Apt Pupil : A Novella in Different Seasons (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "There's a guy like me in every state and federal prison in America, I guess-I'm the guy who can get it for you..." (more)
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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

It doesn't get any better than Frank Muller reading vintage Stephen King! In Apt Pupil, this master of suspense treats his readers to a sinister plot in which a 13-year-old boy, Todd Bowden, becomes completely absorbed by the life and true stories of a former Nazi, Kurt Dussander. When Todd uncovers the identity of a war criminal hiding out in his town, he blackmails Kurt into telling, and reliving, all of the concentration camp horrors so Todd can almost feel what it was like to have been there. The more involved the two become, the deeper and harder it is for Todd to remain the "apt pupil" that he once was. And, of course, the author's (Bag of Bones, Audio Reviews, LJ 12/98) plots always have twists. This audiotape is pure, unadulterated Stephen King; it's "must- have audio" at its best. Highly recommended.AKristin M. Jacobi, Eastern Connecticut State Univ., Willimantic
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Description

Todd Bowden is an apt pupil. Good grades, good family, a paper route. But he is about to meet a different kind of teacher: Mr. Dussander. Todd knows all about Dussander's darl past. The torture. The death. The decades-old manhunt Dussander has escaped to this day. Yet Todd doesn't want to turn him in. Todd wants to know more. Much more. He is about to learn the real meaning of power--and the seductive lure of evil.

This acclaimed collection of four novellas by Stephen King also includes "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" (basis for the Academy Award nominated film The Shawshank Redemption), "The Body" (inspiration for the motion picture Stand By Me), and "The Breathing Method."

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Signet (November 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451197127
• ISBN-13: 978-0451197122
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #359,502 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The mind of a serial killer revealed!, September 23, 2000

By A Customer

This book was very dark and frightening. This haunting novella, about a young boy's strange and perverse "relationship" with a fugitive Nazi, is quite thought provoking. King gets into the psyche of a serial killer, whether he is a Nazi or the salutorian of his high school class.

The former SS man and butcher of 800,000 now lives as a "kindly old man", hiding his identity from the world and charming the pants off of his "pupil's" naive parents. The "pupil", Todd Bowden (or the "boy", as Kurt never refers to him by name), is a bright and seemingly normal young teenager. Kurt brings out a dormant evil in Todd that he feeds with his nightmare stories of the concentration camps.

Kurt and Todd share a common bond and even though they have nothing outwardly in common. These commonalities are more telling than the exteriors they represent. They are both masters of deception and lies. They share a sick need to torture and hurt people and animals. Most of all, they lack a conscience and have no love or empathy for their fellow human being. Todd thinks of killing his loving parents and torturing young girls. He gets his kicks on murdering homeless drunks, as does the old man he emmulates. He hates this old man because he sees too much of himself in that rotting diseased old package, but he has a need, an addiction almost, to visit him and experience the tales of the massive slaughter. Separated by 65 years and countries halfway across the globe, the similarities between these two individuals exist nonetheless. The old man recognizes it and enjoys the company of one so much like himself.

King points out that in the deep dark places of the mind, there is sometimes an inward need to experience the macabre and horrific. Edgar Allen Poe couldn't have done a better job at translating this need! King is brilliant! It is interesting to note that Todd's character has a striking resemblence to that of Cathy in John Steinbeck's masterpiece, "East of Eden". Both were handsome young people who's looks and art of deception both disguise a genetic flaw; an utter lack of conscience. They both charm and delight those naive around them, while thinking up how to destroy those that love them or get in their way. If you enjoyed "Apt Pupil", I highly recommend "East of Eden".

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars King's best and-practically-unknown written stories., May 8, 1999

By	Doris Janet Ruiz (Naples Italy) - See all my reviews

I read "Different Seasons" in the early 80's, after I became totally taken, not by the nature, but by the style of "The Shining" (the way the story was told and the way I got engulfed on the thoughts and on the basic nature of its characters.) Unlike "The Shinning", the stories of "Different Seasons" became a total reading experience -same writer, different themes-. In "The Body", Stephen King masterfully explores the romanticism and nostalgia of childhood discoveries among the most unlikely friends. "Apt Pupil", on the other hand, focuses on the unexpected sources of potencial evil, an exchange that goes beyond age and culture. Hope is ,at the end, the predominant theme in both "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" and "The Breathing Method". Without missing the expected gory and violent scenes(especially in "Apt Pupil") this compilation of novellas was then -in the early 80's-, and still is my favorite Stephen King publication!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars See "How It Is" Guys, September 17, 2005

By	Dystopia Magazine "[e-mail]" (FL, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apt Pupil (Audio Cassette)

"You see how it is, guys..."

And you'll see how very easily this story COULD be.

PLEASE do not be discouraged by the film! I will say that they picked THE PERFECT Arthur and Todd, but the screenplay was an absolute disgrace to the novella. Discover the original story, and you'll understand why Stephen King's greatest strength lies in his presentation of characters and why the incredible things they do are COMPLETELY credible.

Now a lot of people know that Stephen likes to "go on" a bit in some spots, and it might seem like that here, but please believe me when I say that in this story every word, or seemingly unrelated detour, all leads to a place that is horrifyingly just.

The only thing that makes this amazing and disturbing story even better is the phenominal reading by Frank Muller! His ability to ease you into the story is totally unparalleled, and he makes sure that ALL of the characters have their own distinctive voice, from Denker/Dussander's rich, rolling (and effectively errie) German accent, to Todd's bright, sly pre-teen chirping; from a instinctive, worried mother to a father forehead-deep in his son's All-American shell, Mr. Muller makes Apt Pupil (an already very satistfying tale) the most PERFECT audio experience I've ever had everytime I listen to it. Sometimes I only wish I could drive around longer...

...but then again there are those overpasses...