Insomnia [NOOK Book]

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Overview

Ralph Roberts hasn't been sleeping well lately. Every morning he wakes just a little bit earlier until pretty soon, he isn't sleeping at all. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the strange hallucinations--and the nightmares that keep coming to life.

Old Ralph Roberts hasn't been sleeping well lately. Every night he wakes just a little bit earlier, and pretty soon, he thinks, he won't get any sleep at all. It wouldn't be so bad, except for the strange hallucinations he's been having. Or, at least, he hopes they are hallucinations--because here in Derry, one never can tell. Part of the "Books That Take You Anywhere You Want To Go" Summer Reading Promotion.

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Overview

Ralph Roberts hasn't been sleeping well lately. Every morning he wakes just a little bit earlier until pretty soon, he isn't sleeping at all. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the strange hallucinations--and the nightmares that keep coming to life.

Old Ralph Roberts hasn't been sleeping well lately. Every night he wakes just a little bit earlier, and pretty soon, he thinks, he won't get any sleep at all. It wouldn't be so bad, except for the strange hallucinations he's been having. Or, at least, he hopes they are hallucinations--because here in Derry, one never can tell. Part of the "Books That Take You Anywhere You Want To Go" Summer Reading Promotion.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
Forget the lean, mean King of Misery, Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne. This is the other King—the Grand Vizier of Verbosity who gave us It, The Tommyknockers and Needful Things. There's much of everything in these 800 pages, including the worthy. Notable is a rare septuagenarian hero, recently widowed Ralph Roberts, whose broodings on old age immerse readers into the aging psyche almost as clearly as other King heroes have revealed the minds of children. Then there's the slam-bang final 300 pages, in themselves a novel's worth of excitement as Ralph battles demonic entities to prevent a holocaust in his small town of Derry, Maine (site of It). The problem is that the finale is preceded by more than a novel's worth of casual, even tedious buildup: Ralph's growing insomnia; his new ability to see auras around all living things; his dismay as Derry's citizens divide violently over the impending visit of a radical pro-lifer; his slow realization that celestial forces have marked Derry as a battleground between good and evil. King remains popular fiction's most reliable mirror of cultural trends, in particular our continuing love affair with horror (Barker and Koontz are palpable influences here). If this novel were liposuctioned, it would rank among King's best; as is, it's another roly-poly volume from a skilled writer who presumes his readers' appetite for words is more gourmand than gourmet. 1,500,000 first printing; $1 million ad/promo; paperback rights to Signet; simultaneous audio release from Penguin Highbridge; BOMC selection. (Oct.)
Library Journal
The publisher plans to promote King's latest bit of horror with an advertising campaign-aimed at everything from TV to online services-that says, ``Insomnia. It looms.'' A BOMC main selection.
School Library Journal
YA-Ralph Roberts has been waking earlier and earlier every night for weeks, and the forgetfulness and weariness caused by sleep deprivation are starting to affect him. When he begins to see brilliant auras around people and objects, his concern grows. As his nights become shorter, his visions become more terrifying, and yet more real. Strange forces are maneuvering for power in Derry, Maine, and somehow Ralph is a part of the conflict. Well-read students will note references to Greek mythology, the Bible, and to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (Houghton, 1967) interspersed with modern cultural allusions. King's forte, however, is characterization, and there is no shortage of it here. Good guys and evil are well developed, with a depth that makes them believable. Although Ralph is clearly identified as a septuagenarian, he is never stodgy or prudish, and will appeal to teens. Some of King's more recent novels, such as Gerald's Game (1992), have been disappointing, but Insomnia is closer to It (1987) and Needful Things (1992, all Viking) in its suspense and entertainment potential. A good return trip to Derry, Maine.-Robin Deffendall, Bull Run Regional Library, Manassas, VA
Ray Olson
King's last few novels have been, by his standard, slim and economical. With this dark fantasy based on the conception of a multilevel ultimate reality, he returns to the massiveness of The Stand and It and The Tommyknockers. On one of the long, exhausting walks old Ralph Roberts starts taking as a brain tumor slowly kills his wife, he witnesses a friendly young neighbor, Ed Deepneau, behaving totally out of character--indeed, like someone possessed. About a year later and after his wife's death, Ralph begins waking early and then earlier and earlier. He also starts seeing things--intense colors streaming off people and animals. Meanwhile, Ed has turned into an antiabortion fanatic and wife-beater. Ralph intervenes to help Helen Deepneau escape from Ed, for which Ed threatens him. Or is it Ed? Ralph senses that someone or something else is in control of the troubled man. Ralph's right, of course. Ed has been involuntarily recruited on one side, and, it develops, Ralph and his also-widowed neighbor, Lois Chasse, on the other, of a supercosmic struggle the import of which King reveals with deliciously tantalizing gradualness. This is a yarn so packed with suspense, romance, literary reference, fascinating miscellaneous knowledge, and heart that only Stephen King could have written it. Marvelous--that is, full of marvels.
Interview
Stephen King is an immensely talented storyteller of seemingly inexhaustible gifts.
Time
Stephen King is superb.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781101138007
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
  • Publication date: 9/1/1995
  • Sold by: Penguin Group
  • Format: eBook
  • Pages: 672
  • Sales rank: 13,758
  • File size: 1 MB

