The Shining

So. Good.

Meh. 66% of this book is really good, but the last 33% is awful. Throw in 1% of the usual and random Stephen King shenanigans and you end up with a book that's entire passable, largely enjoyable, occasionally a lot of fun, and dreadful to experience.

Overall, I had a good time, but probably won't read it again.

To be honest this book didn't produce the effect in me it could have if I had read it a decade or two earlier.
Also I don't understand horror in written form. The only horrifying thing I read here was, the lead's fingers scraping the wallpaper peeling off tiny bits of it. (That and stubbing little toe will be always horrifying depicted in any form - picture or prose)
I loved Jack Torrance. I loved how messed up he was. On edge. Ready to explode any time. I'm tired of perfect characters who act appropriately all the time. Unreasonable flawed idiots give stories many dimensions, making the reader jump sides throughout the novel.

I love established fantasy and realism, but I hate everything in between. So naturally, I hated the villain in the Shining for not setting down the rules. It's not fun when anything can happen.

SCARY AF

I am the type of person that laughs while watching horror movies because they don't tend to scare me, but dam did this book scare me.
I usually read before going to sleep, so there is little light in my room and I swear that while reading this book the shadows in my room were moving. Hence, I've been sleeping with a light on while reading this book.

This is a great book, with incredible settings and descriptions making you be in the Overlook yourself. I must admit sometimes these excessive descriptions, although necessary, feel a little drawn out. This is especially the case in the first part. Once they move into the Overlook and weird things start happening, you will be so drawn in that you won't mind the excessive descriptions.
As said the beginning although a little dull is necessary because it presents us with our characters and how they tick, which is very important for the third act.

I find it fascinating the ability of Stephen King to convey so many emotions through text. As mentioned above I got scared the hell out through this novel and even in the tense scenes, my heart was pounding like crazy.
This may be because King is exploring psychological horror in this book, instead of creating a monster he shows us the journey of a broken family losing their mind.

All in all, a must-read horror book, it has been my entire point on this genre and it won't be the last one. So go and read it, if you have the guts for it...

Still as brilliant as when I read it when I was 15. The only difference is this time I will probably be able to sleep tonight...hopefully

This is the 3rd book in The Grand Stephen King Experiment for www.tannerwillbanks.com. It is a wonderfully written novel that reaches beyond the horror genre, which it is rightfully claimed by, to be a novel about familial relationships, addiction, and living with the decisions one makes, both bad and good. As King's third novel, this is a masterwork from early in his career. Highly recommended.

My third 70's King's book. My favorite until now, it's a real page turner. I really loved it

9/10

This book proves that horror stories don't require visual/sound effects to display the horror, just words are enough to get terrified!!

I LOVED this book. It is now my all time favorite book.

While the movie was fantastic, it was not a great adaptation...the book is SOOOO much better. Jack's descent into madness is just so well done.

If you like the movie, please read the book!

Crazy how different the movie is from the book. I think the movie is honestly better. The iconic scenes in the movie aren't in the book and I appreciate those. The movie also didn't have the corny Hedge Lion. all that being said it was still a great book and his best book of the first three he wrote.

Insidious and terrifying like a ticking clock. I loved it. I also did the audio by [a:Cambell Scott 8650261 Cambell Scott https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] and he was brilliant. I've seen Kubrick's movie adaption a number of times (I think it's cinematic gold) but had not read the book. There are differences (as there should be, they are completely different mediums) but the tone & theme are in sync. In any case this is just what the doctor ordered for Halloween

this is easily kings best book in my opinion. it isn't overly convoluted with boring side plots or confusing elements like his other books. it has his best-written and most endearing, memorable characters. there's so much to think about within this book. it was so engaging and i wanted to keep reading, not a feeling i usually have with his work. it was also my favorite actual writing of his by a long shot. there was a couple weird issues i had but overall definitely my favorite king. 

Stick with this one to the end, it is a slow burn that leads to an explosive, tense climax. The Shining is a very good place to start with Stephen King as it introduces a key supernatural system used in other King books.

