Revival discussion

Sorry Stephen King, I love you but “Revival” didn’t measure up to your previous novels (however, I would give the ending of it 4.5 stars--not five because I felt it a tiny bit prolonged). Earlier work aside there appeared to be too many weak/ineffectual subplots, such as the one that revealed specific deaths of Jamie’s family; i.e. when learning Claire was shot in her classroom initiated little, if any emotional response. The same goes with Andy’s situation. Yet there were also several, admirable literary elements. Watching Jamie grow as a rock star, experiencing the crowded carnival, witnessing the development of a mad scientist, and propelling into an onerous netherworld were all very neat to read.

I think the last S.K. novel I read was Insomnia, which I loved, but Revival was so cheap on my Kindle I thought, why not.
It's definitely not like his latter day 'horror' novels, but I thought was more of a 'slow burner'. I thought the early part of the novel involving the young Andy and his family were particularly heart warming.
But from then on the story gradually moves along with King throwing you just enough tit-bits to keep you turning the pages until the dramatic, yet bizarre (ants?) climax.
I enjoyed it, but have to say I'm more a fan of his earlier work.

I enjoyed Revival despite the middle.

Covering three / four-and-a-half decades, Jaime's adulthood seemed perilously "empty," despite his addiction.

Also, the end was great despite the overt transplanting, (no pun intended), from Shelley and Lovecraft.

"Good reading."