The Shining

Written by Stephen King

Narrated by Scott Campbell

Danny is only five years old, but in the words of old Mr Hallorann he is a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Danny's visions grow out of control. As winter closes in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. It is meant to be empty. So who is the lady in Room 217, and who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive? Somewhere, somehow, there is an evil force in the hotel—and that, too, is beginning to shine….

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette UK Audio
• Release date: Aug 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781444764369

Stephen King

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. 

Reviews for The Shining

[amcheri-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought I read this book in my teens but the farther I got into it, the more certain I became that I hadn't. I would have remembered how well done Jack's descent into madness was. For me, that was the best part of the book. I did enjoy Danny's parts of the book, and Wendy's to a lesser extent, but the star of the show was Jack's changes and his growing connection to the hotel.

I think my biggest shock was just how different Kubrick's film is to the novel. I need to watch the movie again since I don't remember a lot of the details. That and the insane number of times the N-word was used. I wasn't expecting it and it really put me off.

I listened to the audio book and initially Campbell Scott's calm tone made me wonder if I wouldn't fall asleep while reading. Luckily, he got down to business when the dialogue and more intense narration called for it. He did a really good job.

I don't know if it was just the audio book and there were clearer demarcations in the physical book, but I was throw off regularly which POV switches. There were a few times when I had to rewind to see if I either missed something or to figure out who was sharing info.

I'm glad I read this one. It won't end up on my all-time favorite Stephen King list but I enjoyed the story. 3.5 stars for me.

[chris.wolak · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Read this book for the first time in the early 80s when I was in my early teens and am giving it another spin because I wanted a guaranteed scary read for Halloween this year! I wasn't disappointed. Interesting that the older I've gotten the scarier the book has become. More levels of fear.

[huba.library · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After seeing movie in a theater, I was so confused, I decided to read the book. A very good decision. Though, with the visuals from the movie in my mind, reading the book was almost as frightening as the film.

[micareads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jack Torrance has allowed his alcoholism to control many aspects of his life. This time it has led to a physical altercation with a student that has cost him his job. In order to take care of his family, Torrance has taken a position as caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in Colorado during the winter season when the hotel is closed. Jack's son, Danny, has always been a special child. He has always had an insight into situations and feelings that others do not which is referred to as the "shining". Thanks to his friend, "Tony", Danny knows that their winter at the Overlook is going to be anything but a good time.

The Overlook Hotel has a murderous past and the fact that it's mostly empty is not going to stop it from taking new people into its fold. Danny sees horrific unusual things in the hotel even before the season has officially started and wonders if they will make it out alive. As the spirits become more active, Jack becomes overtaken and sets out to murder his family in order to gain favor with those "in charge."

I have not read many Stephen King books but have discovered that I can get through them if I do them in audio. Campbell Scott is a wonderful narrator who truly brought the characters of Jack, Wendy, and Danny to life. I would gladly read something he narrates again.

I have seen this movie multiple times and have always wanted to read the book but find King difficult to read in book form. I thoroughly enjoyed finally being able to enjoy this story and look forward to enjoying more King novels in the future.

[shawndotbailey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Awesome characterization. Creepy hotel. And bonus points for making a playground and hedge trimmings menacing. Seriously, how many people could have made hedge trimmings scary?

[jessicareadsthings · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Never read this before. Won't be sleeping soundly for the next few nights.

[akbouterse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a phenomenal horror book. I'm going to say right now that I have never seen the Kubrick movie but like most people I am familiar with most of its iconic imagery and it does seem to be different from the book. This book took me longer to read than 'Salem's Lot and I probably liked 'Salem's lot a bit more but I did find this book to be more frightening. I loved seeing the progression the characters went through and how they change from when they first arrived at the Overlook. The character of Danny didn't really seem like a six year old but that seemed to be part of his character and abilities so I didn't really have a problem with it. I really enjoyed reading this and there was definitely some imagery that freaked me out and I am really excited to continue with king (as soon as I get past Rage because I hear it's not very good)

[usuallee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Having only read a handful of Stephen King novels I've embarked on a journey to read my fellow Mainer's books in more-or-less chronological order (Still need to go back and read Carrie). Wavering between 4 and 5 stars here. The Shining is deserving of its reputation as a scary, well written novel. Having read Salem's Lot, the novel that preceded this one, last fall, it was clear the prose is a step up. I'd actually like to step up the prose on that last sentence, but you get what I'm saying.
It's a great horror/ thriller novel, and Jack's descent into madness is superbly portrayed. The book is very well paced, balancing character building and back story with action in a tension and release effect. There are a couple of truly cringe-inducing, skin-crawling scenes, with an explosive finale. On the negative side, in places I wasn't quite as riveted as I wanted to be, but still this is a great book.

