Insomnia

Insomnia was a good read. King is a masterful storyteller; the narrative voice, the compelling main characters and the absolutely unstoppable plot are all trademark King features. Still, compared to the other King that I have read, I would rank it somewhere in the middle.
The recent King novels that I read before this were Rage, The Long Walk, The Running Man and Bag of Bones. Insomnia is very obviously a 1990's King; he writes with the kind of dry, New England wit that has come to distinguish him. But Insomnia just does not feel as tight as The Running Man or as compelling as Bag of Bones, which I feel really is King's best work that I have read. The dialogue in Insomnia is a choppy (which isn't unusual) and the pace of the story seems to start out slow and then to fluctuate back and forth between slow and quick.
There is also a lot of exposition involved, a good deal of fleshing out the world of the Dark Tower series, which is a little frustrating. The climax of the book turns out to actually be about two figures from the Dark Tower series which kind of annoyed me. I was compelled by the characters in the book, I felt empathy for them and I felt that the book didn't need this kind of deus ex machina to stress the importance of the climax, to make it integral to the continuation of the King Uber-story.
I am focusing here on some of the bad things. I listed the good things above, but you really just can't say enough about King's easy prose style. King is one of the authors that I just flat out love to read; he is imaginative, his voice is distinct and he consistently reinvents the fantasy (because this book is more fantasy than horror) genre in very exciting ways.
So to sum up: not King's best, but a good, fun read. Despite the three stars, I definitely suggest reading it (just make sure you have already read It, The Stand, Bag of Bones...).

Oh...250 pages go by, as do several yawns and many stretch breaks. 275..HOLY $#!T...this is great!!! Stephen King breaks away from his usual routine ( nasty critters, people bein' mean to down on their luck people) and weaves a story full of fantasy, well-written charcters, suspense, and great imagery. The hero of our story, Ralph, can't sleep, but soon starts seeing auras and such. Soon, he starts seeing mean little bald dudes with sharp objects. It's cool. But it is nowhere on the par of the 1986 epic IT ( King's best) or THE STAND. However, if you swallow any boredom at the start, you won't regret it cuz this book gets really good. Get it.

After the death of his wife, Ralph Roberts begins having trouble sleeping. He gets less and less sleep every night. Eventually, he starts seeing strange and unexplainable phenomena. Some of the phenomena even appear to see Ralph! Convinced that what he is experiencing is real, and not a hallucination, Ralph seeks to find the answers. What he discovers is another reality lurking under the surface of the town of Derry. A world nobody but he can see.
Having a senior citizen as its main character makes the novel fresh and somehow more real. Insomnia is a worthy novel, though it does drag at some points. Even so, it was frightening enough to convince me that Derry is no place I ever want to live!

First off, I'm a big ol King fan, dont get me wrong. I had high high hopes for this book. I mean, judging from what the description on back said, it sounded way cool! So I went to the library and got the big ol hardcover edition that was just HUGE! Well, I got about, oh, one or two hundred pages into it and it just got so, "Blah!". It was boring, and just went no where.. Now, some of the descriptions of the scissor dudes and the auras, that was ok. But it just did NOT keep me interested.. I read it all the way through. It was torture. It just did not work at all. I was so thankful I got it from the library and didnt waste MY money on it. Please, I advise you to do the same or! : JUST SAY NO! :o) Youve been warned! Go get Desperation or The Green Mile!

The first Stephen King book I read was the Stand, and I absolutely loved it, even though I hate horror movies and books. I liked the Stand so much I read the Dark Tower series, and I liked that too so I decided to look for some other Stephen King books. After looking through a bunch, I decided on Insomnia, as it had some tie ins to the Dark Tower series.
I am now hooked on Stephen King books. To me the great thing about Stephen King is his ability to really dig into characters, to give them depth and substance. He does this extremely well in Insomnia. As others have stated, it takes a while to get going, but I was interested in the characters and intrigued enough to stick with it, and I was well rewarded in the end. It was not incredibly scary, but more weird and intriguing. I highly recommend this book, even for the non-Stephen King fan (or especially for the non-fan).

