Customer Reviews

Cell: A Novel

5 star:		(240)
4 star:		(288)
3 star:		(229)
2 star:		(144)
1 star:		(130)

 

 

The wonderful thing about King's new novel, Cell, is that he takes a relatively ordinary phenomenon of contemporary life and turns it into a shocking horror fest. This is King's great talent, and no one does it better. From the pet cemetary in the woods to the nice family doggie (who now has rabies), King populates his middle-class American landscape with familiar things that have now turned nightmarishly psychotic. In Cell, King jams an urban myth into the highest gear. What if cell phones didn't cause cancer? What if they did something much worse? What if they turned the user into a zombie killing machine? From the first page to the last, you're hooked. It doesn't matter if the reading calories are empty; you can't stop reading. That's why King, above everything else (and perhaps in spite of everything else) has remained the best selling author in the world. You can't stop reading him.

Donald Gallinger is the author of The Master Planets

If for no other reason, I thank Stephen King for taking those five words which haunt tv commercials:, "Can you hear me now?" and turning the phrase into something more than merely annoying..and into the realm of the truly ominous. While it might seem obvious to some of us that cell phones are horrible little devices, it still takes a pretty talented writer to write a book about evil spread by cell phones...and to keep readers riveted the entire time. I was one of those readers. Like King, I refuse to have a cell phone, an "electronic leash". No thanks.

But I'm really digressing here. Back to The Cell . If you think you don't like King's "supernatural" or "horror" style, I'd urge you to give The Cell a chance. I read it from cover to cover in one sitting.
I can't say it is the best book he's written but it was still a fine read and had many of the trademarks of King's superior writing - excellent characterization, an unpredictable plot and just enough plausability to make me think, "WHat if?" What if there WERE some way to use cell phones to affect people's brains, to create insanity in our population, with results leading to the brink of civilization's collapse?

It is to King's credit that he not only raises these questions but kept me wanting to find out what happened next, to see what happened to Clayton, a guy who happens to be away from home when all hell breaks out. By the time it does, I was already intrigued by this guy, someone who was trying to figure out a way to curry his estranged wife's favor, who had the usual worries and imperfections of the average man. He was no hero, just an ordinary guy, just trying to get by, thinking about his career and the next step in his day, the usual stuff..when everything changes in an instant and he faces the type of test that he never could have foreseen, not in his usual routine..nope, not him. All aroud him, people are attacking each other and there doesn't seem to be a reason why. Clayton is forced to think quickly to save himself and others, without any inkling of WHY all this is happening...at least, not at first.

I won't go into any of the "symbolism" that I'm sure some critics will have a field day exploring, maybe something about how cell phones represent "terrorists" and the horror and uncertainty akin to the type that hit New Yorkers after 9/11, when normal life was suddenly a speck in the distance. A detailed talk about symbolism and metaphor is for someone else to write.
All I can add is that I found this book to be one heck of a good way to spend the day, allowing me to forget about the small irritations in my own life (the dishes in the sink, the piles of laundry) and to ignore the twinges of guilt about that for a bit longer. I needed an excuse to avoid that, feeling tired and burned out on that particular day.

I'm glad I put off my usual routine a bit longer because when I finally came up for air, bleary-eyed at 4 in the morning after reading the very last lines in the book, I felt oddly reinvigorated. I stayed up most of the REST of the night washing dishes and finishing laundry as my nerves settled (thanks, King) but didn't regret a moment of the time I'd spend deviating from my usual routine...well, okay, maybe a little...but it was still worth it.

And I, for one, am glad King is still writing--even if I was nervous about picking up my cell phone for a couple of days!

The editorial reviews tell you everything you need to know about the plot, so I won't repeat it here.

When I read this book I saw comparisons to two novels; one of those books is Dean Koontz's "The Taking." Although the plots are superficially the same--a trip through a nightmare world--the books are very different in style, in tone, and in the "whys" underlying them. [Depending on your point of view, by the way, you'll find King's explanation either inspired or exasperating.]

