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  • Doctor Sleep

  • By: Stephen King
  • Narrated by: Will Patton
  • Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (3,733 ratings)
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Doctor Sleep cover art

Doctor Sleep

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Will Patton
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Editor reviews

Danny Torrance may have left the Overlook Hotel behind, but its demons aren’t done with him. Set decades after the events of The Shining, Doctor Sleep follows Danny — now Dan — as he navigates the constant pull of addiction, the trauma of his father’s descent into madness and a haunting power known as the shining (psychic abilities that allow him to see beyond the veil of death). And in audio, King fans will be all the more grateful to know that this listen is narrated by fan favourite Will Patton, who has previously narrated some of the author’s hits, including The Outsider and Mr. Mercedes

Dan has made a new life for himself in a small New Hampshire town: he works in a nursing home, where he uses the shining to comfort dying patients and begins to attend AA meetings in an attempt to finally get sober. But his life is again upended when he’s telepathically contacted by Abra Stone, a young girl who shines brighter than perhaps anyone before. But Dan’s not the only one who takes notice of Abra’s gifts. The True Knot, a travelling band of near-immortal, once-human creatures who feed on the steam that escapes children with the shining as they die, are growing hungry and it’s not long before they set their sights on Abra. And Dan’s attempts to keep her safe will take him to those dark places he’s been trying desperately to avoid, resulting in a chilling climax you won’t soon forget.

Summary

An epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted readers of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

King says he wanted to know what happened to Danny Torrance, the boy at the heart of The Shining, after his terrible experience in the Overlook Hotel. The instantly riveting Doctor Sleep picks up the story of the now middle-aged Dan, working at a hospice in rural New Hampshire, and the very special 12-year old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

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 tween 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.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him and a job at a nursing home where his remnant 'shining' power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes 'Doctor Sleep'. Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival....

©2013 Stephen King (P)2013 Simon & Schuster Audio

What listeners say about Doctor Sleep

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    3 out of 5 stars

Can't listen to it

narrator sounds like Donald Trump. Can't listen to it. story probably good though. I like Stephen King normally.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Doctor Sleep

If you want to listen to this book please do the shining first as this is the follow up many years after and the little boy best known as doc is all grown up. Mr King never disappoints this is a very clever story its gripping and sad ,it gave me goose bumps in places, doing both books back to back was fantastic.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Exceeded expectations

I've never read King before but thought the film The Shining was superb, so I wanted to see what happened to that little boy. This sequel had me gripped from the first sentence. Hugely enjoyable and listening to his writing was like watching a film somehow. Great characters and an expertly crafted plot. The narrator was a perfect match for me, a great job by Patton.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • m
  • 24-09-13

Great book destroyed by a monotone reader

Any additional comments?

another great book from the king sadly ruined by a very Americanised accent with the tone of a very bored and elderly history teacher emphasising at all the wrong moments.

Buy the book but avoid the audio book version.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not What I Expected...

What made the experience of listening to Doctor Sleep the most enjoyable?

Will Patton's narration was first class. As with some of King's best novels I really enjoy his writing when he focuses on the stories/ thoughts of the characters major and minor. In fact I would go as far as to say that really the main story line doesn't ever really do it for me in King's novels- it's all about the characterisation. This book is no exception, the story line is ok but the characters, places and situations are what make this novel so rich and full of life.My favourite King novels are The Stand, Under The Dome & 11/22/63 - this didn't quite reach the heights of these books for me but almost and certainly better than some of the others I've read. I actually enjoyed it more than The Shinning which surprised me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Doctor Sleep?

The reference to Charlie Manx from Joe Hill's N0S4R2 by Halloran, I love it when books cross reference!

Which character – as performed by Will Patton – was your favourite?

I loved his portrayal of all of the members of the True Knot, proper hicks!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Pretty much, towards the end I started to lose a little interest as all the action was jammed into the final third.

Any additional comments?