Here I am past midnight writing my review of Insomnia....SK creates a world where the main character can see people's pyschadelic auras that surround them...some are good and some are bad. And everyone has a little balloon string like attached from their skull to their aura above their head. But you better watch out because there are little bald doctors that only our hero can see....they are up to no good, they are not of the purpose you see...but of the random. Yes they cut people's ballon string auras...thus killing them. Crazy as all this sounds, this was a cool book and fun to read as most all of King's books are no matter what professors of literature may say about it!

I read this because it was one of the last books by Stephen King that I had not read and I am a huge fan.

King is at his worst when he decides he needs to force his views of politics down your throat. No one reads King to hear his politics, and on this one, he seems to really be bound and determined to do so over and over. I enjoy some writers on either side that will delve into politics, bringing up counterpoints to each side that may make either side think a bit. With this story, he decides that abortion of all things would be a good thing to throw into the mix (although any number of other topics could have been used to form the sides he needs for this tale). In doing so, he paints all people who do not agree with abortion as extreme kooks. People who agree abortion should be legal are fighting to keep women from being beaten by men (as if people who do not support abortion want this...). If you are going to jump in these waters, do so fairly and argue the point, not simply paint people you do not agree with as nuts. He comes across as a bully that when asked a question that he does no know or want to answer, reverts to calling people names as an answer.

I personally do find myself as someone who cares to discuss this topic at all, but King's blatant disregard for covering both sides with even some fairness forced me to write my first review. It literally made me made when I found myself talking to my book saying, "that isn't why people not agree with abortion" or "stop acting like all people are like that when everyone knows the percent of people that do those sort of things is a few out or millions and millions". None the less, I trudged my way through the book, as I refused to give in, but in the end, the story just plain stunk.... You may think that because I was against the way he handled abortion that I would say this either way, but it is not true. If you want to read a King book, catch his earliest stuff, the Dark Tower books or Duma Key and his very newest stuff. Duma Key and some others can touch on the politics some and apparently allow King to get in his jollies of pushing non-needed politics, but they are more benign and are surrounded by a solid story.

The writing is excellent, but the story itself goes nowhere SLOW. The novel is way too big for such a lackluster story. If you are a hardcore King fan, read it. But you will not be thrilled the way you were by Salem's Lot, Carrie, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, etc.

Ironically, this novel just drags on the same way a day after a sleepless night does. You kind of wonder what the point of everything is.

Not recommended.

This was certainly not my favorite King book, and I almost put it down several times in the first 200 or so pages. Due to a lack of anything else to do (stuck in bed for a bit after an injury) I kept on and it did get better. Some of the pro-choice bits are a bit eye rolling and I have a feeling it wouldn't have the same ending if written post 9/11, but all in all, I would give it a squarely -OK.

'Insomnia' offers a mixed bag of not really compelling characters and events, which don't quite add up to one of King's best efforts. In spite of its shortcomings, 'Insomnia' does pick up its rather sluggish/leisurely pace, and delivers a modestly exciting conclusion.
The familiar setting of Derry allows King to drop in a few references to 'Needful Things' and 'It'(though if you haven't read those, it won't hurt if you don't pick up on them).
A bigger drawback is the close connection with the 'Dark Tower' series, which may not be readily apparent to those who haven't read any of that series. Without giving it away, someone in this story goes on to play a pivotal role there, and a large part of the ending of this book is a digression which foreshadows this character in greater detail...maybe too much for uninitiated readers.
As a standalone novel, 'Insomnia' didn't have a lot going for it. Ralph and Lois do eventually make a nice couple, but they take longer to warm up to than most protagonists in King's stories.
The 'evil doctors' are kind of an underwhelming villain(though again, there's a lot of 'Dark Tower' stuff to be revealed), the 'borrowing' from Greek mythology seems a bit desperate, and the resolution of the whole clinic bombing subplot is a bit of a letdown, as if King wanted to write one of his famed 'destruction and mayhem' scenes(like the prom in 'Carrie' or the flood in 'It'), and then kind of gave up on it halfway through.)
'Insomnia' tries a bit too hard to juxtapose King's 'fantasy' side with some 'heavy contemporary issues'(abortion, in this case). While there is some merit to the one-sided portrayal of some of the characters, the truth is, neither the abortion subplot nor the fantasy aspects are fleshed out quite as well as one might expect from King.(Perhaps lack of sleep affected his writer's muse!)
Readers of King's previous work may be torn here. A qualified recommendation: For King completists, or hard-core fans of either 'Dark Tower' or the town of Derry. Those who prefer King's horror instead of fantasy, or who'd rather read his better-developed character studies, can skip this one...without losing sleep over it!

