THE INSTITUTE By Stephen King Review

Widely regarded as the king of horror and one of the best storytellers of multiple generations, Stephen King has amassed a library worth of material over the years. It's this immense work rate that can result in readers falling behind on his work, with it being easy to become oblivious to the release of a new book. Additionally it's also extremely easy to fall behind due to the vast amount of produce the author publishes, with it being hard to keep up at times. It's the latter of these that proved the case with The Institute, having only recently gotten around to finishing it despite being on my bookshelf since its initial release in 2019.

Awoken in the middle of the night to the sounds of his partner murder, Luke Ellis is quickly abducted and loaded into the back of a black SUV, being whisked off to the titular Institute. Once he comes to, Luke finds himself in a room that looks exactly like his own, with the only difference being there's no windows. As he gets accustomed to his new surroundings our brilliant young protagonist quickly discovers that his “special” talents are more than just coincidental occurrences, being one of many talented children subjected to various tests.

Before we get to all this, the book introduces us to its secondary protagonist, Tim Jamieson, a disgraced cop who leaves his job in Florida following a freak accident. Deciding to leave his previous life behind, Tim finds himself in the small town of DuPray, South Carolina taking on the post of Night Knocker. The decision to break readers into its plot through this secondary narrative proves an interesting one, with Tim's unfortunate circumstances setting the tone for this book's overarching themes. Not only does it allow the intense abduction of Luke to become even more shocking, but it also puts into motion events that won't become prominent until late on in the story’s narrative.

One thing that Stephen King is a master of is creating intriguing concepts, with the way he intertwines supernatural elements into the real world being truly special. This is no different with The Institute, with the telepathic and telekinetic abilities of these children captivating at every possible moment. This intensifies as we progress through the story, with the development and self awareness of these gifts resulting in pivotal twists to the narrative. King handles each moment with the utmost grace and finesse, with the characteristics of these talented youngsters being infectious to say the least.

Talking of our band of supernatural adolescents, King always seems to be in his element when focusing on how children react to the unexpected. Whether it's the first half of It or the incredible short story The Body, the author has always found a way of making his young protagonist mature enough to feel credible. This is no different in The Institute, with King conveying the way they adapt to their powers perfectly. Luke in particular proves to be a fascinating character, as despite never coming across as the bravest or strongest amongst the Institute's test subjects, he adapts to his surroundings at an alarming rate, using his intelligence in a way that makes him more valuable than he initially appears.

The antagonists of this story are the Institute staff themselves, with there being various levels of corruption within their ranks. Feeling like a mental health hospital crossed with a concentration camp, this sick and twisted facility reeks of everything that makes King novels so enticing. From its sinister aura to its regimental routines, this Institute more than delivers when it comes to the fear factor. As for the staff members themselves, they prove a mixed bag, as despite most of them being evil and vindictive, with the higher ups being methodical in their decisions, there are a couple of kind souls amongst their ranks, showing a level of humanity.

The only major gripe I had with this book was its pacing. Despite being full of gripping twists and turns there are several points where the plot feels a little stretched out. This is quite surprising from King, as despite being known for lengthy masterpieces like The Stand, the author usually has an impeccable understanding of plot development, with his compact short stories being a prime example of this. Things do, however, pick up as we move closer to the book's conclusion, with the way King conveys action feeling both dynamic and explosive.

Verdict

The Institute is a gripping coming of age tale that intertwines supernatural elements into the real world in a way that captivates from start to finish. Despite at times feeling a little stretched out, Stephen King once again proves why he's a master storyteller, with the way he develops our young prodigies and builds tension being truly mesmerising. Throw in exciting action sequences and a gripping conclusion, and you're left with a story that's begging to be revisited.

7/10

Terrifying FIRST LOOK at IT: WELCOME TO DERRY

We're set to return to the town of Derry next year, with the highly anticipated prequel to Stephen King's It close on the horizon. So far we've had very little to go off when it comes to It: Welcome to Derry, but now we get our first look at the series, with HBO sharing this teaser following House of the Dragon's second season finale.

This ain’t America. This is Derry.

The @HBO Original Series #ItWelcomeToDerry is coming soon to Max. pic.twitter.com/4yO3tSGyUA

— Max (@StreamOnMax) August 5, 2024

Captioned with the tag “This ain't American. This is Derry.” the six second clip introduces a new set of children to Stephen King's world of It. What becomes of them is still very much a mystery, but what is for sure is that they're in for a terrifying experience. 

