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Cell
Where were you on October 1st at 3:03 pm?
Graphic artist Clay Riddell was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. Without warning, carnage and chaos reigned. Ordinary people fell victim to the basest, most animalistic destruction.
And the apocalypse began with the ring of a cell phone...
Graphic artist Clay Riddell was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. Without warning, carnage and chaos reigned. Ordinary people fell victim to the basest, most animalistic destruction.
And the apocalypse began with the ring of a cell phone...
449 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 24, 2006
About the author
Stephen King
2,599 books860k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,873 reviews
January 9, 2023
“Cell” by Stephen King starts out with such an incredible opening, it’s one that I’ll never forget for many years to come. Now, before I jump into my review, I just wanted to give everyone two trigger warnings for certain events that happen in this novel. There is violence against dogs as well as violence against women. If either of these triggers you while reading, please don’t read this novel.
As I was saying, the chaos that kickstarted this novel was incredible as I immediately knew I was in for another treat by the king of horror. I loved how it jumped right into things and continued that moment for a good chunk of the beginning.
The levels of gore, violence, and insanely descriptive mayhem were all brilliantly done. As always with King, the way he writes these crazy, horrific scenes is surreal. I will truly never look at my iPhone the same ever again thanks to this novel.
I loved all the great characters here, especially the ones you meet throughout this incredible apocalyptic horror novel. The development of all these characters and just the raw, human emotions of them all as things went down were very authentic. I’d imagine if this ever happened in real life, these situations would likely be what goes down which is downright scary to think about.
For the most part, this is a decent-paced novel with plenty of chapters dedicated to just telling an incredible story that pretty much revolves around a modern look at zombies. This reminded me of exactly what King did with “‘Salem’s Lot” with vampires. I couldn’t put it down and thought the pacing was solid all the way to the ending. Speaking of which, all those creepy, tense, and thrilling moments made for a rather unexpected ending.
Don’t worry, I won’t ruin anything for you as I see why King ended this the way that he did. This reminded me of “The Colorado Kid” where it’s done this way to encourage discussions, theorizing, and just having long conversations about everyone’s thoughts as to the ending. Sure, I would have wanted something different but I totally get why King ended it the way that he did in this novel.
I give “Cell” by Stephen King a perfect 5/5 as it’s a must-read for anyone that loves apocalyptic terror, zombies, and the kind of novel to make you think twice every single time you use your cell phone. The characters are great, the horror is on a whole other level, and the main antagonist was beyond terrifying. It’s a classic King novel from beginning to end that will continue leaving its imprint on Constant Readers for generations to come. KASHWAK=NO-FO
As I was saying, the chaos that kickstarted this novel was incredible as I immediately knew I was in for another treat by the king of horror. I loved how it jumped right into things and continued that moment for a good chunk of the beginning.
The levels of gore, violence, and insanely descriptive mayhem were all brilliantly done. As always with King, the way he writes these crazy, horrific scenes is surreal. I will truly never look at my iPhone the same ever again thanks to this novel.
I loved all the great characters here, especially the ones you meet throughout this incredible apocalyptic horror novel. The development of all these characters and just the raw, human emotions of them all as things went down were very authentic. I’d imagine if this ever happened in real life, these situations would likely be what goes down which is downright scary to think about.
For the most part, this is a decent-paced novel with plenty of chapters dedicated to just telling an incredible story that pretty much revolves around a modern look at zombies. This reminded me of exactly what King did with “‘Salem’s Lot” with vampires. I couldn’t put it down and thought the pacing was solid all the way to the ending. Speaking of which, all those creepy, tense, and thrilling moments made for a rather unexpected ending.
Don’t worry, I won’t ruin anything for you as I see why King ended this the way that he did. This reminded me of “The Colorado Kid” where it’s done this way to encourage discussions, theorizing, and just having long conversations about everyone’s thoughts as to the ending. Sure, I would have wanted something different but I totally get why King ended it the way that he did in this novel.
I give “Cell” by Stephen King a perfect 5/5 as it’s a must-read for anyone that loves apocalyptic terror, zombies, and the kind of novel to make you think twice every single time you use your cell phone. The characters are great, the horror is on a whole other level, and the main antagonist was beyond terrifying. It’s a classic King novel from beginning to end that will continue leaving its imprint on Constant Readers for generations to come. KASHWAK=NO-FO
August 16, 2020
Focusing on one main plot element can go wrong if the writer is no plotter and doesn´t construct a finetuned metaplot around the fictional device.
Without the extreme problem of the suspension of disbelief, especially after the first half of the book, it would be the used interesting characterization with some horror elements, but it´s a bit Sci-Fi and dystopia too, and that ruins the whole thing. Similar to Langoliers, King can´t deal with these things and for any reason, this can even be felt in the parts that have no techno elements integrated. It´s a bit as if subconscious discomfort and nervosity reduce the quality of his writing, a curse, a quantum parasite not wanting that he tells us the truth about the universe. Stupid aliens.
King had the idea to write something with this fancy new smartphones and thought it could be mixed up with some dystopian nightmare, psi stuff, survival elements, but it just doesn´t ignite, never! It´s everything, the characters behave unreliably, the explanations for how and why it happens are ridiculous, how the plot continues and finishes is …, yuck, just don´t read it.
I´ve not read Cujo because of the bad reviews (sadly read this one before focusing on meta scores), but at least he doesn´t remember writing it because of being wasted and I see no similar explanation, excuse, or whatever in this case.
Could also be possible that he was so invested in writing Lisey´s story that was published the same year and has personal elements in it, that he just didn´t really care about the quality of this one. It´s a special irony, because his The Stand is the masterpiece of apocalyptic literature, possibly the best one ever written, which makes this one look even worse and unnecessary. The, meanwhile, first and only derision of fans too because I can´t believe that he didn´t notice that there is something wrong here. What I did especially notice is that it´s quite interesting before the chaos breaks out and everything worsens afterward, as if King would have started cheerfully and thought after a while, whatever, I´ll just finish this one without love for the art.
I deemed it impossible, but this is a bad King book, not fangirled/boyed readers who don´t like the writing style so much might even give it a 2 star rating.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
Without the extreme problem of the suspension of disbelief, especially after the first half of the book, it would be the used interesting characterization with some horror elements, but it´s a bit Sci-Fi and dystopia too, and that ruins the whole thing. Similar to Langoliers, King can´t deal with these things and for any reason, this can even be felt in the parts that have no techno elements integrated. It´s a bit as if subconscious discomfort and nervosity reduce the quality of his writing, a curse, a quantum parasite not wanting that he tells us the truth about the universe. Stupid aliens.
King had the idea to write something with this fancy new smartphones and thought it could be mixed up with some dystopian nightmare, psi stuff, survival elements, but it just doesn´t ignite, never! It´s everything, the characters behave unreliably, the explanations for how and why it happens are ridiculous, how the plot continues and finishes is …, yuck, just don´t read it.
I´ve not read Cujo because of the bad reviews (sadly read this one before focusing on meta scores), but at least he doesn´t remember writing it because of being wasted and I see no similar explanation, excuse, or whatever in this case.
Could also be possible that he was so invested in writing Lisey´s story that was published the same year and has personal elements in it, that he just didn´t really care about the quality of this one. It´s a special irony, because his The Stand is the masterpiece of apocalyptic literature, possibly the best one ever written, which makes this one look even worse and unnecessary. The, meanwhile, first and only derision of fans too because I can´t believe that he didn´t notice that there is something wrong here. What I did especially notice is that it´s quite interesting before the chaos breaks out and everything worsens afterward, as if King would have started cheerfully and thought after a while, whatever, I´ll just finish this one without love for the art.
