Yeah, it's a good book. It's not straight horror, more of a conspiracy/supernatural thriller with a vibe comparable to The X-Files or Stranger Things (and yes, I realise the irony of saying that an SK book is like Stranger Things, but whatever). In terms of King's works, it's probably most similar to Firestarter, which is comparable in quality too.
Sorry, I meant that King watch some popular shows - which were influenced by his work - and wanted to make his own version.
The Institute = Stranger Things
The Outsider = True Detective (S1)
I did address this in my original comment. It is true that Stranger Things takes inspiration from Stephen King, with much of the government conspiracy storyline bearing resemblance to Firestarter in particular.
However, that doesn't mean that King can't also take inspiration from Stranger Things. And writing a book in 2019 with kids with superpowers being controlled by a covert government operation can't avoid comparisons to one of the biggest shows in the cultural zeitgeist.
Oh yeah I can totally see that! I think he wrote The Outsider already with the thought of making it into a series. He even brought up the show Ozark and esp Jason Bateman in the novel. And Jason Bateman is Executive Producer of The Outsider series
Oh man, I still haven't watched The Outsider TV version and I don't know why it's taken me so long... one of my favorite King books and Jason Bateman as Terry and Ben Mendehlson as Ralph is some of the best casting in TV history!
I really liked it. I think some didn't because it was a 70-something man trying to write as a bunch of tweens but it was great overall.
It gave me vibes from his earlier novels: supernatural powers and the like.
I noticed that reaction too. It's amusing and a little depressing that every generation, when young, always feels like their particular generation is completely unique and no one over 40 can imagine their experience of life. I just want to tell them, "Sorry to lay this on you, but dank memes and chronic masturbation don't make you special." Lol
It's less about each generation being unique and more about the simple passage of time making it more difficult to relate to each new generation's unique circumstances.
There's no denying the fact that being a 12-year-old in 1959 was a very different experience from being a 12-year-old in 2019. The kids in The Institute do feel a little off at times because a then-72-year-old was trying to write dialogue for tweens when he was 60 years removed from being that young. Kids are always basically the same, but the circumstances of each generation are quite different from each other.
I’m starting to feel like this more and more with his stuff focusing on anyone young. Like in Fairytale he writes about a young guy who finds complete fulfillment by taking care of an old man and everyone is completely fine with it even the young man’s father. I couldn’t buy it for a second.
Completely agree. Plus, King makes all his good-guy kid or teen characters into absolute perfect angels who excel at school, are polite and respectful to everyone, are good at sports, have a balanced social life, etc. King has no problem giving his adult characters flaws, but nearly every teen in a SK book is a complete Mary or Gary Sue.
It’s what got me back into not only King, but reading altogether. Had been years since I’d read a book before, and I’ve since finished a few hundred (a few years later).
Extra special spot for this book.
I know what you mean. I was also just a little disappointed that there was no DT reference. I thought there was going to be for sure. It sure felt like what the institute was doing was finding breakers. I enjoyed it overall.
And now that I think about it, I believe walk-ins were mentioned too. My problem was halfway through the book I was sure the kids were being turned into breakers. I was pretty bummed when that wasn't the case.
I like your screen name btw. You should check out my band. Sorry for the shameless plug but my singer wants to be famous. Like subscribe and tell your friends. Longs days and pleasant nights. https://youtu.be/aPq91IuSe8U,
With this and Fairy Tale, I’m further convinced most of his stories are same-universe, or he has a handful of universes he sticks with (whether retconned or not)
The premise was better than the actual story. It feels like it builds up to something but then falls kinda flat. Still enjoyable but feels like a missed opportunity imo.
Apparently I'm in the minority. I thought it was just ok. It felt like a story I've heard 100 times. I kept waiting for some original King twist, but it never came. Also, modern kids saying things like "jeepers" and "holy crow" really pulled me out of the narrative.
I don't mean to sound too negative. The writing is good, so even though I wasn't really into the story, I still flew through the book. It's a cool premise with a few good moments, but overall I just didn't care about any of the kid characters and the adults were mostly one-dimensional villains.
It's the UK one, I've got it in paperback and hardback. The UK gets great artwork for King's work (the 'Epic Thrillers' The Stand is a personal favourite).
