At first glance you might think that we’re now running mock stories. Sorry, no such luck.
Instead, long-standing speculation has now given way to fact: Stephen King is writing a sequel novel to The Shining - more to the point, he has some of said sequel already written, he recently read some it, and we have video of his reading.
The sequel will be called Dr. Sleep, and it will follow The Shining‘s young protagonist, Danny, 30 years after the incident at the Overlook Hotel. Danny now uses his psychic powers to literally ease the minds of terminally-ill patients in hospice care. Things get twisted when “psychic vampires” show - and Psychic vs. Vampire battle ensues?
By now, most people are familiar with the aggravation that comes with learning about another unnecessary movie sequel – it’s kind of new to feel that aggravation about a novel, but that sentiment is already out there and swelling. It will be hard to convince a lot of people that The Shining needs a continuation -let alone that words ’The Shining’ and ‘vampires’ even belong in the same sentence. Here at Screen Rant, we’re already nervous about a possible (semi-)sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1980 film adaptation of The Shining, as we’re sure a lot of other movie fans are as well.
Sure, Pet Sematary II and Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace have their fair share of fans – but typically speaking, movies sequels spun out of Stephen King stories don’t have a good track record. Would the result be different since King himself is crafting this new tale? Maybe the acclaimed author has a sweet twist that will make this another great story in his litany of great stories – but in our opinion, it’ll have to be one hell of a trick.
Judge for yourself after listening King himself read a passage from Dr. Sleep to a George Mason University audience:
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The idea of psychics battling vampires has been done (see: Brian Lumley’s expansive Necroscope series) – however, listening to the passage King read, it’s clear that Dr. Sleep has some heavy Americana themes (Medicare, RV people, American roadways), possibly serving as some sort of social allegory in similar fashion to how The Shining examined themes like family dynamic and addiction. If that’s the case, one can only speculate about the possible implications of the title (on the one hand, an obvious reference to Danny’s character, but beyond that…?).
How do you feel about a sequel to The Shining? What about a possible movie sequel? Let us know in the comments – or vote in our poll below:
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It’s SK, nuff said. He can write what he wants, when he wants.
^THIS. SK rocks.
Agreed. He actually had a poll up on his website about this a couple years ago. He put it to the fans asking which of these books he had ideas for would they rather read. He summarized his idea for Dr. Sleep and another Dark Tower book that takes place in the beginning of the series, called The Wind Through the Keyhole. Dr. Sleep won by a few thousand votes. And i think he still finished the other one first anyway.
I’m not King’s biggest fan. He knows how to write a very entertaining yarn, but I think he tends to get lost in the journey and gives little thought to the punch of the ending. Not always, mind you, but as a reader, I’ve felt burned by him more than once.
That said, I’ll come to his defense on this one. Given the nature of the story, I don’t see that this really qualifies as a sequel. The story itself sounds as thought it will stand on its own with only the one character, drastically older, to connect it to THE SHINING.
In many ways, I think “U.S. Marshals” provided something similar. It offered many of the same characters, but the film itself didn’t require the viewer to have any knowledge of “The Fugitive” to enjoy it.
King also has a long history of recycling characters from one book/series to another, so this shouldn’t really come as much of a shock to readers. That’s something I somewhat respect about King. For his diehard fans, it’s an acknowledgement that he’s not going to slap a different name on a character and pretend it’s not really the same guy. He knows when not to reinvent the wheel. How many times have we seen other writers commit this sin of pretending they’re writing a different character when it’s basically the same one they’ve used in several other stories?
I probably won’t buy a copy of DR. SLEEP, but it’s not because I think it takes away from THE SHINING in any way.
recycling characters? Really? Wow..I just simply can’t comment further here LOL.
He doesn´t recycle his characters, he spends years with them while writing a book. So it´s natural that he´s kinda close with them and likes to tell what happened to them after all these years. For example Sheriff Pangborn who was one of the main protagonists in “The Dark Half” and then became THE main protagonist in “Needful Things”. As well as Mike Hanlon (IT), who made a cameo in “Insomnia”. I will buy Dr. Sleep, come hell or high water.
I will be buying it as well. I have been reading more King books again lately, in the middle of It for like the 2983659236569782357 time. Still scares the crap out of me to this day.
I’ve been reading The Dark Tower series again. Just starting up Wolves of the Calla.
such a good book!
