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Book Review of The Institute

The Institute
cyndij avatar reviewed on + 1031 more book reviews


I have mixed feelings about this book, and they have nothing to do with the quality of the writing. King is a master of fiction. His characters come alive, his dialogue is real, the settings are vivid, the plots move along at the right place, he can make you believe in bizarre scenarios, and basically he creates a world that keeps you turning pages. I've read so many of his books. There's a reason he's an umpty-million bestseller. It's all evident here. You can't help but feel what Luke feels, and that's where my problem lies. This book spends almost the whole time describing the torture of children. Not in any salacious way, it's clear the adults are monsters, but that's what the book is about. This is not a new theme in horror (or, sadly, in real life) and certainly not a new theme with King. But I don't know. I spent half the book wanting it to be over. Maybe that's a testament to the power of King's writing; this is fiction after all, no one's really getting hurt. After thinking about it some, it might be that the ending was not as satisfying as I wanted (not saying more because of spoilers). Anyway I just don't think I want to read it again...but it's a damn good story.