and a half years of his life and his physical health. The short moment of the accident is the turning point of his life. His new life is stamped by physical and psychical pain and increasing isolation.
Johnny's supernatural power doesn't turn him into a celebrated hero, but into an uncanny outsider. His mysterious power turns out to be the bane of his life.
Johnny quickly fades, because he is getting weaker and weaker with every vision. His physical appearance gets worse, as well as his pangs. At the end of the story Johnny just looks like a zombie: his eyes were bloodshot, his face was deathly pale, he looks feeble and there were scars all over his body from the operations. You can easily foresee Johnny's death and that there wouldn't be a happy ending.
I think the book deals with many problems at the same time. One of these is the predicament after a long coma. King makes us realize what it is like, awaking from a coma, which lasted a few years, and what feeling it is when the whole world has changed. All your dreams burst like bubbles and you have to start from the very beginning again. You have to find a job, you have to reintegrate into the social system again and you have to endure a lot of painful operations in order to regenerate and mobilize you by lengthening your sinews.
Other problems result from problems in reintegrating into the society, especially with such a strange power. Johnny lost his sweetheart to another guy, he lost his job and his mother has gone insane. Johnny's world breaks down with one single moment, the car accident to be precise. He failed to reintegrate and so it comes to the tragic end. For example, if he just had been able to marry Sarah, there would be a different ending, because then he would have gotten something it is worth living for.
To my mind "The Dead Zone" is a great book. I had expected the book to be a rather long read. I also thought that Stephen King's experienced writing-style and the enlarged vocabulary would be too thorny to read. But reading the novel was completely different from the expectations I had before. I think this book turned me into a Stephen King fan and if I only had time, I'd read other books from him. I like his style very much. He doesn't lengthen the story by all means. There are chapters, which were very long and there were chapters, which were very short, for example: "The dinner was a great success." (See part 2, chapter 9, subchapter 9, page 139). This is the whole subchapter!
I like this very much, because it shows that the contents and the idea are of highest importance for King, not to approximate a certain number of chapters or words. It seems as he just writes down what comes to his mind and as a result there were chapters of very different length. Because of this, Stephen King's books keep the reader in suspense and they never get dull. Other readers tell in book reviews that "The Dead Zone" is not his best book and that there are much better ones. To my mind it is a great story with lots of griping and mysterious facts. I couldn't put the book aside, because it reads so fluently. If people are right, when saying that there are better books from Stephen King, I can't wait to read another one of this great author's books. Even if they aren't really better, I would read them.
The Dead Zone is really worth reading. You can easily identify with the main character, Johnny Smith. I would strongly recommend it to people who love to be spellbound by mystery-thrillers.
I would asses the novel as literary work of art, because Stephen King managed to show the slow modification of Johnny Smith. At the beginning everything is alright, he is alive and kicking and enjoys best health. While reading, Johnny slowly modifies from a respected man of the middleclass into an uncanny outsider. It shows all the little details of Johnny's life and his iridescent character, which are important to identify with him. King managed to alter all this little details so slowly, that you do not realise the modifications. But if you reflect on the part you have read, you can see that Johnny has already changed a little bit. If you reflect on the whole novel, suddenly you can see one big tremendous change, and it scars me, how insidious such a big change of personality and appearance can be.
To my mind Stephen King succeeded on the whole and I can't wait to read other books of him.
It's difficult to tell you, where I have succeeded or failed. I just hope that there aren't too many mistakes and that I have improved my style and have enlarged my vocabulary. I liked to work with this book and I hope this is perceptible to you.
Summary of The Dead Zone (Signet)
The #1 bestseller that still mesmerizes fans
John Smith awakens from an interminable coma with an accursed power-the power to see the future and the terrible fate awaiting mankind in...the dead zone.
John Smith awakens from an interminable coma with an accursed power-the power to see the future and the terrible fate awaiting mankind in...the dead zone.
In the St. James Guide to Horror, Ghost & Gothic Writers, Gary Westfahl predicts that "King has already earned himself a place in the history of literature.... At the very least, he will enjoy the status of a latter-day Anthony Trollope, an author respected for his popularity and social commentary.... More likely, he will be enshrined as the Charles Dickens of the late 20th century, the writer who perfectly reflected, encapsulated, and expressed the characteristic concerns of his era."
If any of King's novels exemplifies his skill at portraying the concerns of his generation, it's The Dead Zone (1979). Although it contains a horrific subplot about a serial killer, it isn't strictly a horror novel. It's the story of an unassuming high school teacher, an Everyman, who suffers a gap in time--like a Rip Van Winkle who blacks out during the years 1970-75--and thus becomes acutely conscious of the way that American society is rapidly changing. He wakes up as well with a gap in his brain, the "dead zone" of the title. The zone gives him crippling headaches, but also grants him second sight, a talent he doesn't want and is reluctant to use. The crux of the novel concerns whether he will use that talent to alter the course of history.
The Dead Zone is a tight, well-crafted book. When asked in 1983 which of his novels so far was "the best," Stephen King answered, "The one that I think works the best is Dead Zone. It's the one that [has] the most story." --Fiona Webster
Horror Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Horror Books
Let the Right One In: A Novelby John Ajvide Lindqvist
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus: The 1818 Textby Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 1982-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops:
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Oxford Bookworms S, Stage 4)by Robert Louis Stevenson
Oxford Univ Pr (Sd); Published: 1991-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.79
Price in other shops:
The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales (Oxford Books of Prose)Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2001-11-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $50.00
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3)by Stephen King
Penguin Audio; Published: 2003-08-26; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $149.99
![Thinner [UNABRIDGED] Image](/images/Thinner-UNABRIDGED-0140862668-X.jpg){kind=small}
Thinner [UNABRIDGED]by Stephen King
Penguin Audio; Published: 1996-09-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
The Crow: Temple of Nightby S P. Somtow
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 1999-11-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Brains: A Zombie Memoirby Robin Becker
Eos; Published: 2010-05-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.23
Price in other shops:
The Strain LP: Book One of The Strain Trilogyby Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan
HarperLuxe; Published: 2009-06-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.45
Price in other shops:
Prince of Darknessby Barbara Michaels
HarperTorch; Published: 2005-04-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.58
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Night Shift (Signet)by Stephen King
Signet; Published: 1979-02-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.08
Price in other shops:
Skeleton Crewby Stephen King
Signet; Published: 1986-06-03; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.42
Price in other shops:
Carrieby Stephen King
Pocket Books; Published: 2002-11-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.67
Price in other shops:
Desperationby Stephen King
Signet; Published: 1997-08-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops:
Firestarterby Stephen King
Signet; Published: 1981-08-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Miseryby Stephen King
Signet; Published: 1998-01-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
Cujoby Stephen King
Signet; Published: 1982-08-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.95
Price in other shops:
Pet Semataryby Stephen King
Pocket Books; Published: 2001-02-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.17
Price in other shops:
Itby Stephen King
Signet; Published: 1987-08-07; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.40
Price in other shops:
The Standby Stephen King
Anchor; Published: 2011-06-28; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.51
Price in other shops: