Cell by Stephen King




I had not read a Stephen King book since Insomnia.

Originally published in 2006.

I just walked away because I was so disappointed in that book. Before that, I read every Stephen King book as soon as it came out, but Insomnia was so disappointing that I just swore off his books for several years.

So, it's been 12 or 13 years since I've even picked up a Stephen King book. I thought it was time to try again. I was tempted by the book description on the dust jacket of Cell.

 So, what was the verdict?

Enjoyable read. At times, I could not put it down.
Stephen King
No one writes gore better than King. He adds detail that makes you feel like you were there. King's easy reading style sucks the reader right in and the reader wants to know what is going to happen next. Uncharacteristically, King fails to do much in the area of character development, outside of the main character of Clay. Too bad.

One cannot help but to compare Cell to The Stand. It would be unfair to say that Cell is a mini-Stand. The over-arching themes of good vs. evil are not present. The character development is, by comparison, non-existent. Cell is not as good, but not as much of a time investment, either.

 The plotline is rather straightforward - a "pulse" goes through every active cell phone in the world at the same time that pretty much fries the brain of the user and turns them in all into super-enraged zombie-like creatures that attack everyone that was not affected by the pulse. They are not zombies as in they are undead, but rather they function at that level. King tells us the story of some of the survivors.

 So - to sum it all up. Cell is good, not as good as King at his best, but definitely worth a look.

 I give it 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Cell by Stephen King. 

 Reviewed on February 8, 2006.

NOTE: This book was placed on a banned book list for the 2023-2024 school year. Here is a ink to the extensive list of books banned in Florida for that school year. UGH.

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