Reply #55: "Duma Key," by Stephen King. Better than I remember King being.

[jobycom]

I've never been a King basher, but he's not usually on my must-read list, either. He's better than most pop writers--Patterson, Crichton, folk like that.

Duma is pretty good, though. The premise isn't overly original (what is, by this point in Western lit?), and even has many of King's own themes wrapped into it. But the plot development is good, the characters are endearing, and his command of writing has gotten lighter and easier to read.

But this is the first thing I've read in a decade by him. I read "The Shining" and some others I don't remember back in the early 80s, and then I read his fantasy series (can't even remember the name, I just remember some prince who gets saved by napkins). So maybe the book is about par for the course and I just haven't played that course in a while.

Whatever it is, it's a fun read, and long enough that it's not over before is starts.