|
Cell (平装)
by Stephen King
| Category:
Horror fiction, Bestsellers, Original books |
| Market price: ¥ 128.00
MSL price:
¥ 118.00
[ Shop incentives ]
|
| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A wonderfully horrific journey into the heart of terror and technology that you will never forget, from the master of horror Stephen King. |
| If you want us to help you with the right titles you're looking for, or to make reading recommendations based on your needs, please contact our consultants. |
|
| |
AllReviews |
1 2   | Total 2 pages 15 items |
|
|
Bookmarks Magazine (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-29 00:00>
Fans have offered their horror-fiction idol unfaltering loyalty since the publication of his first novel, Carrie, three decades ago. More than 50 books later, Stephen King's stock-in-trade remains stinging, darkly humorous social commentary. His latest effort, a nod to gore-meisters George Romero (Night of the Living Dead) and Richard Matheson (I Am Legend), among others, is no different. The result, though entertaining, is uneven. Some reviewers appreciate King for his prodigious imagination and his storytelling abilities, while others take issue with his two-dimensional characters, scattershot plotting, and the too-obvious echoes of past novels. For longtime fans of King's work, Cell may bring to mind a more compact (though ultimately less satisfying) version of the author's epic The Stand. |
|
|
Drchristian May (MSL quote), Australia
<2007-01-30 00:00>
The fastest Stephen King in a decade or more. The master takes us readers for a ride so fast, so brutal, so heartstopping, that you will lay off coffee for a couple of days, just to get the old pump in sync again !!! An absolute WOW , that will make you Fear your cell phone ! Read it, and have your attack !
|
|
|
Iska Bibble (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
What Stephen King does best is to take the familiar and make it really creepy. (What is more familiar than the cell phone?) Sure the Cell is formulaic,sure it incorporates multiple clich's of the horror genre, but for those Stephen King aficionados the Cell delivers as promised.
In recent literary attempts, King shuned the blood-soaked imagery that was the hallmark of his earliest - and best - works. With the Cell, King returns to his goriest horror roots. It isn't the masterwork of the Green Mile, nor the small-town slice of life of Stand By Me, nor is it the misguided mismash of The Colorado Kid,it is Stephen King and his rawest most unadulterated form.
If you're looking for a fast raucous ride the Cell is worth the read.
|
|
|
Jennifer Smith (MSL quote), Australia
<2007-01-30 00:00>
Horror works best when it uses the mundane as its vehicle. And for most readers, cell (mobile) phones are as ubiquitous as televisions, computers and cars.
While I read this as pure escapism, I kept finding myself wondering 'What if?' On one level, this novel works so effectively because the world in which we live has so many fearful possibilities. And we have seen first hand what can happen to communities when civilising forces are absent.
A good page turner: reminiscent of earlier Stephen King. Just don't take it too seriously. Whoops. Gotta go, my 'phone is ringing.
|
|
|
Robert Busko (MSL quote) , USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
You gotta love anyone who can come out of retirement and publish a book like Cell. Stephen King has reverted to his roots... well maybe even regressed beyond that. Cell is truly gory by even King standards. I also felt a continuing comparison with the Stand as I read Cell, though Cell may not be at intelligently done as the Stand.
Clayton Riddle is in Boston signing a deal with the unthinkable happens... everyone on the Cell has they craniums cleared, leaving only agressive and murderous impulses. Riddle single mindedly heads for home to try and save his wife and son. That's where the story ends.
Wonderful characters (typically King) and a tight plot makes Cell and sure fire winner. How many weeks will this one be on the bestseller list?
Read this if you have the guts.
|
|
|
Kirk Morris (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
The Cell isn't Stephen King's best work by any means, but it's still better than most of the other horror books on offer at the moment. There's some really unsettling and scary moments as you would expect, but overall the whole cell-phone thing left me a little cold. King's trademarks are all here though, so it works well, but it feels a little bit "by the numbers". As stated by other reviewers it's an inferior version of The Stand, but that's not such a bad thing because The Stand is a masterpiece that most novels will come up short when compared to. Cell is good though, it's fast paced and never gets dull. In terms of horror and suspense it's the best I've read this year along with The Book With No Name. So if you're a King fan you should enjoy this but not drool over it, whereas if you're new to his work you'll probably love it.
|
|
|
Jeff Terry (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
You are either considering this novel because you're a Stephen king fan or you're avoiding it because you're not. Picking up a novel with King's name on the cover is like seeing the name on the caller ID window before deciding to answer the phone. It's either a call you're going to get or ignore. Having answered, I can at least act as your answering machine if you're thinking of screening his call.