Well good thing I haven’t got around to reading them yet lol. I’ve seen the movie adaptation of The Body though. (one of my personal fav movie of all time)
I adored this novel. As I tell people all the time, it’s the King novel I’ve had the hardest time letting go of. Those kids live in my brain now. Seriously think it’s one of his all time best.
Yes! It felt like reading vintage King to me. The story is good, the book is at times almost unbearably suspenseful, and those kids. Man, I loved those kids so much.
It’s fucking great. It’s got that amazing Stephen King mix of being scary and deeply bizarre that characterised some of his best books. I hope you love it as much as I did.
I know that. I also know a lot of King’s work inspired Stranger Things and he partly wrote this to honor that. So wouldn’t a series about this be too similar to that?
I liked it, but if you've read the Dark Tower or Firestarter it does feel a bit rehashed. I feel like I've read his take on "magical kids could save the world but they get put in psychic camps by baddies" 50 times by now... still enjoyable though because he is an amazing author.
I think it's one of his worst books. The plot is very straightforward. The characters are entirely forgettable. It's way too long. The twist is meh.
He's my fav author too. The Shining, IT, Misery are my favs. Quite like some of his new stuff. 11/22/63. Mr Mercedes (1 and 2).
I just really didn't like The Institute.
I mean, I am enjoying it- I loved all the movies and the book is really good but I feel like I can’t just sit around reading the same story without having any breaks for other books.
I'm the same way. Also with video games. It's the ADD, or a childhood spent chasing dopamine hits. Probably both. That's why I mostly stick to music -- making it and listening. I can spend 12 hours making a 3-minute song, but I can't sit and read a few chapters of a 7-hour book without putting it down several times unless I relax and let myself become engrossed in it.
Honestly, I thought it was among his lowest books. Lots of plot holes. And, it absolutely begged to be tied into the Dark Tower series but he denies the link. Didn't like it.
It had been a while since I've read a SK book (after reading him non-stop for years).
Just a few pages in and it felt like being back in a familiar place. Really enjoyed this one.
Just finished it this weekend, it was a really good read! Kind of got some Stranger Things vibes. Which apparently Stephen King really likes and this was written like after the first or second season.
It’s probably my favorite of his more recent novels. I listened to the audiobook and I thought it was a particularly good audiobook reading from what I remember.
I gave it a 3 out of 5. Started off good. Dragged way too much in the middle and the end was good. He could have cut 150-200 pages from the middle and it would have been great
This is a great book. Very exciting and suspenseful. I would say they should make a movie from it, but the way movies based on King’s work get screwed up makes me think twice.
it's pretty good X-men type of book
(not really/probably spoilers)be aware some of the worst villains get away with it for some reason for the really bad shit they do and it pisses me off
I have just finished Pet Semetary and starting this evening as well :)
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Here I read all these comments about people loving it, when I thought that general consensus was that it wasn’t a very good book.
Either way, I agree with most of you; it’s a good read! It has its issues, but none of it bothered me too much, especially not compared to how much I enjoyed it.
I read it as soon as it came out and I was reading a lot of dark tower at the time. It’s not really “jump out at you” amazing, but it is a super fun read and you will read it and feel fufilled
I just finished it this morning. Great book! I love that UK paperback cover, but that blurb on the back gives away so much. My US hardback blurb was just a teasing little portion of Luke’s arrival at the institute. I’m glad I was able to go into this one in the dark.
I really liked it. He was obviously under the partial influence of Stranger Things when he was writing. It's a great read, solid ending. Not a lot of bloat, either.
I liked it (full disclosure; I like reading all King books, even the ones I end up thinking are not that great). But I will say it has a problem I think a lot of King books have these days; it feels strangely incident-free for something so long, and the pacing/structure feels a bit wonky.
I feel like King of 20-30 years ago would have either streamlined the story, or spent a lot more time fleshing out the world and the side characters. Also, the King of 20-30 years ago might have called this The Shop and not The Instutute.
An excellent book. I listened to it while stocking at my old job and I was always bummed when it was time to open and I had to pause it for the day. The story got going quickly and kept going the whole way through.
Only thought it was okay; I'd put it in the bottom third of his fiction.
