Rating: 
Summary: Terrifying, Perfect King
Review: "umber whunnnn
yerrrnnn umber whunnnn
fayunnnn
These sounds: even in the haze."
This is the mysterious first "chapter" of Stephen King's amazing bestseller, Misery. It tells the tale of a man named Paul Sheldon, creator of Misery, a four-book clichéd Harlequin series. He is a very successful writer who, ironically, hates his best-selling Misery series. So, he decides to kill off Misery Chastain, the main character of the Misery novels.
After this, he decides to start writing other things. His most recent manuscript after Misery is called Fast Cars. But one night, right after finishing the first draft of Fast Cars, he breaks both his legs in an automobile accident. The next thing he knows, he is lying in a bed in a woman named Annie Wilkes's house. It comes into his knowledge that she is his "number one fan". This isn't anything out of the ordinary; a lot of people sign their letters to him as his "number one fan". But when Wilkes goes ballistic after she finds out that Misery has been killed off, he finds out that this is no ordinary woman.
This is the story of Paul Sheldon, as told by Stephen King. In this tale dubbed by the Boston Globe as "full of twists and turns and mounting suspense", strange things occur in this little nowhere house in the Middle of Nowhere, Colorado. Annie Wilkes takes advantage of his crippled state, threatening him with all sorts of different awful implements of torture, that she will use on him if she doesn't write a new Misery novel, just for her. This novel is to be named "Misery's Return", and must bring Misery back to life, but in Wilkes's words, without cheating.
This is definitely one of King's better works, which I was able to finish in essentially less than a day. I was completely hooked on this book, only being able to set it down for an hour at a time at most. Among the many unforgettable things in this book is the "Annie Wilkes Lexicon", which is what Sheldon dubs her often hilarious way of "swearing", such as calling "bad" people "dirty birdies", as well as calling objects "cockadoodie" and "oogy". Misery shows you exactly the strain and struggle Sheldon goes through to write the new Misery's Return, without invoking the wrath of Annie.
Of course, sometimes this doesn't work too well. Annie has plenty of methods of bringing inspiration to him. First it's burning his one and only manuscript of Fast Cars, next, a hypodermic needle, and even a gruesome scene in which she attacks him with an axe. As much as I loved this book, it is definitely not for the people who cannot take King's... err...rather more colorful than average descriptions.
Be forewarned that the plot involves a lot of emotional and physical trauma, as Sheldon recuperates from the car accident, plus the many beatings he must sustain from Annie Wilkes. It also involves a lot of swearing, although not as much as most King stories, and an Annie-inflicted dope addiction that drives Sheldon to sometimes-insane lengths. And the gruesome descriptions of the bloody tortures that Annie inflicts on anybody who makes her mad, because, as she puts it, she is not herself when she's angry.
I may not like most stories with only one main character, a few examples of this kind of writing would be "Hatchet", by Gary Paulsen, or even the Horror Master himself's very own "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon", which I hated. This, somehow, was different. He was not being tormented by something unseen, although you could definitely say that. He was being tormented by something REAL. The whole thing was REAL. The book was REAL. That's what I liked about Misery. This book compared to even The Stand (although I have yet to read a novel that surpasses THAT, even Misery wasn't that good).
This novel was critically acclaimed by such papers and newsgroups as the Boston Globe, the Chicago Sun-Times, the Seattle Times, the Houston Chronicle, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly, as one of the best King books ever to be written. I honestly couldn't put it down. The analogies in the book are excellent, as Sheldon starts thinking of himself as a modern-day Scheherazade, story-telling (excuse me, story-WRITING) for his life. Five stars (and if it was out of 10, I would give it a 10 out of 10). Highly, highly, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Misery
Review: Award winning author, Stephen King, stuns his audience of readers with yet another magnificent display if imagination in his novel Misery. Stephen King had his book published in 1988 and it was, 2 years later, made into an Academy Award Winning movie. Stephen King's stunning and vivid descriptions of Paul Sheldon's 'misery' and his psychotic captor, Anne Wilkes, make this book one of his most popular.The novel begins as Paul Sheldon, a best selling novelist, is involved in a terrible car accident, which leaves him very badly injured. His smashed up car is discovered by a woman by the name of Annie Wilkes. As Sheldon awakes from his unconscious state, he finds himself in the small guest bedroom of Wilkes's house with his legs shattered and badly splinted. He quickly becomes aware that his new caretaker is more than just his "number one fan" but is also a mentally disturbed woman who seeks to keep him prisoner in her home. Stephen King wrote this novel to grip his audience and throw them into a life different from that of which they live and hand them the experience of being trapped with a person of an unstable mind. His dark and cruel humor leaps off the pages in his horrifying descriptions that can almost be felt. Through his vivid descriptions of Sheldon's mind and disquiet towards Annie, it seems almost as though he himself were experiencing them. Also, unlike many books that I have read, the setting is told descriptively so to create a detailed picture in your mind, but is also not so descriptive and boring as to "put you to sleep". King's style never ceases to amaze his readers, especially when he combines two stories into one. In the novel, Paul is made to write a new episode in his books, just for Annie, which brings back to life the main character of his series. As Paul begins his new novel, the reader is able to read along as Annie would. King intertwines Paul's novel chapter by chapter while maintaining the original story about Paul and his captor. Another of the novels major attributes is the tone. The tone is one of suspense and makes it very easy to keep reading. King also incorporates flashbacks and memories from Sheldon's childhood into his thoughts or ideas in the form of metaphors, such as the tide of the ocean covering a "rock piling". This signifies the medication that he is taking washing over and covering the pain that he suffers. This form keeps the book interesting and ties it together, bringing in ideas or thoughts that were originally brought up at the beginning. Although the ending seemed rather rushed, as though King was trying to finish the book quickly to reach a deadline, Misery is by far one of his best. His brilliant writing brings the characters to life before your eyes making reading the book an experience worth remembering.
