The Shining (The Shining, #1)

Title: The Shining (The Shining, #1)

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 1977

Date read: 7th January 2018

Score: 5/5

Genre: Supernatural, Horror, Psychological, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Shining" by Stephen King, published in 1977, is a quintessential horror novel that delves into themes of isolation, alcoholism, domestic abuse, and the insidious power of supernatural evil. It is one of King's most iconic and terrifying works.

The story centres on Jack Torrance, a recovering alcoholic and aspiring writer who takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the isolated and majestic Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies. He brings his wife, Wendy, and their gifted young son, Danny, hoping that the solitude will help him finish his play, mend his fractured family, and overcome his personal demons.

The Overlook Hotel, however, is far from an ordinary establishment. It has a long and bloody history of violence, murder, and dark supernatural occurrences, feeding on the negative energies of its past guests and staff. The hotel is a living, malevolent entity, eager to claim new victims.

Danny possesses a powerful psychic ability he calls "the shining"—a form of telepathy and precognition that allows him to see and communicate with the hotel's horrific spirits and perceive its dark history. This gift makes him particularly vulnerable to the hotel's influence. He is immediately aware of the lurking evil within the Overlook.

As the winter snows trap the family in the increasingly isolated hotel, the supernatural manifestations begin subtly, then grow in intensity. The hotel begins to exert its terrifying influence, particularly on Jack, preying on his vulnerabilities: his past alcoholism, his temper, his resentments, and his desperate need for success and recognition. The spirits of the Overlook, including a ghostly bartender, a seductive woman in Room 217, and grotesque figures from the hotel's past, begin to corrupt Jack, driving him towards madness and violence.

Wendy, initially sceptical, slowly witnesses her husband's terrifying transformation and the escalating paranormal activity, becoming increasingly terrified for her and Danny's safety. She becomes the sole protector of her son against the very man who should be their guardian.

The novel is a masterclass in psychological horror, showing a family tearing itself apart under the influence of an external evil. The tension steadily builds as Jack succumbs further to the hotel's will, becoming a terrifying embodiment of its malice.

The climax is a terrifying battle for survival as the fully possessed Jack, wielding a roque mallet, hunts Wendy and Danny through the vast, haunted hotel, driven to murder them by the Overlook's malevolent intelligence. Danny's "shining" ultimately provides a means of escape, leading to the hotel's explosive destruction and the family's harrowing survival, though forever scarred by the ordeal.

Comments:
Every bit as scary as it is built up to be. Film is excellent but different from the book, they are both excellent in their own way. I can see why Joey kept his copy in the freezer.

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)