[tobinelliott · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow. I originally read The Shining back when it was originally released. It scared the hell out of me then, back when I was all of 15. Now, rereading it in preparation for Dr. Sleep, it was a completely different, yet equally as satisfying an experience.

This was a seminal novel for me. This was the one that really made me decide to try my own hand at writing. So, between inspiring me and terrifying me, it had a lot to live up to.

Now, having finished it as an adult, as a father and as a writer, I found myself impressed over and over and over again at the strength and surety of King's writing. Jack Torrance was less malevolent and more tortured this time around. Wendy was much more present this time around. And Danny...well, you can't consider Danny without considering the Outlook, easily one of the more brilliant antagonists in modern fiction.

King's style now is a little looser, a little less literary than it was in The Shining. And this book is so brilliantly plotted, the characters are so rich...Honestly, I've always felt this was King's finest hour. And rereading it 36 years later, nothing stands out that contradicts that. It still holds up.

I'm going to state here, for the record, there is virtually 66no chance Dr. Sleep will be able to hold a candle to this classic. No way.

And this is coming from the guy who loves damn near everything the man wrote.

Feb 13/2016 update: This is my third pass through this novel, and my second in about two years. And my estimation only goes up every time I read it.

There's not a sour note in this novel, not a letter out of place. It is, in my estimation, the perfect horror novel. There's a lot of contenders for that particular honour, and several of them written by Stephen King, but for me, this is it. This is the one.

As I worked my way through the story this time, I lost count of how many times I thought, This should be taught as a university course in how to construct the perfect horror novel. Why? Because it starts off with a hint of the issues that will come, both from the vantage point of the hotel, and from Jack Torrance.

Ah, Jack. Is there a more tragic character in horror? Seriously, he's a very good man, capable of great things, but laid so low by his weaknesses. And King takes his time peeling back Jack's layers. It's like watching a striptease, each piece lifted and discarded, revealing more underneath. This, to me, is the heart of this novel. King eloquently paints Jack as a man desperate to do right, but too weak to succeed, because the hotel is stronger. And as much as King can build the dread and suspense that we all know is coming, he also has a delicate yet sure touch when detailing Jack's alcoholism, which, of course we know now that King was fighting himself.

I mentioned in a status update that, as much as I anticipated room 217, as I always do, this time, other scenes, like the discovery of the wasp's nest at the same time King discusses Jack's booze-soaked follies and the issue that got him fired from his teaching job, King neatly ties them together with a subtle, yet disturbingly accurate hint of what's to come, when Jack thinks of all those that "stung" him...instead of shouldering some of the blame.

Shortly after that, when Danny visits the doctor for both his fugue states and his wasp stings, this is a master class in getting important information across--what's commonly known as an info-dump--without the reader even know they're getting educated. This is writing at its best.

I've always loved King, and this novel in particular, but reading it for the third (and very likely final) time, I see the author at the absolute pinnacle of his talents. He would go on to write a hell of a lot more books, many of them classics, but to my mind, he was never quite as brilliant as he was for the pages of this book. This is genius, and any who read it should look upon it with wonder.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finally I managed to finish this one. I have had it on my TBR list so many times but now it is read. A great story, classic horror. Jack has a bad temper. His wife Wendy is thinking of divorce. Their son Danny has the gift. Jack has lost jobs because of his drinking and his temper and he has this job to caretake a resort over the winter when it will be cut off from civilization. Wendy and Danny agree to go, each hoping that this will restore their family.The hotel is a character as well and it is the hotel that is haunted/possessed. I found the story to be engaging and it was easy to listen to the narration by [[Campbell Scott]]. Rated 3.81977.