Rating:
Summary: Beware of Nurses with axes and pills
Review: Great book by Stephan King. Unlike a few of his other books, this gets straight to the point right away, and you don't have to read half of the book before you can't put it down. I would recommend it to anyone who is just starting to read his works. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, horrified and may even scare you. Everything you ever wanted. Where does he come up with this stuff anyway? It's Genius!
Rating:
Summary: The Title Grabs You, the Rest of the Story Only Gets Better
Review: I believe this to be Stephen King's best book. This book represents a benchmark between King's earlier campy, almost horror movie-like style books (Carrie, etc) and the more psychological, almost surreal thriller type books that characterize his later writing years.
Without giving too much away: the story revolves around two characters. A world-famous writer, physically incapacitated by a car accident, and an insane ex-nurse who loves his books, and has had the strange coincidence of rescuing him from the wreck. The writer is holed up in the nurse's house, and is witness to/victim of her descent into complete insanity.
I am a fan of most Stephen King books but found this one to be most "effective", because it was actually a pretty quick read. Stephen King is a phenomenal story teller but at times his books can get a little slow. I always stick with them because I get a kick out of the bites of factual info that he inevitably inserts in his ramblings. I can see how a reader could get bothered by that though. Misery however is not like that. It has no slow or dull spots at all.
The characters are intense, really strong, and will stay with you for years. The plot is suspenseful and perfectly paced.
Read this one! It is well worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Misery: The Absolute Best Stephen King Book
Review: I have read every single book that Stephen King has ever written (yes, including The Wolves of Calla) and out of all of his books, Misery blows all of them away. The way that King implements sheer horror into the novel has me spellbinded. The thing that makes this novel much more horrific than the other novels is that it is set in a real-life situation. Everything that goes on in this book can and probably is happening even as I type this review. The way that King has created Annie Wilkes is unbelievable. She is so strong a character that she could only have been created by King. The way that he actually delved into the mind of a psychotic person and then transferred that personality to Annie Wilkes is un-matched by any other author to this date. The way he shows the utter fear in Paul Sheldon's mind as Annie goes off on one of her psychotic frenzies is remarkable. I have read this book 8 (yes, eight) times. 7 times in English, and once in Spanish. And it never ceases to scare me silly.
Rating: 
Summary: Definately not for the faint of heart
Review: It had been many years before I reaqainted myself with Mr. King. I had been a fan of the movie and thought I may as well read the book too. Needlessly to say, I was shocked and completely mesmerized by Paul Sheldon's plight as he finds himself the unwilling "Patient" of a murderous ex-nurse who also happens to be his "number-one" fan. A warning to fans of the movie---you will be shocked. The movie leaves out many details. Grusome and horrifying details. The death of the young state trooper who is investigating Paul's disappearance is one of the most shocking and horrifying scenes I have ever read in a book. Shocking because even though you know Annie isn't playing with a full deck..you either don't believe she could kill someone with such blatant disregard for human life, or that you knew and just didn't want to fess up to the reality. Not to give anything away to those who haven't read it..Paul doesn't have his ankles broken..rather one is the victim of a impromtu "operation'. Still, this novel was compelling in its insights into the mind of the manic-depressive and completely insane. The excerpts of Paul's novel made me wonder if Mr. King wasn't skewering the Romance novel niche...anyone else note that these were obvious parodies of the popular novels? Still...King is a masterful writer and his use of vocabulary is astounding....great read...
