'The Dead Zone' by Stephen King is a novel that follows the story of Johnny Smith, a man who awakens from a coma with psychic powers that allow him to see into people's past, present, and future by touching them. As Johnny grapples with his newfound abilities, he is faced with the moral dilemma of whether to intervene in events he foresees, such as preventing crimes or catastrophic events. The book delves into Johnny's struggles, the societal skepticism towards his powers, and the consequences of using his gift to alter the future. King's writing style in 'The Dead Zone' is praised for its realism, compelling characters, and the sense of urgency it creates, particularly leading up to the climax of the story.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers include animal abuse, themes of political violence, and graphic descriptions of trauma.
Has Romance?
While romance is not the central focus, Johnny's past relationship with Sarah impacts his character and motivations.
From The Publisher:
Set in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine
A #1 New York Times bestseller about a man who wakes up from a five-year coma able to see people's futures and the terrible fate awaiting mankind-a "compulsive page-turner" (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).
Johnny Smith awakens from a five-year coma after his car accident and discovers that he can see people's futures and pasts when he touches them. Many consider his talent a gift; Johnny feels cursed. His fiancée married another man during his coma and people clamor for him to solve their problems.
When Johnny has a disturbing vision after he shakes the hand of an ambitious and amoral politician, he must decide if he should take drastic action to change the future. With "powerful tension that holds the reader to the story like a pin to a magnet" (The Houston Post), The Dead Zone is a "faultlessly paced…continuously engrossing" (Los Angeles Times) novel of second sight.
Ratings (103)
Incredible (16) | |
Loved It (37) | |
Liked It (34) | |
It Was OK (14) | |
Did Not Like (2) |
Reader Stats (173):
Read It (109) | |
Want To Read (36) | |
Not Interested (28) |
2 comment(s)
Fun, but ultimately fairly forgettable, novel. I think focusing on one plot line, rather than the three, in greater detail would have been more interesting and fulfilling read.
The Dead Zone is a classic Stephen King novel that was made into both a movie and a television series. It follows a man who, emerging from a coma after several years, has visions of the future. He sees things occurring to the people around him that are generally major problems and which he has to convince them to avoid. An ongoing thread is his connection to a politician whose rise to the presidency could be a potential catastrophe. The Dead Zone is an engaging, fascinating story that makes you wonder about the brain and its potential while it is entertaining you.
What can you read after
The Dead Zone?
About the Author:
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, and Doctor Sleep are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
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