Reviews

Kuulolla by Stephen King

keithlafo's review against another edition

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4.0

Cell is one of those books that deserves more attention than it received. Granted, with how prolific King is, I think it's fair to say that any number of great books -- Cell, Duma Key, Revival etc. -- fall through the cracks of even the most ardent fans.

I've read this book probably a dozen times. It was one of the first King books I gravitated toward in high school after running through a lot of his early stuff (mainly IT and The Stand). For that reason, I think I remember it fondly because there are sequences of pure terror here, sequences that gave me nightmares. The opening thirty pages are a perfect example of this.

On a reread, I'm struck by how dark and often cynical this book is, too. Sure, it's King's interpretation of zombies, his Night of the Living Dead, but there are few, if any, bright moments. Even the ending is dour and largely hopeless. That makes it stand out from other King books (which, even at their darkest, usually have some sort of light).

Not perfect by any means, but I think a lot of Cell still holds up.

maddierose's review against another edition

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2.0

Could’ve done with being 100 pages longer. You’re expected to root for characters that you have absolutely zero connection with. They also figured out the nuances of the ‘flocks’ way too quickly. 

Least favourite King novel so far. Was ready for it to be over, likely would have DNF’d if it wasn’t a book club read. 

chaoticsimmer's review against another edition

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5.0

Other than wishing that the ending had a little more to it, I love this book. It definitely brings to light the endless possibilities of technology.

joshta's review against another edition

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5.0

A return to classic King! This book is terrifying in its plausibility - as are all the best of his works. It doesn't skimp on the gore nor does it fail to provide genuine characters and incredibly tense scenarios. I read it in a couple days and was pleasantly surprised at the refreshing return to King's early work.

the_windrunner94's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

bitsandbytes's review against another edition

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4.0

Loved it. Another fast-paced King novel. I heard some don't like the ending but I thought it was alright. King chose not to go deeper into the phenomenon that caused the disaster and I think, given it was already far, far away from a believable premise, that he chose right. He kept it a short, engrossing story.

boxilot's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

sourjane's review against another edition

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2.0

I adore King, but was so disappointed in this one. I read it all the way through, but it never got better, so sorry to say.

fattylumpkin's review against another edition

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4.0

I loved the plot, and the characters in this book so much. This was a really well done novel in my opinion. I also felt very invested in these characters which hasn’t happened a lot for me in many of the SK novels I’ve read so far.

tinaread's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25