Stephen King Fans discussion

This is one of King's most underrated books. Took me a while to pick it up but once I read it I was glad I did.

To all of you who haven't yet read (or are just starting) "Insomnia --- When I initially read it, I had some trouble getting into it. I finished it, but I wasn't really concentrating, because I just didn't truly like it.
After I joined GR, Becky (one of our mods) suggested that I try the book again. What a revelation!! I was reading a different book -- THIS time, I couldn't put it down. So stick with it -- well, well worth it!!

Bondama wrote: "To all of you who haven't yet read (or are just starting) "Insomnia --- When I initially read it, I had some trouble getting into it. I finished it, but I wasn't really concentrating, because I ju..."

Indeed, Bondama! I'm so glad that you gave it another chance, and enjoyed it much more thesecond time around.:)

I also enjoyed this read. Not one of my top faves, but deserving of a reread for me.

Janie wrote: "I also enjoyed this read. Not one of my top faves, but deserving of a reread for me."

I think you really should re-read it, Janie.:)

I just finished this book. I really enjoyed it but I have a question. Who do y'all think the green man was?

I'll have to try reading this one again as well because I remember not really liking it and having a hard trouble getting through it a few years ago.

I've always felt that this particular book flew under the radar of a lot of readers, getting something of a bad rep as a "dull" or "boring" read. I find that quite the shame honestly, this is one of my favorite King novels. I really enjoyed the character of Ralph and how he adjusts to his new perceptions of the world, it seemed very believable to how a "normal" man or woman would set about it.

I know a lot of my friends whined and moaned about how they felt the book was merely a thinly-disguised rant on abortion issues....but to them I say that they have missed the point entirely. All and all, a very good book that I would most definitely re-read in the future.

Would you recommend reading Insomnia after reading the first 3 Dark Tower books? Or do I read all of the Dark Tower series first? Or can I read it without having read the Dark Tower series at all? Thanks :)

This was the first King book I read and I remember really enjoying it. Casey, I never thought about reading it after the first 3 DT books - I think that is a great idea! It's good to have some DT experience before reading Insomnia as you will come across some DT references in Insomnia, but come the 7th DT book you will definitely want to have read Insomnia. I'd even recommend reading it after the 6th DT book. What does everyone else think?

Insomnia stands alone with its unusual story line. A great read & the idea of "Mature" ppl gettin the job done is awesome. Usually ppl of that age range aren't usually the hero & heroin but it worked n this case totally n my humble opinion. Wish they'd make this n2 a feature film

King used Ancient Greek mythology better in Insomnia than he did in Rose Madder. But it was over-worked and about twice as long as it needed to be.

But it was a good story.

King is the reality so fantastic even combining elements of Roman mythology...very Beautiful

I'm re-reading this book, for the fifth time I think. Doing Audio. Eli Wallach is a great reader for this tale!

When I finished reading Insomnia I cried, such a great story. I fell in love with the main character.

Love Ralph! It was nice to see a cameo with Mike (from IT) as a character there too. I really got a kick out of Bill McGovern too. So many DT references - those bald doctors gave me nightmares when I first read it in the 1990's.

I need to read this again now that I've read the DT books. I loved it the first time even when I didn't understand the references so I can imagine how much I would enjoy re-reading it.

Yes. I'm planning on re-reading the DT series. But I knew that Insomnia had a lot of DT references - especially that little boy who drew pictures, at the rally, and showed his mom, "See, mama, this is Roland, he's a King too..." The little bald doctors, Clothos, Lachesis and Atropos. I'm on the Epilogue and I'm doing the audio this time. It's worth it just listening to Eli Wallach curse like a sailor! I have a fondness for Bill McGovern's Panama hat and the dog Rosalie, too - perhaps it's the fondness of recalling the first time I read this book in my mid-twenties when it was released. The wonderful thing about "growing up with King" - having a new Stephen King book released- while you are going through adolescence, growing up, entering adulthood...there are King books that when I re-read, it's like listening to a song from your youth. I feel like there's a little piece of me, the "me" I was when I first read the book. Does anyone else feel that way?

