Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote… and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible … forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five year old.
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Damn. That was intense. This was my first time reading The Shining and believe it or not I have never watched the film adaptation [yet]. I did however experience Universal Studio’s debut of the Overlook Hotel haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights last year and if that was any indication I knew this story was no joke. My in-person book club read …
Much scarier than the movie
I collect Stephen King first edition hardcovers. Read this when it came out , and was way too young for such a book! Started my love of the horror genre!
Still love this book and reread it often. The characters are so real and the Overlook Hotel is so much more than just a setting! And OMG the twist at the end is amazing! SOOOOO much better than the movie! Definitely still one of my all-time favorite reads….
This is a good book to read during a snowstorm, or any time. Classic horror with the family isolated and snowed in. The scene with the topiary animals has stuck with me for years.
This book was phenomenal! Jack Torrance is a very interesting and controversial character and the Overlook is scary as hell. Don’t limit yourself by just watching the film by Stanley Kubrick. Grab a copy of The Shining and I promise that you’ll be submerged by the horror.
Saw on an episode of Friends that the book was so scared it had to be put in the freezer. Took a chance and picked it up. It’s a classic. Hair raising to be sure. The movie did not do the book any justice as most of the messaging and sequences were lost in translation. You can not go wrong with this book.
You may know the basic storyline: a writer is hired to run an isolated Colorado mountain hotel over the winter and ends up going insane – and taking his family along for the ride. Seeing the movie is one thing. Reading the book – checking into the Overlook Hotel, feeling the terror grow page by page, hearing the ancient elevator gears suddenly …
This is truly a “the book was better than the movie” case. While the movie is good, it tells a different story than the book. The book will keep you up at night to keep reading but then will keep you up at night still thinking about the Overlook Hotel and all the guests still there.
Do not read this book when you’re alone. Apart from being a great horror novel, it’s also an interesting look at the deterioration of a relationship.
ladies and gentlemen, Stephen King at his finest!! This is definitely one of my top 5 favorite books. I have love/hate feelings when an author can take control over my emotions and make me feel anxious without me knowing it….but its a good thing right? Just goes to show the genius in their work!Wanted to read this in one sitting! Initially I …
Stephen King seldom fails to scare and this, being one of his first, was classic terrifying. I know the premise cannot happen but is still terrifying. One of those books that you just cannot put down. Prefer the book over the movie.
The first time I read this story was long ago, back in high school soon after its release. Loved it then–despite the nightmares, and this was decades before I tried my own hand at writing. Love it still.
This was the 2nd Stephen King novel I read, before he became as famous as he is. This book scared me so badly that I would have to set it down at times and walk away. Although I liked the movie, it couldn’t hold a candle to the book. Stephen King has been my favorite author since the early 70’s…not just because of the genre, but because his …
When I get snowed in I automatically think of this book! Maybe that’s because of where I live, all I know is, I always have a copy handy in the winter…just in case!
I recommended this book before, but I must include it as the answer to this weeks question “Book to read in snowstorm…”. Reading a book about being locked in a storm when YOU are locked in a storm…….. well, a perfect scenario? You betcha!!
Obviously, the horror aspects, that are exceedingly well done by the way, but there’s also the beautiful character building. We’re offered a veritable smorgasbord of delicious details, subtle and often simple slipped in so naturally that we come away feeling we truly KNOW some of these people, and they do become people not just mere characters. …
What could be more perfect than curling up by a fire, all warm and cozy, and scaring yourself silly, LOL
If it was customary to give your review a title or a headline the way you do with most websites where you read books or buy them, my title would be the same one many reviewers at Amazon and other sites have undoubtedly used because it would be the most honest: “The Most Terrifying Ghost Story Ever Written.” Aside from Pet Sematary, I think this is …
I loved every page of The Shining, it actually exceeded my expectations and even scared me in places – that elevator coming to life! Those hedge animals! I ignored my own writing deadlines to read this, whilst not wanting it to end. I do prefer the book’s ending to the movie’s version. Jack is a great character and I’ll always see him as Jack …