At times I felt that the narrative was a little clichéd and rushed, I loved the first two thirds but lost a little interest towards the end.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Stick with The Shining

Strangely enough, unlike other reviews, I loved the narration and didn't much care for the story - I felt the narrator was monotonous in parts, but that was due to the listless insommnia of Danny at the time, so it actually added to the performance.

Overall, I think you should leave a great story as it is, like in films, remember Jaws 2 eating the electric cable? Enough said.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful follow-up.

Would you listen to Doctor Sleep again? Why?

Yes, absolutely. There are so many layers to the story, and the narration was spectacular

What did you like best about this story?

I like that years had passed. I liked that Danny didn't end up just living happily ever after - that his story was more realistic to his circumstances and everything he had experienced. You don't walk away unscarred.

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances? How does this one compare?

This was my first experience of him as a narrator, but not my last. Unfortunately he has set the bar high and is now the narrator everyone else has to live up to.

Any additional comments?

Sometimes sequels can be disappointing, but that wasn't the case here. There were a couple of small character niggles from things introduced here relating to the previous book that I wasn't sure we're true to character, but they didn't bother me too much, just made me think about it a little more. I listened to The Shining right before this so it was all fresh in my mind.

It does stand alone quite well, though it really is better appreciated if you've read The Shining. If you've only seen the movie, please make sure it's the TV mini-series rather than the Kubrick movie so it has better continuity when you follow on with this book.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Cheap and hardly scary

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, I would not.
The story starts well. It's consuming has a thrill uncovering more and more about 'the true knot' ,but that ends quickly.
From about halfway through it becomes predictive and almost boring in consequence of events. The ancient true knot's members first depicted as horrifying become lousy and helpless in all of their actions. It's just so hard to believe that the one that ventured across earth for centuries has never had measles or never came across a sick kid with it or any other sickness. I simply don't buy it and see it as a massive flow in the plot.
The new look at 'the shinning' as a power feels like a stretch and as if it was taken from some of the recent teen's series.
And the end had no sense as well.
There're just so many things that just don't make sense. Why didn't they sense Dan if his power was so great to put up a fight with Rose the hat ?! How come a ghost was able to strangle one of the true knot if for that it needs someone with shine to feed it with power.
And 'the gas bomb' that killed them all, that was just lame.
Also, reference to 'the game of thrones' ?! That's some really bad parenting if 12 year old is allowed to watch it, or worse read the book. It might be another way of invasive advertising like with adding names of hotel chains or car rentals. I don't see what purpose it could serve to the story and see it as a very low blow that made me cringe.

Apart of those, when it finished I had only one feeling in my head that brought a single phrase out: 'a cheap story'.
So, no I would not recommend it.

Would you be willing to try another book from Stephen King? Why or why not?

King needs to start writing something newer and fresher than rehashing ideas of vampires mixed with paranormal activities for me to get started with another of his books.
Maybe one of the old once, though.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration was ok. I simply didn't like a voice of the narrator.

Was Doctor Sleep worth the listening time?

Not really. I sort of feel betrayed and disappointed.
I was expecting an exciting continuation of a thriller and got this mediocre story that may thrill girls between 12-16 years of age that may identify with a character in the story.

Any additional comments?

Don't rise your expectations, otherwise you're up for a disappointment.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stephen King still has it!

Any additional comments?

Did you ever wonder what happened to Danny Torrance? I Know I did. My expectations were high and King delivered, once again. Wonderful audio performance by mr Will Patton. Listened to it almost continuously. absolutely wonderful

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wicked!

This story is exactly what I was hoping for. I'd put this up there with Bag of Bones and The Stand, this was a very enjoyable ride. It took a while to get used to the narrator, who unfortunately gives every word a full-on performance, but the book is so good that in the end I didn't mind. It took me maybe a couple of hours to really get into it, but once it really started, I couldn't stop listening. It's not high literature, but it's pure King.

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3 people found this helpful