Rating:
Summary: Bittersweet Misery
Review: Misery couldn't be better, if you know what I mean. This novel is a loosely based purging of Stephen King's thoughts about his fans, and he weaves a novel out of that that is inexplicably excellent. After releasing The Tommyknockers, Stephen King had this book published in 1988 to rave reviews and massive fanfare, and was even made into an Academy Award Winning movie 2 years later(Think about a tight schedule). Stephen King's vivid descriptions of Paul Sheldon's misery and his insane captor Anne Wilkes make this book stand as one of his strongest and happens to be one of his most popular books. Great for people trying to get into Stephen King. Story: Our story revolves around writer Paul Sheldon, who like The Shining's Jack Torrance is buried in the harsh Colorado winter. After a brutal Car wreck, Paul is Saved by his Number One Fan, The Former Nurse Anne Wilkes(There's a reason she's a former nurse), who nurses him back to health after he attains some ghastly injuries. As soon as Paul comes back to The Living, he learns that Anne Wilkes is a SERIOUS Fan of his Misery novels, romances of a sort. Paul is mortally afraid of Annie, as he has already figured she's insane, and he prepares for her to crack. And boy, does she ever. She begins by making him burn a novel(Fast Cars, She apparently didn't like it) that he has worked on for the past 2 years, giving him the Choice of either getting his pain to go away or burning his manuscript. Then, upon learning that Paul killed off Misery Chastain in his new novel, she MAKES him write a new one, and the choice is simple:If he writes it, he lives, and if he doesn't, he dies. This is how Stephen King haunts people, folks. But he begins to find solace in his writing and it is the one thing that keeps him from going insane.As Annie's bad mood progresses, she becomes more depressed and demanding, and will do anything to get Paul to obey her. Holding his pain medication and cutting off parts of his body are just 2 of her methods. As Paul uncovers her shocking path he is likewise set on a path to revenge that will end in either his death or Annie's .They're are many road bumps in store for Paul, and he must get over them so his story will be told. The story is impecable and majestic to be saying the least. Writing: Stephen Kings prose screams off the page with its dark and twisted humor and terrifying descriptions that make you need to get under a blanket, you're shivering so badly. It's almost as if King lived in the world of Paul Sheldon, because his desriptions of Paul's thoughts and his apprehension at Annie put you directly into his mind. I also like how King had a story within a story(Kind of like The Regulators the Movie screenplay in The Regulators), as we Constant Readers get to read chapters of Paul Sheldon's new special Annie Wilkes novel, Misery's Return. It's kind of cool to read 2 different stories at once, and learning how Sheldon's writing process works.I also love the metaphors this novel has, Like how writing Is Paul's Africa, a place where he can escape to. Also the metaphor of how Annie Wilkes is The Goddess, because of her impenatreble stronghold on Paul. The story never seems to lag or get haggled in boring chapters, as the story is just straight up action through 338 pages. The only thing that sticks out like a thorn to me is that the ending seems to be really rushed, like King was trying to reach a deadline(Like Paul) or he just wanted to get the novel over with. Overall, his writing is not at his peak (Like in The Shining or Needful Things), but its a close second. Great. Bottom Line, if you're a potential buyer who wants to read a great book or discover a new author, just buy this book and thank me later by saying this review was helpful to you.
The Circle Closes
Rating:
Summary: Misery's Return
Review: Paul Sheldon is a famed, best-seller novelist. When he is involved in an accident one night driving to California, he is pulled out of his car by his #1 fan from hell. She is horrifed when she purchases his newest novel, featuring his well-known character, Misery Chastain, in which Misery dies. She demands he write her a novel, just for her, where he brings Misery back to life. Keeping Paul prisoner,he soon is hooked on painkillers. He starts going insane, and doesn't think he will ever escape. As he discovers more and more about his captor, he realizes how bad his situation has become, and he may never make it out alive. This book by Stephen King is very well written and one of my favorites. The parts where hw is telling Misery's Return, the book he is writing for Annie, is a little boring, and I skipped a lot of that. He book is good, and I admire that he could write the entire book with little more than two characters. It is a very exciting story, and I would recommend it to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: That Would be Misery
Review: Paul Sheldon is a writer of the famously popular Misery novels. They seem to be old romance (old gothic) or the such. Everyone wants more and more and that's the opposite of what he wants. So he kills of the lead character Misery Chastain, to end the books so he can write something new. He writes a manuscript and heads back to the city in a snowstorm, but he never makes it. He's involved in a one man car accident and finds himself in some woman's house in a bed with broken legs and all tore up. He;s in the home of Annie Wilkes his "#1 Fan."
This is when all hell breaks loose. She's obsessive and insane. She looses it when she reads the new Misery book and finds out he killed off her favourite book. She forces him to right a new one, or die and she has him destroy his new manuscript.
During this time he is subjected to various tortures: fingers cut off for complaining about broken typerwriter keys. Feet cut off for trying to escape. And she wants to kill him and then herself once the story is finally finished, in a weird suicide love pact. She loves him. He hates her. I won't reveal the ending, but it is pretty satisfying.
The movie was extremely good as well. Gos read this and then watch the movie. Very good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: The novel "Misery" is truly one of the greatest books I have ever read. I was skeptical to read it at first but now I am glad I did. King's use of imagery helped me to picture everything that was around Paul and Annie. Everytime Annie said or did something I got the chills through the novel's descirptiveness. I read it over a 3 week period but I never wanted to put it down because I wanted to know what this psycho woman was going to do next. Every time Paul got a hope of escape Annie snatched it from him and I was disappointed as well as Paul. Without ruining the ending, I do not think it could have been better or more unexpected. I like books where I cannot predict the ending and this really satisfied me in terms of surpirse. I have read several of Stephen King's novels but this one is by far my favorite.
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