The Dead Zone (The Stephen King Collectors Edition)

Rating:
Summary: Dead Zone a thriller but without the horror
Review: This novel is very gripping and will cause you to phade into your own gap of time because the pages are so defined and the story is written with utmost detail. Almost like a cause an effect situation which always seems to affect the main character (John Smith's) life. He being an incredible talented teacher and cursed with second sight because a tumor and/or an incredibly large gap in the brain he calls the dead zone. This novel portrays the life of a man who is different and/ or unique and how he is different from society. This gripping novel almost makes you feel sympathy for John- as if a coma wouldn't do that for most. His parents Herb, and Vera Smith are the fairly odd couple; Vera being religious and Herb being sane. Their are multiple scene switches (this being what I liked most) which will keep you guessing at every page because it all links back to John. The Dead Zone is an incredible novel and should be read by all.

Rating:
Summary: Astounding!!
Review: Stephen King has done himself another piece of art. The book is riveting that as the reader read through this it urges anyone to continue to find out what happens next. It gives the idea that certain actions in life has an effect on a possible future which also tells us to enjoy it while we can cause we don't want to miss all the moments that pass. Personally, I think Stephen King deserves a lot more praise for his works. I may want to read it again as one of my favorite books.

Rating:
Summary: King's underrated work of greatness
Review: You'll find that people regard Steven King books as good or bad, depending on how good or bad the movie was. And we've all seen the movies. Dead Zone is not a popular movie (Rightfully so because it's so terrible), but the book however is great. It's one of my favorite works by King. There are no ghosts, no clowns in sewers... it's a very human novel whose carachters you can feel for. though you don't hear this book noted that often, I recommend giving it a try. Read a few chapters into it. I definitely think they should remake it and have someone better play the lead role. I'd say it's the only movie I've ever seen ruined by Christopher Walken.

Rating:
Summary: Well Worth the Read
Review: Johnny Smith was six years old when "his head connected with the ice and he blacked out." A section of his brain was awakened that day and it provided him with a link to the hidden world contained in each of us, the world of secrets; the private world of what has been, what is, and what could be.

Flash forward to the adult Johnny, a respected teacher at a high school in Cleaves Mills, Maine. He and girlfriend (a fellow teacher), Sarah Bracknell, expect to spend the rest of their lives together - but there are no picket fences in Johnny and Sarah's future.

Johnny drops a food-poisoned Sarah off at home after a date at the fair then jumps into a taxi. Johnny never makes it home; his taxi hits a car head on, throwing him through the windshield into a coma. He doesn't open his eyes again for fifty-five months.

Upon awakening he grabs the nurse at his bedside out of reflex. He reassures her, her son will be all right. Later the nurse come back to thank Johnny for letting her know. She had been worried about a medical procedure he was to undergo.

The area of Johnny's brain that was cracked when he was a child has become a cavern with this second accident. He sees and feels things deeply, so much sothat it is like he is participating in them. Johnny can see the past, present and future of anyone he touches. These visions begin as flashes then build in intensity as his body recovers from its extended sleep.

An unused area of the brain was stirred when Johnny's head made contact with the ice and awakened when his head went through the windshield. It is also the area where Johnny says again and again that the hidden information that he can't see lies, along with the things he has forgotten. He calls this awakened area "The Dead Zone."

The Dead Zone is the second King novel I have read and so far they are not what I expected them to be. They are chilling, but not because of some ghoulish content. They are scary because of the human quotient.

Johnny's character is likeable; like most people he just wants to live his life and do the right thing. After Johnny leaves the hospital he finds it increasingly hard to just live his life. He is bombarded by lost souls looking for answers: where is my long lost brother, mother, husband, dog. Reporters hound him looking for proof he is real - or fake.

Johnny's Jekyll and Hyde transformation from trance to waking world scares everyone he comes in contact with.. He despises the looks of horror he gets when he comes out of a trance. He feels isolated and believes his psychic gift is a nightmare. As the visions become more pronounced he distances himself from the few friends and family he has.

Despite his forced seclusion the heartaches continue. Johnny visits his mother on her deathbed. The final words of wisdom from mother to son are "Do your duty, John." Before she dies he gives in and promises what she asks. His mother's words weigh heavily on him throughout the remainder of the book.

He lands a tutoring job and after months of mentoring , Johnny begins to believe that his true gift is teaching. Satisfaction and life purpose feel within his reach.

This all changes the day he shakes hands with Greg Stillson, a budding politician. Stillson and the horrific images he witnessed never seem to leave Johnny's mind. He begins to keep meticulous journals on Stillson with his own thoughts lining the margins. One of the nagging thoughts that follow Johnny is whether he should do something or let it be.

In Johnny's mind Stillson is reminiscent of Hitler. He begins to ask himself and others "What would you do if you could go back in time and have the opportunity to kill Hitler, would you do it?" In the answers of others, Johnny hopes to find alternatives to what he knows he must do. After much agonizing he decides that his only option is to assassinate Stillson, but from the beginning we know that things don't go according to plan.