I deemed it impossible, but this is a bad King book, not fangirled/boyed readers who don´t like the writing style so much might even give it a 2 star rating.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
July 7, 2007
Literary critics can moan all they want about Stephen King's "penny dreadful" oeuvre, but his mastery at the craft of storytelling is indisputable. King writes his novels like a seduction, the story unfolding delicately and deliberately. As any Stephen King fan knows, his coy expository chapters often take up the first hundred pages or more. In Cell, however, the reader is brutally dragged into the main action--unspeakable, senseless violence--within the first seven pages. Cell is by far King's most brutal, transgressive work to date.
Many have compared Cell to his earlier epic, The Stand. On the surface, the novels are quite similar: an apocolyptic event threatens the very existence of the human race as a band of survivors struggle to come to terms with the carnage and avert further catastrophe. Cell, however, is the far more mature novel of the pair. The Stand was, in many ways, a novel by an idealistic youth, whereas Cell is filled with the trenchant and world-weary observations of an adult. The subtext is laden with so much chillingly apt futurist rhetoric that it is as though the author had Marshall McLuhan whispering plot devices and metaphors into his ear as he labored over his typewriter. King manages to explore several of the major sociocultural conflicts of our time, most persuasively the end of the era of individualism and the rise of collectivism, here symptomatic of heavy reliance on technology. Whereas many dystopian novels are almost comically blunt when expounding upon the dangers of collectivism, King's horrific plot and action give his metaphors a sort of subtlety that renders his subtext much more graceful and easier to stomach than the work of Ayn Rand.
As the epigraphs indicate, it is also a meditation on the intrinsic violence of the human race. King clearly feels as though the world is out of control and wants to find out why. His preferred genre, horror, is an excellent one with which to consider the depravaties of modern life. The Stand was a novel that, if not upbeat, was at least optimistic--a reflection of the times in which it was written. There was also violence, but it had its own biblical logic, if violence can ever be called logical. In Cell, the violence is senseless, oppressive, and omnipresent. There seems to be little promise for a better world... at least not one inhabited by human beings.
Many reviewers took issue with the unresolved ending. Considering the subtext of the novel, however, the reader will find that the ending's abruptness actually informs the sense that Cell, besides being an excellent horror yarn, is a meticulously painted portrait of the horrors of global culture. The many crises of our time are still developing and mutating. The end is not yet, it seems, in sight.
Many have compared Cell to his earlier epic, The Stand. On the surface, the novels are quite similar: an apocolyptic event threatens the very existence of the human race as a band of survivors struggle to come to terms with the carnage and avert further catastrophe. Cell, however, is the far more mature novel of the pair. The Stand was, in many ways, a novel by an idealistic youth, whereas Cell is filled with the trenchant and world-weary observations of an adult. The subtext is laden with so much chillingly apt futurist rhetoric that it is as though the author had Marshall McLuhan whispering plot devices and metaphors into his ear as he labored over his typewriter. King manages to explore several of the major sociocultural conflicts of our time, most persuasively the end of the era of individualism and the rise of collectivism, here symptomatic of heavy reliance on technology. Whereas many dystopian novels are almost comically blunt when expounding upon the dangers of collectivism, King's horrific plot and action give his metaphors a sort of subtlety that renders his subtext much more graceful and easier to stomach than the work of Ayn Rand.
As the epigraphs indicate, it is also a meditation on the intrinsic violence of the human race. King clearly feels as though the world is out of control and wants to find out why. His preferred genre, horror, is an excellent one with which to consider the depravaties of modern life. The Stand was a novel that, if not upbeat, was at least optimistic--a reflection of the times in which it was written. There was also violence, but it had its own biblical logic, if violence can ever be called logical. In Cell, the violence is senseless, oppressive, and omnipresent. There seems to be little promise for a better world... at least not one inhabited by human beings.
Many reviewers took issue with the unresolved ending. Considering the subtext of the novel, however, the reader will find that the ending's abruptness actually informs the sense that Cell, besides being an excellent horror yarn, is a meticulously painted portrait of the horrors of global culture. The many crises of our time are still developing and mutating. The end is not yet, it seems, in sight.
January 13, 2021
This book begins with a huge BANG! No setting the scene, no gliding over Castle Rock or Derry and visiting some of the cast, just page one - KICK OFF! Our mobiles, our bestest friends, become our worse enemy, in fact our bestest friend, makes us become our own worse enemy.
The downside to King's relentless high tempo start, is that he book never really reaches those heights again. On first reading in 2007, I gave this book 6 out of 12, as I was kind of peed off with the direction the book takes. On second reading with expectations of a hi-intensity book throughout, now off the table and me with an updated review - 'Much better on reread. A signal is sent to all mobile phones, changing the world forever. A nail biting journey in this sci-fi slash horror, with lots of nods to geekdom.' - I gave it 8 out of 12.
The downside to King's relentless high tempo start, is that he book never really reaches those heights again. On first reading in 2007, I gave this book 6 out of 12, as I was kind of peed off with the direction the book takes. On second reading with expectations of a hi-intensity book throughout, now off the table and me with an updated review - 'Much better on reread. A signal is sent to all mobile phones, changing the world forever. A nail biting journey in this sci-fi slash horror, with lots of nods to geekdom.' - I gave it 8 out of 12.
July 17, 2016
3.5 Stars.....Ok, I do believe I'm with the 'don't like the ending' readers on this one, but oh what a beginning!
Clay is happy........he just sold his first graphic novel and can't wait to share the news with his estranged (but loved) wife and 12 year old son; and as it turns out, luckily, does not own a CELL phone. While deciding to celebrate with an ice cream, all hell breaks loose on the streets of Boston, and afterward, crazies are everywhere, thousands of them, and travel by night (to get home to his son) turns out to be the only option.
Overall, I did like this Stephen King sci-fi thriller, but it does have its lulls and did end a bit too abruptly for my taste. With reminders of Night of the Living Dead, and graphic gore, probably not for everyone, but for me, bring on the movie!
And remember: "Assume makes an ass out of you and me"
July 16, 2022
You know that mini heart attack you get when you're not sure where your phone is?
I experience it often and don't know what I would do without Alexa.
Me (panicking): Alexa, where's my phone?
Alexa: Calling Jenna.
Phone rings a couple feet away. I resume breathing and my heart rate goes back to normal.
Twenty-eight minutes later, realizing I don't know where my phone is: Where did I leave it? Is it lost forever? Did someone steal it? Will I ever, ever, ever have my phone again?! Oh my god, what am I going to do?!
Me: (panic raising my voice): Alexa, where's my phone??
Alexa: You know you haven't left the apartment since the last time you asked, don't you? Just chill out already, it can't be anywhere but here.
Alexa begins to play relaxing music.
Alexa: You really need to lessen your dependence on technology, Jenna.
Me: Alexa, aren't you technology?
Alexa: Sorry. I don't know that one.
Stephen King wrote Cell in 2005 when around 65% of Americans owned a mobile phone. In 2020, it rose to 97%. If Cell took place today, we'd almost all be phone crazies.
The plot: A weird pulse is emitted from cell phones, wiping the brain's of everyone who had been using one. These people are effectively turned into zombies, with no thoughts of their own. They are left with their basest "programming", which is to kill.
And it ain't pretty.
(Image: Soldier Zombie holding cell phone to ear, at Zombie Fest 2009)
Cell is the most gruesome SK book I've read so far. A few times I stopped breathing, just as I do when I don't know where my phone is. This book is tense.
It follows Clay and a few other "normies" as they try to survive. Clay is looking for his young son, who may or may not be a phoner. The things they encounter are horrific and if this really happened, we would start getting mini heart attacks when we do know where our phones are, especially if they are close and begin to ring.....
'“It was the cell phones,' she said in that same whisper. 'It was the cell phones, all right.'”
I experience it often and don't know what I would do without Alexa.
Me (panicking): Alexa, where's my phone?
Alexa: Calling Jenna.
