Revival

Title: Revival

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 2014

Date read: 2nd April 2021

Score: 5/5

Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Thriller, Supernatural

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Revival" by Stephen King, published in 2014, is a dark, character-driven horror novel that explores themes of faith, addiction, grief, and the terrifying consequences of scientific and spiritual experimentation. It features a profound and unsettling descent into cosmic horror.

The story is narrated by Jamie Morton, beginning in his childhood in 1962, when he first encounters the charismatic and unconventional Reverend Charles Jacobs in their small Maine town. Jacobs is a new Methodist minister, instantly beloved for his passion, his electric experiments (he tinkers with electricity and often demonstrates its healing properties), and his genuine connection with the townspeople. He becomes a mentor figure to young Jamie, sharing his fascination with electricity.

However, a devastating tragedy strikes Jacobs's family, shattering his faith and driving him to deliver a shocking, blasphemous sermon, renouncing God. He is subsequently banished from the church and leaves town.

The narrative then follows Jamie's life over the next five decades, detailing his struggles with drug addiction and his career as a touring guitarist. His path repeatedly, and often unpleasantly, intersects with that of Charles Jacobs. Each time they meet, Jacobs is less of a man of God and more of a dark, obsessive figure, continuing his dangerous experiments with electricity, now focusing on its potential for healing, and eventually, for "revival" – bringing the dead back to life.

Jacobs becomes a traveling faith healer and showman, using increasingly powerful and bizarre electrical currents to perform miraculous "cures" that often come with terrifying side effects. Those "cured" experience subtle, then increasingly disturbing changes, some developing strange dependencies or suffering horrific fates. Jamie, despite his apprehension, finds himself drawn back into Jacobs's orbit, often needing his "healing" or simply unable to escape the magnetic pull of his old mentor.

The novel builds slowly, with a pervasive sense of dread, as Jacobs's experiments become more extreme and his true, horrifying intentions are gradually revealed. His quest for revival is not merely about curing the sick, but about breaching the ultimate boundary between life and death.

The climax takes Jamie and Jacobs into a nightmarish realm beyond human comprehension. Jacobs's ultimate "revival" ritual does not lead to a benevolent afterlife, but to a terrifying revelation about the true nature of existence, a dark, Lovecraftian vision of the cosmos and what lies beyond death. "Revival" is a chilling and nihilistic journey into ultimate despair, suggesting that some mysteries are best left undisturbed.

Comments:
Just read it. This is the book that is not only terrifying, it cannot be disproved. By that, I mean in other books, you can tell yourself that there is no such thing as vampires or there is no special Pet Sematary across the field but nobody can disprove what happens to us when our time on Earth is over. This book makes you think that we may not be met by loved ones or joined by angels playing harps. It truly is the stuff of nightmares, try not to think too much about it.

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)