A few months ago I read Doctor Sleep which is the first Stephen King novel I have read before seeing the film adaptation, of which there is obviously none as yet, but that's my usual approach to King's work - watch the adaptation first to see if I like the story and then I go and seek out the book to gain further insights and character ways of thinking that weren't communicated in the film adaptation.
But that's not what this thread is about. This thread is about comparisons between The Shining and Doctor Sleep and whether people feel it was a worthy sequel.
I really enjoyed reading Doctor Sleep and I liked the direction King went with Dan Torrance in showing us how he has coped over the years since the events at the Overlook. I thought to start this story not long after the events of The Shining was a great move because I was happy to find out a bit more of what 'the shine' can enable one to do and it also helps set up what happens later in the book. If the book had jumped straight to Dan as an adult I don't think the rest would have been effective.
I appreciated the references and nods to The Shining. I thought it was clever how King made the story come full circle in having the showdown with the True Knot be on the same grounds where the Overlook used to stand. Speaking of the True Knot they are worthy opponents in the story.
Overall I think that Stephen King has created a worthy follow up to The Shining and the scope of the sequel is bigger and this doesn't hurt the story at all. I feel that if the sequel were set in another enclosed location it would have just been a rehash.
Everything that King added to the mythology seems right and not out of place.
But that's not what this thread is about. This thread is about comparisons between The Shining and Doctor Sleep and whether people feel it was a worthy sequel.
I really enjoyed reading Doctor Sleep and I liked the direction King went with Dan Torrance in showing us how he has coped over the years since the events at the Overlook. I thought to start this story not long after the events of The Shining was a great move because I was happy to find out a bit more of what 'the shine' can enable one to do and it also helps set up what happens later in the book. If the book had jumped straight to Dan as an adult I don't think the rest would have been effective.
I appreciated the references and nods to The Shining. I thought it was clever how King made the story come full circle in having the showdown with the True Knot be on the same grounds where the Overlook used to stand. Speaking of the True Knot they are worthy opponents in the story.
Overall I think that Stephen King has created a worthy follow up to The Shining and the scope of the sequel is bigger and this doesn't hurt the story at all. I feel that if the sequel were set in another enclosed location it would have just been a rehash.
Everything that King added to the mythology seems right and not out of place.
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