The Institute: A Novel

Story 5/5 Narration 5/5 It felt good to read this well-written and captivating story. I’m not sure I can be completely objective about Stephen King’s writing, but to me, he is a literary genius, something he has proven time and time again. I loved the character development, the plot, the suspense, and of course, the horror, in The Institute. What happened to those children was truly horrific. Some readers may not appreciate the political references in this story, but I personally don’t mind them. Perhaps it’s because I’m French, but I believe Stephen King has the right to write whatever he wants in his stories. In any case, I don’t think that should affect the evaluation of this book’s quality. For me, the blurb is enough to know about the story. In fact, I think it’s better to go into this book knowing as little as possible, so the experience can fully unfold. When I finished The Institute, I couldn’t help but wonder: should human society turn a blind eye to atrocities if they are committed in the name of a supposedly greater good? That question stayed with me long after the last page. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a powerful horror story filled with mystery.

Introduction The Institute depicts monsters that aren’t supernatural, but instead, look just like you and me. In this review, I’ll give an overview of this novel without spoilers while expressing my opinion about his latest thriller. I have read most of Mr. King’s book, and this can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them. The kids are the heart and soul of this story. Their stories will tug at your heartstrings. Summary Mysterious individuals sneak into a home at night and kill the parents of a genius child prodigy named Luke Ellis. These individuals then kidnapped Luke and put him in The Institute in the backwoods of Maine with other kids that also have abilities like telekinesis and telepathy. Now Avery, Iris, Luke, and multiple other children must find a way out of this sinister institute that seeks to exploit their abilities, even though no one has ever successfully escaped before. Narration The narration is in the third person by an outside, unknown perspective. It gives great detail on how each character focused on sees the world. For example, the parents of Luke are both proud of and scared for their child. Tim Jamieson, a drifter with a law enforcement background, who takes on the job of “night knocker,” has a pessimistic outlook on the world that gradually brightens the longer he stays in DuPray, South Carolina. Setting The book is set in modern-day, as it mentions and takes a few jabs at Donald Trump as the president. This drives the underlying plot about the horror of abducting children and treating them as a means to an end. Stephen King has criticized the Trump administration for inhumane acts for “the greater good,” a similar theme expressed in The Institute. The book, according to The Washington Post Review, calls out “the inhumane treatment of children and the loss of a moral compass for those who inflict it.” Theme Just as It and some of his other works, The Institute has a side theme that emphasizes working together can be more powerful than we realize. The Institute also talks about how even the tiniest choices can lead to marvelous possibilities and circumstances. Genre The Institute’s genre is “horror.” In fact, The Institute won the Goodreads Choice Award in the Horror category, garnering nearly 40,000 more votes than its closest competitor, even beating out King’s son Joe Hill’s Full Throttle. King’s other works that fall into this genre have shown to have compelling, edge-of-your-seat plots, but this is considered one of his scariest. The horror of the underlying message of this latest work and the possible posers of our government, give readers more chills than killer clowns, vampires, rabid dogs, and ghosts. Author Stephen King has shaped a generation with the over fifty books he has sold all over the world. Some of his most famous novels like It, The Shining, 11/22/63, and The Stand, have moved on to other forms of media like movies and television series. Though it has many of the same foundational themes and ideas that King’s other novels have, The Institute tells a different story in a chilling way that will keep you up at night. Plot The longer Luke stays in the institute, the more he learns about the sinister system and how it’s structured. Obedient kids are treated with tokens for various treats at a vending machine, while those who aren’t compliant get punished, often severely. The agents in the institute conduct sordid experiments on the inhabitants to strengthen their abilities, or so it would seem. However, some of the children believe it is just sadistic torture. My Opinion Some of the main characters include Luke Ellis, Kalisha, Avery Dixon, Iris, George, Nick, Tim Jamieson, Mrs. Sigsby, and Trevor Stackhouse. The director, Mrs. Sigsby, is tasked with running cruel experiments on these extraordinary children. If I were casting a movie or TV series for this book, I would choose Linda Hunt “Hetty Lange” from NCIS: Los Angeles to star in her role. Just put her in a red pantsuit and stand back! I would probably cast Dean Norris, the Town Councilman from Under the Dome as Trevor Stackhouse, the Security Supervisor. You might also remember him playing the drug enforcement agent in Breaking Bad. Likewise, I believe Ryan Gosling would fit the part of Tim Jamieson very well. Just my opinion, of course. My favorite would have to be Luke Ellis, as he was an enthusiastic and bright young kid who slowly changes. Luke might be played best by an unknown, but I believe Finn Wolfhard, Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things could also pull off the part. The main characters interact similarly to two people in a chess match: each has to make a move and be able to predict what the other will do. Any of the cast of child actors from Stranger Things would fit right into this story. If you’re someone who likes to read about the horrors hidden within our society, then The Institute will be a good read for you. I encourage others to read this book, as it makes you think about the world around us as well as what it’s becoming. The initiation of change can’t come without awareness, first. I’ll happily read more from Stephen King because he tells what seems like regular stories in such a unique perspective that it makes those stories intriguing. I’m one of the “constant readers” who would buy if he published a new book every week.