The Shining is not a scary book but more of a psychological horror, which really got under my skin in a way no other book has. Having watched the film I was expecting pretty much that but what I got was a lot more depth about the Father/Son relationship and the devastating inner battle between the Fathers light and dark side. I now understand why King wasn't a fan of the movie as it barely scratches the surface of what King pinned the whole book on and what seemed to be a deeply personal journey.

P.s: I will never trust topiary again!

Me: I don't like scary things.
Also me: I should read The Shining.

absolutely phenomenal. My favourite Stephen King book yet!
I can't wait to re-read this in the future!

Whenever I read a Stephen King book I am almost already enthralled by it, and I try to look at what makes it so compelling. Is it the prose? It's usually solid enough, but there aren't any specific passages or turns of phrase that jump to mind. Is it the characters? Again, solid. Serviceable. They are sympathetic or despicable or whatever else they need to be and often pretty archetypical, they serve the story well. Is it the plot/ideas? This is probably a bit stronger than the other areas as his books generally have pretty interesting premises, but I'd argue that is mostly his later books that have the more clear elevator pitch high concept plots.

So then I think what really works for me is the pacing and execution. The tension builds and the story unfolds with nary a wasted scene. Information is doled out to the reader and held back in equal measure to keep the pages turning. It's just really fun to read (or in my case, listen to, as I think his style is perfect for audiobooks).

It's hard not to think about this book outside the context of the movie. Reading it, I pictured the hotel from the movie, but I didn't really picture the characters the same way. I remember reading that King was upset with Kubrick's take on The Shining, and one of the reasons is that from frame one Jack Nicholson looks mentally unhinged. I thought that was fine in the movie, but having read the book I totally understand. Jack Torrance in the book is sympathetic, he's had some struggles and is trying to piece his life back together and be a better person. As we spend more time with him we realize that maybe he is an unreliable narrator and maybe his motives aren't as clear as he would like us to think they are, but perhaps he's still a redeemable hero? Anyways, the character is much more complex in the book than in the movie certainly, so the book feels familiar but fresh at the same time. I'm glad I read it!

A final note: King's weird adolescent obsession with sex so strangely stands out to me in this book and others of his. He'll just describe things in a suggestive way or have explicit sexual references as kind of window dressing that feels so out of place. I'll give him a little bit of credit and say it does add to the unsettling feeling of a lot of his stories, but I think that's a bit of a stretch in a lot of cases.

There is absolutely no way that this is Joey's favourite book.

This review is totally biased because I loved Stanley Kubrick's version of The Shining and maybe more of a comparison. I do feel I can chat about this more openly since I assume so many people have seen the movie. But I will keep it all under spoilers.
I'll also do my best to review the book, but it's nearly impossible to remove the images Stanley has left for me. Another variable in my review is Stephen's own dislike for Stanley's take on the book. I learned Stephen has issue with how Jack Torrence was portrayed as a whole. Jack Nicholson donned a wildly psychotic persona from the beginning mountain drive, where in the book, Jack Torrence is really a family man.The books story is more or less about a relatively dysfunctional family, The Torrence's. They are having money problems in which Jack, the father, is having a hard time finding a job in between writing a new best seller. He lands a job at the prestigious Overlook Hotel in Colorado. A famous ski resort where all the presidents have stayed and many famous ballroom dances have occured......and also many horrible deaths.Danny their beloved son is special in that he can see beyond what normal humans can see. He can see what will be. He can see outside of his body and into other dimensions, sometimes at will. Danny has a power so great he can see that his family is in great trouble even before Jack takes the job. Wendy Torrence is the protector of Danny ever since Jack nearly broke his arm while drunk one night. Though Jack and Danny have a real father and son bond, there is an entity will break that apart.Danny is scared of the Overlook but doesn't know why. The hotel is special, just like Danny and it wants Danny for itself.The Shining, like all of Kings' books is great. When summarized its amazing and when viewed on screen, they are spectacular and horrifying. But sometimes to read it, they always have a lull somewhere. The Shining is no exception where there's lots to wade through and wait for through it's very slow pace. When compared to the movie, I felt Stanley had little time to develop Jack's psychotic behavior and explain Danny's powers. The hotel also needed to be a character that was foreboding and creepy. So far Kubrick exceeded on all fronts. King's version of Jack Torrence was one who struggled with his past while trying his best to set up his family's future. The job was a means to an end, but the Overlook got in the way and foiled all of their plans for a better life. And I appreciate King's version of Jack Torrence in that he was a far more complex character than Kubrick allowed.I do not think Kubrick explained well enough what The Shining is, nor that the Overlook is capturing others like Danny (all those ghosts). Stephens book really brings it altogether far better than the movie. I do think Kubrick made the right decision to use an axe instead of a polo mallet, as it's just scary to see a guy running around with an axe instead of a big hammer.
All in all I enjoyed it, but it's length and dry spells throughout made it a good book instead of a great one. There's enough difference in the movie that if you're a fan - this is totally worth reading.

