As a lifelong fan of Stephen King I finally made time to read his 2014 novel Revival. I’m pleased to relate that America’s greatest storyteller has succeeded once more in crafting a story that is dark, peppered with disturbing imagery, profound, and thought provoking. I will reveal a few minor plot threads in my review below.
The story’s protagonist Jamie Morton meets his new Pastor as an eight year old child in the year 1963. As is the case in many of King’s tales, this one is located within his own state of Maine. The fictional hamlet is Harlow, and within it we are introduced to Jamie’s extended family, a few local personalities, and a charismatic young Pastor named Charles Jacobs. For reasons unknown to us, a peculiar bond is evident between Jamie and his pastor from their first meeting. Their strange relationship is one that will last sixty years—spanning the length of this novel.
A profound tragedy occurs in the beginning of the story that causes the Pastor to abruptly abandon his religion. The Pastor leaves Harlow, Maine- destination unknown.
One interesting aspect of the pastor’s character is his apparent fascination with lightning and electricity. A preoccupation with science may not be unusual among clergy members- but one can sense there is something ‘off’ regarding his tinkering with electricity. What is not apparent in the beginning is that his obsession with lightning and electricity will have adverse consequences later in the story.
The first third of this book is some of the finest writing Stephen King has produced. Readers are swept up into a fascinating and complex story with well developed and relatable characters. The story is peppered with real-life joys and tragedies. I enjoyed reading how Jamie Morton evolved and changed from a shy boy- to awkward teen- to a confident young man in the span of a few years.
Unfortunately, Jamie’s life takes a tragic turn for the worse in his adult life. The drug addiction that began with his musical career is now uncontrollable- rapidly destroying his health. As Jamie nears death, he is *somewhat* miraculously reintroduced to Pastor Jacobs, now operating a traveling carnival act of his own in Nebraska.
The former Pastor has improved upon his rudimentary experiments with lightning and electricity and incorporated some of them into his carnival act. The reader is led to believe the Pastor is tampering with dangerous and unfathomable forces for some unknown purpose. What is clear by the middle of this story is that the Pastor has abandoned his former religion completely. He uses his harnessed ‘secret electricity’ to cure various people -including Jamie Morton- of their physical afflictions. As is often the case with miraculous cures, everything is not what it seems. Nevertheless, Charles Jacobs performs these miraculous medical feats and develops a modicum of fame and wealth mid story.
One aspect of this novel I enjoyed was the frequent tie-ins or references to Kings other works. The town of Castle Rock is mentioned upon occasion, and the city of Jerusalem’s Lot can be seen from a vantage point atop nearby Goat Mountain. The vampire grimoire ‘De Vermis Mysteriis’ is mentioned by the Pastor. It is unclear whether he has this text of forbidden knowledge in his possession, but I immediately suspected the story was spiraling toward a tragedy when Jacobs mentioned he read from it.
Fans of Stephen King the horror novelist may be disappointed in this novel as much of it seems focused on the grim realities of life associated with the passage of time. Untimely deaths, suicides, drug addiction, and murder are subjects adroitly addressed in Kings masterful prose. Still, I found much of it thought provoking; we always wonder how much our decisions and outcomes in life are affected by fate versus willpower.
In the final thirty pages of Revival Stephen King at last rewards us with his unleashed imagination. I won’t spoil the ending, but I will hint that it meshes Lovecraftian horror with a subtle nod to Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.
In the end Stephen King ambitiously and convincingly tackles a broad variety of subjects in this well researched novel. The characters all evolve and change commensurate with the passage of time. In the end, with the exception of Pastor Jacobs, all remain identifiable with their original, younger selves. I found some plot threads near the conclusion to be a trifle disappointing as a reader, but I still believe this is a heartfelt and worthwhile read. Five stars for this gem of a novel.
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The three true ages of man are youth, middle age, and how the fuck did I get old so soon?Highlighted by 1,315 Kindle readers- But writing is a wonderful and terrible thing. It opens deep wells of memory that were previously capped.Highlighted by 959 Kindle readers
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Reviews with images
A good read, then ... disappointing
I found this book easy to get into mainly because the protagonist, Jamie Morton, is likeable and an entertaining narrator. However, his abhorrence of his antagonist is difficult to buy into until maybe the last third of the book. For me, this created a lack of narrative tension that Jamie felt, but I didn't. I kept waiting for "a fresh adrenaline rush of terror" to kick in as the book cover boasts, but never felt a rush of adrenaline or terror. If you're looking for a riveting page-turner or scarey scenes that will keep you awake at night, then this isn't that book. Nonetheless, it is an entertaining read, albeit with a very disappointing ending. If you're an SK fan, you should read it. If you're looking to start an SK journey--whether it's horror, fantasy, mystery or mainstream--there are at least a dozen other books that are better places to start.
Top reviews from other countries
ken neil
I knew this novel had to be good and I was not disappointed
Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2014
