Smashbomb

Search

Search results

All (4448)

Content

Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Institute in Books

Nov 26, 2019

The Institute

Stephen King | 2019 | Science Fiction/Fantasy, Thriller

7.8

(8 Ratings)

Book Rating

Would make a great film

Supernatural abilities and horrific events are nothing new for Stephen King, but this is the first time we've seen his take on The Maze Runner/X-Men and most other recent YA novels or films. And it's really rather good.

I wouldn't say it's up there with his knockout classics or epic stories, but this is a hugely entertaining read with some endearing and well developed characters. Even the kids in this are a lot more likeable than most other whinging teens that feature as protagonists in other novels, and it's just proof that King really does know how to do characters. The story itself is interesting and a neat new take on the supernatural/superhero powers that we're so used to seeing nowadays. My biggest issue is the ending. It's not terrible or even bad at all, it just comes across as very anticlimactic after the huge build up and is rather a bit of a letdown. It just seems a little too clean and wrapped up all too quickly.

Still I struggled to put this down, especially the further I got into it, and if you like stories about supernatural abilities then this is definitely one to read.

Kudos

David McK (3632 KP) rated The Three Musketeers in Books

Jan 18, 2020

Let me start by saying that this is (was) one of the few novels I had abandoned, finding it very hard going and plodding.

And, truth be told, I still haven't actually read it.

You might be wondering, then, why I'm reviewing it?

Because, thanks to a well-known Amazon-owned subsidiary, I've now listened to it!

The subject of a fair-few movies over the years (most noticeably the 1970s Michael York duo The Three/Four Musketeers), I have to admit to being somewhat surprised at just how closely that Michael York fronted film actually sticks to the source material, with the first half of the novel (The Queens Diamonds) virtually transposed straight to the screen. And, as a result, I found this portion not really all that engaging, perhaps due to (over)familiarity.

However, things picked up once we got past the halfway point, and into more unfamiliar territory, before (roughly) the final third of the novel, which obviously served as the inspiration for The Four Musketeers (where d'Artagnan actually becomes one such).

Full of swashbuckling romance and acts of derring do, this - like many other classics - is one of those novels that you read simply so that you can say you've read it!