The biggest omission from this incredibly short clip is none other than Pennywise himself, and I love that. When it comes to brief teasers like this, especially when little has already been shared, less is always more. Now we know that Bill Skarsgård is set to return as the maniacal shape-shifting clown, but given we've seen plenty of the character in both parts of Andy Muschietti's It adaptation, seeing him here isn't necessary. What we get is nonetheless a truly horrific sight, that looks befitting a Stephen King adaptation. The blood and unrelenting terror packed within this clip is sure to entice fans of the book or films, with the mysterious woman at the end certain to spawn speculation.

It: Welcome to Derry is scheduled to arrive on HBO sometime in 2025.

Source: X

Stephen King: Joyland Review

Writer: Stephen King

Stephen King is one of the first writers I tried as a teenager/adult, and have loved his stories ever since with him been one of my favourite writers. So when I noticed he had a new book out I had to get it, and having the tagline, "Who dares enter the Funhouse of Fear?" made it sound very interesting.

Plot

Devin Jones is a 21 year old college student, who decides to go and work at Joyland over the summer. Whilst there he discovers the story of a murder victim, befriends a dying child, as well as his first heartbreak.

Review

This was a great book, and although it's not one of Stephen King's best, it was a fun read. King does a great job, shaping the character's perfectly, as although he doesn't describe them in vast detail like some writers, he adds so much depth to them, making them feel very real. The narration from King in this book was also perfect, giving a real gritty, and realistic tone, whilst also having ton's of drama, as although there wasn't a great deal of suspense, the story was very interesting, making me want to continue reading on and on, which is a very good thing. King did however have some suspense in this novel, especially near the end, but the best thing about King's writing in this novel besides the depth of character had to be the emotion he put in, as there were a lot of very emotional moments that made me go, "what?" The book wasn't however quite the mystery/horror that I hoped for, and more of a coming-of-age story, reminding me of King's novella The Body, which was made into the film, Stand by Me.

One of the main focus points of the start of the novel is Devin discovering heartache for the first time, which would continue throughout the story, shaping Devin's characteristics. I feel that King did a good job of this, as although there was a part of me that feels he's went a little over the top, that's probably a good thing, as pain of that magnitude won't go away that easy. I also loved how it was built-up, as although it made the story drag slightly, it gave a more realistic tone. I did however find it a little predictable at times, and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or bad thing, as part of me feels it's too obvious, but at the same time it once again adds to the realism.

The main setting for most of the book was naturally Joyland, and although I was hopping for a very spooky, ghost town vibe to this theme park, it was still amazing for other reasons. The detail that King went into describing all the rides, as well as how he went into the carny talk, making the place come to life. I also liked how King thought ahead adding a note at the end of the novel stating that although some of the talk may not actually be correct, that it's fiction, and that some of it is. Joyland was also written in a very fun way, which was very fitting, and appropriate. I also found Devin's experience to be very interesting, going from one of the new guys, to loving the place.

All stories need it's group of side character's, and this story had it in abundance, from all the Joyland staff, to Devin's landlady, Mrs. Shoplaw, to Devin's work, and lifelong friends Tom Kennedy, and Erin Cook. I will however only talk about his work friends, Tom, and Erin. The relationship between the three character's in this novel was very well handled, feeling realistic, and natural. The differences in personality was also brilliant, and the way they changed over their time in Joyland was also interesting. It was also interesting that the three would remain friends, and King did a terrific job of showing how they cared for each other, which added yet more depth to the character's.

The part of the story where the mystery falls in is Devin's intrigue into a murder victim, who was killed at the Horror House in Joyland, wanting to see her ghost, as well as find out who killed her. This was a very interesting addition to the story, adding more excitement, as well as most of the story's suspense. It wasn't however quite the spooky mystery that I was hoping for, as although it was very dramatic, and suspenseful near the end of the story, with a few interesting points prior, it was overall slightly disappointing. It was however still very interesting, and well thought out, keeping to the realistic tone of the story.

Tom, and Erin weren't the only friends that Devin would make during his time at Joyland, as he'd also befriend a dying child named Mike Ross, and eventually his mother, Annie (as well as dog Milo). Although Devin's relationship with Tom, and Erin was interesting, this was however much more interesting. The fact that Annie wanted nothing to do with Devin, even though Mike would wave at him added drama straight away, showing that this wouldn't be an easily started relationship. It did however develop brilliantly, with some really interesting points, as well as some emotional, and was probably the most interesting part of this story.

Final Verdict

This was a fun read, with great characterisations, as well as brilliant emotion, and interesting mystery. It was however missing the wow factor that I expect from a Stephen King novel, but it was still very good for the type of story it was. I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves books with great character depth, with a hint of mystery, but otherwise unless you can get this for the right price, you probably wouldn't be missing much.

Rating: 3.5/5