The Institute
Published: 10, September 2019
Author: Stephen King
Genres: Fiction, Genetic Engineering, Horror, Kidnapping, Literature, Psychic, Psychological, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller
Check the summary of this book here:
The Institute Summary
The Review:
Stephen King's novel The Institute is a science fiction horror thriller. Luke Ellis, a twelve-year-old prodigy, is the protagonist of the novel. When his parents are slain, he is taken by intruders and wakes up in the Institute, an institution for youngsters with supernatural powers who arrived in the same manner he did.
I attempted to read this book slowly in order to appreciate it. I wish Stephen King could write quicker so that I could read his new books more frequently, but I understand that this is not achievable.
That being said, I finished this book in two days, and that was because I couldn't stay away for too long.
This book is similar to something like an old Stephen King novel in that it draws you in and makes it difficult to put down.
The very first half of this novel grabbed me. Things began to falter and the tale began to fall apart around the middle and conclusion of the book, but it was still worth it, and I kept reading it even though I was trying to slow down.
Reading is an extremely individual activity, which is why two people may dislike or love the same book, but for me, this is one of Stephen King's greatest works in years, and I've read all of his writings.
Even with the minor issues as I stated previously, the narrative is fantastic. Despite the fact that this book is well over 500 pages long, I never wanted it to end.
I usually read my favorite authors in bed at night and read late into the night, but it may be a problem if the book is a "can't put down" type of book, since then I can't sleep until I complete it, or the book falls on my head and puts me to sleep.
There is the standard King showdown of Good vs. Evil. This novel is jam-packed with King's regular take, such as telekinesis and telepathy.
There are a lot of nice character-driven elements. I didn't like it though, but I'm one of those who will do the same in my works, which is the insertion of author's political preconceptions.
The author's been doing this since the 2016 election, and I appreciate it because I believe that if you have power and influence, you should utilize it to right wrongs and educate others who are misinformed.
I understand that doing so might earn you a lot of enemies, but at least you'll know you're doing the right thing. Or, in many situations, debate like civilized humans in order to solve the problem.
Alternatively, don't include real-life politics in a fictitious story since readers may be offended or insulted by the author's point of view because the very politician that the author criticizes might be regarded by his followers as the greatest person to ever walk the earth. And instead of resolving the issue, you create a new one.
Okay, let's get back to the review. Thankfully, the politics in this story were considerably less than in prior works. Stephen King's a fantastic storyteller and, without a doubt, The King.
This book was fantastic. I've been missing stories about youngsters coming together to overcome evil. So it was fantastic to go over the subject again.
I simply wish I could read his novels slowly and relish them for longer than 2 or 3 days because I don't have as much time as I used to, to re-read them.
This novel is about kidnapped children with paranormal powers such as telepathy and telekinesis.
The author does an amazing job of bringing these children to life on the pages in front of us. Both the good & evil characters are multi-dimensional and believable.
I felt this book is a direct part of the same universe as Carrie and Firestarter because of the talented children engaged and this added to my enjoyment of the book.
My only reservation is that there aren't many series by the author, but that's his style: he creates a narrative, blows the reader's mind, and then moves on.
The Institute isn't as frightening as Pet Sematary or IT. It shares more parallels with Firestarter than just the focus on paranormal talents, with the good people being pursued by agents from a clandestine covert operations group.
This creates a lot of stress, and the story is driven by this tension and anxiety, as well as the mystery of what is actually going on.
Stephen King is a specialist at developing compelling characters. Take your selection from the pages of this book. Luke, Tim, The Avester, Kalisha, Nicky, and other characters, none of them were flawless, but they were all fascinating to read about. Putting these children in danger is a terrifying prospect and that makes this book scary.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The story's enjoyment was centered on the interactions between the children.
The escape plan was a wonderful piece of the action. The disclosures about what is really going on at The Institute were intriguing and helped to advance the storyline.
Final Thoughts:
The Institute is similar to "The Shop" from Firestarter, but with a little more inhumanity and brutality, focused on psycho child abusers and how they manage to rationalize their child abuse.
The author has always had a knack for the storyline, conversation, and pace, which are some of the qualities that distinguish a great writer.
The Institute is no exception in this sense. The author also creates engaging characters, with a particular talent for inventing youngsters, particularly those who are unique, awkward, wounded, and/or bright, and The Institute has enough of these.
As I rushed to the finish of the novel, I could feel the same tension and panic rising in me as the book picked up speed and tightened the noose around the main characters' collective throats.
The author has an incredible capacity to pull you into his world and keep you there until he wants you to leave. Some of his larger works, like as The Stand, spring to mind, although they appear to contain a lot of unnecessary elements to the tale.
The Institute, on the other hand, is not like that. This is a compact, condensed tale, which is remarkable given its length of nearly 600 pages.
If you enjoy Stephen King's work, you should absolutely read this. You should read this if you enjoy a fantastic, thrilling novel with great storylines and intriguing characters. In fact, I would strongly suggest this book to everyone who enjoys fiction of any type.
Synopsis:
“From #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King whose “storytelling transcends genre” (Newsday) comes “another winner: creepy and touching and horrifyingly believable” (The Boston Globe) about a group of kids confronting evil.
In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from The Institute.
As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of IT, The Institute is “first-rate entertainment that has something important to say. We all need to listen” (The Washington Post).”
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Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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