Product Description

Every marriage has two hearts, one light and one dark.

Lisey knew it when she first fell for Scott. And now he's dead, she knows it for sure.

Lisey was the light to Scott Landon's dark for twenty-five years. As his wife, only she saw the truth behind the public face of the famous author - that he was a haunted man whose bestselling novels were based on a terrifying reality.

Now Scott has gone, Lisey wants to lock herself away with her memories. But the fans have other ideas. And when the sinister threats begin, Lisey realises that, just as Scott depended on her strength - her light - to live, so she will have to draw on his darkness to survive.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20594 in Books
• Published on: 2007-07-12
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 704 pages

Review

‘Popular novelist Dickens is an apt comparison – stands among the best things that this formidable writer has done’

(Sam Leith, Saturday Telegraph )

‘Thrilling, genuinely terrifying, beautifully textured and full of wonderful invention’

(Daily Mail )

'Stephen King’s career-best novel, LISEY'S STORY, a psychological thriller of extraordinary sensitivity that takes the reader deep into the dark places in us all’

(Matt Thorne, Independent on Sunday )

'Up there with his finest ... Please don't ever give up writing, Stephen King'

(Evening Standard )

‘King is the greatest popular novelist of our day, comparable to Dickens – and one of the reasons for his pre-eminence is that (like Dickens) he keeps his readers with him all the time...A consummate and compassionate novel – one of King’s very best'

(Toby Litt, Guardian )

'A wondrous novel of marriage, a love story steeped in strength and tenderness, and cast with the most vivid, touching and believable characters in recent literature . . . A dazzling novel that you'll thank yourself for reading long after the final page is turned.' (Nicholas Sparks )

'Accomplished . . . unputdownable . . . his mesmerising best' (Observer on BAG OF BONES )

'An incredibly gifted storyteller' (Guardian )

‘Contains some of the most powerful and affecting passages that King has ever written’

(Barry Forshaw, Daily Express )

'The true narrative artist is a rare creature. Storytelling - the ability to make the listener or the reader need to know, demand to know, what happens next - is a gift...Stephen King, like Charles Dickens before him, has this gift in spades.' (The Times on CELL )

‘King has that rare skill of making you believe it could happen’ (Sydney Morning Herald on CELL )

'Gory, extremely entertaining and with a plot to imagine oneself in, this is another winner from the cellphone-avoiding horror master' (Daily News, New Zealand on CELL )

'A cracking good story with a sting in its tale' (Herald Sun, Australia )

'This is a roller-coaster ride that will thrill many' (Sydney Morning Herald )

From the Publisher
If you're a King fan - and let's face it, who isn't? - you'll already know about this one. We're very excited to be bringing you what promises to be a landmark in Stephen King's career - as well as this year's most gripping audiobook, hands down.

About the Author
Stephen King was awarded the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and was voted Grand Master at the 2007 Edgar Allan Poe Awards. He is the author of more than forty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent stand-alone novels include DREAMCATCHER and CELL. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

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Customer Reviews

One of King's finest?
At first I had reservations about Lisey's story. Those others of King's books told from a female perspective (Gerald's Game, Dolores Claiborne, Rose Madder) are amongst my least favourite of his novels. Thus, I was prepared to be disappointed - and, initially, I was.

The story is told as two narrative threads - firstly, in the present day, secondly as a series of memories from the heroine of the story - Lisey Landon, wife of the deceased author Scott Landon. Scott Landon who had troubles of his own - many of which seem to mirror King in real life.

Ultimately, however, one starts to care about the characters, and age and near-death has certainly not dulled King's ability to describe the minutiae of life in such absorbing detail. By the end of the story, the characters - and the portrayal of the twenty-five year marriage - between Scott and Lisey seemed real, and the feelings - although not the events - described could mirror any long marriage.

There are also enough references to others of Kings works to keep the hardened fan happy. Deputies Ridgewick and Clutterbuck from Needful Things make appearances, the Territories are never far away, and there's also mention of a little place called Shooters Knob, Tennessee.

If there is a downside - and why I haven't given five stars for this review - it is because there is nothing entirely new here. There are shades of Rose Madder, The Talisman and at least one of the stories in Four Past Midnight... but King, at his literary best, is still the best around. Despite his so-called retirement after his near-fatal accident, King seems as prolific as ever and, with other books apparently in the pipeline, I hope that they are as enjoyable as this.

Bool! The End!
Those of you who are fans of Stephen King's "fantasy" novels, rather than the horror for which he is traditionally known, are in for a real treat. The language in Lisey's Story is reminiscent of the dreamy, allegorical style used in "Rose Madders", whilst the narrative itself literally takes us to another land, ("Boo'ya Moon").Likewise, the atmosphere of Boo'ya Moon itself seems to echo King's short story "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut", that same sense of other, stranger worlds, just a hair's breadth away...
Other reviewers refer to the "impenetrable" language of the novel. For me, this "secret language" only emphasized a sense of wonder and mystery, of entering new worlds - literally, in the instance of Boo'ya Moon, and metaphorically - the marriage of Lisey and Scott. This story-specific use of language also served another purpose - it contributed to my sense of leaving something behind when I finished reading - that sense of wishing to know more of these people, whose secrets I had been privy to, and whose lives I had touched upon for a moment.
This ability to create a private vocabulary and to use it seamlessly to evoke a sense of intimacy and disclosure, is King's greatest strength. The plot itself contains moments of skilful insight; haunting, sometimes frightening imagery,("...the Long Boy, the thing with the endless piebald side..."), and, tied together with that intricate delicate web of language only King can spin, it becomes probably the best, most memorable book he has ever written - and my own personal favourite.

Just Showing Off Now
Having been an avid reader of Stephen King for over 2 decades, I always eagerly await each of his books. In my opinion, there have only been a couple of damp squibs, namely "Rose Madder" and "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon". This latest offering, however, ranks right up there. Whilst in itself, it is not a bad story, it could easily have been cut by 2-300 pages. I feel it could have come across better as one of his short(ish) stories. Instead, you get pages of epic prose which contribute little to the effect, and a series of endlessly repeated phrases that only serve to annoy. To be honest, it was a relief to finish the book and you are not left with the usual sense of satisfaction one normally has on finishing a King book. Bring on "Cell 2".