Phone rings a couple feet away. I resume breathing and my heart rate goes back to normal.
Twenty-eight minutes later, realizing I don't know where my phone is: Where did I leave it? Is it lost forever? Did someone steal it? Will I ever, ever, ever have my phone again?! Oh my god, what am I going to do?!
Me: (panic raising my voice): Alexa, where's my phone??
Alexa: You know you haven't left the apartment since the last time you asked, don't you? Just chill out already, it can't be anywhere but here.
Alexa begins to play relaxing music.
Alexa: You really need to lessen your dependence on technology, Jenna.
Me: Alexa, aren't you technology?
Alexa: Sorry. I don't know that one.
Stephen King wrote Cell in 2005 when around 65% of Americans owned a mobile phone. In 2020, it rose to 97%. If Cell took place today, we'd almost all be phone crazies.
The plot: A weird pulse is emitted from cell phones, wiping the brain's of everyone who had been using one. These people are effectively turned into zombies, with no thoughts of their own. They are left with their basest "programming", which is to kill.
And it ain't pretty.
(Image: Soldier Zombie holding cell phone to ear, at Zombie Fest 2009)
Cell is the most gruesome SK book I've read so far. A few times I stopped breathing, just as I do when I don't know where my phone is. This book is tense.
It follows Clay and a few other "normies" as they try to survive. Clay is looking for his young son, who may or may not be a phoner. The things they encounter are horrific and if this really happened, we would start getting mini heart attacks when we do know where our phones are, especially if they are close and begin to ring.....
'“It was the cell phones,' she said in that same whisper. 'It was the cell phones, all right.'”
March 6, 2022
Well we all knew cellphones would find a way to kill us one way or another. I think King was a little before his time because in recent years people have become seriously addicted to their phones. I know I have to have mine on me at all times. Likewise, I start to panic if I can't find it. Anyway, this book opens up with straight boom. We are thrust into a world where cellphones start ringing, emitting a signal causing their owners to drop into a maniac rage, called The Pulse. Clay, on his way home to his wife and kid, is in the middle of the mayhem. He and his band of refugees tries to make their way to Maine without being beat to death. They start to notice the people affected are following a pattern and a weird signal. Is there a way to stop the madness and return them back to normal? I really liked this book. I thought the idea of our cellphones leading to our eventual demise as unique. Highly recommend.
March 13, 2020
This is Stephen's spin on Zombies. These things are Zombie like, but they aren't really zombies. These things seem to still be alive, needing food, not just brains and if you cut them, they will still bleed. Yet, they no longer think and they are fairly mindless, like a zombie. Stephen riffs off zombies.
I found this book entertaining and I didn't want to put the story down. Stephen is amazing at writing characters and I was drawn in by Clay, Tom and Alice. We meet them in the heart of Boston when the pulse goes out and the world gets extremely crazy. There was blood and gore and violence in this book, but I have to say, I was expecting a lot more and there could have been more.
The people who didn't use their phones had to figure out what happened and the new rules of the game:
Rule 1: don't use a cell phone
Rule 2: Zombies sleep at night or they go away and so the night is safe and the day is dangerous
rule 3: these zombies flock like birds
I want to talk more about the plot, so I'm going to get Spoilery.
Spoiler Warning:
The main bad zombie comes toward the middle of the book when they are in New Hampshire. The gang finds their way to an Academy and they find out what the zombies do at night, they reset and look like they are sleeping. Clay helps to move some gas tankers in the middle of their sleep quarters and they blow up around 1,000 of them. They get less blood thirsty and they evolve. They are telepathic and communicate through dreams and speaking to your mind or they can take over your body. They can also fly. Yes, Flying zombies.
How the zombies were defeated was a solid ending, but the last chapter was a downer. He leaves the ending on a cliff-hanger, or with no answers given, which, I don't mind that device when used sparingly, but Clay has a kid and the kid was up in Maine when the pulse happens, so he is looking for the kid the whole book. The kid was turned to a zombie. The gang blows up the zombies at the climax and Clay hopes his son wasn't there. Clay goes looking for his kid and his kid isn't dead, of course. I think the book would have been more clean and bold if he didn't find his kid and meet up with Tom at the end. I don't like the fact that he was able to find the kid. It feels too neat somehow for this book. It made for a weak finish to the story, in my opinion. It seemed like a fairytale.
I thought this was middle of the pack as far as Stephen King books go. This was an engaging read and I enjoyed my experience reading this, but it's not one of his best either. It's right in the middle of the pack.
It certainly conveys how society walks such a thin rope of functioning and anarchy. It does make one think. It's apocalyptic. Now, I need to see the movie. Take away: be wary of technology.
I found this book entertaining and I didn't want to put the story down. Stephen is amazing at writing characters and I was drawn in by Clay, Tom and Alice. We meet them in the heart of Boston when the pulse goes out and the world gets extremely crazy. There was blood and gore and violence in this book, but I have to say, I was expecting a lot more and there could have been more.
The people who didn't use their phones had to figure out what happened and the new rules of the game:
Rule 1: don't use a cell phone
Rule 2: Zombies sleep at night or they go away and so the night is safe and the day is dangerous
rule 3: these zombies flock like birds
I want to talk more about the plot, so I'm going to get Spoilery.
Spoiler Warning:
The main bad zombie comes toward the middle of the book when they are in New Hampshire. The gang finds their way to an Academy and they find out what the zombies do at night, they reset and look like they are sleeping. Clay helps to move some gas tankers in the middle of their sleep quarters and they blow up around 1,000 of them. They get less blood thirsty and they evolve. They are telepathic and communicate through dreams and speaking to your mind or they can take over your body. They can also fly. Yes, Flying zombies.
How the zombies were defeated was a solid ending, but the last chapter was a downer. He leaves the ending on a cliff-hanger, or with no answers given, which, I don't mind that device when used sparingly, but Clay has a kid and the kid was up in Maine when the pulse happens, so he is looking for the kid the whole book. The kid was turned to a zombie. The gang blows up the zombies at the climax and Clay hopes his son wasn't there. Clay goes looking for his kid and his kid isn't dead, of course. I think the book would have been more clean and bold if he didn't find his kid and meet up with Tom at the end. I don't like the fact that he was able to find the kid. It feels too neat somehow for this book. It made for a weak finish to the story, in my opinion. It seemed like a fairytale.
I thought this was middle of the pack as far as Stephen King books go. This was an engaging read and I enjoyed my experience reading this, but it's not one of his best either. It's right in the middle of the pack.
It certainly conveys how society walks such a thin rope of functioning and anarchy. It does make one think. It's apocalyptic. Now, I need to see the movie. Take away: be wary of technology.
August 24, 2020
Cell, Stephen King
Cell is a 2006 apocalyptic horror novel by American author Stephen King.