Absolutely haunting!
King really is an exceptional writer. His style, his themes, his characters... And this book really shows his skills. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for introduction to the work of Stephen King. It shows his ability to really put you in character's head and make you really understand them, portraying their thoughts as real as they come. But, with subtle note of horror that plays well with character's psyche.
Plot of the book is pretty straightforward: a family moves in the hotel over winter, to take care of it. But, the hotel is not what it seems. Basic horror setup. But, what makes it stand out are King's characters. Definitely not your typical heroes/protagonists. His characters are deeply flawed and unlikable, but in the same time, you feel for them and you sympathize with them. King brilliantly portrays such characters - they are not evil villains, they are people, with very human characteristics, but also have dark sides to them. And you are left with feeling of uncertainty whether you're supposed to root for them or not.
The whole hotel theme is secondary (at least, if you ask me). The main theme is Jack Torrance and his difficult relationships with people around him. Isolated haunted hotel just presents the perfect playground for explorations of those relationships and his own mind.

3.5/5. I think i could have related to the scare more of if I was a child of the early 80s, however, most of this book is just Doc doing his own thing and the parents looking at each other like ‘where is my child??' Do I appreciate this as a horror classic? Of course. So many scenes are clearly the original versions of scares I still read/see to this day portraying a similar eerie air, the way King writes. Very good portrayal of addiction and mental illness brought on my trauma and stress. The relationships in this book though... very weird. Again, maybe the 80s was a different time... but This was good and I will definitely read the second.

Unpopularopinion, sí, no me ha gustado para nada éste libro. ¿Porqué? simplemente se me ha hecho muy lento, pesado y sin gancho, lo siento pero es así llevaba el 40% y seguía simplemente por la buena reputación que tenía asi que le daba esa oportunidad porque he leido libros que hasta casi el 40-50% no me enganchaban y éste ha sido totalmente una decepción. No seguiré con el siguiente libro claramente. Con éste autor tengo una relación de amor-odio hay algunos libros que me maravillan como joyland que se ha convertido en mi favorito e IT pero otros los odio, bueno no es odio es simplemente que no me ha atrapado y no me emocionaron cómo me esperaba, pero en fin, seguiré leyendo libros de éste autor porque tiene algo que me atrae aunque no sé el qué.

Wow! That was really excellent. I read it in preparation to read Doctor Sleep for the movie in a few months, and was really only mildly interested, but it quickly became my favorite King novel so far (out of ‘Salem's Lot, It, and this). The sense of dread and terror really built up in an effective way and wasn't bogged down by the physical presence of it (at least until the end), a factor I think kept the rest of his books from being truly SCARY to me so far.

Besides that it's a much more manageable length than some of his others, with a smaller cast to dig deep into, and I appreciated that. Still felt insanely like him, still had the seemingly requisite Hill House reference (which this also felt the closest to!)

On to Doctor Sleep!

“Living by your wits is always knowing where the wasps are.”

3.5 stars to The Shining.

I expected to enjoy The Shining a lot more than I did, I didn't dislike it by any means but I'm not sure how much of it I really enjoyed either! The characters are interesting and well fleshed out (as King always does) and the slow build horror is creepy but I think that's the problem, it was too much of a slow burner for me!

“Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win.”