[superpeer · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'd seen the movie a few times and always loved it, one of the best horror movies ever made. Basically I wanted to explore the plot a little more and initially that's what I was doing. There was some more background to the story and a bit more about the 'shining', which promised to be intriguing but as I progressed this book started to drag more and more. Some parts were really long winded and at times the writing style irked me, so I really had to force myself to finish it.

Of course, even though the book is not exactly the same as the film, I reckon that knowing what is going to happen is fairly damaging for the enjoyment of a horror book. Still, for me, The Shining was underwhelming. Must admit I'm disappointed, considering how much I love the movie. I'll round up to 3 stars because without this the movie wouldn't have existed. Nor the hilarious Simpsons parody. Go crazy? Don't mind if I do!

2.5/5

[evelyn.b · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was my second Stephen King read and it has its pros and cons. Cons are that it's a slow read, and definitely not PC anymore with a lot of vulgar language that I think takes away the focus on plot and character development. Good storytelling, strong female character with Wendy the wife, and great writing style with multiple POV, and the worldbuilding for the "shine" is really interesting to hear about. Will probably read Dr. Sleep down the toad, but whenever I read Stephen King, I need a palette clenser to help with the gruesomeness that I cant seem to stop thinking about.
This one is definitely spooky, but Pet Semetary is still my favorite so far for SK.

[runningbeardbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

So this is my first King novel, and probably not my last.
Yes there are some tense moments of psychological terror, but I was not expecting a portrait of alcoholism, handled well and realistically.
My initial impression is that the sympathetic characterization of Halloran balances the book.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So good! I hadn't read this in literally decades, but it definitely held up well! And so much better than the movie. I still remember the fire hose from the first time I read this book which happened to be in 1977, the year it came out. I was reading alone in my bedroom at night and nobody else was home. I was at the part with the fire hose. A pine cone hit my window and I screamed and jumped out of my skin! I didn't quite have that reaction the second time through, but I made sure that I only read it during the daytime.

[familiar_diversions · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jack Torrance takes a position as the winter caretaker of the Overlook Hotel mostly because he doesn't have any other choice. He's a recovering alcoholic with anger issues who was fired from his previous position as a teacher for beating a student. The caretaker position will give him and his wife (Wendy) and 5-year-old son (Danny) a place to stay while he finishes writing his play and figures out what his next step is going to be.Although Wendy is no longer considering a divorce, she still has trust issues where Jack is concerned. When he was drunk, Jack once broke Danny's arm, and a part of Wendy has never forgiven him for it and worries that he'll do something like it again. For his part, Danny loves both of his parents and wants them to stay together and love each other. Danny happens to be psychic, so he's more aware of his parents' thoughts and feelings than the average 5-year-old. He's also the first member of the family to notice that the Overlook Hotel is very, very haunted. But ghosts are just scary pictures. They can't actually hurt the living...right?I've never previously read this or seen the movie, although it's been on my TBR at least since the last time I got on a "horror set in haunted buildings" kick. Other than a few iconic images from the movie, I didn't really know much about The Shining or what to expect. For example, Danny's psychic abilities took me by surprise.I had thought that the Overlook Hotel's various ghosts would take center stage more, but the book was actually more focused on Jack's alcoholism and anger issues. Prior to arriving at the Overlook, he seemed mostly in control. He was sober and seemed fine with the idea of being snowed in at the hotel with his wife, child, and no alcohol. Unfortunately, the Overlook's ghosts gnawed away at his control and added fuel to his temper. All of the bitterness, misogyny, and racism in him rose to the surface. It was hard to listen to sometimes.This was more Jack's story than Wendy's - her backstory was mostly designed to explain why she didn't immediately take Danny and run when things at the Overlook started to look a bit off, before the snow trapped them all at the hotel. Her mother, the only person she could have turned to for help, was overbearing, unpleasant, and had a habit of undermining everyone around her. When she rightfully began to worry about and be suspicious of Jack's behavior, her fear that she was starting to become like her mother caused her to doubt herself and give Jack more chances.Danny didn't always read like a 5-year-old, but he also wasn't supposed to. His abilities gave him a glimpse into adult minds that a child his age normally wouldn't have, even if he didn't always understand what he saw.This book dragged for me at times. I got tired of Jack repeatedly falling back on blaming everyone but himself for his problems, and I just wanted more ghost moments - the hotel room, hedge animals, etc. were great. But the focus was Jack, his deteriorating condition, and the strain it was putting his family under, so I had to put up with Jack more than I preferred. And yeah, I know that Jack's alcoholism was the point. Still.Campbell Scott's narration was pretty good, although reading this in paper form would have allowed me to skim the parts that tried my patience, so I'm still not sure if audio was the best option for this. (Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[stephanie_m-868484 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Re-read December of 2013, as it had been 20 years since I'd last read it. And, I'm reading the sequel, Doctor Sleep, next! Yay! :D

