Joyland (Stephen King)

Original cover

Have you read any Stephen King novels? Did they have a psychic with a deadly illness or physical ailment? Well, prepare for more of the same. I didn't have strong feelings for Joyland. For being part of a Hard Boiled novel series (via publisher Hard Case Crime), I was left wondering if it was ever going to pick up pace.

In the classic King formula, Joyland is about an author (no surprise) who is writing about the past (no surprise) and the terrible experience he had to overcome (still no surprise) with the help of a terminally ill psychic child.......No Suprise..

There is a murder, there is a ghost, fortune teller, cranky old people, and carnies. And no real surprises.

Was it good? Well yeah, look who wrote it, of course it was good. Was it anything new? No.. Was it hard boiled, no no no..

Just more of the same. Fans should read it, but don't expect ground breaking new King work.

It is more interesting as a carny life retrospective than anything else. I found those aspects highly fascinating and the novel led me down a couple internet black holes as I researched interesting carny topics spurred from reading this.


Limited edition cover

Reblurb-

Not needed, the original is more than adequate.

The cover is amazing, I wish I liked the book as much as the artwork. What is stupid ridiculous is how much more I like the limited edition cover, which came with a hard case false book box and a fold out map of the JoyLand world. The green dress cover is incredible, but shotgun on the beach is what I expect of a King novel.


Publisher Description:

All-time Best-selling Author STEPHEN KING Returns with a Novel of Carny Life—and Death . . .

College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life—and what comes after—that would change his world forever.

Life is Not Always a Butcher’s Game.Sometimes the Prizes Are Real.Sometimes They’re Precious.

A riveting story about love and loss, about growing up and growing old—and about those who don’t get to do either because death comes for them before their time—JOYLAND is Stephen King at the peak of his storytelling powers. With all the emotional impact of King masterpieces such as The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, JOYLAND is at once a mystery, a horror story, and a bittersweet coming-of-age novel, one that will leave even the most hard-boiled reader profoundly moved.


Disclosure- This review is based on a book kindly provided for free by the publisher or author. My opinion was not swayed by this fact. My opinion was swayed more by my love of toasted bagels and a long history reading this author.

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