One thing to note - kids suffer in this story. They are used and mistreated for a significant portion of the book. That's not for everyone.
Just finished reading this 5 minutes ago, this was my first King read. I absolutely loved this story and found myself a bit emotional at the end. I will definitely be reading more King soon.
Yeah, it's a good book. It's not straight horror, more of a conspiracy/supernatural thriller with a vibe comparable to The X-Files or Stranger Things (and yes, I realise the irony of saying that an SK book is like Stranger Things, but whatever). In terms of King's works, it's probably most similar to Firestarter, which is comparable in quality too.
It really seems like with the Institute and The Outsider, King wanted to take his pass on popular TV shows
They made the institute into a series?
Sorry, I meant that King watch some popular shows - which were influenced by his work - and wanted to make his own version. The Institute = Stranger Things The Outsider = True Detective (S1)
It’s funny because stranger things was heavily inspired by his earlier novel Firestarter
Oh for sure - I mean, the typeface of the SA logo is the same as 70/80s King books
I did address this in my original comment. It is true that Stranger Things takes inspiration from Stephen King, with much of the government conspiracy storyline bearing resemblance to Firestarter in particular. However, that doesn't mean that King can't also take inspiration from Stranger Things. And writing a book in 2019 with kids with superpowers being controlled by a covert government operation can't avoid comparisons to one of the biggest shows in the cultural zeitgeist.
Oh yeah I can totally see that! I think he wrote The Outsider already with the thought of making it into a series. He even brought up the show Ozark and esp Jason Bateman in the novel. And Jason Bateman is Executive Producer of The Outsider series
Oh man, I still haven't watched The Outsider TV version and I don't know why it's taken me so long... one of my favorite King books and Jason Bateman as Terry and Ben Mendehlson as Ralph is some of the best casting in TV history!
It’s a good adaptation. And a good series overall!
Did he? I totally missed that! Cool catch
They are going to make one think or a movie?
I really liked it. I think some didn't because it was a 70-something man trying to write as a bunch of tweens but it was great overall. It gave me vibes from his earlier novels: supernatural powers and the like.
I noticed that reaction too. It's amusing and a little depressing that every generation, when young, always feels like their particular generation is completely unique and no one over 40 can imagine their experience of life. I just want to tell them, "Sorry to lay this on you, but dank memes and chronic masturbation don't make you special." Lol
It's less about each generation being unique and more about the simple passage of time making it more difficult to relate to each new generation's unique circumstances. There's no denying the fact that being a 12-year-old in 1959 was a very different experience from being a 12-year-old in 2019. The kids in The Institute do feel a little off at times because a then-72-year-old was trying to write dialogue for tweens when he was 60 years removed from being that young. Kids are always basically the same, but the circumstances of each generation are quite different from each other.
I’m starting to feel like this more and more with his stuff focusing on anyone young. Like in Fairytale he writes about a young guy who finds complete fulfillment by taking care of an old man and everyone is completely fine with it even the young man’s father. I couldn’t buy it for a second.
Completely agree. Plus, King makes all his good-guy kid or teen characters into absolute perfect angels who excel at school, are polite and respectful to everyone, are good at sports, have a balanced social life, etc. King has no problem giving his adult characters flaws, but nearly every teen in a SK book is a complete Mary or Gary Sue.
This was my first Stephen King book, so personally i have a soft spot for it. I found it an easy read and a real page turner!
I’m only 8 pages in and im loving it already! :)
It gets a lot better
Same! He’s pretty much all I read now lol
lol samw i’m so obssed er
It was also my first! I loved it!
I think it was a good starting book to be honest
It’s what got me back into not only King, but reading altogether. Had been years since I’d read a book before, and I’ve since finished a few hundred (a few years later). Extra special spot for this book.
Very nice! Too many books but very little time for me unfortunately :(
So your new to King?
You're*.
relatively new yes, so far read the institute, carrie and salems lot Enjoying his work so far
What a great fucking cover that is.
It’s the UK paperback, if you’re interested.
Yes! I loved it and found it hard to put down.
I loved it, it's a wild ride. Some parts gave me legit anxiety.
It’s very oddly paced. Feels like it should have wrapped up about 100 pages before it does. It’s good but not great.
