Doctor Sleep, by Stephen King

From an Amazon.com description - “On highways across America, a tribe of people called the True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, the True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the steam that children with the shining produce when they are slowly tortured to death.”

I’ll be honest – I’m glad I didn’t read that description before I picked up the book.  The whole concept of this troupe of marauding vampire-types just doesn’t scream ‘read me.’  Admittedly, though, I’m probably in the minority on that.

I will also say that I’m very glad I read the book’s predecessor, The Shining, shortly before picking this one up.  It’s not that the cast of characters will have you lost, or asking questions.  But, it’s nice that they were all fresh in my memory (feeble as it may be), and I was eager for an update on their progress. 

Dan (Danny) Torrance is now a middle aged man, struggling to defeat his alcohol-laced demons, when he wanders into a small New Hampshire town and takes up residence.  He soon becomes a responsible employee at a local hospice, where he is given the moniker Doctor Sleep.  I’ll let you interpret that one for yourselves.  Along the course of his journeys, Dan meets young Abra, who also has the shining, and the two embark on a quest to battle the aforementioned True Knot.

One thing I think readers should be aware of before picking this book up – it’s not going to send chills up and down your spine.  You won’t have problems sleeping because you’re afraid of things going bump in the night.  It’s not THAT kind of Stephen King novel.  What it is, is a well-crafted story, with rich, deep characters.  That said, in true King fashion, he gets a bit long-winded somewhere in the middle, and the book could probably benefit by a reduction of about 100 pages.  But, I'll let Mr. King slide on that one.  

I started reading Stephen King several years ago, when books like Insomnia and Cell were released.  I was less than impressed.  A few years ago, he released 11/22/63, and I was blown away.  HERE’S the master storyteller I’ve always heard about.  He followed that up with Joyland, another quick favorite of mine.  I don’t know what middle age is doing to Mr. King, but it’s working.  I have no idea what his next book will be, but you can be sure I’ll be ordering it.  In the meantime, I may need to dig out some more of mom’s old copies of King classics, such as Salem’s Lot, Carrie, and Christine.

4 Stars (Oops…have to get used to my new rating system!)  I give Doctor Sleep…