Publisher Hodden & Stoughton
Length 15hrs 41mins
Format audiobook
Length 15hrs 41mins
Format audiobook
Published 2018 (originally published 1983)
Series standalone
My Copy I bought it
My Review
My Copy I bought it
My Review
Spooky, suspenseful, and brutally emotional, Pet Sematary is classic Stephen King.
I won't recap the plot outline as many readers will already be familiar with the concept of this book (and revised film), hey, the title kind of gives it away anyway, but will say that this book is more than just a scare-fest with the stock standard horror elements.
There's a deeper darkness lurking within the pages of Pet Sematary which casts a swollen storm cloud over the reader throughout; an omnipresent force leading to consistent apprehension, knowing full well something is coming, some turn about to break bad, but feverishly reading anyway.
One of the things that really impressed me with Pet Sematary is the subtle and slow build. Stephen Kind is known for horror infused tomes but I particularly liked the way this story evolved. The characters were key and that's where King focused the bulk of the book. Plot and gore were secondary, and that's fine by me.
My rating: 3/5 stats. The rating sounds low, even to me writing this, but I think it's a true reflection of how the book connected with me. I loved the concept and slow build but would've relished some more action.
Yes, Stephen King is a horror writer who knows how to create more than just a story. Horror is all the worse for the reader who cares about the characters.
ReplyDeleteI see this is an audiobook - what did you think of the reading? I tend to buy audiobooks of novels I have already read, and treat them as a performance, an interpretation of a story I loved, but I realise not everyone does that.
I thought the narration by Michael Hall (Dexter) was excellent. He really captured the tone of the novel perfectly and was able to bring the characters to life in a way few narrators are able.
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