The comparisons to the zombies of George A. Romero's movies are fairly obvious, but the descriptions of human life after the Pulse, for Clay and his band of struggling "normies," and of non-human life, if you will, for the "phoners," reminded me of a more classic novel, Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend." [King has noted his admiration for Matheson in the past, and, in fact, "Cell" is dedicated to Romero and Matheson.] What scared me most about this novel, as with "Legend," was the fact that everything in the book felt like it really *could* happen here.

And that plausibility carries through to the ending. It's difficult to write an ending for a book like this one, but King managed to write one that makes sense without false optimism (as the book's prologue notes, most of America is dead by the time the book ends) *or* unnecessary pathos.

All in all, King fans will be thrilled by this book; as an added bonus, it also includes an excerpt from King's next novel, "Lisey's Story" (due out in October 2006), which I am now eagerly awaiting.

This novel has a great underlying premise: The human brain is an organic computer that has a basic operating system, which is capable of being erased. In the case of this novel, the erasure is triggered by a "pulse" that is sent out to millions of people through their cell phones. Those who do not happen to be using their phones at the time of the Pulse are spared. Those who are using their phones turn into zombie-like creatures who maim and kill one another and appear to be driven only by hunger and anger.

The twist comes when the "normies" realize that the "phoners" (aka zombies) are sort of evolving over time. They appear to be developing more sophisticated traits that are, in some cases, superior to those of normal humans. For instance, they communicate via telepathy and move around by means of levitation.

I would have liked to see this evolution idea further developed, perhaps even all the way to the point where the once inferior zombies become the next step up in human evolution, with the "normies" ultimately ending up in the same relationship as the Neanderthals may have been to Homo Sapiens. But, alas, that never happens. In fact, nothing close to that happens because King leaves readers in the lurch by not bringing the novel to a satisfactory conclusion.

I know that King often leaves the ultimate endings up to the readers' imaginations, and I appreciate that technique. But in Cell he really should have taken us a bit farther down the road, at least so we knew whether or not the "old" human programming could be rescued from some area of deep memory so some phoners could be restored to their former condition. The abrupt ending was a real let-down for me, especially since, for me, the point of reading a classic-style King horror story is to be entertained.

So, the bottom line is this: The pros of this novel are that it has a great premise and can be read in one sitting. The BIG con is that King doesn't develop the plot lines sufficiently to bring his story to a satisfying conclusion. He leaves his readers swinging in the wind.

...because I was so disappointed in that book. 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.

So, what was the verdict?

Enjoyable read. At times, I could not put it down.

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-existant. 'Cell' is not as good, but not as much of a time investment, either.

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 a grade of B+.

Thank you Mr King all the elements of a really really good story...This is pre-1987 King and I love all the parts of the book. As usual, Zombie concept takes a twist in King's mind- not death but scrambled brains. The ending is usual if you have been reading King for a long time...And I certainly agree with him: It is not the destination but journey that makes it very worthwile to read..Waiting with Lisey's story holding my breath!

I read _Cell_ in one sitting. It truly is a return to form for the "old" King, the one who first grabbed me with _'Salem's Lot_ and held on for most of his career (I bought King in hard cover through _Pet Sematary_), but who, lately, seemed more interested in historical details and the foibles of humanity than in truly trying to scare his audience.

Sure, it would be nice to know a bit more about what caused "the pulse," the worldwide phenomena that sets off an orgy of violence and brings about the end of civilization. But not knowing is not a weakness in the book's plot. The book is, at times, reminiscent of _The Stand_ and _The Tommyknockers_, but it doesn't read like King on autopilot. It's a scary book all on its own and a real page-turner, which, unfortunately, some of King's recent books have not been.

And the book has one of the best endings King has ever written. I'd be the first to agree that endings are one of SK's weaknesses, but this one is just right--it's sad and hopeful and a perfect resolution to his story. This is one book I wouldn't have minded at twice the length, but maybe the secret is to keep things lean and mean. Here's hoping King's retirement keeps getting pushed back.

