Doctor Sleep

A Novel

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Will Patton

Length: 18 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Great Narration, Classic King

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, the narration is superb. The book is fast paced, well written, and keeps you entertained throughout. As a longtime King fan I've always wondered.what happened to Danny, now I know. A must for true King fans

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

The Shining obviously. Classic Stephen King. Goes back to The Stand and Insomnia era.

What does Will Patton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Puts voices to all the characters. He does a wonderful job!

If you could rename Doctor Sleep, what would you call it?

The Hat

Stephen King has found his groove back.

What made the experience of listening to Doctor Sleep the most enjoyable?

The story's originality was so refreshing. In a genre where telepathy is cliche' and every plot line seems to have been explored a thousand times before, Doctor Sleep is full of new ideas and original twists.

Any additional comments?

It took a few chapters for me to get used to Will Patton's style of narration. The character voices were a bit distracting from time to time, almost closer to voice acting than straight narration which for some books is needed, but Stephen King's writing usually makes it very clear who is speaking what dialogue, so I don't think the voice acting is as necessary as it is with other writers.

That being said, once I got sucked into the story, I couldn't stop listening. Bravo Mr. King.

Awesome sequel to The Shining.

I was so into this book I looked for reasons to do household chores so I could use my earbuds and listen. So sad when a good book is over!
The narrator does an excellent job as the different characters on the book as well! Love this one! Makes me want to go back and lust to the Shining! I've never read the book.

Great Follow up to The Shining

I loved catching up with the Torrence's after the explosion at The Overlook! Doctor Sleep held my interest from beginning to end. Next I'd love a prequel about The Overlook and it's ghostly residents.
This is a must read if you're an SK fan!

Amazing Sequel

I really enjoyed listening to this book! I couldn't stop. I'm a truck driver and listen to books while I'm driving but I couldn't go into my deliveries without listening to it too.
To hear how Danny grew up and all of his struggles and accomplishments. I didn't want the book to end. Thank you for all of your hard work Stephen King. Been a fan since the first novel I ever read (pet semetery).
This book is definitely going to be virtually dog legged and ragged by getting read over and over!

Great read, puts a little closure to an old story.

I visit the worlds of Mr. King several times a year, and each time I find new ties to other stories. Dr. sleep is one of my all time favorites!

great story, iffy sound quality

doctor sleep is a decent continuation of the Shinning. the story is well told. i wouldn't put it on a top 5 king books list but it's a good read. the sound quality of this recording though is not the best. will Patton does a great job with voices and everything but the volume seems to be off at times. he talks soft then suddenly gets louder. it adds suspension but the low volume parts got a bit too soft to hear while I was driving. then he'd get loud and blast my ears. also, you can clearly hear when a recording session ended and a new one began. the sound of his voice, the sound of the recording was different. still recommend the story.

from beginning to the end.

this grabbed my attention from the beginning to the end. a spin-off from the shinning .

Just WOW!!!!!!

I absolutely love this book. it kept me wanting to listen all the time. Thanks

surprisingly good

pleasantly surpised at how good this book was! great fllowup to The Shining. Great addition to my King library