Still reading?
If you are a fan, but find yourself dissappointed with King's work after his incident with the van (especially how that impacted Roland's world), then this book is the perfect story to get back into the Stephenverse. He drops the hammer in a way quite unlike any other novel he's written. His writing is controlled, focused and gripping. And the ending is great. I've been reading King since I was twelve (I'm 33) and for me, most of his endings are rough landings. The ones I recall that ended satisfactorily were The Shining and The Stand (the end of It really cheesed me off and I couldn't even finish Rose Madder). But this ending is up there with the best of his work.
As far as the plot goes: it's the end of the world in some corner of the Stephenverse. What else do you need?
The English major in me read this work as a dissection of America post 9-11, where good and evil, sane and insane, are simply different perspectives. The word "cell" describes both the technology used to end the world, and the band of survivors who employ tactics that resmeble those of a terrorist cell.
I was damned into being a Stephen King fan since I read The Shining at such a tender, impressionable age. There's no hope for me. I will buy and read everthing he publishes and most of it I will enjoy, even if I have to eat his books with the crusts cut off. I will read his books whether or not I agree with his politics or his love of baseball. But I can say, though I am biased, this was one great read.
|
|
|
Norrcorp (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
First, the good news. In his latest effort, Stephen King has gone back to his roots and written a novel that seeks to creep you out from page one. For the most part, he is successful. This book has much more of the feeling and atmosphere of King's earlier works like The Shining and The Stand, as opposed to some of his more recent "literary" efforts.
My only criticism (if you can call it that) is to point out that the unknown is much scarier than the known. The first 2/3 of this book (while the explanation for and motives behind the zombies is unknown) is downright creepy. Once the "rules" behind the zombies start to become known, the book loses its edge somewhat. Regardless, well worth reading.
|
|
|
W. Garrison (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
In Stephen King's latest, Cell, the world is operating when intended when something happens. Anyone using a cell phone receives some sort of signal. After that, anyone who tries to call for help receives the same signal. This signal makes people go insane. Clay Ridell is in Boston on business and does not own a cell phone. He is witness to horrific events as people start killing people at random, attacking using any object they can find as a weapon. Clay makes it safely to his hotel where he meets Tom and Alice and together they decide to help Clay go North to Maine to find his son.
What exactly was the "pulse" that caused all cell phone users to go crazy. The characters never really figure it out, but along their route to Maine to find Clay's son and estranged wife (did they use their phones? Are they crazy too?) they make a lot of observations about the behavior of the phonies (the name given to anyone who was effected by the pulse).
The Cell is a lot like the Stand, with a small group of characters making their way through a destroyed world. The novel follows a small group, but includes enough for the reader to believe this is a worldwide phenomon and that the story of Clay and Tom is being repeated by other groups of survivors everywhere. Tom Clay and Alice encounter other survivors of the Pulse and join up with a schoolboy named Jordan and his Headmaster. The group does what anyone should do in this situation, they fight back, and that's where the book begins to take its twists and turns. What is the purpose of the Phonies, what are they turning into, how can you stop them?
The events of the Cell are implausible, yet King doesn't ignore the real world. He references 9/11 and Katrina and has characters praying when all seems hopeless (something even the most cynical might do when they have no where else to turn.) Some people also complain about the ending but I thought it was perfect. Sure, King could have kept going, but what's the point. Another thing the novel may have missed is the survivors also turning into savages. All the phoners were crazy, and it seems the "normies" adjusted to surviving easily. I think more of the normies would have resorted to violence, rape, theft, etc.
As a movie this would be R definitely. The most intriguing thing to see on the screen would be the phoners fighting. It seems like they fight without provaction or thought or at times even anger. At one point early in the novel, 2 phoners are eating then one offers to share, then breaks the other guys neck.
I've maybe read 7 King novels, so I can't compare this to his other works, but I did enjoy it and thing that people who aren't necesarrily fans of King's typical horror novels would enjoy this as well.
|
|
|
A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-30 00:00>
Suffice it to say I have neglected too much the past two days while I inhaled this story by the classic story teller. I am a fan of old King and this story does not disappoint. Looking for in depth character biographies and nice tidy endings? Try reading Nancy Drew. This is one for thinkers with big imaginations.
|
|
|
|
1 2 | Total 2 pages 15 items |
|
|
|
|
|
|
