Writing sequels is challenging under the best of circumstances. But writing a sequel nearly 35 years after the fact to one of your most beloved novels? That's some nearly insurmountable expectations and hopes to deal with. And to be sure, Doctor Sleep can't really live up to The Shining. But what's disappointing is that it's not entirely successful as its own book, either. Doctor Sleep does a great job filling us in on the life of Danny Torrance and what's happened to him in the years since his time at the Overlook, and much of what works about Doctor Sleep arises from the way King shows us both the scars that Danny's past has left on him while still letting him develop into a very different man from his father. All of that is solid work, but as Doctor Sleep gets into its plot, it loses a lot of its way. Early on in the novel, King tosses in a nice nod to his son Joe Hill's phenomenal horror novel NOS4A2, and while that's a great moment, it ended up making me realize just how much Doctor Sleep and NOS4A2have in common...and, more tellingly, how much better NOS4A2 is at telling that story than Doctor Sleep is. Yes, King is still phenomenal at the quieter moments of his story - look, for instance, at his superb grasp of Danny's new job at a hospice, where his talent helps him to help others to find peace in their dying moments. Those scenes are beautiful and profound, as are the many scenes that King focuses on his characters and the moments that made up their lives. But the overall plot of Doctor Sleep - which involves a tribe of psychic vampires (more or less) who have targeted a young girl that Danny has taken under his wing - ends up never being as involving or as interesting as you would think it is; even worse, considering this is a sequel to The Shining, it's never really all that scary. Is Doctor Sleep worth reading if you're curious about what became of Danny Torrance, or to get your King fix? Sure. But if you're expecting another great read that's part of King's return to form (to say nothing of anything close to The Shining)...well, you may come away a bit disappointed.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe
