Finally finished Stephen King's Insomnia this week and I was not expecting all the Dark Tower connections. I have not read Dark Tower yet, but this may be my catalyst. The book has a hard time standing on its own and I'm happy I had an idea about the Dark Tower series so I could follow what was going on. Even so, I'm sure a lot went over my head. I would not recommend Insomnia as a standalone novel, only for those Tower fans looking for a companion piece.
My biggest criticism is the story is nearly 650 pages and it could have been told in 350. It is a slow read. The irony is the book actually put me to sleep a lot because it was so slow. Another negative is the book is just very weird and I can see a lot of people putting the book down for that reason alone. You spend a lot of the book just not knowing what's going on and there are some odd creative choices King makes.
I enjoyed reading a book where the heroes are an elderly man and woman. This is a refreshing change and I loved it. There are three supernatural characters nicknamed Doc #1, Doc #2, and the evil Doc #3. I really enjoyed these characters and found them fascinating, especially when they interacted with the heroes. Ralph, the main character, calls them doctors because they look like pint-sized medical professionals. The ending is very strong, which cannot always be said for King stories.
With the movie on the horizon I may be starting Dark Tower next.
My biggest criticism is the story is nearly 650 pages and it could have been told in 350. It is a slow read. The irony is the book actually put me to sleep a lot because it was so slow. Another negative is the book is just very weird and I can see a lot of people putting the book down for that reason alone. You spend a lot of the book just not knowing what's going on and there are some odd creative choices King makes.
I enjoyed reading a book where the heroes are an elderly man and woman. This is a refreshing change and I loved it. There are three supernatural characters nicknamed Doc #1, Doc #2, and the evil Doc #3. I really enjoyed these characters and found them fascinating, especially when they interacted with the heroes. Ralph, the main character, calls them doctors because they look like pint-sized medical professionals. The ending is very strong, which cannot always be said for King stories.
With the movie on the horizon I may be starting Dark Tower next.