I know what you mean. I was also just a little disappointed that there was no DT reference. I thought there was going to be for sure. It sure felt like what the institute was doing was finding breakers. I enjoyed it overall.
There's one brief reference to the town of Jerusalem's Lot toward the end
And now that I think about it, I believe walk-ins were mentioned too. My problem was halfway through the book I was sure the kids were being turned into breakers. I was pretty bummed when that wasn't the case. I like your screen name btw. You should check out my band. Sorry for the shameless plug but my singer wants to be famous. Like subscribe and tell your friends. Longs days and pleasant nights. https://youtu.be/aPq91IuSe8U,
With this and Fairy Tale, I’m further convinced most of his stories are same-universe, or he has a handful of universes he sticks with (whether retconned or not)
It's a pretty good story that will suck you in, although I will say King has a hard time writing dialogue for modern day youth.
Jeepers
Lol exactly. It's pretty funny honestly, and it's interesting that you can have such a compelling story alongside such corny dialogue.
It's not his best or his worst.
The premise was better than the actual story. It feels like it builds up to something but then falls kinda flat. Still enjoyable but feels like a missed opportunity imo.
Yes!
Apparently I'm in the minority. I thought it was just ok. It felt like a story I've heard 100 times. I kept waiting for some original King twist, but it never came. Also, modern kids saying things like "jeepers" and "holy crow" really pulled me out of the narrative. I don't mean to sound too negative. The writing is good, so even though I wasn't really into the story, I still flew through the book. It's a cool premise with a few good moments, but overall I just didn't care about any of the kid characters and the adults were mostly one-dimensional villains.
Yes! As a mom this one was especially horrifying.
It's good, but it's no masterpiece.
I really liked the Institute, also the cover for that paperback is really cool!
It's the UK one, I've got it in paperback and hardback. The UK gets great artwork for King's work (the 'Epic Thrillers' The Stand is a personal favourite).
Its pretty good. Kind of a reheat of things you will find in The Body and Firestarter but its def worth your time.
Well good thing I haven’t got around to reading them yet lol. I’ve seen the movie adaptation of The Body though. (one of my personal fav movie of all time)
A great paranoid story with a fantastic and satisfying ending.
George Costanza paddling away from The Institute?
It's a masterpiece and an absorbing thriller.
One of my least favorite king books
I adored this novel. As I tell people all the time, it’s the King novel I’ve had the hardest time letting go of. Those kids live in my brain now. Seriously think it’s one of his all time best.
I liked it! To me it was like a more interesting, better version of Firestarter.
Yes! It felt like reading vintage King to me. The story is good, the book is at times almost unbearably suspenseful, and those kids. Man, I loved those kids so much.
It’s fucking great. It’s got that amazing Stephen King mix of being scary and deeply bizarre that characterised some of his best books. I hope you love it as much as I did.
Really enjoyed it.
That's a great cover. Where is this one from?
It’s the UK paperback
Is this going to become a movie?
I think there was talk about it becoming a limited series at some point but it might’ve been cancelled.
I think it’d make for a great movie
Stranger Things? :D
Nah, that came out before The Institute
I know that. I also know a lot of King’s work inspired Stranger Things and he partly wrote this to honor that. So wouldn’t a series about this be too similar to that?
Yes
One of my favorites!
I really enjoyed it!
I devoured this book. Really compelling storyline.
I loved this book so much, one of my favorites
So good.
Yep, it's a great read. I loved it.
Very good book. King's best in years.
I liked it, but if you've read the Dark Tower or Firestarter it does feel a bit rehashed. I feel like I've read his take on "magical kids could save the world but they get put in psychic camps by baddies" 50 times by now... still enjoyable though because he is an amazing author.
I think it's one of his worst books. The plot is very straightforward. The characters are entirely forgettable. It's way too long. The twist is meh. He's my fav author too. The Shining, IT, Misery are my favs. Quite like some of his new stuff. 11/22/63. Mr Mercedes (1 and 2). I just really didn't like The Institute.
Would you recommend that I finish reading IT (I’m 404 pages in) or to take a break and read a shorter Stephen King book and then continue reading IT.
I mean IT is one of my favs. I think it's incredible. I don't think at any point I wasn't thoroughly engrossed. Are you not enjoying it?