They’re not “vampires” in the common sense. King’s explained they are beings that feed off of psychic energy (likely the kind provided by Danny’s abilities) so the easiest way to describe them is as “Psychic Vampires.”
A little bit like the old 80′s movie “Lifeforce”. Although it was life energy and not psychic energy. It was a wicked film, I can’t remember what the book it was based on was called, or who the author was.
The movie had Patrick Stewart in though.
…..oh and a rather nice woman walking about it the nude for most of the movie. (no wonder I loved this film when I was about ten)
Actually, now I think about it I think the book was called “The Space Vampires” or something similar.
I’m really sorry to keep going on about it, but you’ve just gotta watch the “lifeforce” trailer on youtube. It is epic.
WARNING: trailer may contain boobies. Do not watch if you are a little kid, or if you do not like boobies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLQwIfS7b2s
I’m assuming these are the same vampires that Father Callahan got to know all too well in Salem’s Lot and the Dark Tower series, which are indeed vampires in the classical sense. There are three “types”…type threes being able to walk in the sunlight, type ones essentially being ancient, demon-like creatures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampire_%28Stephen_King%29
Agreed, Bill.
I think King has done way worse in other stories than merely recycling characters. I gave up on him long ago after reading too many stories that started so strong and then jerked the wheel off into a soupy bog of mediocrity. The endings to his stories fall so flat and are such a departure from how the stories start out, that I feel very hesitant about investing any more time in getting pulled in to his books.
Although, I wouldn’t mind picking up some of his older stuff and re-reading them…
Why is this a sequel to The Shining and not just a stand alone book? Just change the psychics name and poof, you have a whole new story.
Going to also echo everyone’s complaints about Stephen King, (except the recycling characters complaint- I love it when Kurt Vonnegut does that) he’s not usually very good but he excretes out so many stories some are bound to be good.
Well, it IS a stand-alone book. Just like Stark and Needful Things. Both happen to have the same characters in it, but that doesn´t mean that Needful Things is a sequel to Stark.
If they do a movie they should have Danny Lloyd reprise his role as Danny. I know he retired and hates people mentioning his Shining experience but that’d be pretty sweet. Hell, it’s been 30 years for him too.
If its king maybe
depend on how readers
and critics like it my
sequel would have been
a direct take from the
overlook hotel who were
twins we saw when the hall
started bleeding or who was
lady in the bathtub the sequel
should be about the Overlook
hotel itself and the history it had .
Stephen King and Metallica are two artists that can do no wronmg in my eyes, even when I know they’re doing wrong. Haven’t read a new King book since DUMA KEY (not his best but still pretty good), but this sounds intriguing. Doubt very much this will be as grand as THE SHINING, adn I REALLY hope that this doesn’t get adapted (hahahaha I kill myself).
Metallica can do no wrong? Haven´t you heard about St. Anger (aka the album without guitar solos)?!
Hahahaha, I knew somebody’d throw me ST ANGER in my face –and rightly so! I admit it’s not their best (heck, ok, ok, it’s their worst, ya happy?) but I can still find something to like in it (I LOVE “The Unnamed Feeling”), even though I’m the first to admit it’s a dark, gloomy, uncomfortable album that’s hard to listen from beginning to end.
Same as with King (to bring this back to topic): for example, I didn’t care much for ROADWORK (yes, I know it’s a Richard Bachman book, but still) but I can still find something to like in it.
Roadwork was a very good book IMO. And St. Anger had it´s moments. I just wish that the Metallica guys had focused on those moments and work them out. Instead they just released a demo (because that´s what it was; the song writing isn´t even near their usual level, let alone the lack of guitar solos [in case you haven´t noticed by now, I´m a guitarist]) with horrible, horrible drum sound.
Metallica died when Cliff died. They’ve put out nothing but pure garbage since the Black album. They were my favorite band from 1984-1990, but when Load came out followed by the equally stinky turd Re-Load I was done with them forever. Everything I have heard since those cr*ppy albums has done nothing to change my opinion of them.
Ooooh, them’s fightin’ words, Godzilla boy. Let’s take this outside (the comments section in a movie blog).
(Yes, that was my tongue insertedin my cheek.)
Aha! I thought I felt the hurt in your words. You have to understand the state the band was when they recorded ST. ANGER (God have to watch SOME KIND OF MONSTER…)
And yeah, Roadwork was cool, but it got to a point it was so darn depressing… I admit, I have the same problem with PET SEMATARY. I felt like life was worthless after I read that one. And I read once that even King scared himself silly with that one!