I read the book years ago, when it came out- the book I give 5 stars to -- and now have the Audible version to listen to again on my commute - the reading of it is good- but the NOISE/"Music" they put throughout it when there's some shocking or surprising incident is very distracting and annoying.

This book has been spoken of as difficult to get into, boring, and much too long. I thought it was great. I was interested the whole time, and I never found my mind wandering. A considerable amount of the book has no action whatsoever, but the main characters are almost all over the age of 65, and the dialogue is always interesting. There were parts of the book where the senior citizen heroes managed to do some things that seemed a little too physically involved for their age, but it was nothing too far out there. The subject of the auras left me with a lot of questions after I completed the book, but they were just details. The idea of a boy that must be protected because of his role in the future had a bit of a Terminator flavor to it,(okay, a lot), and came up very akwardly and unexpectedly, but it didn't strike me as ripped-off until after I read it, so maybe it doesn't taste of Terminator so strongly after all. The plot seemed to change paths in the middle, kind of like the movie, From Dusk 'Til Dawn, but it was nothing that troubled me much, and I wouldn't expect it to do so to many others, either. When it all came down to appeal of this book, I found I liked it for one reason only: it was entertaining. Not scary, not edge-of-your-seat thrilling, and not terribly gruesome, but a lot of fun to read.

This is one of my favorite King books from these last few years (along with the Dark Tower series). This was one book that literally kept me up to finish. I love the image of the little men with their scissors cutting the chord and that our "hero" can now see them because he is slipping in that delirium of waking sleep. Or is he just imagining everything. Though the story loses its momentum and focus 2/3's of the way through it is quite interesting as the main characters are extremely fleshed out where you know the pain and agony of the main character - suffering through his own waking hell - unable to refresh himself with even one nights sleep - and why does he keep waking up at that exact same time? I loved the story and the details King came up with on this one. The twisted little dirty man with his bloody scissors was really a visually fleshed out "monster?!?" and a rather perverse one at that. I have not read this book in many years but so much of it still stays with me - from the walks by the airport to the den of blood and bones. An interesting look at the afterlife and what if. Makes me think of the "Men in Yellow" from "Hearts in Atlantis" and like so many of King's books - seems to referance a lot of books that come before and after.

Ok, so I did enjoy this book but it took forever to get going. The beginning was very slow and had a large political aspect about it. Once it got going my interest peaked and I flew through the ending. There are several aspects of the book that you need to pay attention to while reading, one of which is the tie in to his Dark Tower series. Had I not know about the connection I would have missed it. Insomnia was a good book but I don't feel it lived up to Stephen King Standards.

Insomnia is an excellent book! It is the story of a 70 year old man named Ralph Roberts. His wife Carolyn is dieing and he is suffering from insomnia. Ralph becomes mixed up in the middle of a very large mess that has to do with pro-choice/pro-lifers. A man who used to be his friend has gone crazy. Ralph starts seeing auras. And that is just the beginning.

I have read some of the more negative reviews and I really dont know what ppl are talking about. I didnt think this book was slow or boring. It was plain old weird and bizarre. My fav kind of story. I love the tie ins to the DT series, which went even as far as mentioning Roland by name. Plus we find a character that plays a key role at the end of the DT series in this story.

