Amazon.com info for 'Cell: A Novel'

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Back to reviews and details of Cell: A Novel

Amazon.com reviews:

Rating: 5 Summary: Reach out, Reach out and kill someone
Comment The Master of Horror strikes again, proving he's not getting older, he's getting sicker! This is another chilling novel by the man who made the horror genre come alive.

Cell phones across the country start to ring, but it would be better to let the call go to voicemail. People answer their phones only to become vicious, mindless killers. Clay Riddell, an artist, is away on business. He's just signed a contract for his first comic book deal. He stops to buy his estranged wife a gift as a way of saying "thanks for your support all these years". He then stops at an ice cream truck for a cone and while waiting his turn, a young girl answers her phone and after listening for a few seconds, changes into a zombie-like killing machine. Clay has to use the paperweight he purchased for his wife to bash the demented girl's brains in. This starts the beginning of Clay's journey as he tries to make his way back home in hopes of finding his wife and son alive and intact.

One of the things I noticed right away was that King gets right to the story and doesn't waste a lot of paper describing things in pain-staking detail like he has in previous books. This is a vast improvement. There is no filler in this book, the reader reaches the top of the slide on page 6 and it's all downhill at break-neck speed from that point on, to the last page. Another thing King does is take time to breath life and soul into his characters, creating a feeling that you have known these people all your life.


Cell is a fantastic story of survival, love, compassion, humanity and hope, with a big dose of creepy thrown in for good measure. It's a book that is hard to put down. Oh, excuse me, I think your phone is ringing, aren't you gonna answer it?

Rating: 4 Summary: If you have time, read it...if not, don't 'make' time!
Comment I have yet to not enjoy a King book, but must admit I've been spoiled by the Dark Tower series. There are very few King books I haven't read yet, so I understand his style now. Though I enjoyed this book, I think it might be more due to familiarity of King's style and sick sense of humor than anything. The story is a bit scary, (never have liked my cell-phone!) because it involves something so easy to connect with and familiar to so many people. Overall this is a classic King book, with the following (and very important ingredients) missing: Character development (this is huge for me, and generally a large part of King's books...to get to connect with the characters) There were many parts of these people's 'beings' that the reader is never clued in on, and it left me a little cold where their fates were concerned. There were new characters introduced very late in the story, as well, and that added to the general confusion when names were mentioned. The other issue was the ending. I'm not going to spoil it, but it left me unfulfilled. Tons of unanswered questions, lots of loose ends, and for some that might be fine...but it doesn't happen with most of King's books. I enjoy closure (even if it's open closure, ie; Dark Tower)
So those two items aside, the book was enjoyable. It was worth reading, but I forced it into my schedule and that was my mistake. I'm hoping there may be another part coming...but I'm not about to wait on hold for long. (hee)

Rating: 3 Summary: A great read if you think "The Stand" is too long
Comment It's a fast and gory read about the end of the world as we know it. It also veers a little into sci-fi territory--there's one section where a character references William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, and even Greg Bear. I enjoyed it, but halfway through the book it started feeling more and more like an alternate universe version of "The Stand," where Randall Flagg is replaced by The Raggedy Man, and the nuclear bomb is replaced by... well, never mind. It's a good summer book but not a classic. If you *haven't* read "The Stand" and enjoy "Cell," you should definitely pick up the older, better-written title.

Rating: 4 Summary: 5 if he would have actually finished it
Comment I don't want to go too far in depth as to possibly spoil the book for some, but as many others have pointed out, the ending is completely weak (actually there wasn't one). Aside from that, Cell is masterfully written which will make you keep reading bit after bit. Another part I liked is that the chapters are fairly short, so you have many, many convenient places to stop (when you finally decide that you must sleep). One of his other character's (Teddy Duchamp) quotes sums up Cell best, "Yeah, it's a great story Gordie, I just didn't like the ending."

Rating: 3 Summary: Ok, But Not His Best!
Comment I liked the idea of this book, a bit of an update on the 'Invasion of The Bodysnatchers' theme, but I found the book just a little bit disappointing. I felt the main characters were a bit cliched, and a bit more two-dimensional, than in other novels by this author.

I also felt, that there were a few 'loose ends' that were never really tied up at the end of the book. I felt there was a bit of an unfinished feel to it. Overall, it wasn't too bad a novel, but, in my opinion, far from the best, by this author.