Yeah, i was really into Metallica as a kid. I didn’t really hear any of the albums after the Black album. What little I’ve heard lately sounds like they are going for the youth market. They’ve got that crappy roaring instead of decent singing that all metal bands seem to be doing at the moment. It worked when Sepultura did it, but it gets very tiresome quick.
The Talisman followed years later by The Black House. Can King put out a great sequel to a title he wrote years earlier and have two very unique stories? One answer…yes.
Second that. I loved BLACK HOUSE.
“For my 307th book, a couple is attacked by a…lamp monster!!!”
“Your not even trying anymore, are you?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc7ZaZz4CoU
so jack nickelson’s character is the psychic in the next film?
does this me he can reprise his role?
NO!!! WRONG!!!! Danny was the little kid that talked to his finger
The finger talking was only in the movie.
Man, I have never read such a negative story on this website. Who even says they would do a movie adaptation, the book isn’t even finished yet.
I have to agree with Alpine and J.C.R., “The Black House” was an awesome sequel.
And recycled characters? Do you realize how intertwined his book-verse is? It is kind of hard to NOT find a connection with another of his works when reading anything new. I like it because it is kind of like easter eggs in movies, only true fans will notice.
Here, here! Small examples: the subtle insertion of Ralph (from INSOMNIA) in his novel BAG OF BONES (one of my all time faves). All the DARK TOWER references in his HEARTS OF ATLANTIS collection (for the love of God, read the book and forget the Anthony Hopkins snoozefest of a movie even exists). God, I love KIng…
It’s not really a negative story – in fact, all I say is that I think a lot of people will have a negative knee-jerk reaction to this, and that King will need a really good story to pull this off.
I think that’s fair, not negative. No?
That’s fair, I am just generally a positive person and a fan of King so it just struck me that way. Sorry!
Okay, so I take it that most of you have never really read any Stephen King books, or maybe one or two. Almost every single book that Stephen King writes is some way connected to each other.
He doesn’t write sequels?
What do you call the whole Dark Tower series?
How many times has Randall Flag appeared in his books?
What about the link between The Dark Tower, Hearts in Atlantis, and Talisman and The Black House?
Did you know that Ace Merrill from The Body (Stand By Me) is also in Needful Things?
So, for King to visit characters again is not something new but something that is integral to his body of work.
Exactly. Even if I like Kubrick´s movie version, he raped the novel. Then he murdered (or “redrumed”) it and threw off a bridge.
@ Simon
Merrill also appears in “Nona”. And the Castle-Rock-cycle is IMO Kings best work.
As a huge fan of The Shining (novel, not the film), I’ve always imagined that if a sequel were to happen then it would involve Danny returning to the Overlook (yes it was destroyed in the novel, but that was over 30 years ago, they could’ve rebuilt it).
As for this idea, I’d like to see what happens.
It’s not really a sequel. It just happens to feature a character from another book. Aside from it starring Danny, I doubt there will be much connection to The Shining itself.
Could be wrong about that. But King has built up more than enough faith with his fans to at least be given the benefit of the doubt on this one.
King has always used characters in multiple works: the priest from Salem’s Lot in The Dark Tower series or Randall Flag in many of his books, to name a couple.
Interesting, but not really a continuation of “The Shining” A real continuation would once again pit the kid…Now an adult….against the haunted hotel once again. After seeing the movie I was motivated to check out the book and found a whole new story. Both versions are great, but the actual book version really has the haunted hotel as the primary character….The movie made it appear there were just individual ghosts where the book had the hotel as one evil entity. I hope he changes his mind and goes back to the original concept….
I think they are psychic vampires that suck your energy. And who better to feed from than a psychic. I think this book will stand on it’s own. King has a way of interweaving his novels so don’t be surprised if there is also a Salem’s Lot thing too.
This idea is CRAP ON A STICK! It’s like a bad parody. If there was a sequel it should be about the overlook hotel, or something along those lines. To me, Danny was just a character in the story, but the main premise (to me) was the hotel being haunted. THAT was what was interesting. NOT the psychic part, which was OK.
I like Stephen King. He is a good writer, but he can also put out crap. (and has) No one hits a home run every time, and that’s fine, but this seems more like cashing in on past glory. Wanna write a sequel? Make it worth reading, especially since you’re doing it on arguably your BEST work.
I’ll wait for this to be made into a movie, then wait for it to be on video before I’ll borrow it and see how crappy it is….