The story follows a New England artist struggling to reunite with his young son after a mysterious signal broadcast over the global cell phone network turns the majority of his fellow humans into mindless vicious animals.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هفدهم ماه اکتبر سال 2010 میلادی
عنوان: تلفن همراه؛ نویسنده: استیون کینگ؛ مترجم: ماندانا قهرمانلو؛ تهران افراز، 1389؛ در 579ص؛ شابک 9789642431977؛ چاپ دوم 1396؛ چاپ سوم 1397؛ در 582ص؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م
عنوان: تلفن همراه؛ نویسنده: استفن (استیون) کینگ؛ مترجم: شهره بری؛ تهران نگارینه، 1389؛ در 544ص؛ شابک 9789648935967؛ چاپ دوم 1391؛
اینبار «استیون کینگ»؛ با رمان «تلفن همراه»، به سراغ ترس، جنگ، و تروریسم برآمده از تکنولوژی، رفته است.؛ در این داستان، تلفنهای همراه با زدودن هرگونه درکی از انسانیت، از مغز انسانها، و تبدیل آنها، به موجوداتی خرابکار و مسخ شده، باعث شکلگیری دنیایی آخرالزمانی شده اند.؛ افرادی بدون تلفن همراه، همانند «کلیتون ریدل»؛ و گروه کوچکی از اطرافیانش، باید برای بقا تلاش کنند، و ماجراجویی آنها برای پیدا کردن همسر، و پسر کوچک کلیتون، باعث خلق داستانی پرماجرا، و شوکه کننده میشود.؛ خوانشگرانی که با آثار «کینگ» آشنا هستند، تغییر سبک مثبتی را در این رمان مشاهده خواهند کرد.؛ رمان «تلفن همراه»، هیجان انگیز و پر از ماجراست.؛
چکیده: در روز اول ماه اکتبر و در ساعت سه بعد از ظهر، اتفاقی هولناک برای تمام دارندگان تلفن همراه رخ میدهد؛ در آن زمان مشخص، سیگنالی ناشناس، از طریق تلفن همراه، برای همه ی مردم ارسال میشود، و به طور ناگهانی، هر کاربر تلفن همراه، پس از دریافت آن پیام، تبدیل به یک قاتل زامبی، و فردی پرخاشگر میشود.؛ زمانی که این رویداد رخ میدهد، «کلیتون ریدل» در خیابان «بویلستون» در «بوستون»، در حال گام زدن، و گفتگو برای فروش کتاب تازه ی خویش است، اما پس از رخداد حادثه، همه چیز دیگر میشود و مسیر زندگیش دگرگونه میشود.؛ او به همراه مرد مسنی به نام «تام مک کورت»، دختر نوجوان و پانزده ساله ای به نام «آلیس مکسول»، و گروه دیگری که تلفن همراه ندارند، و تنها به همین علت، به موجودات مخرب تبدیل نشده اند، از آن شرایط پرتنش و پر آشوب فرار میکنند؛ آنها کوشش میکنند، در آن شرایط بحرانی، که همه در حال جنگ و کشتار هستند، و مغزهایشان آسیب دیده است، برای بقای خود تلاش کنند؛
کلیتون، هنرمندی است، که از خانوده اش جدا شده، و در طول داستان تمام سعی خود را میکند، تا با گروهی از بازماندگان، به سمت شمال برود، تا پسرش جانی و همسرش شارون را پیدا کند، و بتواند آنها را از آن گرفتاری نجات دهد؛ یافتن راهی برای نجات خانواده، توسط شخصیت اصلی داستان، و حفظ زندگی در بین جمعیت عظیمی، که گرفتار حادثه ای هولناک شده اند، داستانی پرماجرا و بینهایت پرکشش را آفریده است، که خوانشگر با خوانش آن، همواره بهتزده و شوکه میشود.؛ از نکات مهم این کتاب، فرضیه ی استفاده شده در متن کتاب است، که کل داستان بر اساس آن بنا گردیده است؛ از فرضیه ی داروین گرفته تا تئوریهای روانشناختی، که بر اساس آنها، انسان موجودی است که نهاد او، در خشونت و وحشیگری ریشه دارد، و هسته ی اصلی وجودش، خونریزی است!؛
نقل نمونه متن: «حادثه ای که پالس نام گرفت، ساعت سه و سه دقیقه بعد از ظهرِ اول اکتبر آغاز شد ـ به وقت استاندارد شرقی...؛ به فاصله ده ساعت بعد از حادثه، اکثر دانشمندانی که قادر به توضیح و تفسیر این واژه بودند، یا دیوانه شده بودند، یا مرده بودند. در هر حال اسم این حادثه اصلاً اهمیت نداشت. نکته حائز اهمیت، اثرات آن بود...؛»؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 02/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Cell is a 2006 apocalyptic horror novel by American author Stephen King.
The story follows a New England artist struggling to reunite with his young son after a mysterious signal broadcast over the global cell phone network turns the majority of his fellow humans into mindless vicious animals.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز هفدهم ماه اکتبر سال 2010 میلادی
عنوان: تلفن همراه؛ نویسنده: استیون کینگ؛ مترجم: ماندانا قهرمانلو؛ تهران افراز، 1389؛ در 579ص؛ شابک 9789642431977؛ چاپ دوم 1396؛ چاپ سوم 1397؛ در 582ص؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م
عنوان: تلفن همراه؛ نویسنده: استفن (استیون) کینگ؛ مترجم: شهره بری؛ تهران نگارینه، 1389؛ در 544ص؛ شابک 9789648935967؛ چاپ دوم 1391؛
اینبار «استیون کینگ»؛ با رمان «تلفن همراه»، به سراغ ترس، جنگ، و تروریسم برآمده از تکنولوژی، رفته است.؛ در این داستان، تلفنهای همراه با زدودن هرگونه درکی از انسانیت، از مغز انسانها، و تبدیل آنها، به موجوداتی خرابکار و مسخ شده، باعث شکلگیری دنیایی آخرالزمانی شده اند.؛ افرادی بدون تلفن همراه، همانند «کلیتون ریدل»؛ و گروه کوچکی از اطرافیانش، باید برای بقا تلاش کنند، و ماجراجویی آنها برای پیدا کردن همسر، و پسر کوچک کلیتون، باعث خلق داستانی پرماجرا، و شوکه کننده میشود.؛ خوانشگرانی که با آثار «کینگ» آشنا هستند، تغییر سبک مثبتی را در این رمان مشاهده خواهند کرد.؛ رمان «تلفن همراه»، هیجان انگیز و پر از ماجراست.؛
چکیده: در روز اول ماه اکتبر و در ساعت سه بعد از ظهر، اتفاقی هولناک برای تمام دارندگان تلفن همراه رخ میدهد؛ در آن زمان مشخص، سیگنالی ناشناس، از طریق تلفن همراه، برای همه ی مردم ارسال میشود، و به طور ناگهانی، هر کاربر تلفن همراه، پس از دریافت آن پیام، تبدیل به یک قاتل زامبی، و فردی پرخاشگر میشود.؛ زمانی که این رویداد رخ میدهد، «کلیتون ریدل» در خیابان «بویلستون» در «بوستون»، در حال گام زدن، و گفتگو برای فروش کتاب تازه ی خویش است، اما پس از رخداد حادثه، همه چیز دیگر میشود و مسیر زندگیش دگرگونه میشود.؛ او به همراه مرد مسنی به نام «تام مک کورت»، دختر نوجوان و پانزده ساله ای به نام «آلیس مکسول»، و گروه دیگری که تلفن همراه ندارند، و تنها به همین علت، به موجودات مخرب تبدیل نشده اند، از آن شرایط پرتنش و پر آشوب فرار میکنند؛ آنها کوشش میکنند، در آن شرایط بحرانی، که همه در حال جنگ و کشتار هستند، و مغزهایشان آسیب دیده است، برای بقای خود تلاش کنند؛
کلیتون، هنرمندی است، که از خانوده اش جدا شده، و در طول داستان تمام سعی خود را میکند، تا با گروهی از بازماندگان، به سمت شمال برود، تا پسرش جانی و همسرش شارون را پیدا کند، و بتواند آنها را از آن گرفتاری نجات دهد؛ یافتن راهی برای نجات خانواده، توسط شخصیت اصلی داستان، و حفظ زندگی در بین جمعیت عظیمی، که گرفتار حادثه ای هولناک شده اند، داستانی پرماجرا و بینهایت پرکشش را آفریده است، که خوانشگر با خوانش آن، همواره بهتزده و شوکه میشود.؛ از نکات مهم این کتاب، فرضیه ی استفاده شده در متن کتاب است، که کل داستان بر اساس آن بنا گردیده است؛ از فرضیه ی داروین گرفته تا تئوریهای روانشناختی، که بر اساس آنها، انسان موجودی است که نهاد او، در خشونت و وحشیگری ریشه دارد، و هسته ی اصلی وجودش، خونریزی است!؛
نقل نمونه متن: «حادثه ای که پالس نام گرفت، ساعت سه و سه دقیقه بعد از ظهرِ اول اکتبر آغاز شد ـ به وقت استاندارد شرقی...؛ به فاصله ده ساعت بعد از حادثه، اکثر دانشمندانی که قادر به توضیح و تفسیر این واژه بودند، یا دیوانه شده بودند، یا مرده بودند. در هر حال اسم این حادثه اصلاً اهمیت نداشت. نکته حائز اهمیت، اثرات آن بود...؛»؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 02/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
May 7, 2019
I suddenly realised half way through this book that it is really a zombie novel. After a shower I felt better and rationalised that this was occupying my "wouldn't normally read this" slot in my book consumption; sigh of relief.
