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CELL
by Stephen King
Pocket Star, November 2006
480 pages
$9.99
ISBN: 1416524517


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Stephen King has gotten back to his roots after having completed his magnum opus that was THE DARK TOWER series and now he is back to what he knows best – scaring readers silly. In CELL, he does not waste any time as he starts the premise from the very first page.

“The event that came to be known as The Pulse began at 3:03pm, eastern standard time, on the afternoon of October 1. The term was a misnomer, of course, but within ten hours of the event, most of the scientists capable of pointing this out were either dead or insane. The name hardly mattered, in any case. What mattered was the effect.”

Clayton Riddell thought that today would be the beginning of a new life for him as the graphic novel that he has been working on for years has been accepted for publication. He was only half right.

His life, as well as everyone else’s on the planet, changes at 3:03pm when a signal is transmitted to everyone’s cell phones. Those who are listening to it will have their minds completely wiped, turning them into primordial savages living on instinct instead of thought – and they are the lucky ones. The survivors have to escape the 'phoners' who are killing everyone in their path and no one knows what is happening.

Stephen King does not like giving clear-cut answers or solutions to what is going on. A good storyteller lets the novel’s situation speak for itself. In CELL, the 'normals' (as they call themselves) start to band together to try to find a safe haven from the 'phoners' who appear to be evolving as each night passes. Something bigger is about to happen and sides are being drawn.

CELL is not as good as other Stephen King books with similar themes, such as THE STAND or DESPERATION. However King, in his own style, makes a sobering comment on how society has evolved and changed, sometimes not for the better, after the advent of new technologies, such as the cell phone. This somewhat satirical work is definitely not for the squeamish or easily offended.

CELL works as a wake-up call while giving fans of King's bloodier vintage works something new to chew on (and I don’t mean that literally). CELL might not be for everyone, but King shouldn’t be judged with only this work. He has already shown his versatility as a writer time and time again. He has nothing left to prove.

Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, December 2006

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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