Cell

Jennifer Wardrip - Personal Read

First off, I've never been so glad that I don't own a cell phone! Secondly, Stephen King has penned another gruesome winner, going back to his days of blood and gore. CELL starts off with the Pulse, where everyone who owns a cell phone answers a call and subsequently goes psycho. Back to their basic days of kill or be killed, these are slobbery creatures with no morals, emotions, or human qualities besides the desire to destroy.

Enter Clayton Riddell, a man happy to have never given in to the need to purchase a cell phone, who watches the people on the street of Boston go murderous. He hooks up with Tom, another "normie" and Alice, who watched her mother go crazy and kill a cab-driver, to escape the city. Clay is heading home to Kent's Pond, Maine, to check on the well-being of his estranged wife, Sharon (who doesn't own a cell phone) and his son Johnny (who does).

What follows is the groups trials and trevails as they're inevitably pushed towards Kashwak, the NO-FO zone. You'll have to read CELL to figure out what this means, but believe me, it's well worth your time and effort!

Stephen King has returned to his days of blood and gore, guts and more blood, and the result is a winner. If you love horror, or King in particular, you won't go wrong picking up a copy of this latest winner.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Not what I expected.

(Originally written February 20, 2006)

I am not the world's biggest Stephen King fan. Nor am I a fan of the zombie genre (what could be less scary than a monster whom you can escape with a fast walk?). So when a friend of my son's insisted that I borrow his copy of "Cell," I was humoring the young man more than anything else.

Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. This story is brisk and gripping, and not bogged down with a lot of the overly heavy details to which King is often prone. It is also shorter than many of his opuses, which pleased me.

But most importantly: This is NOT a zombie novel! Sure, the victims of the Pulse share many of the violent characteristics of zombies, but like the movie "28 Days Later," they are more like RABIES victims than the undead. And that's just the beginning. They quickly begin evolving as a group, making them more and more interesting than "regular" zombies with each page.

I was a HUGE fan of Richard Matheson's "I Am Legend" from all those years ago, and was disappointed to see the theme "devolve" into the zombies we are familiar with today. So it was nice to see King return the genre to the greater potential it once had with Matheson's vampires.

My biggest complaint would lie in the ENDING. As other reviewers have commented, the book feels incomplete. With Gary Brandner's "The Howling," I felt that we were missing an epilogue - in "Cell," I felt as though I were missing an entire final chapter, maybe TWO. Is King planning a sequel to "Cell?" I hope so; I will read it. As it stands ...

But again, overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and I would recommend this book to fans of "I Am Legend," "28 Days Later," and (to a lesser degree) the "Dawn of the Dead" 2004 remake. If you are a hard core fan of the George A. Romero zombie genre, you probably won't like it.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

a disappointment

While the idea of this story was interesting, I was completely disappointed by the ending of this book. It felt like he was bored with writing it and basically threw together an ending just to finish.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

AMAZING

I thought this book was great. Don't listen to those idiotic losers that say this book was bad. It was amazing. Although the ending does leave you hanging, it was sooo good! Im only thirteen and ive read the mist, the shining, carrie, pet semetary, cell, salems lot, misery, and the girl who loved tom gordon. My favorite, after the shining, is cell! It was sad at one point, when _____________ dies, but it kept going and got really good. I looooooved it sooooooooo freakin much! SK ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TEE-HEE.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The idea of this story was interesting, but it just fell short i

The idea of this story was interesting, but it just fell short in its execution. The ending, especially, was such a let-down, just a "cliff-hanger" which is inexcusable when investing in a long novel. Stephen King is my favorite horror author - I love his classics, but not everything he writes can be a masterpiece, I suppose. It somebody else wrote this book, I would give it three stars, but I only give this two stars because I expect much more from King.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Don't waste your time reading this or your money buying it.

