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The King of contemporary horror is in fine form with his latest thriller. The novel showcases all the author does best: quirkily engaging, full-fleshed characters; natural dialogue liberally interlaced with humor; expert pacing; an escalating mood of terror; and a panoply of creepy supernatural antagonists. Edgar Freemantle is almost killed in a collision that robs him of his right arm and damages the speech center of his brain. In pain and moderately aphasic, he finds a sympathetic psychiatrist to help him through his rage and frustration. The doctor suggests that Edgar go somewhere as different from his former life as possible where he can begin again with fresh pursuits. Edgar ends up on the Gulf Coast of Florida on the tiny island of Duma Key. He takes up painting and discovers to his astonishment that his landscapes are regarded very highly. But what he puts on canvas actually comes true, and his work increasingly unsettles him. An octogenarian neighbor tries to tell him what is lurking behind his creations, but she has only intermittent lucid periods from Alzheimer’s. Freemantle must identify and vanquish the source of the evil that threatens him. Reader John Slattery differentiates all speakers and his sense of timing is excellent. He performance is particularly good during the last third of the novel, when the horror fully emerges.Read full review
If you're a Stephen King reader, like me, and have read just about everything he's ever had published, then you have developed a sort of trepidation whenever you've got a new book of his in your hands. And I don't mean trepidation because you're afraid of being scared, I mean trepidation because he is not the reliable scare-meister he once was, and he hasn't been in a long time. Still, like long-time lovers hoping to recreate that first blush of passion, we keep going back to his books because you just..never...know.....when he's going to hit the right spot, so to speak. Everybody knows that King is a little weird, or how else could he come up with this stuff in the first place? But sometimes he's so offbeat that the things that seem to scare him just seem dumb to the rest of us. I mean, evil armadillos? Strings floating up from the top of our heads that could be cut anytime? Not the stuff of MY nightmares, that's for sure. But I would not deny the guy the right to try new things; I just appreciate those good old fashioned scares more than anything else. And Duma Key has plenty of them, I'm happy to say. From a creepy ghost ship to dripping, seaweedy evil dead little girl twins, no less, Duma Key has plenty of those moments that harken back to the glory days of 'Salem's Lot. You get the genuine creeps, and it really IS one of those stories that makes you want to sleep with the light on. I liked it so much, in fact, that even though I had already read the hardcover I bought the audiobook on Ebay and listened to it in my car. I'm a middle aged, self-employed Mom, and I admit, sometimes I'm a little a)distracted, b)sleepy or c) brain dead when I finally get a moment for pleasure reading, so when I finished reading I felt that I had really missed a lot from this one, because it is a big read and sometimes there were stretches of several days between the times I could get to it. Listening to the audio, which is extremely well read, filled in the blanks for me and gave the story a lot more impact. To sum up, if scary armadillos are your bag, you'll be disappointed with this book. But if you like the good old fashioned scares of Stephen King's best work, then you'll be happy with this audiobook...IF you ignore the giant frogs!Read full review
Duma Key is one of my favorite Stephen King novels. I am an avid Stephen King fan and I read and collect every one of his books. Duma Key is a wonderful book that I recommend to everyone. The blend of normality and supernatural is ingenious and captivating. Duma Key literally created a new Stephen King fan over night! I recently lent my reading copy of Duma Key to a friend who has never read a Stephen King novel. I convinced her to try this book and she absolutely loved it. She said she stayed up all night reading it because she just couldn't put it down. Now she's reading Under the Dome. Aside from the fascinating story itself, I think Duma Key's location on the west coast of Florida stands out in this novel and makes it even more intriguing. It's a bit like Sarasota and a lot like Captiva Island. I live and work in the Tampa Bay area so I felt closer to this book than others. But even if you've never been to Florida this location is different from King's other stories and it's just plain captivating!Read full review
Review for "DUMA KEY" by Stephen King read by John Slattery. First of all, I bought the book because I am a huge fan of Stephen King. I have read almost everything he has ever written. My wife loves the stories, but hates to read. I'm getting a big collection of his audio books. This is one of his more recent works. And, it would compare to, in a way, to "Lisey's Story," another fairly recent book. But, it is not as good as "Lisey's Story." Both stories are extremly complicated and require a great deal of imagination. Both need the listeners undivided attention. If the listener should fall asleep during one of the c.d.'s, they should re-listen to the entire disc before continuing. And even then, the story may not make a whole lot of sense, depending on the listener. The audio book is read by John Slattery, and he does a great job. In my opinion, anybody who can read aloud for 23 hours without mis-pronouncing a single word must be a genieus. And, he is not just reading. He puts some emotion into his work. It's hard to put into words the admiration that I have for the few people who can read aloud as well as Slattery. As always, King gives the listener/reader very interesting characters to enjoy. And, as always, he puts them in situations that demand a great deal of imagination. The main character in "Duma Key" is Edgar Freemantle, a very wealthy owner of an elite construction company. To make a long story short, one day he gets run over by one of his own cranes. He is very fortunate to make it out alive, but is left with only one arm. His wife decides to head for greener pastures, leaving Edgar feeling depressed and suicidal. Upon advise from his shrink, he ventures to "Duma Key," a strangely undeveloped part of the Florida coast. It is, at the same time, the most beautiful place he has ever seen and eerily creepy. Eventually, he meets a man named Wireman who lives way down the beach. Wireman takes care of an elderly woman who knows the dark past of Duma Key. Soon, Edgar begains to paint. Then things get confusing. If complete attention is paid, the audio book is a rewarding experience. And if complete attention is paid, the very last sentence heard makes the whole 23 hours of listening well worth while.Read full review
After reading Stephen King's Duma Key, it is obvious that Florida's salt air and sunshine must agree with him. Like Edgar Freemantle, the book's protagonist, King seems to have found voices in the churning sea shells. The artistic style with which this book is written is like a refreshing breeze at sunset. Edgar Freemantle, a construction company owner, is nearly crushed to death by a piece of equipment, losing an arm, and most of his senses, due to a head injury. On the advice of his psychiatrist he relocates to the Florida Keys, specifically to Duma Key, and moves into a house he fondly calls "Big Pink." Shortly after moving in, Freemantle discovers he has supernatural artistic abilities. But his talent becomes a liability when he realizes that his artwork influences real-life events and people. Treks along the beach, part of his physical therapy, lead him to a kindred spirit, Elizabeth. But when the ghosts of her past begin to appear to Freemantle, he begins to understand the true source for his talent. Duma Key is a ripping good tale. King's writing has a deftness and poetic prose that has been absent from his work for quite some time.Read full review
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