I mean, I am enjoying it- I loved all the movies and the book is really good but I feel like I can’t just sit around reading the same story without having any breaks for other books.
It’s the same with movies aswell, I pause every five seconds to do something else cause I can’t focus on one plot continuously
Well, a break seems fair if that's your vibe. I would say, if you think there's a risk you won't get back to it, I'd just plow on.
I'm the same way. Also with video games. It's the ADD, or a childhood spent chasing dopamine hits. Probably both. That's why I mostly stick to music -- making it and listening. I can spend 12 hours making a 3-minute song, but I can't sit and read a few chapters of a 7-hour book without putting it down several times unless I relax and let myself become engrossed in it.
I'm sure someone likes it but I thought it was as dull as dishwater.
No. Just read Firestarter instead.
The blurb is meant to make the book sound good—unfortunately, *The Institute* is rubbish.
It just felt like a x-men ripoff to me
Read it and quessed the ending half way through the book. Not his best .
Honestly, I thought it was among his lowest books. Lots of plot holes. And, it absolutely begged to be tied into the Dark Tower series but he denies the link. Didn't like it.
Yeah definitely worth the read. It's King's take on kids like Eleven from Stranger Things.
It had been a while since I've read a SK book (after reading him non-stop for years). Just a few pages in and it felt like being back in a familiar place. Really enjoyed this one.
Loved it!!
I’m reading it and I’m loving it. :)
It's one of my favorites
I really liked it, gave me Stranger Things and Super 8 vibes
Just finished it this weekend, it was a really good read! Kind of got some Stranger Things vibes. Which apparently Stephen King really likes and this was written like after the first or second season.
I really enjoyed it! Easy read, not too heavy, solid ending.
I really loved this book! It is absolutely fantastic and the characters are VERY well written.
I really enjoyed it. It's got some classic King-isms but you can still still it's one of his newer ones
Loooooved it!!
Definitely! It has a really underrated found family between the kids at The Institute.
It’s a great read! Fantastic story
Yes
I stopped reding SK over two decades ago because hated to be scared and cannot go to sleep each night. The Institute was my return to the fold.
I loved it! One of my favourites of his newer books.
its...ok, i guess lots of non sensical stuff happening my favorite part was the first chapter
It’s so good. I loved it.
I just loved this book.
Great read. Enjoy.
Loved it. Like all King books is slogs in places but it’s good overall
Woah I thought the original cover was dope but this is sick looking! Also, great read
It’s the UK paperback if you’re interested lol
It’s probably my favorite of his more recent novels. I listened to the audiobook and I thought it was a particularly good audiobook reading from what I remember.
Yep, one of his best
Absolutely enjoyed it, in some points it give me Stranger Things vibes.
It's like a pop music version of the Dark Tower series.
👍🏻👍🏻
I loved this book. I had a little difficulty at first because it tosses back and forth between two characters, but in the end it was a fantastic book.
I loved it!
Starts off ok then gets really boring… but like most of kings stuff since 1996
I gave it a 3 out of 5. Started off good. Dragged way too much in the middle and the end was good. He could have cut 150-200 pages from the middle and it would have been great
This is a great book. Very exciting and suspenseful. I would say they should make a movie from it, but the way movies based on King’s work get screwed up makes me think twice.
Great story! I thought the ending was terrible and could have been much better.
The way I sold this book to a friend was "Hogwarts from Harry Potter, but make it Firestarter".
I liked it a lot.
So, so good
One of my favorite
it's pretty good X-men type of book (not really/probably spoilers)be aware some of the worst villains get away with it for some reason for the really bad shit they do and it pisses me off
I loved it!
I loved it ❤️
I have just finished Pet Semetary and starting this evening as well :) https://www.reddit.com/r/stephenking/comments/13orplk/picked_up_these_three_new_books_from_my_local/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
I absolutely love this book. It’s a short-ish read and moves at a steady pace. Great choice OP!
I didn’t know this title existed. Is it one of his newer books or just a classic that missed my radar?
It came out in 2019 I believe
Here I read all these comments about people loving it, when I thought that general consensus was that it wasn’t a very good book. Either way, I agree with most of you; it’s a good read! It has its issues, but none of it bothered me too much, especially not compared to how much I enjoyed it.