I love Stephen King's books - but this has got to be the most ridiculous one he has written yet. Don't waste your money.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Absurd premise

Cell phones turning people into zombies? PUH-LEASE. There should be some element of possibility in a horror story. I have read stories by Machen, Blackwood, and Hodgson that make this story seem puerile. This just shows American's lack of literary criticism.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

the celll

Title: Cell
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Horror Novel
Pages: 480


Cell starts out with a wallop it is hard to put down for several of the chapters you want to keep reading to see what happens next. Clay Riddell is an aspiring comic book writer from Maine that traveled to Boston to land a career in a graphic novel deal. During his trip tragedy strikes the human population. Someone has sent a signal (pulse) through cell phones that cause people that hear it to go insane. It takes less than a second and everyone that had a cell phone to there ear has gone mad and is either trying to kill someone standing near them or themselves.

Since Clay doesn't own a cell phone he is okay though. But he has been pretty lucky because these people strike without warning and randomly. It is a very small group that doesn't own a cell phone. Clay comes across a man named Tom whose phone happened to get broken that morning and a girl named Alice that saw her mother go crazy over the phones tone.

Clay thinks about his son that is on the other side of Boston and fears that the tone may have got to his son. So he needs to get to him to see if his son is dead or insane, or even got a lucky break like his dad.

Most of the roads are blocked because people crashed their cars because they went insane so the three of them had to travel by foot. The people they encounter were in like zombie like states and exhibiting strange behavior. These zombie like people also known as Phoners are trying to stop Clay and the other 2 from reaching his son. Clay is determined to reach is son and will do anything in his power to stop the zombies.

I have read several of Stephen King's books and this is one of his best and keeps you wanting to turn to the next page. Another one of his books I enjoyed was The Mist. He is a master at horror books and keeps you guessing and wanting more. It is hard to put down once you start reading it late into the night.

King makes you fear technology after you read the book Cell that all the gadgets that we count on in our everyday life and take for grant might someday overwhelm us. We are so hooked on technology we never take into consideration there might be a dark side to it also.

I enjoyed the book by page eight catastrophe had broke loose. and it never let up from there it was action packed. The only thing that could have been better was the ending King could have ended it differently instead of leaving you wondering if there will be a sequel. I guess if he did continue on though the book could have end up being possibly 900 pages or more because he would have had to go on for quite a while.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

i thought this book was amazing!

I myself can sometimes find Stephen King to be a bit overanalytical and lengthy in his descriptions of situations and people, but this book got right to the action and you could almost feel as if you were a part of this disaster itself. I found myself deeply bonded with each character- Clay, the levelheaded caretaker of his new companions, driven by a paternal instinct to save his son; Tom, the timid, introverted sweetheart, and Alice, the very epitome of innocence in a world gone so chaotic.

I read this book in about 3 weeks flat. I just couldn't put it down. I have to say it is one of the only horror stories to disturb me outside of the pages.


I will say that I did get a little lost as to what exactly was happening at several points in the novel, however, I find that this is a typical characteristic of King's writing.


This story will captivate you from the very first page, break your heart several times, and horrify you to the core... and will undoubtedly make you think twice about picking up a cell phone.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

FIRST BOOK I'VE READ BY STEPHEN KING...NOW A HOOKED FAN!

Cell is about the survival of humanity from the devastating pulse. I will not summarize the whole book because I do not want to spoil the whole thing. I am over all very impressed with my first Stephen King Novel. His descriptions of events and characters are great. His writing style/language is a masterpiece of its own. He is a passionate writer that will get involved with the characters; you will become extremely close with Clay and his companions. The only objection I have to King's style is the language. I did not expect to see bad language blasted on every other page. It's small and ignorable, and certainly does not take away from the book. Cell was a bit confusing at times, but all the questions can be answered if you read carefully; all but one at least. Who started the pulse and why? I could not figure that out and I don't believe you can just from the reading. Maybe I'm wrong, and hopefully I will figure it out. Cell also could have been 100 pages longer, but the ending was satisfying. This books was great. I'm sad that it is over because I want to know what happens next with Clay and his friends. I can't wait to start my next Stephen King novel. You will not regret readings this book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Science fiction as written by Stephen King

This is Stephen King's second foray into the realm of science fiction; the first being "The Tommyknockers". Sad to say, "Cell" is nowhere near as good as that - but it's still better than 99% of the so-called horror novels currently in print. And King's prose style has definitely matured here; in spite of the gore (and be warned, there is PLENTY of gore) "Cell" is an extremely well-written book about the dangers of the modern world as seen by the master of the modern horror novel.