This novel was every bit as scary as it was the first time I read it! Seriously... I was sitting here in the living room, in total quiet, reading it. It was at the part of the book where Wendy and Danny were locked in their room, hiding from Jack. Jack had been partying downstairs, with the ghosts of the Overlook hotel, and getting black-out drunk. When it had fell quiet for some time, Wendy crept downstairs to make something to eat. Wendy had slowly come down the stairs.... and peeked around the corner.... no Jack. She slowly crept across the lobby, and to the Office; no Jack. Just as she was reaching around the corner wall of the kitchen, to turn on the lights, MY Son Paul (who had stayed home sick with the flu) had come down the stairs of this crooked, old farmhouse we are renting. And JUST as Wendy was reaching around to turn on the kitchen lights, not sure if it was safe from her possibly insane/drunk husband, My son Paul stepped on a creaky floorboard.... "CREEEEEEEAAK!!"
I JUMPED SO HIGH, I might have been able to touch the ceiling!!
My heart lept into my chest, and I yelled at Paul, "Don't scare me when I'm reading a scary book, dammit!!" LMAO, he was standing there with his mouth open, going, ".....what?" And then he started laughing at me..... Lol, I have been teased about this every night since!! And I knew what was going to happen, since I've read this before....!! lol

[thetruebookaddict · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Okay, so yes, I finally read this! It's amazing to me how old this book is. It seems like yesterday when my parents were reading it and then they saw the film and came home saying how bad it sucked. HaHa. I agree with that observation. I read somewhere that the reason King himself was not happy with Kubrick's adaptation of the book was because he made the Jack Torrance character so unsympathetic. And he's right. In the book, we get to experience the gradual downward spiral of Jack, despite his faults and mistakes in the past. He really remains a sympathetic character because King makes it very obvious that the hotel is in control. I just never really got that from the movie. And the horrible miscasting of Shelley Duvall as Wendy is a travesty. The character of Wendy in the book is nothing like Duvall's depiction.

Anyway, I didn't mean this as a review of the film. I just wanted to make some comparisons because I have never really liked the film and after reading the book, I like it even less. The book is so much more detailed and we get to learn a lot more about the history of the characters and the hotel which is something I always look for in a book. I want to know what led us from point a to point b; something a film adapted from a book is usually very hard-pressed to accomplish. Also, there are some very genuinely creepy scenes. I will never quite look at hedge animals the same again...or tunnels in the snow (no worries on that since I live in Tennessee now). As usual, King succeeded in telling me a good story while supplying me with the creep factor I love. Can't wait for the upcoming sequel, Doctor Sleep!

[charrlygirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a re-read via the audiobook, narrated by Campbell Scott.

He is FANTASTIC! I loved every minute of this audio and highly recommend it, even if you've already read the book or seen the movie.

*I obtained this audio through my local library. Libraries RULE!*

[othemts · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having finally gotten around to watching the movie, The Shining, last fall, and finding it didn't live up to the reputation, I really wanted to read the book it's based on.  After all, Stephen King dislikes Stanley Kubric's adaptation of his book, so perhaps I'd like the book better.  I'll have to say that as an adaptation, the movie doesn't stray too far from the source material.  There are obviously a lot of details that the movie leaves out, as is vital in filmmaking, and Kubric did the same thing he did with 2001, where he makes ambiguous some things that are explicit in the book.What movies cannot do well is to express the interiority of the characters, and this is an aspect of the book I liked the best.  King is especially good at getting into the minds of Danny and Jack, but doesn't do it as much with Halloran and Wendy.Jack is more of a normal person at the beginning of the book - an alcoholic with anger issues, yes - but not the half-crazed character that Jack Nicholson plays.  Wendy is less of a dishrag and much more resourceful, and she even uses Danny's shining abilities to help plan their escape.  Danny is the best part of the book as King does a great job of portraying a child dealing with things that someone much older would struggle to handle.  The book works well as straight-up horror but also symbolic of the destructive power of toxic masculinity.