I'm of an age with Mr. King and starting with the publication of Carrie in 1974 I gobbled up each new release until Cujo came out in 1981. I've always been captivated by how masterfully King began his books. Along with superb world building he would introduce likable characters with an appealing and very normal setting that invariably drew me in. Once his story line was established King would slowly introduce elements of a darker side until eventually they overwhelmed the story and that is where he began losing me. The Dark Tower series turned me off almost totally but I would still give some of his new releases a shot usually ending with me putting them down before the halfway mark never to be finished. In recent releases I quit reading Duma Key (2008), Under the Dome (2009), and Finders Keepers (2015) well before I was done. Since then I have read one or two Kindle free samples of his work and not been tempted until this release, The Institute (2018). It seemed appealing, and the sample was dark side free so I took a chance ($14.99 is a lot to pay for a book as much as I read). The basic plot is fairly standard, it opens with following the day to day of a ex-Sarasota city cop. He was a good cop but due to a run of bad luck had been fired and for off the wall reasons found himself hitchhiking through South Carolina where he sees a help wanted sign on the door of a hick town's cop shop. The point of view then switches to the activities of a deep black government organization with a large budget and extensive resources (the Institute) that kidnaps children gifted in specific ways, imprisons them, conducts bizarre and frequently cruel experiments with them and seems to have been doing so without censure for decades. Then they make the mistake of grabbing the wrong kid, a likable mega-genius named Luke who will serve as a catalyst for massive changes in the way the bad guys have been operating. The bonus that let me finish the book with a smile on my lips was that at no point did supernatural events come into play, there were no overly gore soaked passages nor extensive trips into the mind of sick individuals, just a good story by a skilled story teller at his best. Masterful world building mixes with sympathetic characters and excellent pacing as I expect from a writer of Mr. King's caliber. This is the first Stephen King novel I have read all the way through since Insomnia (1994) which was a barely able to finish kind of book for me so this is a solid recommendation. $14.99/book price divided by Amazon typical read time of 11 hours, 31 minute=$1.32/average hourly reading cost Note: My last high priced, highly touted Kindle purchase was $13.99, a dollar less than The Institute but with a typical read time of 4 hours and 12 minutes vs. Institute's typical read time of 11 hours and 31 minutes or over two and a half times as long for a dollar more which actually makes Institute one of the few bargains for new book releases at the recently raised prices.

Amazing book. Loved the way it keeps you reading and reading.

It arrived fast and in good quality.

Friendship, psychic and adventures,,,each of which reminds me of his past works. Beautiful!

Novel by Stephen King

Saber que o Stephen King é um excelente escritor, todos sabemos. Mas depois de tantos livros incríveis como Shining, It, A Espera de um Milagre, entre muitos outros, The Institute mostra que ele ainda, e graças a D'us, ainda não perdeu a mão. A história eh um verdadeiro Thriller onde o leitor não consegue parar de virar as páginas.