The Institute: A Novel

Introduction, The Institute depicts monsters that aren’t supernatural, but instead, look just like you and me. In this review, I’ll give an overview of this novel without spoilers while expressing my opinion about his latest thriller., I have read most of Mr. King’s book, and this can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them. The kids are the heart and soul of this story. Their stories will tug at your heartstrings., Summary, Mysterious individuals sneak into a home at night and kill the parents of a genius child prodigy named Luke Ellis. These individuals then kidnapped Luke and put him in The Institute in the backwoods of Maine with other kids that also have abilities like telekinesis and telepathy. Now Avery, Iris, Luke, and multiple other children must find a way out of this sinister institute that seeks to exploit their abilities, even though no one has ever successfully escaped before., Narration, The narration is in the third person by an outside, unknown perspective. It gives great detail on how each character focused on sees the world. For example, the parents of Luke are both proud of and scared for their child. Tim Jamieson, a drifter with a law enforcement background, who takes on the job of “night knocker,” has a pessimistic outlook on the world that gradually brightens the longer he stays in DuPray, South Carolina., Setting, The book is set in modern-day, as it mentions and takes a few jabs at Donald Trump as the president. This drives the underlying plot about the horror of abducting children and treating them as a means to an end. Stephen King has criticized the Trump administration for inhumane acts for “the greater good,” a similar theme expressed in The Institute. The book, according to The Washington Post Review, calls out “the inhumane treatment of children and the loss of a moral compass for those who inflict it.”, Theme, Just as It and some of his other works, The Institute has a side theme that emphasizes working together can be more powerful than we realize. The Institute also talks about how even the tiniest choices can lead to marvelous possibilities and circumstances., Genre, The Institute’s genre is “horror.” In fact, The Institute won the Goodreads Choice Award in the Horror category, garnering nearly 40,000 more votes than its closest competitor, even beating out King’s son Joe Hill’s Full Throttle., King’s other works that fall into this genre have shown to have compelling, edge-of-your-seat plots, but this is considered one of his scariest. The horror of the underlying message of this latest work and the possible posers of our government, give readers more chills than killer clowns, vampires, rabid dogs, and ghosts., Author, Stephen King has shaped a generation with the over fifty books he has sold all over the world. Some of his most famous novels like It, The Shining, 11/22/63, and The Stand, have moved on to other forms of media like movies and television series. Though it has many of the same foundational themes and ideas that King’s other novels have, The Institute tells a different story in a chilling way that will keep you up at night., Plot, The longer Luke stays in the institute, the more he learns about the sinister system and how it’s structured. Obedient kids are treated with tokens for various treats at a vending machine, while those who aren’t compliant get punished, often severely., The agents in the institute conduct sordid experiments on the inhabitants to strengthen their abilities, or so it would seem. However, some of the children believe it is just sadistic torture., My Opinion, Some of the main characters include Luke Ellis, Kalisha, Avery Dixon, Iris, George, Nick, Tim Jamieson, Mrs. Sigsby, and Trevor Stackhouse., The director, Mrs. Sigsby, is tasked with running cruel experiments on these extraordinary children. If I were casting a movie or TV series for this book, I would choose Linda Hunt “Hetty Lange” from NCIS: Los Angeles to star in her role. Just put her in a red pantsuit and stand back!, I would probably cast Dean Norris, the Town Councilman from Under the Dome as Trevor Stackhouse, the Security Supervisor. You might also remember him playing the drug enforcement agent in Breaking Bad. Likewise, I believe Ryan Gosling would fit the part of Tim Jamieson very well. Just my opinion, of course., My favorite would have to be Luke Ellis, as he was an enthusiastic and bright young kid who slowly changes. Luke might be played best by an unknown, but I believe Finn Wolfhard, Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things could also pull off the part., The main characters interact similarly to two people in a chess match: each has to make a move and be able to predict what the other will do. Any of the cast of child actors from Stranger Things would fit right into this story., If you’re someone who likes to read about the horrors hidden within our society, then The Institute will be a good read for you. I encourage others to read this book, as it makes you think about the world around us as well as what it’s becoming. The initiation of change can’t come without awareness, first., I’ll happily read more from Stephen King because he tells what seems like regular stories in such a unique perspective that it makes those stories intriguing. I’m one of the “constant readers” who would buy if he published a new book every week.

