First Stephen King book in more than a quarter of a century! And… I’m not sure if this was the one to dive back in with, since my reading tastes have changed over the last 25ish years. (I think I should have gone with, and still plan to read, 11/22/63.)
This story of a 17 year old boy with a heart of gold, who helps out the local recluse, and finds a tunnel to another world in the old man’s back shed started off really promising - as a fan of CS Lewis’ Narnia when I was a kid, that speaks to me, as well as many of the themes King sprinkles throughout this 600+ page tome.
However, once the real world is left behind and the good vs evil conflict begins, I began to tune out. I think I rather enjoy a book that explores how the existence of another world would affect ours and vice versa. But things were kept pretty separate between the real and fantastical, and mostly set in the fantasy world. And when it comes to reading action sequences these days, I lose focus pretty quickly. (This goes for movies, too - either make the car chase as groundbreaking as the Matrix or keep it SHORT.) There were also so many superfluous characters introduced during these later scenes and I just wanted my favorite back - Radar the dog, who was temporarily ‘offstage’ for lack of a better word.
Yet there is no arguing King’s immense well of imagination and atmospheric writing that really connects emotionally. I loved the poignant conclusion, closing the book with a smile.
I’m glad I read it, and veered out of my comfort zone into some fantasy! I’d be curious to hear thoughts this one, and if it’s someone’s first foray into King’s work.