The Institute

“The Institute” is built upon a decent premise, certainly one that I would have expected Stephen King to do much with. And yet the book feels like three stories mashed together, all at different stages of completion.

The beginning section, in which we are introduced to the mysterious Tim, is well-done; I was reeled in and ready to keep going. Then we move to the point-of-view of Luke Ellis, an extremely intelligent 12-year old with mild telekinetic abilities. He's abducted and finds himself in a facility full of other oddly-gifted children. This section moved along at a good clip, but gets bogged down after Luke's escape.

My complaints? The “bad guys” are all a little too bad and the kids a little too good. The last section, much like some of King's other books, is slapped on, especially the last 50 pages, which should have been edited out entirely (this section feels like a different story with little development).

One thing that really bothered me in this book is that the kids antiquated or odd language one might find in Baby Boomers, not those born after 2004.

All in all, an okay book for a snowy day, but not for the faint of heart.