Clay Riddell is in Boston trying to sell his comic art so he and his wife and son can live their lives in comfort. He apparently succeeds beyond his wildest dreams, but unfortunately he doesn't get a chance to enjoy his new life or to tell anyone about it - because that's when the phenomenon known as The Pulse occurs and drives mad anyone who listens to a cell phone, which these days is most of the world's population.

Actually, it doesn't really drive cell owners mad, but to say what it does do would be to spoil the plot and remove your interest in buying this book.

As I said before, this is not one of King's better efforts. He writes extremely well here, but he seems to be going more for the print equivalent of the Freddy Kreuger and "Friday the 13th" movies. There's actually very little of the horror we've come to expect from Stephen King in this book. But as I also said, this is still better than most of the other books on the horror shelves - and on that basis I give it a four-star rating.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

not exactly fulfilling of the possibilites

As a recent reader of King, I found this novel to not be worth the hype of the author. Luckily, I believe in second chances. The concept of the end of the world through a techno-terrorist act is unusual and draws the reader in, but after the initial disaster-zone, the suspense is lost. There are several lulls of boring explanation and no action. After Clay, Tom, and Alice meet up with Jordan and the Head, their discussions bring adventure (especially when they decide the phone-crazies must be dealt with). One thing that interested me was how the reader never knows what really happened. Was it a terrorist, or some kid with a super-computer? How exactly did the phone-crazies evolve? Was it really a glitch, or did they purposely become telepaths and levitators? These questions were what kept me reading¿ along with the great characters. Clay, the main character by far, gives off an older brother vibe. His desperation to find his wife and son make him a likable character with relatable emotions. He is, however, unrealistic and hopeful. Alice, the only female and a teenager at that, is hysterical most of the novel which is understandable, but stereotypical. The constant presence of the baby sneaker adds to her personality and femininity. Her unfortunate end is certainly not expected and, in my view, unnecessary to the development of the novel. Tom is the character that is not quite needed, but must be in every novel. He mostly makes Clay look good, but he is one of my favorite characters. The reader has no idea in the beginning that Tom and Clay stick together through it all, creating a Batman-and-Robin bond between them. The overall concept of this novel was great and original, but written with both ups and downs. Chaos out of an American staple is ironic and a great example of King¿s dark humor. This is a novel that must be read by his fans, just as long as it¿s not their first.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved it

I loved this book it was the first King book i have read...Have to say the ending sucked but other than that awesome book...Definally makes you think Do i really want to use a cell phone or not...All of the people are relatable and the infected where freaky...Makes you think if you look out your window you would see them...And your thrown into a world with the infected very fast in the book...To anyone wondering should I read this.... if you want a great book that you cant put down coz you want to see what happens next this is the book for you

Great book

It was very entertaining, kept me on the edge of my seat. Its a thriller, fiction novel, and people should be more open-minded. Yes, it may sound ridiculous with the whole zombie cell phone theory, but its a thriller and its entertaining and fun to.escape to such a fictionus world -- which is what books are for. I loved it, but the cliffhanger ending was irritating. I hope theres a sequel to tie up loose ends!

Buy It!

I love reading stephen king novels and this is by far my favorite! You will not be able to put it down. The only reason i give it a 4 is because compared to his othere works, CELL, is relativly short

Jjr

Good book

Uum

Loved it did feel incomplete though oh and book-reader-22 last i checked stephen king is dead so no sequal no matter how much we want it

A must read

One of his best books

Jeff kimny lover

All of u were rite,i shouldnt have wasted mi money on dis crap he calls a book,i mean wat kind of ending is... nevermind,i womt spoil it but dis was a bad book,if it had a nose i wuld hit it like it jus crapped on tha floor

Another great book

I have read mixed reviews about this book but personally I loved it. With all going on in todays technological society this book makes you think about things that could happen. Have we cursed ourselves by depending on computers to run things?