Meet the Author

Stephen King
Stephen King

Stephen King, the world's bestselling novelist, was educated at the University of Maine at Orono. He lives with his wife, the novelist Tabitha King, and their children in Bangor, Maine.

Biography

Fiction powerhouse Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine, in 1947. As a student at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, became active in political causes, and met his wife, the former Tabitha Spruce. In the early years of his marriage, King augmented his meager teacher's salary by selling short stories to men's magazines. Then, in 1973 he hit pay dirt: his novel Carrie was accepted for publication, and a major paperback deal provided the means for him to leave teaching and concentrate full-time on writing. Since then, the prolific author has never looked back.

Dubbed the Master of the Macabre for his domination of the horror genre, King has also written bestselling thrillers, mysteries, fantasies, novellas, and short stories, many of which have been turned into blockbuster films and miniseries (A partial list includes Carrie, The Shining, The Stand,, Misery, It, The Shawshank Redemption, The Langoliers, Stand by Me, and The Green Mile). He also has two works of nonfiction to his credit: a gorgeously crafted memoir/scribbler's how-to (On Writing) and Faithful, a chronicle of the Boston Red Sox' stellar 2004 season, cowritten with Stewart O'Nan. In 2003, he received the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.

In between books, the indefatigable King performs in the Rock Bottom Remainders, a rock band that includes among its rotating personnel fellow authors Dave Barry and Amy Tan; attends as many Boston Red Sox games as is humanly possible; and contributes with his wife, Tabitha, to many local and national charities.

Good To Know

Don't believe everything you read about Stephen King. Among the gossip circulating about the scribe is the rumor that he is going blind. King assures his fans that while he is genetically predisposed to a disease called macular degeneration, which could result in blindness, he is not actually going blind.

King is probably one of the most easily recognizable authors alive, and it's not just because of his string of bestsellers. King has appeared in a number of films based on his work, including Pet Semetary, Thinner, and The Stand.

If you've ever wondered why Stephen King has written several books under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, there is actually a very simple explanation: King is so prolific that he felt it necessary to create an alter-ego so that he could publish more than one book a year. The name was a hastily hobbled together combination of writer Richard Stark (ironically, a pseudonym for Donald Westlake) and Randy Bachman of rock group Bachman-Turner Overdrive.

    1. Also Known As:
      Richard Bachman
      Stephen A. King
      Stephen Edwin King
    2. Hometown:
      Bangor, Maine
    1. Date of Birth:
      September 21, 1947
    2. Place of Birth:
      Portland, Maine
    1. Education:
      B.S., University of Maine at Orono, 1970
    2. Website:

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 258 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(120)

4 Star

(72)

3 Star

(34)

2 Star

(15)

1 Star

(17)

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 258 Customer Reviews
  • Posted August 27, 2011

    AGAIN

    STEPHEN JUST KEEPS THE HITS COMING- AGAIN HE HAS DUG INTO HIS WEIRD BRAIN AND COME UP WITH ANOTHER "CAN'T PUT IT DOWN" STORY. GREAT - GREAT - KEEP IT UP - I'LL KEEP READING. ANNIE