Introduction, The Institute depicts monsters that aren’t supernatural, but instead, look just like you and me. In this review, I’ll give an overview of this novel without spoilers while expressing my opinion about his latest thriller., I have read most of Mr. King’s book, and this can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them. The kids are the heart and soul of this story. Their stories will tug at your heartstrings., Summary, Mysterious individuals sneak into a home at night and kill the parents of a genius child prodigy named Luke Ellis. These individuals then kidnapped Luke and put him in The Institute in the backwoods of Maine with other kids that also have abilities like telekinesis and telepathy. Now Avery, Iris, Luke, and multiple other children must find a way out of this sinister institute that seeks to exploit their abilities, even though no one has ever successfully escaped before., Narration, The narration is in the third person by an outside, unknown perspective. It gives great detail on how each character focused on sees the world. For example, the parents of Luke are both proud of and scared for their child. Tim Jamieson, a drifter with a law enforcement background, who takes on the job of “night knocker,” has a pessimistic outlook on the world that gradually brightens the longer he stays in DuPray, South Carolina., Setting, The book is set in modern-day, as it mentions and takes a few jabs at Donald Trump as the president. This drives the underlying plot about the horror of abducting children and treating them as a means to an end. Stephen King has criticized the Trump administration for inhumane acts for “the greater good,” a similar theme expressed in The Institute. The book, according to The Washington Post Review, calls out “the inhumane treatment of children and the loss of a moral compass for those who inflict it.”, Theme, Just as It and some of his other works, The Institute has a side theme that emphasizes working together can be more powerful than we realize. The Institute also talks about how even the tiniest choices can lead to marvelous possibilities and circumstances., Genre, The Institute’s genre is “horror.” In fact, The Institute won the Goodreads Choice Award in the Horror category, garnering nearly 40,000 more votes than its closest competitor, even beating out King’s son Joe Hill’s Full Throttle., King’s other works that fall into this genre have shown to have compelling, edge-of-your-seat plots, but this is considered one of his scariest. The horror of the underlying message of this latest work and the possible posers of our government, give readers more chills than killer clowns, vampires, rabid dogs, and ghosts., Author, Stephen King has shaped a generation with the over fifty books he has sold all over the world. Some of his most famous novels like It, The Shining, 11/22/63, and The Stand, have moved on to other forms of media like movies and television series. Though it has many of the same foundational themes and ideas that King’s other novels have, The Institute tells a different story in a chilling way that will keep you up at night., Plot, The longer Luke stays in the institute, the more he learns about the sinister system and how it’s structured. Obedient kids are treated with tokens for various treats at a vending machine, while those who aren’t compliant get punished, often severely., The agents in the institute conduct sordid experiments on the inhabitants to strengthen their abilities, or so it would seem. However, some of the children believe it is just sadistic torture., My Opinion, Some of the main characters include Luke Ellis, Kalisha, Avery Dixon, Iris, George, Nick, Tim Jamieson, Mrs. Sigsby, and Trevor Stackhouse., The director, Mrs. Sigsby, is tasked with running cruel experiments on these extraordinary children. If I were casting a movie or TV series for this book, I would choose Linda Hunt “Hetty Lange” from NCIS: Los Angeles to star in her role. Just put her in a red pantsuit and stand back!, I would probably cast Dean Norris, the Town Councilman from Under the Dome as Trevor Stackhouse, the Security Supervisor. You might also remember him playing the drug enforcement agent in Breaking Bad. Likewise, I believe Ryan Gosling would fit the part of Tim Jamieson very well. Just my opinion, of course., My favorite would have to be Luke Ellis, as he was an enthusiastic and bright young kid who slowly changes. Luke might be played best by an unknown, but I believe Finn Wolfhard, Mike Wheeler in Stranger Things could also pull off the part., The main characters interact similarly to two people in a chess match: each has to make a move and be able to predict what the other will do. Any of the cast of child actors from Stranger Things would fit right into this story., If you’re someone who likes to read about the horrors hidden within our society, then The Institute will be a good read for you. I encourage others to read this book, as it makes you think about the world around us as well as what it’s becoming. The initiation of change can’t come without awareness, first., I’ll happily read more from Stephen King because he tells what seems like regular stories in such a unique perspective that it makes those stories intriguing. I’m one of the “constant readers” who would buy if he published a new book every week.

