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Revival

by 7 Comments

Author:Stephen King

The latest King novel is a masterful hommage to the writers that have inspired him.
Combining the King magic touch of relateable reality infested by unnatural fears, with the lifegiving electricity of Mary Shelley, the grotesque monstrosities of Lovecraft, and themes, quotes and details from all of the icons of the horror genre.
As creepy as Pet Sematary and impossible to put down until the end, this is one of his very best novels IMO.

Length of Read:Medium

Might appeal to people who enjoyed…

Pet Sematary, The Dead Zone, and the classics of early horror.
Horror fans who enjoys spotting references and feeling clever.

One thing you’ve learned

Beware of electricity.

5

Comments

  1. I liked this one a lot, especially the lurch into pure Lovecraftian cosmic horror at the end (uh, SPOILERS), which I really didn’t see coming. King can be very up and down, but he seems to be in another purple patch at the moment – I’ve enjoyed his last three or four a lot.

  2. yes this is a good one – very Lovecraft inspired and also influenced (according to the author) by Arthur Meachen’s gothic novella The Great God Pan, which Bargepole was then inspired to seek out.

  3. Stephen King is probably my favourite author but I have to say the last 2 – this one and Mr Mercedes have been below par. Revival is a bit SK by numbers and Mr Mercedes an interesting diversion into the straight thriller genre but was forgettable.
    For me his last great story was 11.22.63 and the previous one Under The Dome was pretty memorable and original as well.

    • Mr Mercedes and Joyland were books that felt like King wrote them on his holiday (but still more entertaining than most crime novelists manage). Doctor Sleep was two stories that felt mis-matched put together IMO.
      But this one really spoke to me as a fan of the horror genre, and it had a creepiness to it that few of his later novels have had – maybe that says more about what I personally find creepy.
      I came to it with no expectations at all, hadn’t read any reviews or articles about it and didn’t know it existed. But I sat down one afternoon and couldn’t stop reading until four in the morning, when I finished it.
      He’s done a few by numbers, but I wouldn’t say this is one of them at all. I thought it seemed like he was really inspired this time – isn’t it funny how differently two people can view the same experience?

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