In Stephen King‘s Cell we taken on a journey with Clayton Riddell as he navigates a post-apocalyptic world brought on by a mysterious pulse transmitted through cell phones. As an artist from Maine, Clayton’s life takes a dramatic turn as he struggles to survive in a world turned upside down. However, this novel doesn’t live up to the expectations from a Stephen King story.
The premise of Cell was intriguing and when we opened the first few pages we were extremely excited to see where this one headed. As fans of Stephen King and post-apocalyptic novels, this one checked of many boxes. The gripping tale of survival in a world gone mad in the words of King was set to be another masterpiece. Or not.
The initial chaos and confusion that Clayton experiences was exactly what we wanted, we were eager to see how he will navigate this new reality. However, as the story progresses, we found ourselves bogged down by the excessive focus on locations and intricate details that were almost distracting at times. While we can see how King thought it depth to the world-building, it may detract from the overall narrative flow.
While the end result of Cell was not what we were hoping, King does have the ability of creating eerie and unsettling images throughout the novel. As fans of The Walking Dead, we could not help by draw comparisons with the evolution of the human horde and their descent into a primal state, but with a twist. All of this did add a chilling layer to the story that kept us engaged.
As the book unravels towards its conclusion, we just felt the story falls flat or doesn’t deliver on the initial promise. The ending left us wanting more. While Cell has strong moments, it is definitely not considered one of Stephen King’s better novels.
Cell has a promising start and some intensely horrific moments throughout, but the attention to the details such as locations and the disappointing ending leaves us wanting more from Stephen King. However, the journey was worth the effort and if you are a fan of King’s work as a horror writer Cell should be read.
Cell was adapted into a major motion picture in 2016 starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, and Isabelle Fuhrman.
Cell is available wherever books are sold with an audiobook available at Libro.fm narrated by Campbell Scott.