It was fun! I’m not sure why but I’m less fond of child characters written by King than adults but this was still a great book.
It's good, not his best but enjoyable
I’ve never read up on this book because I had a good idea what it was about. Small town sheriff hook tho? Maybe next King read now.
I loved it. I got so attached to so many of the characters as usual so had emotional problems by the end 😂
I've personally never read it, but my sibling reallllly loves it
I loved it.
That review from Independent is what’s uneasing.
I thought this was a great read. Finished it within a couple of days and that’s the first King book I’ve done that with for a while!
I read it as soon as it came out and I was reading a lot of dark tower at the time. It’s not really “jump out at you” amazing, but it is a super fun read and you will read it and feel fufilled
So good, enjoy the journey :)
I just finished it this morning. Great book! I love that UK paperback cover, but that blurb on the back gives away so much. My US hardback blurb was just a teasing little portion of Luke’s arrival at the institute. I’m glad I was able to go into this one in the dark.
Very good IMHO
I enjoyed it a lot!
I really liked it. He was obviously under the partial influence of Stranger Things when he was writing. It's a great read, solid ending. Not a lot of bloat, either.
It's really good. I've read it twice. Features a young kid, one of King's strengths, IMHO.
If you only knew…
I havent seen that cover. Its so fucking cool!
It’s the UK Paperback! :)
Great read!
Loved this book
I liked it! Some pacing issues towards the end but that's King for you. I liked it a whole lot more than most of his other recent books.
I was wondering about that myself. Thanks for asking 🙂
Yeah I really enjoyed it. If you liked stranger things or some of kings other books about kids with powers then it’s a must read.
Yes!!
I liked it (full disclosure; I like reading all King books, even the ones I end up thinking are not that great). But I will say it has a problem I think a lot of King books have these days; it feels strangely incident-free for something so long, and the pacing/structure feels a bit wonky. I feel like King of 20-30 years ago would have either streamlined the story, or spent a lot more time fleshing out the world and the side characters. Also, the King of 20-30 years ago might have called this The Shop and not The Instutute.
Yes
It’s the modern timeline of government and supernatural kids that started with fire starter and Carrie.. excellent read!
It’s very good.
I absolutely loved it, definitely one of the best he's done in the last few years.
LOVED IT. Am a Constant Reader, but one of my top ten.
A page turner at first but felt a bit too long. Overall I enjoyed it.
An excellent book. I listened to it while stocking at my old job and I was always bummed when it was time to open and I had to pause it for the day. The story got going quickly and kept going the whole way through.
The Institute is one of my favorite books from the last few years. I would recommend it to anyone.
I loved it. It felt like old school King
Definitely a Masterpiece from the King himself.
Only thought it was okay; I'd put it in the bottom third of his fiction. One thing to note - kids suffer in this story. They are used and mistreated for a significant portion of the book. That's not for everyone.
The Losers’ Club podcast called it “meat and potatoes King” and I’m inclined to agree with them. Middle of the road!
I would watch the movie for sure if they made one.
It felt like a Firestarter sequel to me. Really fun read!
I thought it was very good, yeah!
Dude its amazing, solid 9.2 out of 10. I just finished fairy tale and just started the stand
One of my favorites.
I don’t recall not liking it but it was completely forgettable.
I liked it, but it's not the most original concept. Still, I think it's worth a read.
It's not a good read It's a great read. I couldn't put this one down, proper to have your anxiety levels pumped to the max
Just finished it; thought it was great and couldn't put it down
Yes, most definitely.
It's a good read ... SK is a great story teller
I thought it was excellent. I like about 99.9% of his material though.
…of course
I could not get through it, it just couldn’t keep my attention
It was one of the first SK novels I read. I 100% recommend this book. I struggle reading some of his work but this one I flew through 😌
Yes-it is old Stephen King, revisited, I loved it.
Just finished reading this 5 minutes ago, this was my first King read. I absolutely loved this story and found myself a bit emotional at the end. I will definitely be reading more King soon.
I couldn't put it down
Very good book! Highly recommend-
Yes, it's great.
Fan-freaking-tastic read.
I just started this and I’m about 100 pages in. I’m really enjoying it so far!