[sharonmariabidwell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m sure there’s few people who need telling the plot of The Shining. Alcoholic writer takes a job at the Overlook Hotel to be the caretaker over the winter taking with him his wife and son, only young Danny Torrence has a talent the like of which undocumented and to the ghosts of the Overlook he’s a shining beacon. As a side note for anyone who has only seen the film, the book is decidedly different with a depth the film lacks. This story is also far creepier than I recalled, maybe because you can feel a five-year-old’s panic.

[seriousgrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The magic of King's writing is this could be the story of any family anywhere. This sad tale is so middle America, it could be about you if you look in the mirror long and hard enough. Jack Torrence is a man struggling to be something other than a drunk with writer's block. Fired from his Vermont teaching job after he is found guilty of assault, Jack takes a job in Colorado as caretaker for a massive mountainside hotel during the off season. How hard can it be to watch over a hulking, empty hotel when it is closed for the winter in the middle of nowhere? With only his wife and son to keep him company, Jack hopes to use the mountainside solitude to secure a spot more firmly on the sobriety wagon and break through his writer's block. Only, this is no ordinary hotel and it's not really empty. It lives and breathes tragedy and hones into each family member's deepest and darkest secret. Paranoias of each family member are amplified and personified. Because Jack was accidentally and drunkenly violent with their son, Danny, wife Wendy sees Jack as a growing threat. She grows increasingly nervous for their safety. Jack in turn grows more and more resentful of Wendy's distrust. Meanwhile, poor Danny ('Doc') has the gift of telepathy (the Shining) so he knows his parents have every right to be suspicious. Disaster is right around the corner for all of them.As an aside, when you have The Shining read to you, you start to hear the psychological breakdown of each character.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After some troubles in his personal and professional lives, Jack Torrance quits teaching and becomes a caretaker at the Overlook Hotel. Located high in the Colorado mountains, the hotel is unoccupied during the winter, so Jack and his family are all alone ... except for the rumors of ghosts being on the hotel grounds.I resisted reading any of King's works for a long time on account of being a scaredy cat. But once I started reading a few here and there, I learned they aren't really all that scary. In addition, he does great characterization (which is a huge selling point for me) and his writing is all-around well done. So I finally decided to bite the bullet, face my fears, and read The Shining. And I'm not surprising anybody else here but saying it's a good read.King does an excellent job of working in subtleties, especially for the first two-thirds of the book or so. That is really all build up of the characters and how they relate to each other, as well as setting the stage as to the environment. While another writer might be boring with those details, this fully caught my attention all along the way. When the ghosts arrive at last, it's only a little bit creepy actually and far more fascinating to see how the characters will react. For the audiobook listener, Campbell Scott did an excellent job of bringing the story and its characters to life.

[renardkitsune · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have only ever seen The Shining the movie and decided to read it. I thought the book was so much better than the movie (ha ha that’s what everyone says) I do like how in my head Jack Torrance was still Jack Nicholson. The book has a good ending, which is a surprise coming from Stephen King! I assume it’s because it is one of his earlier books. It has been a while since I have seen the movie, but I think the book is scarier, but less overtly ghostly. The ghosts are different, and sometimes a little less overtly scary, but their effect is more frightening. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I found the wasps and the man in the dog costume to be some of the scariest parts. I also thought Jack Torrance’s slow descent into madness is much better in the book. Danny’s relation ship with both Dick Halloran and Tony is better and less forced in the book as well. I also really enjoyed the subtext that is in parenthesis (often Jack Torrance’s inappropriate/dangerous thoughts) They made me laugh sometimes, and, I think it is very like real life. We all have an inner monologue that is never spoken out-loud. I have read “It” a few times before and I noticed that the ghosts in the Overlook Hotel from the Shining have silver eyes the same way that Pennywise from “It” has silver eyes. Wonder what that connection is? The Overlook Hotel itself kind of seems similar to Derry, Maine from “It” in that it is the entire place that seems evil, not just the entities inside it.

[sarcher-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Glad there wasn't an effort to explain the motivations of the hotel, no long exposition on the strategy of evil. Just scare after scare. Perfect.

