Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Shining cover art

The Shining

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Campbell Scott
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Jurassic Park cover art
The Fury cover art
The Road cover art
Dark Matter cover art
The Conception of Terror: Tales Inspired by M. R. James - Volume 1 cover art
Kill Creek cover art
The Black Echo: Harry Bosch Series, Book 1 cover art
The Troop cover art
The Listener cover art
Year One cover art

Summary

Danny is only five years old, but in the words of old Mr Hallorann he is a 'shiner', aglow with psychic voltage. When his father becomes caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, Danny's visions grow out of control. As winter closes in and blizzards cut them off, the hotel seems to develop a life of its own. It is meant to be empty. So who is the lady in Room 217, and who are the masked guests going up and down in the elevator? And why do the hedges shaped like animals seem so alive? Somewhere, somehow, there is an evil force in the hotel - and that, too, is beginning to shine….

©1977 Stephen King (P)2005 Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Obviously a masterpiece, probably the best supernatural novel in a hundred years.'' (Peter Straub)

What listeners say about The Shining

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,616
  • 4 Stars
    891
  • 3 Stars
    205
  • 2 Stars
    37
  • 1 Stars
    17
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,170
  • 4 Stars
    812
  • 3 Stars
    222
  • 2 Stars
    45
  • 1 Stars
    26
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,272
  • 4 Stars
    757
  • 3 Stars
    189
  • 2 Stars
    37
  • 1 Stars
    12

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A classic horror novel

Would you listen to The Shining again? Why?

This is probably Stephen King's best known work. Not necessarily his best book but with the release of the movie by Stanley Kubrick (loosely based on the book), its popularity increased massively. It's tightly constructed and well realised with a smooth flow which keeps you going from start to end. It's a story I like to read every so often and now I can listen to it every so often too.

What did you like best about this story?

The creepiness of the 'visions' brought by the hotel and the debauchery that is played out certainly adds to the atmosphere of the story.

What does Campbell Scott bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Campbell Scott isn't a bad reader. He does seem a little stilted at the start which could put you off the audio book but he seems to warm into the story as time goes on and as he gets into the characters, the change in tone and style starts to show through and makes listening to the text much more enjoyable.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Some guests never check out.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful

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

So

wasn't expecting to hear the n word every single time the only Black character was there

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

poor monotone narration

I am about halfway through this novel and have read The Stand, the Dark Tower series and Under the Dome. All fantastic. This story is damn good but it is hard to get over how much better it could have been with a decent narrator. Otherwise, this would have been another 5 star Stephen King novel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

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

Stephen King at his best

Where does The Shining rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have been a latecomer to Stephen King but he is surely one of the best writers on Audible. A fantastic story well written and well read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

WOW

The book is always better than the film and this book is a prime example. In the book, Jack Torrence seems more frightening and disturbed that will have you thinking about it after you've finished it! King has a way with words, and is the true master of Horror. If you want a book that will stay part of your soul and make you scared again, like when you were young, this is perfect.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Spot on - scary novel

This is a classic in every sense of the word. Sinister and suspenseful - the sort of scary that you keep thinking about long after you've switched it off!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

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

Addictive but scary as shell!!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Shining to be better than the print version?

Yes.

What did you like best about this story?

Danny's strength as a kid through the ordeal he went through, I would have ended up a basket case after all that, OMG!!

What about Campbell Scott’s performance did you like?

Very good and a great accompaniment to the movie, as good as Jack Nicolson played the lead as an actor!!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Jack turns back to his normal self for a moment and tells Danny to run and get out of The Overlook! The last moment of lucid sanity .

Any additional comments?

Great book and story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

I loved this book!

I have been a fan of the movie since before I was legally old enough to watch it! As with most novels the book is better than the film (Although the imagery of Jack Nicholson works very well!). Campbell Scott narrates the book with feeling.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

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

Horror at its best!!

The Shining is horror at its absolute best. I saw the movie and really loved it, so I felt like I had to read the book. I'm sorry to say, but I really don't like the movie that much anymore.

King is extremely good building characters, and this book is no exception. In addition to the many breathless moments you get with chills running down your back, you really get to know the characters as well. That doesn't just make it a good story, but also a very very good book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

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

A hotel possessed - the real story of the Overlook

If you have seen either of the films or the TV series of this title, you may think this book holds no further surprises. You would be wrong. The director's cut is the story of a family's fight for survival against pure evil in an isolated, snow-bound hotel. On a more human level, it is the story of how families survive.

Danny, the five year old son of Jack and Wendy, sees visions. He can find things that are lost and can read his parents thoughts. When Jack takes a winter caretaker's job at the isolated Overlook Hotel, high in the mountains, Danny's "shining" awakens an evil that hunts him. What follows is a terrifying escalation of horror and suspense. Forget the films; the pictures in your own head are far more vivid and horrifying !

From a human perspective, Jack is a recovering alcoholic, whose addiction has brought his family to the brink. This job is his last chance to keep his family together, but the spirits in the hotel tempt him and taunt him to bring his son to them. In this, only his third published book, Stephen King' s own battle with alcohol adds an interesting backdrop. Addiction fills you with demons. The reason that King's narrative works so well is that normal human reactions and emotions lie at its base.

Beware: slight spoiler in this next bit
BY the way, when you've read this carry on with Dr Sleep, the wonderful sequel which follows a damaged Danny into his adult life where echoes of the past will always be with him.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful