Doctor Sleep

A Novel

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Will Patton

Audie Award Winner, Fiction, 2014

Audie Award Nominee, Solo Narration - Male, 2014

Stephen King returns to the characters and territory of one of his most popular novels ever, The Shining, in this instantly riveting novel about the now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) and the very special 12-year-old girl he must save from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless - mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky 12-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the "steam" that children with the "shining" produce when they are slowly tortured to death.

Haunted by the inhabitants of the Overlook Hotel where he spent one horrific childhood year, Dan has been drifting for decades, desperate to shed his father's legacy of despair, alcoholism, and violence. Finally, he settles in a New Hampshire town, an AA community that sustains him, and a job at a nursing home where his remnant "shining" power provides the crucial final comfort to the dying. Aided by a prescient cat, he becomes "Doctor Sleep."

Then Dan meets the evanescent Abra Stone, and it is her spectacular gift, the brightest shining ever seen, that reignites Dan's own demons and summons him to a battle for Abra's soul and survival. This is an epic war between good and evil, a gory, glorious story that will thrill the millions of hyper-devoted fans of The Shining and wildly satisfy anyone new to the territory of this icon in the King canon.

©2013 Stephen King (P)2013 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Will Patton's delivery enhances King's prose in ways that make King's work so much more enjoyable in audio than just reading it…Patton's narrative voice captures the rhythm of King's words. His character voices, filled with a variety of regional American accents, remain consistent. Most importantly, the sinister aspects that embody characters and moments of this novel are superbly executed and will certainly leave listeners on edge." ( AudioFile)

"King, not one given to sequels, throws fans a big, bloody bone with this long-drooled-for follow-up to The Shining." ( Booklist)

"…a gripping, taut read that provides a satisfying conclusion to Danny Torrance's story." ( Publisher’s Weekly)

Another "Good Scare" for King's Constant Readers

In King's afterword the author says he relishes "telling a kick-ass story" . In this audio version, King and Patton do just that. Other reviewers have told of the plot so I'll just say that SK does his magic here once again. This book has the coolest scary characters in conflict with a most humble, kind, imperfect hero the reader/ listener just can't help but caring for deeply. The plot is engaging, so much so that we worry for the well being of the characters. The struggles hero Danny has with alcoholism and anger are the backdrop and foundation of the story. It all blends together with a near perfect pace; this listener just didn't want to put the book down. I'm not sure now which book to read/listen to next as this one will be a hard act to follow. Peace out SK and thanks!

Wow! One of his best.

What other book might you compare Doctor Sleep to and why?

The story reminded me of Neil Gayman's "American Gods", because of its smooth and cohesive, yet gripping flow and because the final "battle scene" and the lead up to it were so quintessentially epic, yet creative and surprising.

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?

The narrator really seemed to fit the story and the main character well, and he was skilled.

Any additional comments?

This sequel to the shining, in my opinion, was better than the shining. That's partly because the antagonists were people rather than one stationary and somewhat inanimate (yet freaky) haunted hotel. Though it's mostly because a lot of time passed as the main characters journeyed through their lives to meet each other, discovering their gifts and dealing with their demons, addictions, and family problems along the way to become the people they'd have to be, and forming the relationships they'd have to have to stop the evil forces working to destroy them. It was much less claustrophobic than the shining and it was one of those that I could not stop listening to! It never wandered into useless detail or gimmicky prose, yet featured rich, realistic, and well rounded character and story development. After the end, I felt SO gratified, and a bit emotional! Not all of kings books are hits, of course, but this one really is. It's a perfect book for October too!

This is what every audiobook should be like

What was one of the most memorable moments of Doctor Sleep?
Loose ends tying in. Something I didn't love about Bag of Bones was the sheer amount of themes and characters loosely flying around (completely personal opinion). The plot twists in this work are just right, the story is more coherent, and the characters are quite likable, including the True Knot.

What about Will Patton’s performance did you like?
EVERYTHING. At first, I was a bit confused and disappointed King's particular voice wasn't on the narrating end... but I found the reason why soon enough. Patton has become my favorite narrator along King and Gaiman. The amount of characters and depth he can give to his narrations is nothing short of standing-ovation-worthy.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
YES. It's one of those books you can just lay on the couch listening all day to.

Pretty Good

Will Patton did an outstanding job narrating, zero complaints there. However, as one of Stephen King's "Consummate Readers", I suppose I expected a bit more. It's not that the story was bad, it just didn't grab hold of me the way his work normally does. Well worth the purchase nonetheless. If nothing else, just to find out whatever happened to little Danny Torrence after he and his mother escaped from the Outlook.

King is the Ruler!!

Loved the story I loved it so much I want a follow up story with Abra. The narration was fantastic I wish other narrator's I've listened to were half as good.
I love Stephen King he is an American Treasure.

I LOVED this Book

I'm a Stephen King-come-lately fan, but I've gobbled his three most recent books up. While I never read The Shining and the movie scared the heck out of me, I didn't find this book so much scary as a bit campy and super entertaining. I loved finding out what happened to Danny-- the little boy from The Shining. This was classic King, combining the real with the super-natural, seamlessly and somehow making it not seem too goofy. The characters were great, of course. A super fun listen.

One of the few best sequels I've read

Just finished this and I have to say, it's very rare for a "sequel" book to be as good as the first book. I was really surprised. Like many, I've always wondered what happened to young Dan Torrance after he grew up and boy, this paints a very realistic picture.

I'm excited to see that Ewan MacGregor was cast as adult Dan Torrance and while I know the movie will most likely live up to the book; I'll still enjoy it.

Give this one a shot.

amazing book

I loved the characters and the story was fantastic. Stephen King gets you hooked all till the bitter end.

The book versus the movie

The book was brilliant! Who ever did the screen play for the movie was an idiot. Sorry I bothed renting the movie could not finish it. Glad I didn't buy it!

Even better the second time.

I very much enjoyed Doctor Sleep, and will listen a third time down the road. I also love Will Patton’s narration.