As mentioned earlier King is not ghoulish, but he is graphic. I found his images of a dog being brutally kicked to death and the antics of a serial killer unsettling. That being said, I can't imagine another way he could have bestowed the integrity of the characters on the reader.

All of King's characters are rich and detailed. Enough information is given to set the tone of the character without being buried in description. They are people we have met and people that we know. King's imagery feels real from beginning to end leaving the reader with a sense of inclusion.

I find his books not only entertaining but educational. The Dead Zone is 24 years old and still fits in with what is going on in our society. King's writing is laced with ethical, political and religious issues, never getting in the way of the story. His humourous sarcasm for society is everywhere and despite the content of the story I found myself chuckling. King is unafraid of the questions and provides the reader with his (or his characters) interpretation of the answers. It is well worth the read.

[...]

Rating:
Summary: Despite the flaws, a good roller coater ride
Review: Johnny damages part of his brain while inadvertently interfering with a hockey game. He goes down hard and blacks out. Some years later, he has a mysterious incident with his girlfriend at the time, Sarah. They are at the local fair and he decides to try his luck by playing The Wheel of Fortune. As the wheel spins, it continuously lands on the number he chooses, as the money gets higher and higher in his favor, but apparently this symbolizes that his luck is going to run out sooner or later. Run out it does, as the taxi he is coming home from his girlfriend's house gets into a head on collision with another vehicle, leaving the taxi driver dead, and Johnny deep in a coma.

The Dead Zone begins strong, fast paced and entertaining. We are pulled into the surreal fascination of the carnival, the wheel of fortune, and how this is all going to play out. King uses language brilliantly in the novel's opening scenes, leaving the reader with a desperate need to find out what it really going on with Johnny. After Johnny awakens some years later from his coma, he finds out the whole world has changed. His girlfriend is now married, his dad had given up home, and his mom has gone a bit off her rocker in dealing with religious cults. All of this comes as a shock to Johnny, but the biggest shock of all is his extraordinary gift that he has. He can, by touching a person, or something belonging to them, see into their future, or see what has already taken place, but certain aspects of his clairvoyant vision are blocked, and he can't always figure out the whole picture. This is the area of his psychic vision Johnny calls "the dead zone". Most of the time the things he sees are not positive, which is a sure indicator that danger is coming. Basically there are two remaining plots from here: 1. Johnny's attempt to find a serial killer, and 2. Johnny's battle to stop someone from becoming president. I dare not give anything else away.

The Dead Zone is much like a roller coaster ride, with a highly charged beginning and ending. The ending is fantastic, which makes the book much better than it would be otherwise, due to King's unflinching message coming through at the end. Aside from the beginning and the ending, the rest of the plot is fairly conventional, with not a whole lot of originality. It definitely has its ups and downs. I don't know how effective the book is in dealing what appears to be two totally different stories. One plot is about a murderer in New England, and the other is with an "aspiring to be" president, who could do much damage if elected. I think The Dead Zone would have been stronger if King would have just focused on the latter. That is where the majority of the power in the novel comes from. Yet, it does work both ways and having said that, I did enjoy reading The Dead Zone. Exciting, entertaining, and among King's better works It certainly is no masterpiece when compared to books like The Shining, The Green Mile, or Pet Cemetery. It does have one of the better endings I have read in his books, uncompromising and honest. Unless you were Johnny, you probably would have never seen it coming.

Grade: B+


Rating:
Summary: One of the best King books out there
Review: I picked up The Dead Zone right after trudging through Elmore Leonard's Get Shorty. Within minutes, I knew that The Dead Zone was a far better book. My favorite thing about this book and for the most part, other Stephen King books is his ability to craft real, well-rounded characters. Johnny Smith, the hero, recieves a gift he doesn't want or enjoy, the gift of second sight. He learns to live with this gift and try to help those around him. However, he is shunned. As you read this book you will feel Johnny's pain and suffer with him as he is slighted by almost everyone who is important to him. You will fell the loss he feels as he tries to move on with his life. One of the best Stephen King books by far.

Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: I read this book and i loved it so much........I can't stop thinking abour how good it is!!!!!!!And then i saw the movie and it was Okay,BUT THIS BOOK IS A HELL OF A LOT (...) BETTER!

Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: the dead zone was the first stephen king book i read and i became a fan adter that. i recently saw the movie and i regually watch the show, but the book was the best ( as it is most of the time). now i have read every one of stephen king's book and i still think this is the best.not to scary , just right

Rating:
Summary: king's best book by a long shot
Review: Stephen King's ability to write is magical. I felt as if i was a part of johnny's life and watch it unfold slowly before my eyes.the best part is it is totally unpredictable and did not use any age old cliches that have been repeated over and over again in most books and movies these days.