I must admit that I did enjoy some of King's early novels, but this was so far fetched and ridiculous (Am I really saying "It" wasn't?). The plot is simple. Somehow, someone sends a pulse through the mobile phone system which wipes clean a person's mind and sends them back to basics and they become unreasoning killers. Those that survive the bloodbath begin to flock together and develop a sort of telepathy. Meanwhile those that didn't hear the pulse and survived the bloodbath also group together and a struggle for survival begins.
Sometimes books like this are good mindless fun and I do enjoy well written thrillers. King does write well and is a natural storyteller; but there is something insidious at the heart of this. Basically (and this is actually said in the book), when everything is stripped away from men and women; what is left - MURDER. This, quite simply, is the Doctrine of The Fall (not Mark E Smith's rather good Manchester band), as found in the Old Testament. We are born in sin and are wicked at heart; our first instincts being to kill rather than care for each other. That is the problem with this book; that premise. Nature and nurture matter not; we are hard-wired to Murder.
In my more depressive moments I realise we have created an economic system which destroys the weak and poor rather well and we regularly elect governments that play and build on xenophobia and the evils of those who are different. However, in my heart I believe we all have that spark that would rather care for others than destroy them. That's the problem with this book.
I must admit that I did enjoy some of King's early novels, but this was so far fetched and ridiculous (Am I really saying "It" wasn't?). The plot is simple. Somehow, someone sends a pulse through the mobile phone system which wipes clean a person's mind and sends them back to basics and they become unreasoning killers. Those that survive the bloodbath begin to flock together and develop a sort of telepathy. Meanwhile those that didn't hear the pulse and survived the bloodbath also group together and a struggle for survival begins.
Sometimes books like this are good mindless fun and I do enjoy well written thrillers. King does write well and is a natural storyteller; but there is something insidious at the heart of this. Basically (and this is actually said in the book), when everything is stripped away from men and women; what is left - MURDER. This, quite simply, is the Doctrine of The Fall (not Mark E Smith's rather good Manchester band), as found in the Old Testament. We are born in sin and are wicked at heart; our first instincts being to kill rather than care for each other. That is the problem with this book; that premise. Nature and nurture matter not; we are hard-wired to Murder.
In my more depressive moments I realise we have created an economic system which destroys the weak and poor rather well and we regularly elect governments that play and build on xenophobia and the evils of those who are different. However, in my heart I believe we all have that spark that would rather care for others than destroy them. That's the problem with this book.
December 29, 2019
While this isn’t one of my top favourite King books, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read nonetheless! I find it’s one of those candy reads, it’s easy and entertaining and doesn’t require you to think too deeply. I like the whole idea, I really enjoyed seeing King’s spin on zombies! What made me enjoy it less than other King stories is that I didn’t fall in love with any of the characters. I did enjoy them but nothing about them really spoke to me and the story left me wanting more on that level.
December 5, 2016
"What Darwin was too polite to say, my friends, is that we came to rule the earth not because we were the smartest, or even the meanest, but because we have always been the craziest, most murderous motherfuckers in the jungle."
Cell is an apocalyptic tale about mobile phones that wipe the user's brain, getting rid of any humanity and leaving behind only aggressive and destructive impulses. The story focuses on the main character, Clay, who is on a mission to find his estranged wife and son. Now living in a post-apocalyptic world and unable to use mobile phones for fear of becoming crazed maniacs, Clay and his group must navigate their way in an attempt to find out what has happened to his family.
Okay, so, I actually really enjoyed this book. I loved the premise of it, and found it terrifying to even consider what it would be like if such an event occurred in real life. I loved how it was the use of mobile phones that created these crazed "zombies", especially because if something like this did happen, your first thought would be to call your loved ones to check they're okay. So I kinda loved that detail, added an extra layer to the story I thought.
The characters were so-so. Clay was fine, but I think I actually preferred Tom. I also really liked Alice, so I wasn't overly happy with her storyline. The "zombies" or "phonies" as they were called in the book were downright horrifying! I really liked their behaviours and how they were used within the story. The fact that they were only active during the day and then "rebooted" at night. It felt like a unique portrayal of zombies.
I thought the story moved at a great pace, especially at the beginning. It was non-stop terrifying. The pace did slow down a bit, particularly towards the end, but I was still very much interested and eager to see how it all panned out. But then that ending. THAT GODDAMN ENDING. Left me feeling so infuriated and angry. I absolutely hate endings like that...I was so annoyed by it that I felt like deducting a star, but then maybe in hindsight I will look back and like the ending (similar to how I feel about The Sopranos), so it can keep the star... for now. I thought it was a great read (apart from the ending) and very much underrated in the Stephen King universe.
If I ever meet Sai King I will slap him across the face for that ending......but then hug him and declare my undying love.
Cell is an apocalyptic tale about mobile phones that wipe the user's brain, getting rid of any humanity and leaving behind only aggressive and destructive impulses. The story focuses on the main character, Clay, who is on a mission to find his estranged wife and son. Now living in a post-apocalyptic world and unable to use mobile phones for fear of becoming crazed maniacs, Clay and his group must navigate their way in an attempt to find out what has happened to his family.
Okay, so, I actually really enjoyed this book. I loved the premise of it, and found it terrifying to even consider what it would be like if such an event occurred in real life. I loved how it was the use of mobile phones that created these crazed "zombies", especially because if something like this did happen, your first thought would be to call your loved ones to check they're okay. So I kinda loved that detail, added an extra layer to the story I thought.
The characters were so-so. Clay was fine, but I think I actually preferred Tom. I also really liked Alice, so I wasn't overly happy with her storyline. The "zombies" or "phonies" as they were called in the book were downright horrifying! I really liked their behaviours and how they were used within the story. The fact that they were only active during the day and then "rebooted" at night. It felt like a unique portrayal of zombies.
I thought the story moved at a great pace, especially at the beginning. It was non-stop terrifying. The pace did slow down a bit, particularly towards the end, but I was still very much interested and eager to see how it all panned out. But then that ending. THAT GODDAMN ENDING. Left me feeling so infuriated and angry. I absolutely hate endings like that...I was so annoyed by it that I felt like deducting a star, but then maybe in hindsight I will look back and like the ending (similar to how I feel about The Sopranos), so it can keep the star... for now. I thought it was a great read (apart from the ending) and very much underrated in the Stephen King universe.
If I ever meet Sai King I will slap him across the face for that ending......but then hug him and declare my undying love.
July 12, 2020
I would give this one 3 1/2 stars. I've read better and worse by King. Not very scary, interesting idea and take on a kind of Zombie like Apocalypse. Great book to read while waiting for a plane. ;-)
Shelved as 'dnf'
March 9, 2024dnf @ 2%
absolutely not
absolutely not
February 10, 2018
Ωραίο βιβλίο με συνεχή δράση, όχι όμως από τα καλύτερά του.
Το σίγουρο είναι πως με προβλημάτισε. Κλείνοντας το, αναρωτήθηκα.
