The Shining

I got this book as part of a collection I found at Half-Price Books. It was Stephen King's first four published books in one volume, but not in chronological order. It starts with the third, The Shining, and I think it was released around the time the Kubrick movie was made, seeing as how stills from the movie are on the cover, with this particular title bigger than the others. I've never seen the movie, or the miniseries King directed, so I went in unspoiled... mostly. You'd have to be living under a rock not to know the basic plot, as well as the twin girls, the blood in the elevator, the "All work and no play..." thing, etc.

So it's a man going crazy in a haunted hotel and a boy with psychic powers. An good premise for a novel. I think Jack's descending into madness was well done, and believable. He's presented as a writer with alcohol problems (King admits his subconscious was trying to tell him something) and anger issues who has already snapped and hurt his son, nearly destroying his marriage in the process. At first, everything could be choked up as a regular breakdown, but as the novel goes on, the true nature of the hotel becomes clear, at it's frightening.

The parts written from Danny's point of view are done fairly well, and it captures a child's understanding, as far as I can tell. I just wish I hadn't known the nature of his powers too early on.

I think some of the exposition at the beginning is a bit clunky, but other than that I had great time with this one.