I can't consider myself a Stephen King guru since I only started to read his stuff a couple of years ago. I think Duma Key had just come out. Thankfully, I made sure to read "The Shining" and really enjoyed it. The sequel blew me away! I have encountered a few of King's notorious sad/bad/abrupt endings before, but this book was wonderful all the way though. What always does it for me are characters and how they grow or change throughout a story, and Dan Torrence is quite possibly one of my favorites. It's weird to say this, but this was a feel-good book for me. Sure, there's plenty of really scary stuff and characters (Rose) and great suspense, but for me it was all about reading about Dan and his climb from the shithole that is his life. Beginning as a young adult, becoming more like his father, to him making a decision to actually try and better himself, to Dan saving more than just his own life and taking great risks. Danny Torrence, I salute you! *salutes*