Αν όντως υπή��χε μια κοινωνία στην οποία κάθε κλήση από κινητό μετέτρεπε τον αποδέκτη σε ζόμπι, τότε τραγούδια όπως «Αναπάντητες κλήσεις παντού» της Παπαρίζου και «Όταν το τηλέφωνο χτυπήσει κανείς δε θα σου απαντήσει» της Κωνσταντοπούλου, θα κυκλοφορούσαν με τον τίτλο «Τα Απαγορευμένα»;
Το σίγουρο είναι πως με προβλημάτισε. Κλείνοντας το, αναρωτήθηκα.
Αν όντως υπή��χε μια κοινωνία στην οποία κάθε κλήση από κινητό μετέτρεπε τον αποδέκτη σε ζόμπι, τότε τραγούδια όπως «Αναπάντητες κλήσεις παντού» της Παπαρίζου και «Όταν το τηλέφωνο χτυπήσει κανείς δε θα σου απαντήσει» της Κωνσταντοπούλου, θα κυκλοφορούσαν με τον τίτλο «Τα Απαγορευμένα»;
December 11, 2019
Stephen King + zombies + apocalypse = awesome. This has one of the best starts to a Stephen King book I've read so far and this is number fourty seven for me. A slight lull in the second didn't detract from a very entertaining read.
June 22, 2024
Ahhh the days when cell phones were devices of intrigue, contraptions of untapped possibilities and potential forces for good… far from the ubiquitous, corrupting extensions of our minds and bodies they are today. A much simpler time indeed. It makes me long for the aughts with a melancholic nostalgia.
I thought this book was fun, and I’m not sure why it gets panned the way it does. It feels like once a book catches a bad rap, it’s hard to break free from that stigma, and the masses continually pile on. It’s almost like they are a bunch of phoners affected by a corrupted pulse or something.
Character I Loved & Hated
These are some of King’s least memorable or multi-dimensional characters, so the list is light in terms of people who stood out. The Raggedy Man is someone who will stick with me, despite his somewhat corny characteristics. His haunting smile, juxtaposed with his cartoonish Harvard sweatshirt, stands out as one of the most persistent images in this book.
Tom was a cardboard cutout of a character and really added nothing to the plot, nor did he play a role in moving things along. He felt completely superfluous.
Themes
Fear of emerging technology and the role it may play in our ultimate demise
One Thing I’ll walk away with
A desire to return to simpler times, where flip phones ruled the day and snake inexplicably occupied hours and hours of my time
I thought this book was fun, and I’m not sure why it gets panned the way it does. It feels like once a book catches a bad rap, it’s hard to break free from that stigma, and the masses continually pile on. It’s almost like they are a bunch of phoners affected by a corrupted pulse or something.
Character I Loved & Hated
These are some of King’s least memorable or multi-dimensional characters, so the list is light in terms of people who stood out. The Raggedy Man is someone who will stick with me, despite his somewhat corny characteristics. His haunting smile, juxtaposed with his cartoonish Harvard sweatshirt, stands out as one of the most persistent images in this book.
Tom was a cardboard cutout of a character and really added nothing to the plot, nor did he play a role in moving things along. He felt completely superfluous.
Themes
Fear of emerging technology and the role it may play in our ultimate demise
One Thing I’ll walk away with
A desire to return to simpler times, where flip phones ruled the day and snake inexplicably occupied hours and hours of my time
May 14, 2022
Ok, so this isn’t one of his classics. But even a slightly mediocre book by Stephen King is comfortably better than most of the competition. Especially an apocalyptic one. I liked the ambiguous ending too.
March 4, 2021
En general me ha parecido un libro bastante entretenido, con un comienzo brutal e impactante, pero con un final que me ha resultado decepcionante.
December 17, 2012
For some reason, I had seen quite a few bad reviews on Cell before I read it. Not one to usually dislike a King novel, I did go into this one without the highest of expectations and ended up being very pleasantly surprised.
The story centers around a mass event that turns anyone who happens to be on their cell phone at the time into a zombie. Mass chaos ensues and a small group of survivors bands together and tries to figure out what is going on and how to stop it. Some of the plot-line does have some similarity to The Stand, but the characters are fairly unique, the dialog is good, and the action keeps rolling along at a fairly brisk pace.
I really liked this novel. I knew that I probably would, but it was a nice surprise that it was as good as it was. I am of the opinion that not everything that Stephen King writes is destined to be a classic, but the majority of his work is well above average and I feel that one day he will be given his long overdue kudos and be placed in the literary canon with the other greats of modern literature.
The story centers around a mass event that turns anyone who happens to be on their cell phone at the time into a zombie. Mass chaos ensues and a small group of survivors bands together and tries to figure out what is going on and how to stop it. Some of the plot-line does have some similarity to The Stand, but the characters are fairly unique, the dialog is good, and the action keeps rolling along at a fairly brisk pace.
I really liked this novel. I knew that I probably would, but it was a nice surprise that it was as good as it was. I am of the opinion that not everything that Stephen King writes is destined to be a classic, but the majority of his work is well above average and I feel that one day he will be given his long overdue kudos and be placed in the literary canon with the other greats of modern literature.
June 26, 2023
ok this is what I get for reading mid-00s King
August 14, 2018
I love Stephen King but his stories always give me nightmares. This one is no different. On a beautiful autumn morning everyone on a cell phone is simultaneously hit with a message that scrambles their brains and turns them into zombies. From there the story gets progressively scarier and weirder.
Really good story and I have another reason to not talk on a cell. (Texting only)
Really good story and I have another reason to not talk on a cell. (Texting only)
September 19, 2012
Stephen King does zombies! Well...kind of. We'll get to that in a bit.
But first, here's how I think this book came about:
Way back in aught-6 (2006), or just before because Cell was published in '06, but who knows with King, am I right? But anyway, we've come a long way since that time. Everyone was getting cell phones and they were just about getting to every last person around. I imagine him having this conversation with, let's say, his son, Joe Hill.
Stephen: "Wow, cell phones have really gotten popular lately. Everyone seems to have one."
Joe: "Yeah Dad, come on, get with the times already, man."
Stephen: "Well, at least we'll never get rid of these landlines right? Both are VERY necessary. [useless joke probably not in King's character, just wanted to make fun of how we used to still had landlines when everyone was switching to cell phones]
"But seriously, I am SO sick of people being on their cell phones all the time. You can't even have an honest-to-goodness conversation with a person without someone bombarding you with a call.
"Can't we just have real conversations with human beings anymore? Instead, we talk to electronics and let them control everything we do, sacrificing our humanity.
"If only there was a way to put an end to this nonsense...I've got it!"
Cell starts out as your basic zombie book. People are going about their normal business when suddenly lots of people start going crazy and attacking other people while a few people escape unscathed for a while until they get attacked.
Well, Stephen King made a couple of changes to the normal zombie mythos (I think we can call it mythos now). Here, the zombies are created by a pulse that occurs through cell phones. All the people using their cell phones at the time of the "pulse" (as its known throughout the book) are immediately changed into what is essentially a zombie. Those without cell phones or not on them at the time are saved.
It's not exactly clear whether they are (or have to be) dead or not, some are, but not all, but they all have the same traits, which are pretty zombie-like. They go crazy, they attack people including their own kind, and make survival the number one priority for those who weren't turned.
They are known throughout the book not at zombies, but as "phone crazies." Boy did I hate that term after a while. It's just so dumb. It's also descriptively appropriate, but meh. Call them walkers, call them phoners even, but "phone crazies" just bugged me to no end.
In addition, the zombies only come out during the day and therefore leave the night to the survivors.
Cell follows Clayton Riddell, a survivor of the pulse who happened to be in Boston at the time of the "pulse." He lives in (you guessed it) Maine (but he's not a writer, he's a comic artist, completely different), which is where his family is located at the time of the pulse and provides the impetus for Clay and his group of survivors to head north.
