🐜⚡️Spoiler Free Review⚡️🐜

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“Something happened, something - happened, something... happened!”

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There’s often talk amongst constant readers of early King vs. new King. As a whole, there’s a pretty noticeable shift in the tone and style of his writing over the years, and I think most would agree that pre-accident King (70s-90s) is where you go for the scares. But if anyone thought 21st century King couldn’t write horror and was just playing it safe, this book was his response.  

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After a brief introduction to 6 year old Jamie Morton, Charlie Jacobs-the young, new Methodist preacher-and their respective families, tragedy strikes. Chapter three is one of the most memorable pieces of writing I’ve read in a long time. 

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The middle of the story slows down and this is where the book seems to lose a lot of people, but I was fully invested through it all. I loved following Jamie as he navigated through life, and catching up with Jacobs along the way. “Home is where they want you to stay longer.” I think the slower pace was meant to feel like coming home. 

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That ending though, WOW.  That’s meant to give you nightmares; he holds nothing back and it is perfection. 

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King writes about many hot button topics in Revival: religion, drug addiction, music, death, family, curiosity, and faith. Several of these he knows from personal experience and I think that authenticity shines through. He also wrote an antagonist that I could empathize with, never an easy task. 

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Revival is very divisive among King fans, but I absolutely love it. It is dark and it is terrifying.  It’s disturbing on a level with Pet Sematary and proves that he is still the King of horror.  I read it for the first time in 2020 and it was an instant favorite. After this second reading, it remains firmly in my top ten King books. The nods to the Dark Tower, Joyland, Insomnia, and the stunning artwork in this edition made me appreciate it even more. 

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“But eventually, something will happen. Something always does. And when it does...I will come to Mother.”