The Dead Zone
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4.3 • 44 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
The #1 New York Times bestseller and “frightening” (The New York Times) thriller from master storyteller Stephen King about a clairvoyant man who must weigh his options when he sees the terrible future awaiting mankind.
When Johnny Smith was six years old, head trauma caused by a bad ice-skating accident left him with a nasty bruise on his forehead and, from time to time, those hunches…infrequent but accurate snippets of things to come. But it isn’t until Johnny’s a grown man—now having survived a horrifying auto injury that plunged him into a coma lasting four-and-a-half years—that his special abilities really push to the fore. Johnny Smith has come back from the void with an extraordinary gift that becomes his life’s curse…presenting visions of what was and what will be for both the innocent and guilty alike. But when he encounters a ruthlessly ambitious and amoral man who promises a terrifying fate for all humanity, Johnny must find a way to prevent a harrowing predestination from becoming reality…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the audiobook debut of King's classic 1979 thriller, a car accident sends Maine high school teacher Johnny Smith into a multiyear coma, from which he emerges into a changed world with the unwanted ability to see people's past and future just by touching them. Johnny's visions increase in scope from the image of a nurse's son surviving dangerous surgery to the second sight of a murder scene that helps a local sheriff find a serial killer. Each leaves Johnny physically diminished and psychically damaged. But they're just warm-ups for his vision of jingoistic politician Greg Stillson achieving the presidency and starting a devastating nuclear war. Actor Franco performs at full thespian force, telling the story in a naturalistic, almost mesmerizing manner with distinctive voices for all of the book's many characters: Johnny's highlights his affability, integrity, pain, and inner turmoil. The villainous Stillson sounds smarmy, aggressive, and insane in the way that can drive a man to kick a dog to death. Additionally, Franco's interpretation of the final section of the novel, consisting of letters and excerpts from committee meetings, is moving enough to bring tears to listeners' eyes. A Pocket paperback.
Customer Reviews
The Dead Zone
This is my favorite Stephen King novel. I love the way the back stories of all the characters are woven together to bring us to the inevitable climax.
There are some eerie similarities between Greg Stillson and the Trump campaign today as many others have pointed out - outrageous campaign promises and a harvesting of voters' cynicism to name a couple.
This book should be required reading in high school English courses.