I did enjoy this book, but to talk about why I didn't enjoy it enough to even reach the 4 star threshold, I'm gonna have to get into some spoilers. These aren't huge, ruin-the-book spoilers, just possibly ruin a part of the first 200 pages/quarter of the book. You've been warned.
/Begin mild spoilers
I could go more into Clay's group because they do play a large role in the novel, but I just don't have the time nor the energy at the moment. Know they're there and they are some great characters.
The reason I wasn't a huge fan of this particular zombie book is that King almost immediately kills the whole reason I read zombie books. I read them for the constant suspense and scare that the people we've grown close to are going to get eaten, turned, die, whatever.
King introduces telepathy into the zombie mythos.
While it's an interesting and unique take, I realized toward the end that it pretty much killed this particular zombie novel for me.
Because the zombie apocalypse occurred through the pulse, the phone crazies (bleh) are connected somehow, they can even communicate in a way telepathically. It begins through large gatherings where they sleep during the night while getting essentially reprogrammed telepathically.
While they are communicating telepathically, they begin to flock just like some types of animals (birds in a "v" for instance). While they flock, they don't attack humans. It just stops.
There's more that happens and they do begin to do some much more devious things, but the survivors, and especially our little crew we follow, are essentially immune from the day-to-day zombie attack.
Bigger Spoiler, for the novel I Am Legend as well: While I'm still within the spoiler section of my review, I also wanted to add that I totally thought he was going to go I Am Legend with the zombies, making the zombies the new society and the survivors the outcasts. It seemed to be going there, but didn't in the end.
/end spoilers
I enjoyed this book, it had great characters (as expected) and a good enough story to keep me enjoying it. It also had an interesting take on zombies that, while I applaud King for his creativity and boldness, kind of killed the zombie part of this zombie novel.
3 out of 5 Stars (Recommended with reservations)
But first, here's how I think this book came about:
Way back in aught-6 (2006), or just before because Cell was published in '06, but who knows with King, am I right? But anyway, we've come a long way since that time. Everyone was getting cell phones and they were just about getting to every last person around. I imagine him having this conversation with, let's say, his son, Joe Hill.
Stephen: "Wow, cell phones have really gotten popular lately. Everyone seems to have one."
Joe: "Yeah Dad, come on, get with the times already, man."
Stephen: "Well, at least we'll never get rid of these landlines right? Both are VERY necessary. [useless joke probably not in King's character, just wanted to make fun of how we used to still had landlines when everyone was switching to cell phones]
"But seriously, I am SO sick of people being on their cell phones all the time. You can't even have an honest-to-goodness conversation with a person without someone bombarding you with a call.
"Can't we just have real conversations with human beings anymore? Instead, we talk to electronics and let them control everything we do, sacrificing our humanity.
"If only there was a way to put an end to this nonsense...I've got it!"
Cell starts out as your basic zombie book. People are going about their normal business when suddenly lots of people start going crazy and attacking other people while a few people escape unscathed for a while until they get attacked.
Well, Stephen King made a couple of changes to the normal zombie mythos (I think we can call it mythos now). Here, the zombies are created by a pulse that occurs through cell phones. All the people using their cell phones at the time of the "pulse" (as its known throughout the book) are immediately changed into what is essentially a zombie. Those without cell phones or not on them at the time are saved.
It's not exactly clear whether they are (or have to be) dead or not, some are, but not all, but they all have the same traits, which are pretty zombie-like. They go crazy, they attack people including their own kind, and make survival the number one priority for those who weren't turned.
They are known throughout the book not at zombies, but as "phone crazies." Boy did I hate that term after a while. It's just so dumb. It's also descriptively appropriate, but meh. Call them walkers, call them phoners even, but "phone crazies" just bugged me to no end.
In addition, the zombies only come out during the day and therefore leave the night to the survivors.
Cell follows Clayton Riddell, a survivor of the pulse who happened to be in Boston at the time of the "pulse." He lives in (you guessed it) Maine (but he's not a writer, he's a comic artist, completely different), which is where his family is located at the time of the pulse and provides the impetus for Clay and his group of survivors to head north.
I did enjoy this book, but to talk about why I didn't enjoy it enough to even reach the 4 star threshold, I'm gonna have to get into some spoilers. These aren't huge, ruin-the-book spoilers, just possibly ruin a part of the first 200 pages/quarter of the book. You've been warned.
/Begin mild spoilers
I could go more into Clay's group because they do play a large role in the novel, but I just don't have the time nor the energy at the moment. Know they're there and they are some great characters.
The reason I wasn't a huge fan of this particular zombie book is that King almost immediately kills the whole reason I read zombie books. I read them for the constant suspense and scare that the people we've grown close to are going to get eaten, turned, die, whatever.
King introduces telepathy into the zombie mythos.
While it's an interesting and unique take, I realized toward the end that it pretty much killed this particular zombie novel for me.
Because the zombie apocalypse occurred through the pulse, the phone crazies (bleh) are connected somehow, they can even communicate in a way telepathically. It begins through large gatherings where they sleep during the night while getting essentially reprogrammed telepathically.
While they are communicating telepathically, they begin to flock just like some types of animals (birds in a "v" for instance). While they flock, they don't attack humans. It just stops.
There's more that happens and they do begin to do some much more devious things, but the survivors, and especially our little crew we follow, are essentially immune from the day-to-day zombie attack.
Bigger Spoiler, for the novel I Am Legend as well: While I'm still within the spoiler section of my review, I also wanted to add that I totally thought he was going to go I Am Legend with the zombies, making the zombies the new society and the survivors the outcasts. It seemed to be going there, but didn't in the end.
/end spoilers
I enjoyed this book, it had great characters (as expected) and a good enough story to keep me enjoying it. It also had an interesting take on zombies that, while I applaud King for his creativity and boldness, kind of killed the zombie part of this zombie novel.
3 out of 5 Stars (Recommended with reservations)
April 1, 2020
Zombie sotto carica
Inqualificabile romanzo che anela al ribaltamento di alcuni cliché horror ben radicati - le figure di riferimento sono Matheson e Romero -, ma che crolla in maniera ingiustificata a causa di una narrazione più fiacca del sottoscritto dopo il test di Cooper. Non che l'accrocco di turbotrashate poi sia meglio: zombie che si ricaricano con la musica durante la notte; poteri telepatici a ridisegnare la realtà; vaghezza sull'impulso emanatosi dai cellulari; dialoghi scemi; personaggi inebetiti qui e là.
Il finale da ulcera gastrica è la ciliegina sulla torta di un'opera che King poteva tranquillamente risparmiarsi.
Inqualificabile romanzo che anela al ribaltamento di alcuni cliché horror ben radicati - le figure di riferimento sono Matheson e Romero -, ma che crolla in maniera ingiustificata a causa di una narrazione più fiacca del sottoscritto dopo il test di Cooper. Non che l'accrocco di turbotrashate poi sia meglio: zombie che si ricaricano con la musica durante la notte; poteri telepatici a ridisegnare la realtà; vaghezza sull'impulso emanatosi dai cellulari; dialoghi scemi; personaggi inebetiti qui e là.
Il finale da ulcera gastrica è la ciliegina sulla torta di un'opera che King poteva tranquillamente risparmiarsi.
June 4, 2024
A book I have been meaning to read for such a long time and I have finally gotten around to it. Cell really starts with a BANG and gets straight into the action. There is a lot of gruesome parts throughout this book and isn’t for the faint hearted like the majority of Stephen Kings books.
