Reviews
Spellbinding...King is a master at invoking the supernatural through the powerful emotions of his characters, and his depiction of Jacobs as a man unhinged by grief but driven by insatiable scientific curiosity is as believable as it is frightening. The novel's ending - one of King's best - stuns like lightning., King continues to point out the unspeakably spooky weirdness that lies on the fringes of ordinary life… No one does psychological terror better than King. Another spine-tingling pleasure for his fans., As the Kingian references pile up, and become layered into the events of the fictional world, you fall deeper and deeper under the story's spell, almost believing that Jamie's nightmarish experiences actually happened…reading Revival is experiencing a master storyteller having the time of his life. All of his favorite elements are at play small town Maine, the supernatural, the evil genius, the obsessive addict, the power of belief to transform a life…it is fun to map it all out, to experience King's mind at work., Revival buzzes with allusions to horror classics.... Revival gives familiar themes-the relationship between science and religion, the fine line between grief and madness-new power. It's King in electrifyingly fine form., As the Kingian references pile up, and become layered into the events of the fictional world, you fall deeper and deeper under the story's spell, almost believing that Jamie's nightmarish experiences actually happened...reading Revival is experiencing a master storyteller having the time of his life. All of his favorite elements are at play - small town Maine, the supernatural, the evil genius, the obsessive addict, the power of belief to transform a life...it is fun to map it all out, to experience King's mind at work., It's a good, scary story, but it's so much more. Every page is a treasure trove of detail about daily life in America, in the 1960s or whatever decade King's story lights on. There are tiny stories within stories, and headlines, road signs, soapsuds, state fairs, storefronts ... It's pure poetry., Stephen King's splendid new novel offers the atavistic pleasure of drawing closer to a campfire in the dark to hear a tale recounted by someone who knows exactly how to make every listener's flesh crawl., Revival buzzes with allusions to horror classics…. Revival gives familiar themes-the relationship between science and religion, the fine line between grief and madness-new power. It's King in electrifyingly fine form., This is King's darkest novel in quite a while… King retains his aw-shucks accessibility and writes about addiction and shattered bones with the insight of personal experience… Revival is a wrestling match between faith and science, and watching King throw himself into that eternal theological debate within the context of a horror novel is fascinating. This is the sort of book he couldn't have written when he was younger; it's the work of someone who has lived a long life and experienced its highs and lows., Worshippers at the Universal Church of Stephen King have a lot to rejoice about with his latest literary sermon. Revival is a dark and haunting tale about old-time religion and one man's search for a mythic 'secret electricity.' At the same time it's an emotional and spectacular coming-of-age tale that spans 50 years of horrific tragedy and human redemption... Revival is often heartfelt, as characters deal with painful loss, and the author invests you wholly in the separate journeys of Jamie and Charlie as they arrive at their inevitable crossroads and a voltaic endgame. Say hallelujah, for the King has risen to the occasion once again., A fresh adrenaline rush of terror from Stephen King...Maine, rock and roll, engaging characters and a pounding build to a grisly end - this is vintage King., King fans won't find anything to complain about here. At just over 400 pages it's one of his quicker reads and any hint of the supernatural is blended with tender moments that ground the characters....If this is your first King novel, it's not a bad choice. You don't need to know anything about his oeuvre coming in, and if you like the writing style, there are dozens of other King books you'll probably enjoy., Revival is dark, disquieting and pretty horrifying, revealing a mind (the narrator's, for sure; King's, perhaps) searching for answers to life's age-old questions about life and death., This is King's darkest novel in quite a while... King retains his aw-shucks accessibility and writes about addiction and shattered bones with the insight of personal experience... Revival is a wrestling match between faith and science, and watching King throw himself into that eternal theological debate within the context of a horror novel is fascinating. This is the sort of book he couldn't have written when he was younger; it's the work of someone who has lived a long life and experienced its highs and lows., All of the elements that have made King the preeminent American horror author come alive in this ultra-creepy tale of love, loss, evil and electricity…. Riveting., Revival finds King writing with the infectious glee that has always been at the heart of his popular success... Older and wiser each time he writes, Mr. King has moved on from the physical fear that haunted him after he was struck by a van while out walking to a more metaphysical, universal terror. He writes about things so inevitable that he speaks to us all., As with most of his work Mr. King excels at capturing the small moments of the real world, the things that are human and common to everyone. This is a world we all know and recognize. It makes the darkness that lies just beyond our perception seem more real as well., Worshippers at the Universal Church of Stephen King have a lot to rejoice about with his latest literary sermon. Revival is a dark and haunting tale about old-time religion and one man's search for a mythic 'secret electricity.' At the same time it's an emotional and spectacular coming-of-age tale that spans 50 years of horrific tragedy and human redemption… Revival is often heartfelt, as characters deal with painful loss, and the author invests you wholly in the separate journeys of Jamie and Charlie as they arrive at their inevitable crossroads and a voltaic endgame. Say hallelujah, for the King has risen to the occasion once again., A fresh adrenaline rush of terror from Stephen King…Maine, rock and roll, engaging characters and a pounding build to a grisly end this is vintage King., King continues to point out the unspeakably spooky weirdness that lies on the fringes of ordinary life... No one does psychological terror better than King. Another spine-tingling pleasure for his fans., All of the elements that have made King the preeminent American horror author come alive in this ultra-creepy tale of love, loss, evil and electricity.... Riveting., Revival finds King writing with the infectious glee that has always been at the heart of his popular success… Older and wiser each time he writes, Mr. King has moved on from the physical fear that haunted him after he was struck by a van while out walking to a more metaphysical, universal terror. He writes about things so inevitable that he speaks to us all., Revival is easily his best work in years…fresh…an excellent, simply written story…filled with suspense and curiosity, it's a one-day read for King fans., Revival is easily his best work in years...fresh...an excellent, simply written story...filled with suspense and curiosity, it's a one-day read for King fans., It's a good, scary story, but it's so much more. Every page is a treasure trove of detail about daily life in America, in the 1960s or whatever decade King's story lights on. There are tiny stories within stories, and headlines, road signs, soapsuds, state fairs, storefronts … It's pure poetry., King fans won't find anything to complain about here. At just over 400 pages it's one of his quicker reads and any hint of the supernatural is blended with tender moments that ground the characters….If this is your first King novel, it's not a bad choice. You don't need to know anything about his oeuvre coming in, and if you like the writing style, there are dozens of other King books you'll probably enjoy., Spellbinding…King is a master at invoking the supernatural through the powerful emotions of his characters, and his depiction of Jacobs as a man unhinged by grief but driven by insatiable scientific curiosity is as believable as it is frightening. The novel's ending one of King's best stuns like lightning.
Synopsis
A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life. In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs-including Jamie's mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town. Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss. In his mid-thirties-addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate-Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings. This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It's a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe., A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life. In a small New England town, over half a century ago, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls feel the same about Reverend Jacobs--including Jamie's mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town. Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss. In his mid-thirties--addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate--Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings. This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It's a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.