Lanie wrote: "Yes. I'm planning on re-reading the DT series. But I knew that Insomnia had a lot of DT references - especially that little boy who drew pictures, at the rally, and showed his mom, "See, mama, this..."

Absolutely! Some books are like a safety blanket, they provide psychological comfort when you need it, and for some reason these are often the books you read while growing up. To me Insomnia is like a warm bath on a cold day. I hope this makes any sense, English is not my native language:p

Marjo,

Yes that makes perfect sense. And judging by what you wrote, I would not have known that English isn't your first language had you not told me. Thank you! I feel so grateful to have been lucky enough to have "grown up" reading Stephen King. How fortunate my generation is to have always had a new novel coming out. I was a teenager in the 80s when he was in his prime - such an exciting time, I remember reading It, Pet Semetary, Misery, Christine, Needful Things, etc. for the first time. Some "friends" never leave you.

Lanie
Constant Reader since 1979

Just finished it and it is another example of how well King develops characters. And I loved the connections to the Dark Tower series. Definitely a must read for DT fans, and I'd direct anyone to read it after reading DT1-7.

This was never one of my favorites but I am going to try to listen to the DT series, having only read them in the past, and plan on reading this one right after.

Just started this and am afraid to read the discussion in case there are spoilers.

I'm way late to this discussion, but I'm reading "Insomnia" now. I'm halfway through and enjoying it so far. King is great when he writes about ordinary people faced with extraordinary and weird circumstances. This book is similar to "Rose Madder", a novel I chose not to finish, but this one succeeds where, in my view, "Rose Madder" failed because King was trying too hard to be artistic.

One thing that strikes me about "Insomnia" is how obvious King's views on abortion are. I don't think a young novelist would take the risk of having a novel like this published because of how foolish the book makes one side of the debate look. But King is so well established that he can handle risking alienating part of his fan-base.

This leads me to my next question: Did he lose readers because of this novel? I'll admit that if he made my side of the debate look so foolish, I might be done with him.

What I remember about this one is that the hero was an older man who was still a romantic. Pretty interesting.

More than halfway through and not enjoying it as much.

This book started to go in a bad direction, in my view, and I felt like I needed a break or I would end up not finishing it at all (which is what happened with "Rose Madder" for me). So I'm taking a break to read some history, and then I'll come back.

John wrote: "Kinksrock wrote: "This leads me to my next question: Did he lose readers because of this novel? I'll admit that if he made my side of the debate look so foolish, I might be done with him. "

His li..."

But has he written a book featuring the gun control issue in which he makes pro-gun advocates look foolish, like he does with pro-life advocates in "Insomnia"?

John wrote: "He's published a Kindle essay called Guns that pretty much slams those who believe guns should be widely available."

I'd have to look at that to see if it's comparable. He makes pro-lifers look like crazy people in "Insomnia", to the point that I'd expect those on that side to assert that he's setting up a strawman argument for his side by making them look like idiots.

It's been awhile since I read this one but am I correct that its the one novel where he worked from an outline? Or he storyboarded it or something? I seem to recall reading that he's normally pretty free form in his writing (as opposed to hopped up on cocaine in his earlier works) and he either wanted to try being more formulaic in his approach or was asked to give it a shot. I enjoyed this but having that in the back of my head definitely made it come off as too formal. Like it was stilted and overly complex in its style if that makes any sense.

I wouldn't say its a problem per se but I think because the vast majority of people tend to view him as a pulp horror writer no matter how many awards he wins that when he does take a political or social issue stand its more or less ignored by everyone but his fan base. Which is a shame because he's pretty spot on most of the time.

Sara wrote: "It's been awhile since I read this one but am I correct that its the one novel where he worked from an outline? Or he storyboarded it or something? I seem to recall reading that he's normally prett..."

He's spot on if you agree with him (and, yes, I do on the issues on which he's been vocal).

There's definitely a period where his style changed. I see it in works like "Gerald's Game", "Rose Madder", and "Insomnia", which I have not enjoyed as much as his earlier works.

