I love that Stephen King’s zombie novel CELL is dedicated to George Romero. I also love that it begins with quotes from Sigmund Freud, Konrad Lorenz and the omnipresent tagline from the Verizon commercials (“Can you hear me now?”). And I also love that its premise is so simple, you can dive right in: One October afternoon, graphic novelist Clay Riddell witnesses all cell phone users being turned into bloodthirsty zombies via “The Pulse.”
I like that when his survival instinct kicks in, Clay hits the road with Tom, a homosexual, and Alice, a 15-year-old girl. Forging a new kind of family, they head for Clay’s hometown so that he can find his son and ex-wife, dodging “phoners” all the way. I found the zombies – whose flocking technique merits an amusing comparison to MARCH OF THE PENGUINS – to be less frightening (to the point of not at all) than the idea of social order gone chaotic.
That’s why CELL fell apart for me in its second half, when the zombies are less of a threat, when the anything-can-happenness dissipates, when the opposition is given a face, that of a mysterious figure in a red Harvard hoodie whom they dub “Raggedy Man.” That’s when CELL ceases being unique and becomes an imitation of King’s own THE STAND, albeit with a much narrower scope, with Raggedy Man subbing for that book’s Randall Flagg, the Walking Dude.
Despite a strong first half, this leg of the characters journey was lacking in enjoyment, even disappointing. I liken it to a cell phone itself: It can be crystal-clear at first, then ridden with interference, before it drops out entirely and leaves you with nothing. It’s a minor King work. –Rod Lott
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Too bad. I was looking forward to this one. I might still pick it up in paperback.
Minor King is still worth the hardcover price in entertainment value.
I was particularly struck by his “Dean Koontz-esque” approach to the Romero/Matheson motifs.
Like his novel for Hard Case this is King doing his take on the seminal works of others who have influenced him.
…and it still has more than enough vintage “King” to make me continuing reading EVERYTHING he puts his name on as we never know when the next SALEM’S LOT or THE STAND will show up.
Damn it! Like Chris I was anticipating this one. I already have it so I’ll probably read it anyway.
I have a prior assignment to get to first but then I’ll dive in. I admit to reading the first two chapters this weekend, and while I’ve heard it reminds of THE STAND, I’m also getting a little bit of THE REGULATORS early on.
My wife just got this for me, and I have to say, I would rather have gotten $18 worth of frozen pizzas. It wasn’t bad, but it did see like an echo of King’s earlier work.
What bothered me most was the lack of genuine horror. Maybe I’m jaded or desensitized, but I didn’t lose one bit of sleep over this book, and that wasn’t what I wanted.
Good point. I certainly didn’t lose sleep over it, either, though I think the potential was clearly there.
I agree this book is not bad, but I expect more than “decent” from King. It’s also not the “return to pure horror” as it was hyped.