Stephen King Fans discussion

Discuss The Dead Zone here. Please mark all spoilers for those reading along.

This book was life-changing. I haven’t seen any of the film adaptations yet, but I plan to. I’m almost afraid to, for fear of ruining the original source material. I would love to get into a discourse on this book!

I have seen the film but the book is still on my tbr pile. Is it as good as the film?

Amazing read. On my re read list

Just finished it the other day, I really liked it. I think I like how King’s books always surprise me. I never know what I’m going to get.

On my TBR

Thank you for the invite. I just finished Needful Things and am taking a break from the horror genre. Happy reading everyone.

I have only watched the movie and kind of watched the series (but I believe not all of it), It will be an interesting read.

So exciting! I’m trying to read them in publishing order and this one was already next on my list!

Definitely one of my all time favorites of King’s books. I reread recently last year and it’s soooo good! 👍 for those who haven’t read will enjoy it.

I don't think this is a spoiler, so here goes.
King revealed in his book "On Writing" that "The Dead Zone" was sort of a writing exercise for him to create a story that answers two questions: 1. Can a political assassin ever be right? 2. Can he be written as the MC? He even posed the question in Dead Zone, if it was possible to go back in time and assassinate Hitler before he got into power, would you do it?
With his writing exercise as motivation for Dead Zone, it makes the book all the more interesting and one of my favorites of all time.

Here's the thing about that book and me... the first time I tried to read it, I DNF at the prologue because of the (view spoiler)[awful, awful dog abuse and death scene (hide spoiler)] and did not go back to it. I also have not nor will ever read Pet Sematary or Cujo.

I think it's been long enough now though, that I will try The Dead Zone again but skip the Prologue entirely. If there is any vital info I should know in there aside from the fact that Greg Stillson is an absolute monster, please let me know. :-)

Daniela wrote: "I just started this book three days ago and I'm loving it!"

Nice to find a new King reader. Reading some of his older books first will give you a lot of enjoyment. "Needful Things" was brilliant, IT is an all time favorite and "Different Seasons" is a great read.
HAPPY READING!!

I read this book last fall. my first Stephen King book besides "It" which I read when I was a teen and have no memory of. I Loved this book! My favorite thing about it was how much I came to love Johnny's character 🥹. Immediately read Salem's Lot after this one and that was good too but I think I enjoyed Dead Zone a bit more. Def interested in checking out the films.

Daniela wrote: "GT wrote: "Daniela wrote: "I just started this book three days ago and I'm loving it!"

That's AWESOME!! Many, many horror filled hours ahead for you reading SK. Just remember, they are only books. Clowns don't hang out in sewers, gypsies can't put you on a diet and dead pets don't come back to life. hehehe
Gonna add you as a friend, if you don't mind.

To preface...I'm not overtly trying to spoil anything. But I wouldn't read my comment if you haven't read it yet. I would proceed with caution.

This was the last book I completed before I have started with Pet Semetary. My favorite thus far. What really stuck with me about The Dead Zone is how quiet it is. This book is not trying to scare you. It is not flashy and it does not build toward big horror moments. It just keeps putting weight on one person and watching what that does to him.

Johnny’s ability never feels like a gift. It feels like something that steals his life in pieces. He wakes up and the world has already moved on without him. People have made choices. Relationships are gone. Futures are closed. Even when he is right, it does not help him get any of that back.

The hard part of the book is the choice he is forced into. Knowing the future does not make things clearer. It makes them heavier. There is no clean answer. Doing nothing feels wrong. Acting feels wrong too. Johnny is not saving the world in a heroic way. He is deciding how much of himself he is willing to lose to stop something worse.

Stillson works because he feels real. He is not some exaggerated villain. He is loud, rewarded for bad behavior, and surrounded by people who excuse it because it benefits them. That makes the situation uncomfortable in a very grounded way. This does not feel like a fantasy problem. It feels like something that could actually happen (honestly....I'm looking right at someone but don't want to get too political).

What I appreciate is that the book does not try to comfort you. There is no sense that the universe steps in to balance things out. Fate does not help. It just resists. If anything gets fixed, it is because someone paid for it personally.

For me, The Dead Zone ends up feeling less like horror and more like a tragedy about responsibility. Knowing the right thing to do does not protect you. Being right does not mean you get to be okay afterward.

It is a restrained book, but that restraint feels intentional. It sits with you instead of jumping out at you. And honestly, that makes it one of the more unsettling things King has written, even without trying to be scary.

This has never been my favorite book, but this read is going better (although the prologue still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth). This book emphasizes King's story-telling ability, and his character development.

Great book. I loved it!