Misery

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful weaving of characters and environments
Review: I finished this novel and I thought to myself, "How in the world does King manage to weave this wonderful mix of protagonist and antagonist feelings?" His choice of surrounding gives the reader a sense of closed-in claustrophobic images as he pens this magnificant plot around you. Bravo!

Rating:
Summary: Should be 6 Stars!
Review: This book is unbelievable! I first saw the movie, and then was inspired to read the book. Needless to say the book was 100 times better then the movie. Just a couple pages into the book and you feel like you are Paul Sheldon! You feel what he is going through...... Read this Book!

Rating:
Summary: Very Scary Horror
Review: This book is one of the most scery I have ever read. It deserves a place in horror novel history.

Rating:
Summary: A different kind of horror
Review: While this book does not provide the edge-of-your seat scares of, say, The Shining, it has a new breed of horror all its own. It is one of the scariest situations a person can be in: trapped by a psychotic fan who never wants to let them go - and to make matters work it is impossible for you to get away because you were just in an accident! A great book. If you like Stephen King you'll love this!

Rating:
Summary: King's best...
Review: I've read all of King's books and by me this one is his absolute best! It contains everything that you could expect from a good horror story plus a lot more. Annie Wilkes is his scariest wacko ever, (maybe it's because she's a woman, I don't know) and she won't leave you after you've read the last page, she'll haunt you for a long time... This book is awesome...

Rating:
Summary: I Will Never Forget This Book
Review: This was the first real book I ever read outside of school, back when I was ten, and it blew me away. It scared the hell out of me, especially the part where Annie "hobbles" Paul. It was so good, I would read it for hours and hours and never realize how much time had passed. It took three days to read this outstanding book, and since reading it I have bought and read about fifteen other Stephen King books. There are only three that I can think of that can compare to this book:The Stand, It, and The Tommyknockers, in that order. If you like King, or just really good books, read this. It will change your life.

Rating:
Summary: Wow.
Review: Well, back when "Misery" was first published, I had no interest in it at all. I was more of a fan of King's horror/ghostie stuff, and the premise when described to me (I was all of 15 at the time) sounded like a major snooze. I finally got around to reading this book last week, and I have to say, "Misery" is probably King's equivalent of Shakespeare's famous tragedy that begins with "M" whose full name we dare not invoke due to the curse. "Misery" is lean, yet muscular. It is a book with tunnel vision, it does not digress from the major plot, but rather keeps the reader staring straight ahead and biting their nails. Annie Wilkes has to be King's most monstrous (yet ironically, literally the "least" monstrous) creation he ever dared breathe life into. As such, after a while the reader, like Paul Sheldon wants to take Noveril to take us out of the realm of Annie, yet unlike Paul, we just can't WAIT to see what Annie will do next. King replicates the formula of "person trapped in a small space trying to escape" in other books (most notable in Gerald's Game) but this is truly his finest hour at getting the reader into Paul's head, and feeling his pain (and as I said before, his drugged bliss on Noveril). I even give credit to King for making us just as excited as Annie to see how Paul will resolve bringing Misery back from the dead. It's in the story within the story that shows that King is a master of his game, deftly parodying the gothic romance drama, while at the same time, presenting it in a very straightfaced manner. This is definitely the book that I would say defines King and his body of work. And the fact that it's a not so gentle look at the limits of fandom that make this a book that you won't put down.

Rating:
Summary: MISERY THRILLS, CHILLS, DELIGHTS, AND AMAZES
Review: It is my firm belief that Stephen King has produced thus far in his career four literary masterpieces (and another half-dozen or so which come pretty close): THE SHINING, THE STAND, MISERY, and, most recently, HEARTS IN ATLANTIS. (Of those that come close, I'd include 'SALEM'S LOT, THE DEAD ZONE, DIFFERENT SEASONS, PET SEMATARY, DOLORES CLAIBORNE, and THE GREEN MILE.) MISERY is without a doubt (in my opinion) King's greatest horror novel, an excellent exemplar of what constitutes a good horror/suspense tale, a memorable work indeed. I strongly recommend that anyone who enjoys being fraught with terror read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Audio Dynamite
Review: I purchased and read Misery way back when the book was first released. It was, of course, excellent. I also saw the movie adaptation during its initial theater run. Again, excellent. I have been buying audio books to listen to on my commute to work for some time now and am currently listening to Misery. The audio book is read by Lindsay Crouse who delivers a clear, detached narrative and who has an excellent "Annie voice" (Annie is the protagonist's homicidal Number One Fan). The audio book has really brought back to me how terrifying this story is. As I said, the movie was excellent but the book is so much more intense. I rank this audio book amongst my favorites. I've found myself actually looking forward to my commute just so I could listen to the day's "installment!" I highly recommend this audio book. Buy it and be accompanied to work each day by the twisted, psychotic Annie.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, a very fast read
Review: This is a very good book, unlike the movie. The only bad parts are when the guy gets run over by a lawn mower and all of the other gross parts that really didn't need to be in the book. The suspense kept me reading for at least two hours at a time.