Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2)
Title: Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2)

Author: Stephen King
Published in: 2013
Date read: 31st January 2021
Score: 5/5
Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Thriller, Psychological
Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Doctor Sleep" by Stephen King is the sequel to his iconic novel "The Shining," focusing on a grown-up Danny Torrance and his continued struggles with his psychic abilities and the demons of his past.
The story follows Dan Torrance years after the traumatic events at the Overlook Hotel. Still haunted by the ghosts and the terror he experienced, Dan has inherited his father's struggles with alcoholism, using it to dull his powerful psychic abilities, "the shining." He drifts across the country, moving from town to town, until he finally settles in a small New Hampshire town. There, he finds a measure of peace working at a hospice, where his shining allows him to provide comfort to the dying, earning him the nickname "Doctor Sleep" as he helps them transition peacefully. He also attends AA meetings, gradually achieving sobriety.
His fragile new life is disrupted by Abra Stone, a young girl with an incredibly powerful and raw shining – perhaps the strongest Dan has ever encountered. Abra's abilities draw the attention of the True Knot, a nomadic group of ancient, quasi-immortal beings who subsist on "steam" – the psychic essence released by people with the shining when they die, especially when tortured to prolong the process.
The True Knot is led by the charismatic and terrifying Rose the Hat, who sees Abra as an exceptionally potent source of steam, a "super-shiner," whose essence could sustain her dwindling group for centuries.
As the True Knot begins to hunt Abra, targeting other shining children and leaving a trail of gruesome deaths, Abra psychically reaches out to Dan for help. Reluctantly, Dan is drawn back into the world of the supernatural and the fight against evil. He must confront his own inner demons, especially his alcoholism, and fully embrace his dormant powers to protect Abra.
Dan and Abra form a unique psychic bond, allowing them to communicate and strategize across distances. They are aided by Dr. John Dalton, Abra's grandfather, and eventually by other allies. The climax of the novel sees Dan and Abra confronting Rose the Hat and the remaining True Knot members at the very place where Dan's trauma began: the now-ruined site of the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. The battle is a brutal clash of psychic powers and physical prowess, forcing Dan to face the ghosts of his past and wield his shining not just to help the dying, but to fight for life itself. The novel explores themes of addiction, recovery, the legacy of trauma, and the enduring battle between good and evil, with the shining acting as both a gift and a curse.
Comments:
Amazing book, fantastic story and wonderful plot twists. Feel like The Shining was brought back to life again and this novel far from disappointed.
Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)
This page was updated on: 18th July 2025