[dgrachel · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I know this is an unpopular opinion, but I just don't think Stephen King is a good author fit for me. For the majority of the book, I was simply bored. The pacing felt off. In my opinion, a good horror story should keep you on the edge of your seat. It doesn't have to be gratuitously gory or be nothing but scare after scare. In fact, the best horror and thriller novels scare you, give you a chance to catch your breath, maybe lull you into a false sense of security, and then scare you to death again. Sadly, The Shining didn't do that for me. There were a couple of scenes that did make me uncomfortable, and it's going to be a while before I can leave my shower curtain closed, but after delivering a fright, the book descended back into dullness. The characters felt flat and for much of the 600+ pages, I really didn't care one way or the other who survived. I just wanted the book to be over.

[adonisguilfoyle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well, that was longer than I remember! Not one of my favourite novels, thanks to Jack Nicholson's one-note performance in the film, I avoided reading The Shining for the longest time, and only an interest in Doctor Sleep - write a sequel for Ellie Creed too, Mr King! - made me return to the Overlook. Everyone knows the story, I think. But I forgot just how awful the characters are, apart from Danny - and even his portrayal is spotty (is he five or forty-five?) - and Dick Hallorann. I'm not sure if King wants his Constant Reader to sympathise with Jack Torrance, but I can't stand the pathetic little man. Self-centred manchild. And the book should be subtitled 'You Should Have Left Him When You Had The Chance, Wendy'. As the dumb wife herself thinks at one point, 'She was aware now that she had made one bad decision when she had gone against her feelings (and Danny’s) and allowed the snow to close them in … for Jack’s sake. Another bad decision when she had shelved the idea of divorce'. No shit! Still, she has more wit and strength than Shelley Duvall's screaming victim in the film.The best character in the book is not actually a person, but a building. I love the Overlook, and the creepy, claustrophobic atmosphere King creates! I also love Stuart Ullman, the hotel's manager, despite King's slightly homophobic description of him. William Daniels would have been a great casting choice for the character I imagined while reading. Anyway, the Overlook is the Evil Force in the story, filled with ghosts from its shady past - though the building is only seventy years old - including a rotting corpse in room 217 - but the real terror of course comes from being holed up with a man who blames his failures in life on other people. This inhuman place makes human monsters.Onto Doctor Sleep to find out how Danny survived such a trauma so early in life!

[zoes_human · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is so much better as a adult than it was at 14. Don't get me wrong, it was good then. It was scary and exciting. However, at 44 I'm better able to appreciate the reality of every character in this book. One of my favorite things about King is how fully nuanced his characters are. The Shining exemplifies this.

[gregdehler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book is so much better than the movie. I can understand why Stephen King was so upset by the film.

[wordsampersand · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars. Excellent book. Sad more than anything, really.

[sumisbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Totally different from the film.In a desperate attempt to save his broken family from the poor house, newly sobered Jack Torrance lands a job as winter caretaker for The Overlook Hotel in the Colorado mountains. When his family moves in he finds a scrapbook in the basement of the hotel's dark history. Strange things begin to happen and slowly but steadily Jack begins to lose his mind. Will Jack and his family ever make it out of the hotel alive?I can see now why Stephen King hates the Stanley Kubrick film. While the underlining story is basically the same, the execution of both stories are so different they could be completely unrelated to one another. There were some similarities in the film as in the book but they were few and far between.Being a person who had seen the film before they read the book I have to say that I enjoyed the book much better than the movie. I thought that the story was much more engaging I felt that the characters were much better developed and I felt that the ending held for more gratification for the audience (reader). As with most Stephen King books however, I found this book to have much more information than it needed. But I also found that most of the extra information led towards character development mostly on the side of Jack Torrance's character. The book really Dives deep into his history and family Dynamics to try to show you who he is and where he has come from and how much of a broken man he is when he first arrives to the hotel. Which also gives you a good advantage to see how easily he was overtaken by the evil of the hotel. His slow descent into madness is definitely one of literature's most iconic references.I felt that the book was a little slow to start and much didn't happen until about halfway through. However I did thoroughly enjoy the book. As I said I enjoyed it more than the film. I don't know what the hell Stanley Kubrick was thinking when he made the film that he did. I'm a little mad about that now.I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good horror/thriller read. It definitely gets a two thumbs up from me ???