Introduction 9/29/19
The final novel I am reading in my #Kingathon is Insomnia. This book is both larger and more of a fantasy than a mystery/suspense/thriller, but I am running thin on those type of books by King (in particular those on my TBR bookshelf, i.e. already owned). It was either Insomnia or a collection, but I know I will want to stop for every story to write a blurb which is surprisingly time consuming. The time now is after 8PM Sunday. This 24hr book, 13.5 at 1.8x speed, is seriously pushing my abilities, as I want this done by 12AM tomorrow night. However, a good deal of reading tonight (I need to prep some food anyway) coupled with a couple hours before school, I am confident I can get this done before tomorrow night is out. Thus making this #kingathon a successful 7 books in 7 days.
I don’t know a lot about insomnia, but I know it ties into Kings greater universe. That is what has peaked my interest. I really look forward to this one, and I hope I end this on a high note!
Finished 9/30/19
This was a great story. When I think about the problems with King’s more recent series, I can’t help but compare them to the classics like IT or the Stand. This is on par with those. Don’t get me wrong, it never create reaches the same intensity; I didn’t feel for this story as strongly as I have for others. However, it is a solid story masterfully woven into the larger universe.
King explores what it is like to age. He probably has a better grasp on that now (being 30 years older), but I think one of the best parts of the book is the emotion of growing old, from the love shared with a partner, to loss, to adjusting to living in your later years. Couple that with the multiverse of the Dark Tower and this becomes even better.
My biggest regret with this read is my wanting to finish it in time to meet my 7 day challenge. I can read faster than I realized, but I was pushing it with this one. I probably missed a bit of stuff. I may give this another read one day. I’ve read IT and the Stand multiple times (well, more often IT), and I think this might be worthy of that too.
There was also the atrocious production of the audiobook that constantly ruined the story. Music has been in each of these books since Dolores Claiborne (save the Outsider), but each book has been tolerable until now. It is as if they either don’t trust their narrator or they don’t trust the reader to feel the emotion in the story. It isn’t just that it is there, it’s how loud it is every time.
In the end, I still really enjoyed the book even if it wasn’t my favorite of the set. It still sits up there as one of the best I read this week. 4.5/5 stars rounding down.
For the Love of Science 
4 thoughts on “Insomnia, by Stephen King ★★★★☆ (#kingathon)”