Duma Key

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: John Slattery

Duma Key combines the appeal of Cell and Lisey's Story - two of Stephen King's most successful novels of all time - to take the legendary author to a whole new level. Read by John Slattery.

Duma Key is the engaging, fascinating story of a man who discovers an incredible talent for painting after a freak accident in which he loses an arm.

He moves to a "new life" in Duma Key, off Florida's West Coast - a deserted strip, part beach, part weed-tangled reef, owned by a patroness of the arts whose twin sisters went missing in the 1920s. Duma Key is where out-of-season hurricanes tear lives apart and a powerful undertow lures lost and tormented souls.

Here, Freemantle is inspired to paint the amazing sunsets. But soon the paintings become predictive, even dangerous. Freemantle knows the only way forward is to discover what happened to the twin sisters and uncover the secret of the strange old lady who holds the key.

The story is about friendship, about the bond between a father and his daughter, and about memory, truth and art. It is also is a metaphor for the life and inspiration of a writer, and an exploration of the nature, power, and influence of fiction.

Please note: this is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.

©2007 Stephen King (P)2007 Simon & Schuster

Critic reviews

"Written by the man who once memorably called himself 'the literary equivalent of a Big Mac with fries' - this is supreme, page-turning storytelling; the sort of popular fiction that comes along only rarely and only from a writer at the top of his game." (Daily Mail)

King the Master of the Dark Side

Would you listen to Duma Key again? Why?

Yes I would, I like to revisit the unique dark worlds of Stephen King.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Duma Key?

I particularly enjoyed the build up to the final melee.

Have you listened to any of John Slattery’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is my first encounter with John Slattery, but will seek out other works read by him.
He did a fantastic job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

An incident involving one of his daughters, without giving the plot away.

Any additional comments?

I have loved Stephen King for a long time now, and have not read a book of his that has disappointed me in anyway. Any one who thinks he is just a writer of horror fiction is mistaken, he weaves a rich tapestry of story telling that will grip you.

Brilliant

This is one of the best books I have ever listened to. Perfectly narrated and gripping story. Thoroughly recommend to listeners, not just Steven King fans

Awesome

I knew nothing about this book. I'm a King fan of old, but there have been too great a number of misses in my view (Dreamcatcher, Rose Madder; I'm looking at you among others), and I stopped reading to his stuff because of that. I recently revisited King in audiobook format, and found some more recent books are not only back on form, but are even better than the King I remember from the eighties. I bought this primarily as it's long - the synopsis sounded OK at best but it did have good reviews. Well, it blew me away. John Slattery is, without doubt, the best narrator in my 200+ book library, the story is beautifully crafted and it clips along at the perfect pace, drawing the listener in. The characters, particularly Edgar and Wireman are fantastically developed. It's up there with King's best.

King back to best!

I have been a Stephen King fan for I guess two decades. Duma Key is a fresh novel from King. This is the first audio book I have listened to by Stephen King and I was impressed. John Slattery does an excellent job of bringing the book to life, he makes you feel like you know the characters personaly.
If you like mystery/horror/drama/murder novels, then this is one you will be more than happy with.

The storyline starts out strong and never takes a backward step. At times if I closed my eyes, I could almost smell the salt air and see Wyerman and Muchacho sitting under the umbrella drinking iced green tea.
Loved it! Will listen to it again and will probably read the book as well.

An errie descent into the surreal

If you could sum up Duma Key in three words, what would they be?

Surreal, Eerie, Friendship

What did you like best about this story?

For me, the single most enjoyable aspect of the story was the idea of the main character re-inventing himself and learning to live again in this beautiful relaxing paradise. The entire first half of the book pulled me into the world of Duma Key and I felt as if I was learning to see life in a new way as Edgar found his bliss in painting. The whole feeling of it was truly inspiring. I also enjoyed the mysterious and disturbing nature of Perse, patricularly her ship and all that it is hinted at representing. The fact that it is never quite fully explained who or what Perse is only added to the enjoyment factor. The scariest demons are the ones that are revealed only a little, while the majority of their background and history are shrouded in mystery.

Which character – as performed by John Slattery – was your favorite?

It's a tie between Edgar and Wyerman. The two of them together make a great team and have a great friendship. Slattery performs each of them in a different way and thoroughly convinces the reader they are two distinct people. I loved Slattery's narration on this. He WAS Edgar. His performance really immersed me in the story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I can't think of anything catchy. It would sound too much like a cheesy horror flick, and to do that would be to take away from this great story.

Any additional comments?

Whenever I come back to a King novel after being away for a while, it's always like stepping into an old comfortable pair of shoes. It just feels so right and away you go. I LOVE King's first-person narratives. They are made to be audiobooks.

Consummate King

What a pleasure it is when you come across a book like this. Characters you really care about, humanity and humour, tragedy and nightmare within a narrative which flows with huge confidence and power. In addition, it is superbly read. Although you might not want all of the things that happen to happen, you cannot deny the fact that this is a master at work.

Very enjoyable

I really enjoyed this; it's one of my favourites of King's, in both print and audiobook format. It took me a little bit to get into the swing of John Slattery's reading but, when I did, it was great. My one quibble is some dodgy audio quality at times during the recording - some extraneous noise. A little annoying, but nowhere near enough to make me quit listening.

Not bad!

I am not a Stephen King fan and not really into sci-fi, but I really liked this one. The narrator did a good job and the story is interesting and clean enough for children to listen to too.

I loved everything right down to the narrator

What made the experience of listening to Duma Key the most enjoyable?

Stephen King's unique insight into human relationships. Never ceases to wow me.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Duma Key?

I don't want to give the story away :) But I have a clear memorable moment. High emotional impact.

Which character – as performed by John Slattery – was your favorite?

Jerome Wireman, I found John Slattery's performance smooth and pleasant. And the characters were clearly identifiable .

Who was the most memorable character of Duma Key and why?

Jerome Wireman. By the end of the book I felt as though I knew Wireman. Another one of King's unique talents. Wireman felt like someone that I would like as a friend. Caring and warm, and slightly damaged just like the rest of us.

Any additional comments?

I think for people that want to start reading Stephen King books, this is a good one to start with. The characters are richly detailed, and it's just creepy and strange enough. When it comes to Mr King you should always be prepared for the unexpected. P.S. This is a long book, but don't let the length put you off, it's worth it!

He almost nailed the landing this time

I can't fault the quality of Stephen King's atmospheric writing and the characters were great. Two things about this one particularly annoyed me. Firstly, he spoils every part. He literally says "this is the thing that's going to happen" and then spends a good few chapters showing exactly that, so when the event itself happens it's not as impactful. The pet phrase is "that was the last time I saw that person again". Secondly, a certain unnecessary aspect of the end irritated me so much (because it was unnecessary and emotionally manipulative) that it almost bumped the whole book down a star just with one sentence.

What saved that star was the lovely construction as things hinted at in the start come together and make sense near the end. It's one of my favourite types of construction to read (Raven Cycle and Ninth House share it).