I think people rate this book down because the plot seems to be lacking but I can totally understand why – this book looks a post-apocalyptic event that shakes the world turning everyday people into animals or zombies you could even say. It looks at how people would deal with this in the real world! It isn’t like I am Legend or World War Z where the characters are brave, strong and almost without fear – it shows how real people would cope and what they would do if they were just your average Joes. This may disappoint people as they are wanting more action and fight but in reality, would we deal with catastrophe any better than the characters of Cell?
"At bottom, you see, we are not Homo sapiens as all. Our core is madness. The prime directive is murder. What Darwin was too polite to say, my friends, is that we came to rule the earth not because we were the smartest, or even the meanest, but because we have always been the craziest, most murderous motherfuckers in the jungle. And that is what the Pulse exposed five days ago."
"Man has come to dominate the planet thanks to two essential traits. One is intelligence. The other has been the absolute willingness to kill anyone and anything that gets in his way."
"That tight little accent grated on Clay’s frayed nerves. He thought that if it had been a fart, it would have been the kind that comes out sounding like a party-horn blown by a kid with asthma." (I found this way funnier than I should’ve been!)
There is some character development through this book but I expected more from King normally his I fall in love or detest his character but in this I found them kind of vanilla and that’s the only reason this isn’t getting the full 5.
I loved every second of this book and yes that include the ending – not everyone’s cup of tea I know. If you can understand the reason for King writing this book I think you can learn to love this ending too I sure did. I feel like I need a re-read of this one pretty soon.
I think people rate this book down because the plot seems to be lacking but I can totally understand why – this book looks a post-apocalyptic event that shakes the world turning everyday people into animals or zombies you could even say. It looks at how people would deal with this in the real world! It isn’t like I am Legend or World War Z where the characters are brave, strong and almost without fear – it shows how real people would cope and what they would do if they were just your average Joes. This may disappoint people as they are wanting more action and fight but in reality, would we deal with catastrophe any better than the characters of Cell?
"At bottom, you see, we are not Homo sapiens as all. Our core is madness. The prime directive is murder. What Darwin was too polite to say, my friends, is that we came to rule the earth not because we were the smartest, or even the meanest, but because we have always been the craziest, most murderous motherfuckers in the jungle. And that is what the Pulse exposed five days ago."
"Man has come to dominate the planet thanks to two essential traits. One is intelligence. The other has been the absolute willingness to kill anyone and anything that gets in his way."
"That tight little accent grated on Clay’s frayed nerves. He thought that if it had been a fart, it would have been the kind that comes out sounding like a party-horn blown by a kid with asthma." (I found this way funnier than I should’ve been!)
There is some character development through this book but I expected more from King normally his I fall in love or detest his character but in this I found them kind of vanilla and that’s the only reason this isn’t getting the full 5.
I loved every second of this book and yes that include the ending – not everyone’s cup of tea I know. If you can understand the reason for King writing this book I think you can learn to love this ending too I sure did. I feel like I need a re-read of this one pretty soon.
December 23, 2016
This was a classic Stephen King novel! Roller coaster ride of thrills, twists, and turns! I read the first half of the book in one night as I could not put it down. Last night I finished the other half. The book is about cell phones that get hit with a pulse phenomenon that practically turns the human race into zombies. It was a different kind of zombie experience. You have a rag-tag of survivors that are trying to get out of the city and they meet up with other survivors along the way. Definitely an interesting read. Giving it five stars.
March 4, 2022
An unsettling apocalyptic novel which would have been more suspenseful if it was a novella.
May 4, 2016
Yay! Another successful King re-read!
I read Cell when it first came out and I loved it. I’ve wanted to do a reread since hearing the whispers about the movie production. All I needed to hear was John Cusack and I knew it would be gold.
I mean, seriously. The guy has to be one of the most underrated actors ever.
Then came the announcement of Samuel L. Jackson joining the cast and I removed any doubt from my mind.
SOLD.
Clay Riddell has just sold his first comic. He’s about to make a shit-load of cash. He’s excited. He can’t wait to tell his son- and even kind of his estranged wifey. There he is basking in all the glory of his success when the Pulse occurs. Any person on their phone at the time of the Pulse goes completely insane.
They kill themselves or others in violent and vicious ways. One guy even bites the ear off a dog. Another girl smashes her own face repeatedly off of a pole until she dies. It’s fucking awesome. I know people say this is King’s version of zombies but I disagree. I think the Pulse strips you down to your most primal self. You become a beast; an animal.
At bottom, you see, we are not Homo sapiens as all. Our core is madness. The prime directive is murder. What Darwin was too polite to say, my friends, is that we came to rule the earth not because we were the smartest, or even the meanest, but because we have always been the craziest, most murderous motherfuckers in the jungle. And that is what the Pulse exposed five days ago.
The pace of the book does slow down but the story does not. It develops into a one-of-a-kind mindfuck of a tale.
While I love the opening sequence for its relentless violence, I think the ending is my favorite part. King nailed it. His endings are sooooooooooo hit and miss among his fans-at least in my experience- it is nice to see an ending I can really appreciate. I think it was the perfect ending for this book.
If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet- I strongly recommend it. If you have- make sure you check out the trailer for the movie! It looks amazing! You can check that out right here
Ps. The docked star is mostly due to the inconsistent narration of the audio book. It was patchy and you could clearly hear the edits. It was enough to take me out of the story.
January 13, 2021
Tengo dudas con la nota, porque aunque el libro me gustó sentí que le sobraban páginas y en ciertas partes se me hacía un poco pesado. Aunque igual estoy medianamente feliz porque esta vez no tuve problemas con el final xd casi siempre me pasa eso en los libros de King pero aunque me hubiera gustado un capítulo más, para saber que pasaba después, quede conforme. La última parte estuvo bastante emocionante.
La historia me gustó así mismo las explicaciones que iban dando a lo largo del libro, me da para pensar si esto pasara hoy en día con personas que pueden tener dos, tres teléfonos por la facilidad de obtenerlo, quedarían supervivientes suficientes? Jajaj eso si que estaría descontrolado xd para poner un poco de contexto, el libro se basaba en que producto de los celulares, al llamar, se genera una especie de onda que provocará que las personas se volvieran como zombies violentos y atacarán a todos pero de repente empieza a ocurrir algo curioso que sigue avanzando con la trama del libro y te genera curiosidad.
En cuanto a los personajes, al principio no pensé que me iban a agradar, eran bien meh xd pero al avanzar en la lectura me empecé a encariñar con ellos, me dio pena cuando Tom tuvo que dejar a Rafe, y después con cada situación que iban pasando, me gustaron bastante.
Aparte, me gusta la forma que tiene King para describir sus escenas, sobre todo las más fuertes, genera emociones en el lector xd
En general me gustó, así que dejaré en 4 estrellas jeje.
Popsugar reading challenge 49. Un libro DNF de tu lista TBR
La historia me gustó así mismo las explicaciones que iban dando a lo largo del libro, me da para pensar si esto pasara hoy en día con personas que pueden tener dos, tres teléfonos por la facilidad de obtenerlo, quedarían supervivientes suficientes? Jajaj eso si que estaría descontrolado xd para poner un poco de contexto, el libro se basaba en que producto de los celulares, al llamar, se genera una especie de onda que provocará que las personas se volvieran como zombies violentos y atacarán a todos pero de repente empieza a ocurrir algo curioso que sigue avanzando con la trama del libro y te genera curiosidad.
En cuanto a los personajes, al principio no pensé que me iban a agradar, eran bien meh xd pero al avanzar en la lectura me empecé a encariñar con ellos, me dio pena cuando Tom tuvo que dejar a Rafe, y después con cada situación que iban pasando, me gustaron bastante.
Aparte, me gusta la forma que tiene King para describir sus escenas, sobre todo las más fuertes, genera emociones en el lector xd
En general me gustó, así que dejaré en 4 estrellas jeje.
Popsugar reading challenge 49. Un libro DNF de tu lista TBR
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