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Posted June 2, 2011

    Almost a Great Read

    I would rate this novel 3.5 stars. Going by the title and description I was thinking this book was going to be more of a psychological thriller than the strange scifi category I would put it in. It started off great and the character development is outstanding (like all of King's novels) but there were points in this story where the plot just got flat out ridiculous. I mean fighting a dwarf underground with an elderly woman's pair of panties in order to get a magical ring? cmon... it seemed like King ran out of ideas towards the end of this one. Putting the strange parts aside, the rest of this was a great read. But It is not one I will be reading again.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 17, 2011

    more from this reviewer

    MUST BE DEDICATED TO ENJOY

    This book like most of Kings books is better understood if you read ALL of his work. Insomnia is loosley linked to the Dark Tower series which I have not read but was lucky enough to know someone who did. You dont have to read this series to understand this book but from what I have heard it helps. Its still a wonderful story if you can follow it. I have actually read it twice now and enjoyed it equally well both times.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 5, 2011

    Great!

    Don't let the bad reviews fool you this is a great book. it was tedious for the first few chapters but after the beginning is over it starts to get really really good.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted January 19, 2006

    Convoluted mess

    What starts off as a creepy, intriguing story, quickly snowballs out of proportion and into a total mess. A convoluted mythology that makes little sense and a very questionable philosophical underpinning are the biggest failures, followed by the sheer amount of words King wastes on such a primitive story. He is at his best when at his most minimal and when the dangers stem from within (The Shining), not from something this abstract and baseless.

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 1, 2012

    Duncan to flow

    Idiot.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 1, 2012

    Brian

    What the... what are ou talking about?

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 30, 2012

    Gale

    What the hell...

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  • Anonymous

    Posted April 30, 2012

    Miya

    Go away, Duncan.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted March 25, 2012

    Hmm...

    I liked the book but have read better from king. Overall it held my interest but lagged at times.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted March 13, 2012

    Odd...but good

    In this odd book ...well you can guess ...its a Stephen King book!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted March 12, 2012

    Good

    Very good

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted March 7, 2012

    Very good book.

    I loved this book. One of the big things that i enjoyed was the old age of the main characters. Its not everyday you read a story about an old man and woman saving the day. This book kept me hooked from page one.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted February 10, 2012

    Highly Recommended

    Like all of Stephen Kings books this is another great one

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  • Posted February 6, 2012

    Great Read

    I am not really a fan of Stephen King; I tried to get through several of his other books but could not.

    SK is a magnificent, well-crafted writer, and I will have to reconsider reading his books after reading “Insomnia”.

    It is great.

    Anyone who writes as I do, would also like to read his short book On Writing ...

    “Insomnia” was well worth the time spent in his world.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  No   Report this review
  • Anonymous

    Posted February 5, 2012

    Anthony

    This book may be one of stephen kings best. Me being 16 years old, i started reading king's books about a year ago and i figured that i would read one of his bigger books. When seeing that the book was 600 pages, i thought i would be reading it for a month. I was way wrong about that. Yea, the story does start out slow but after the first 100 pages you cant put the book down. Its one of the best books i ever read! I got the book done in a week where every day it kept me up at night thinking about what will happen next! This book will forever make you think twice about life and death, and old people too haha. This is a great read that i would recommend

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  • Posted January 19, 2012

    Extremely original story. Loved it!

    Extremely original story. Loved it!

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  • Posted January 9, 2012

    One of my favorite King novels

    This is one of King's more inventive projects. In this novel, the main characters' perceptions are elevated by sleep deprivation, revealing a world just beyond normal human senses, in which the personifications of order are opposed by the agents of chaos. It ties well into the whole Tower mythology that perhaps began with The Stand and was central in the disappointing Gunslinger series (with apologies to the first three books, which were terrific).

    King's formula of pitting ordinary people against extraordinary events works as well in this novel as ever.

    If you are like me, you read King for the brisk development of the plot, the simple characters (they are), the foreshadowing, and the need to read just a little bit more late at night, even if just to confirm what you already know is going to happen. King is just simply a great master of telling a story. Most of the time. In this case, that holds true.

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  • Posted August 26, 2011

    Sureal

    .

    0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted May 21, 2011

    Amazing!

    Amazing writing. Love the fact that it refrences IT and Pet Semetary sometimes :D

    0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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See All Sort by: Showing 1 – 20 of 258 Customer Reviews

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