Kinksrock, aren't those books around the time he was "straight" for the first time? Sober, whatever you want to call it?

I think at that time he may have been writing in what felt, at the time, a more disciplined way, because of his personal state. When he let go of that idea of discipline and went back to writing in his traditional "by the seat of his pants" style he got great again.

Kandice wrote: "Kinksrock, aren't those books around the time he was "straight" for the first time? Sober, whatever you want to call it?

I think at that time he may have been writing in what felt, at the time, a ..."

Some of our greatest writers were strung out on something when they wrote their greatest works!

I couldn't agree more and if some weren't it makes you question their sanity!

Kandice wrote: "I couldn't agree more and if some weren't it makes you question their sanity!"

But "Carrie" was a great book, and the Kings were so poor when he wrote it that all I imagine he was addicted to at the time were cigarettes. The cocaine had to have come later, when he could afford it.

Even he admits he drank a gob before he ever got addicted to coke, so a lot of his ideas may have been alcohol inspired.

I can relate. Some of my best ideas have come from a shot glass.

Not that I'm an alcoholic, just sayin' it relieves you of inhibitions. ;)

He talks a lot about his subjects and characters "speaking" to him and not having a ton of control over what he writes in that sense. I remember its one of the reasons he says "Dark Tower" took so long to finish because he just wasn't "feeling" the story coming to him. It does sound a little kooky but I get what he means. Whatever influence he's under (drugs, booze, recovery from his accident etc) he seems more comfortable when he can write in an organic, free form way rather than with outlines etc.

I remember King saying that he can't remember a thing about writing Cujo, which he thought was too bad because he really loved that book. I worked with the Pogo cartoonist Walt Kelly for a while and watched him draw his comic strip totally shit-faced, his hands were shaking so. And yet he drew it perfectly in that state (not just typing but drawing). In my mind it seems impossible to write when you're drunk, but so many great writers did it. It's really all about re-writing anyway.

I read this book in 2015 and loved it. I loved that the main character was an older/elderly man and I agree with Nick that it was nice to see him have a romance.
I think what made this book (and the doctors) most scary to me was that I was battling with my own insomnia when reading it. I started to worry that my puny hours of sleep at night were going to make me start to hallucinate colors and strange me.
Luckily, I survived the book and the insomnia and I think this book is what really pushed me to read more King.

I bought myself Insomnia but I didn’t know it was related to the DT, I haven’t read DT yet, so should i buy DT books before and read them through or just start with Insomnia? How related they are or do I miss out something important that way?

Start with Insomnia. The connections aren't that important.

I read insomnia after the Dark Tower saga. I don't remember what the easter eggs were, but I think it would be a great story without having read them 1st. I hope you do read them soon though. I love it when he writes across genres. Hearts in Atlantis is even more connected to the DT.

Nick wrote: "Start with Insomnia. The connections aren't that important."

Nick, I think this book actually fits best between books 6 and 7 and helps make a lot more sense out of 7. I think the overall connections can be very important to the sequence of events towards the end of the 7th novel and enhance them quite a lot. Thoughts?

Nick wrote: "Nick wrote: "Start with Insomnia. The connections aren't that important."

Nick, I think this book actually fits best between books 6 and 7 and helps make a lot more sense out of 7. I think the ove..."

I recently read INSOMNIA, long after the Tower series, but I agree that this novel, HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, and even BLACK HOUSE make for very informative, and entertaining, stops before diving into book 7.

Unfortunately I did not like this one and found it rather boring and confusing. I know it is well regarded in general with readers, so not sure my issue with it, but not my thing other than the beginning.

Complete understandable Erin. I think I’m actually in the minority of the lovers of this book. It’s very different compared to any other king book I’ve read. With its incorporation of the dark tower, Greek mythology, romance, horror, and sci-fi, it can come across as a bit messy. But I believe it has b huge emotional power behind its story (especially behind its ties to his other non dark tower novels) and also it makes the dark tower stories themselves far more interesting to me.