I liked the first third, but didn’t like the fact that it wasn’t organically related to the resolution of the story. Tim is important at the beginning and at the end, but the connection between the two parts seems tenuous at best. I like the middle section with the children at the Institute. Very suspenseful and completely engaging, at least for me. I also enjoyed all the drama of the escape. However, the last part in which Tim reemerges defied credulity even for a Stephen King novel. Ingenious, but nothing subtle about it at all. Still, I’m glad I read the novel and would recommend it, but for me, it was a mixed bag., And no, the very few political references in the story did not turn me off. Besides, such comments reflected the views of certain characters. And if a novel deals with something going on in the United States that impinges on the world at large, it shouldn’t be surprising that politics are reflected in it, but the novel has no over-reaching political agenda trying to get you to vote for Biden. But the people who say they will never read another SF novel because the Institute was “political” (an idea that never even occurred to me until read some of the comments in these review) are off the wall. I suspect these folks may be MAGA trolls. Still, for me the novel was mixed bag for other reasons, although I am glad I opened that bag up. If you haven’t read it, give it a shot. The pluses far outweigh the minuses.

So at the end of On Writing (new edition ) there was an interview with Stephen King and his son Joe Hill. This book came up so I knew I had to read it next. Absolutely loved it! Shades of Carrie and the Shaw shank Redemption. The real telepathy is: ” I’ve been here before,haven’t I ?” Its symbolic of one of many shades of Hell we have all been in our lives , just on a grander scale. We never escape unscathed. We may deal with the PTSD of having been there. But if we usr our gifts and talents , we can survive!

So at the end of On Writing (new edition ) there was an interview with Stephen King and his son Joe Hill. This book came up so I knew I had to read it next. Absolutely loved it! Shades of Carrie and the Shaw shank Redemption. The real telepathy is: ” I’ve been here before,haven’t I ?” Its symbolic of one of many shades of Hell we have all been in our lives , just on a grander scale. We never escape unscathed. We may deal with the PTSD of having been there. But if we usr our gifts and talents , we can survive!

I typically enjoy Stephen King novels as his stories almost always have interesting characters who are pulled into strange and fantastical situations (although sometimes a story’s ending can be quite odd and perhaps over the top)., Being imprisoned in a deadly situation. Not sure what exactly is going on – or why. Knowing you have no control over your situation. Add a staff with no scruples, no empathy, no qualms and perhaps even latent hostility toward children. Now add about 10 children into that situation. Basically, they are 10 pawns in a game they don’t know the purpose of. These circumstances gave author King a lot of material to work with. And author King wrote with his typical smooth story telling., The story pretty much lets the reader figure out where the story is headed (and what actions the children will have to take), but the reader feels the story’s sense of tension regardless. So the story always held my interest., In the travel business, they saying is “getting there is half the fun”. But for this Stephen King novel, getting to the ending is nearly all the fun because the story’s climax was certainly odd (although, somewhat contradictory, also expected). So, for me, this was a typical King novel. Interesting characters and odd, over-the-top ending., Bottom line: If you’ve liked most of the other Stephen King books you’ve read, it’s very likely you will like this book too.

The writing is 5 star writing. I mean it IS Stephen King were talking about. But for me, personally, it is missing the long term wrap up., What became of those who survived. Who paired off? Who kept in touch?, In my constant reader dreams, I dare to hope for a follow up of short stories about each of the individual characters who made it to the end of the book., This is what King does to me. I get so invested in the characters, I don’t want to leave them between the covers of the world that they inhabit., There will be many 5 star reviews and there should be. For me, the ending felt…abbreviated. So I give it 4 stars.

The writing is 5 star writing. I mean it IS Stephen King were talking about. But for me, personally, it is missing the long term wrap up., What became of those who survived. Who paired off? Who kept in touch?, In my constant reader dreams, I dare to hope for a follow up of short stories about each of the individual characters who made it to the end of the book., This is what King does to me. I get so invested in the characters, I don’t want to leave them between the covers of the world that they inhabit., There will be many 5 star reviews and there should be. For me, the ending felt…abbreviated. So I give it 4 stars.