Rating: 
Summary: My favorite King so far
Review: It's a great peripheral tale to the Dark Tower series, with all the trademark elements of King stories. Oddball characters, and that creepy little town, the seamless blending of reality and... hyperreality?
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating, but a little slow and beyond belief
Review: My Stephen King virginity was taken by "Insomnia". Subsequently, I think I have a fairly objective view of King and of this novel. Overall, "Insomnia" is entertaining, sometimes surprising, and occassionally thought-provoking. The story, from a "thousand foot view", is intriguing. Nevertheless, as I waded through the details (nearly eight hundred pages of it in the hardback I read), the story would drag at times and boredom would set in. "Insomnia" was a bit too fantastic for my taste; I just didn't buy into parts of it, which left me lukewarm and disinterested. King is definitely a gifted writer-- he is direct and vivid with his words. I find this to be ironic since critics often laud his story telling and tend to be critical of his writing style. With "Insomnia", I believe the reverse to be true. "Insomnia" would have been a great read for me-- instead of just a good one-- if the story was tighter and more realistic. If you are considering "Insomnia" as your first King book, I suggest another choice to start with (My next foray into King will be "The Stand"). As for Long-time King readers, especially those who have read mostly his earlier horror works and want something different, you may find "Insomnia" refreshingly different at the very least, if not great.
Rating:
Summary: Lost for words
Review: The easiest thing in the world to do, is to read a Stephen King novel. The toughest thing in the world to do, is to review a Stephen King novel. What can I say that several hundred other reviewers have not said before me? This is one of King's richest novels, both in storyline and in characterization. The main player is an older guy called Ralph, who begins to suffer from insomnia (no plot spoilers so far!). During a particularly sleepless night he sees a... (plot spoiler alert!) ... a thing! (Told you it was tough reviewing King). Well, anyway, he gets involved in stuff that you and I don't, and discovers that he is about to change the course of history... at a price to himself.You only have to read one of his novels (Insomnia included) to understand why Stephen King is the true Master of commercial fiction. Sure, it's no highfalutin literary endeavour, but then us King fans know that. We read his books for the entertainment and for the sheer joy of being carried away into a different world. If there are two types of book - those which urge you to read on for the resolution of the plot, and those which tempt you to stay on each page because of the beauty and power of what's there - then Insomnia falls firmly into the former category. It's what Graham Greene would have termed an "entertainment," and its swift readability is the book's greatest strength. Yet there's more to King than simple readability. There's an effortless quality to his prose (actually it's downright criminal how easy he makes it seem). And isn't that the sign of a true professional? Ever watched Tiger Woods regularly holing out under par? Ever wondered how golf can be that easy? King is the Tiger Woods of fiction, and with Insomnia he's just sunk another hole in one.
Rating: 
Summary: An overly long disappointment
Review: As usual, the writing is stellar in INSOMNIA, but the quality of the writing isn't enough of a reason to wade through a book with a modest premise that's basically overwritten and padded everywhere it can be padded. King's basic weakness as a writer is that he provides the reader with EVERY thought the protagonist has at EVERY turn of the story. This pushes what could have been a basically sound story at maybe 350 pages to an almost 700 overly-packed monster. King is better when he is working short and concise, as in FIRESTARTER, DEAD ZONE, and the stories in FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT. Only die-hard fans of King will like this book. But for me, I ended up skimming the last half. And I _hate_ doing that. I like to honor the words writers write, but I don't like writers who are thieves of time--_my_ time.
Rating:
Summary: Can't put it down
Review: An old man has problem sleeping. As he suffers from insomnia he starts to be able to see another world superimposed on the world that we all see. One of Kings strengths is his ability to create new mythic concepts, new monsters and new worlds. So much popular fiction works by retelling stories which have been created before. How many detective novels are about serial killers, how many books have been written about vampires. Each time King writes a novel he creates a new genre and a new world. The other attraction of Kings books are that the characters are not two dimensional stick figures whose only purpose is to advance the plot. Rather his characters live, think, love in a way that is very close to reality. His ability to plot character and dialogue strengthen reader interest so that one get more involved in the plot than with other pulp fiction. A long book but one that brings joy on each page.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite King Book
Review: Whenever people ask me about Stephen King, I say "Have you read Insomnia?" This is the most honest, heartbreaking, frightening book that he's written. It's about aging gracefully (or not), the dangerous power of zealousness, romantic love, familial love, the love of friends, the love of children, the fear of death and longing for it at the same time. Along with that are the wise musings on our culture that make you stop and consider what you really believe in. And of course, there is the trademark mysticism and fantasy blended with real life that makes it a Stephen King novel. Don't miss this one, even though at around 1,000 pages it'll take a while to get through. Take it on vacation, you won't regret it.
Rating:
Summary: You Won't Forget Ralph
Review: Old Ralph the hero of this novel is a terrific character. He's the kind of man you'd want for a granfather. When the action finally takes off---it takes a long, long time to do so--you will care what happens to him and his love, the feisty Lois. The book is too long and at times it seems more like a literary experiment than a fully worked out novel.
Rating:
Summary: The most amazing book I have ever read
Review: i like sci-fi books. i do not know what posessed me to read this book, but was it worth it. the beginning parts of the book at character development and story but once Ralph starts seeing some strange things, the book kicks into high gear and gets REALLY GOOD! i couldnt put it down. i think i ended up reading half of the entire book in 2 days. By the end of the book, i was so sad that it was ending, and it has a terribly sad ending, that i was actually crying. Please, if you like sci-fi thrillers, please please PLEASE read this book.
Rating:
Summary: way to long for the story it told.
Review: You ever notice that old people think the world revolves around them. They move as slow as they want. This is what insomnia does. The plot doesn't really get going until about 400 pages. I kept at it for the tie in to the Dark Tower. The book was okay but could have been about 200 less pages.
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the effort
Review: With a deja vu from Needful Things, Insomnia has about 250 unnecessary pages of fluff, padding the way to possibly one of the most unsatisfying climaxes I've ever come across. It begins much like Bag of Bones, with a painfully long development of the main plot. Admittedly, there are a few good chapters in the middle, once the plight of the main character is revealed. After that, though, things drag on unsatisfyingly. The only thing that kept me reading was the allure of finding out who the "Crimson King" really was. Talk about disappointment. Save your time & money.
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