Stephen King writes a zombie book? I could not have been MORE excited. But good lord, what happened? It turned out more like a zombie wrote a Stephen King book.

There were good ideas in this story, but King never executed them satisfyingly and I don't know why.

This was like Desperation + The Tommyknockers + The Stand; but the result was inferior to any of them.

[Occasional spoilers below]

The characters were less-than-life. There was not two cents worth of difference between the personalities of Tom and Clay. If you changed most of the "Tom said"s to "Clay said"s no one would be the wiser. And is it just my aged Victorian values, or is it discomfiting that Tom McCourt (who identifies himself as being gay) showers the pubescent Jordan with affection, kissing him and hugging him? (Tom and Jordan are not lifelong friends, they've known each other for about a week in the story.) Clay (who is likewise a recent acquaintance of Jordan)also seems overcome by by the boy's 12 year-old charms, kissing him and calling him "honey." At one point Clay's heart aches because he cannot kiss the boy. Good grief. Who designed the Pulse anyway? NAMBLA?

Additionally, was I the only one who was put off when the protagonist is presented as justified for smashing a middle aged woman in the face and knocking her cold because she was quoting scripture (or attempting to)? I'm no holy roller, but c'mon Steve...ease up.

Other problems, the phoners. There's really no satisfactory reason given for their actions. Are they insane? Are they evil? Are they making war on the normies? Are they a new type of humanity? We never know. The protags kill them off easy enough but the reader never feels convinced that they're doing the right thing. Especially when we later learn that the crazies might be curable. Also why have the phoners with these bizarre telekenetic powers--I understand the telepathy--but what's with the weird scenes of phone crazies walking four feet off the ground and fights that result in electric disturbances? There's no real reason or reasoning given.

I was also irritated by the fact that no one uses cars anymore. Why? King tells us that its because of abandoned cars in traffic jams. But come on, drive through a few yards, push a car or two out of the way. It's a chilly Northeastern autumn and no one prefers a heated automobile to slogging it on foot? Well no one except the "sprinters" who use cars and trucks for 100mph reckless entertainment purposes (risking a fatality rate of about 50%, by my estimates).

Even the beginning, when the Pulse is happening and the world is going crazy, Stephen ruins the tension by having Clay shoot off unfunny one-liners which make the scenes feel silly instead of scary.

And the raison d'etre, the Pulse, is shrugged off without explanation. Maybe terrorists did it, we learn. Maybe not. Who knows? Who cares?

Stephen King CAN write, he demonstrates that well enough. It's just that he has nothing left to say, it seems.

I miss the old Stephen King who wrote Carrie, The Stand, Night Shift (geez, I LOVED Night Shift), Misery, It, The Tommyknockers, Different Seasons, and Pet Sematary. If HE's written anything recently, I'd like to read it.

This book was second only to "Eyes of the Dragon" in terms of suckiness. I've read 26 books by King, so there may be a worse one out there that I haven't read yet, but thus far this is his most unimaginative book. I do admit that the premise of the novel is brilliant and the first 50 pages are gripping. The first 50 pages are the type of King I love: fast paced, action packed, witty, and critical of society. The beginning focuses on Clay Riddell, a reluctant hero who is visiting Boston as he is trying to sell his latest graphic novel. While he is there, strange events begin around him. The citizens of Boston who are using cellphones suddenly begin to lose their minds and attack each other. This is brought on by a signal sent out by cellphones called "The Pulse". Avoiding the catastrophe, Clay meets up with a couple of other survivors. He next becomes preoccupied with getting back to his home town in rural Maine to check up on his estranged wife and son. Clay's newfound friends join him in his journey north. As soon as the party leaves Boston, the novel takes a nose-dive. King goes into lengthy discussions about the nature of humanity and its dormant, yet inherent, appetite for carnality. While some of this is interesting, it never clearly addresses the nature of "The Pulse" or its creators. Casually, King proposes that it could have been terrorist related, but this is far too tongue-in-cheek to be taken seriously. King himself has stated that he's not the best at explaining why things happen, but what about "The Stand"? King's explanation for Captain Tripps, while relatively brief, was good and it was all I needed to keep interested in the novel. While not a terrible novel, "Cell" is not a particularly enjoyable read if you are familiar with King's other novels. At many points, "Cell" is essentially "The Stand" part one. At many points it felt like I was re-reading "The Stand". King also drags in his archetypal unlikely heroine telepath. Alice, a survivor who meets up with Clay, is essentially a collaboration of Mother Abigail and Dinah Bellman, with a decent smattering of Duddits Cavell. King's just rewriting some of his best ideas into one, short novel. I also noticed King borrowing from George A. Romero. The phone crazies are similar to the zombies of "Land of the Dead". In "Land of the Dead" the leader of the zombies is a disheveled, brilliant, African-American, bearing resemblance to King's "The Raggedy Man". If you're a true King fan, you probably won't avoid "Cell", but I do recommend you avoid spending $25+ on the hardcover edition. I sincerely hope that the style of "Cell" isn't the new trend of King's style; that of self-aggrandizing, re-written, unimaginative dribble.

I do not so much count on bestseller lists, but I could not help but remember the first time SK hit NYTimes Bestseller list at 1 spot with the Dead Zone. Cell, his new book after 26 years the former hit number one will surely hit number one, too. According to Newseek it is the last week's bestselling book throughout the entire USA in all genres and types, comfortably outselling the Oprah pick-up, Night in PAPERBACK format. Considering how Oprah followers flock to a book as soon as she says "go", it is only King's name that could outsell it.

This makes King a legendary bestseller man in addition to his highly great writing talents and skills, a point long known and agreed by his constant readers but only rejected by some elite circles and a few bunch of readers of other authors. It may be also due to the fact that they cannot get the taste of King's writing and if I was like that I would of course envy those people who had the highest pleasures in King's stories.

Anyway, Cell also points out that readers are actually hungry for a good King book, or a good story actually, and they are right how many crap books are crowding the market. Yes, King has fallen of grace slightly during past ten years, but thank god he never succumbed to abysmal and horrible writing like the ones Patricia Cornwell or James Patterson or Tom Clancy is churning out constant crap for five to six years. And thank God he never succumbed to cheap tricks to maintain his readership, like Dean Koontz, once a decent storyteller, now a voracious but somehow fake pro right-wing man. King's last three Dark Tower books are three bravest moves in the history of literature, facing the threat of losing all the huge readership and reverence- I am not to go into detail whether those moves were successful but only King, with that established status and loyal readers, could dare such bravest direction and I, for one, applaud him for his guts.

Cell, though not a Stand, Pet Semetary, Salem's Lot, It or Christine, is a fresh and invigorating water from a well which you thought dried. It makes your spine jingle, it makes your mouth saliva for horror and action. King's characters are not bound to limits of paper they practically jump out of page. As usual, King keeps his nasty, but true-to-real world tricks, gleefully slaying a character that we come to love. I have yet to forgive him for killing off that Mattie in Bag of Bones so happily, but in any day I would go for that kind of true-to-life form, instead of happy-sappy ever live happily storylines which you can find in James Patterson and Dean Koontz books.

Cell is a fine read and a real PAGE TURNER- no one can deny that - pages flip on automatic pilot; even this makes the book worth a read, an enlivening experience from many items filling the market with conservative and mind-blogging writings. I bought the book yesterday morning and now finished it.

Horror or not, King again makes people, critics, readers, publishers, bookstores talk and discuss and debate, make ahhs and oohhs and still can fuel up a heated buzz throughout the country, hype or not. Well, he is the King you know.

Welcome back King; if this book is nothing, it is at least a proof that you can go back to your roots whenever you want; that your magic is still somewhere inside you.

And to that wise (!) prosecutor who thought King's books are written by other people: Either you don't know how to read English or you have multi-personality problems. If Bag of Bones, with all the trade mark King skills and negatives, is not pure King, then I am a fish in the dish making a wish.