This is the 25th book by Stephen King I have read, and I have to say I was fascinated by this book. It is like nothing else King has ever written. I did not just love this book, as I did think it was unbelievable at times, but King did such a good job explaining death and creating a strange, plausible reason why people die that I did find it fascinating. The problems with this book were many --- especially the anti-climactic "final battle" sequence, but for die hard King fans it is worth reading. I would rank this about 19th out of the books I have read by King with The Dead Zone, The Stand, and Different Seasons being the top three. (Tommyknockers 25th)

I read this because it was one of the last books by Stephen King that I had not read and I am a huge fan.

King is at his worst when he decides he needs to force his views of politics down your throat. No one reads King to hear his politics, and on this one, he seems to really be bound and determined to do so over and over. I enjoy some writers on either side that will delve into politics, bringing up counterpoints to each side that may make either side think a bit. With this story, he decides that abortion of all things would be a good thing to throw into the mix (although any number of other topics could have been used to form the sides he needs for this tale). In doing so, he paints all people who do not agree with abortion as extreme kooks. People who agree abortion should be legal are fighting to keep women from being beaten by men (as if people who do not support abortion want this...). If you are going to jump in these waters, do so fairly and argue the point, not simply paint people you do not agree with as nuts. He comes across as a bully that when asked a question that he does no know or want to answer, reverts to calling people names as an answer.

I personally do find myself as someone who cares to discuss this topic at all, but King's blatant disregard for covering both sides with even some fairness forced me to write my first review. It literally made me made when I found myself talking to my book saying, "that isn't why people not agree with abortion" or "stop acting like all people are like that when everyone knows the percent of people that do those sort of things is a few out or millions and millions". None the less, I trudged my way through the book, as I refused to give in, but in the end, the story just plain stunk.... You may think that because I was against the way he handled abortion that I would say this either way, but it is not true. If you want to read a King book, catch his earliest stuff, the Dark Tower books or Duma Key and his very newest stuff. Duma Key and some others can touch on the politics some and apparently allow King to get in his jollies of pushing non-needed politics, but they are more benign and are surrounded by a solid story.

One of his best. Just when I think he cannot outdo himself another great read comes along. He is truly a master at his craft. I read about a book a day and Stephen King remains one of my favorite authors. I just wish the library carried more of his books on ebooks. As much as I read I would fork out several thousand a year on books if not for the library.

Honestly, I think Stephen King ran out of ideas here. This has so many references to his other books it could be called a compilation. Not to mention the fact this suffers from the all to frequent problems King problem of confused endings.
I am an avid King fan but was let down by this tale. If you are new to King start with Bag of Bones not this one it is likely to turn you off to King. I gave it two stars because while there are a lot of borrowed ideas from other books there are some orignal ideas here. I wish King had expanded on those ideas more instead of using the recycling bin.

This is my all time favorite book, by an author that I am hit or miss with. In general I find Stephen King hard to read because I trip over the details. I also have trouble with a reality based book becoming very mystical without warning. Insomnia, however, is my exception to the rule.
This is my all time favorite book - no doubt, hands down. I fell in love with Ralph from page one, and years and years later, I have not forgotten him.
This book is for anyone who has lost a loved one but knows that somehow they are out there. If you are open to it, this book will touch your spirit.

I give this 2 stars for narration as he does an excellent job. There are 21 CDs. I listened to all but 5 and just couldn't finish. I felt like screaming with frustration as I packed it up to sell on ebay. I love Stephen King but this one is a snoozer. If you are expecting something like his earlier works, don't buy this unless you have Insomnia and need something to put you to sleep!

I agree with other reviewers that enjoying this book is easier if you can empathize/identify with the main characters, who are in their late sixties. I had sleep-deprivation myself after my daughter was born, and I can tell you that at the three-day mark you do start to see things. So I had no trouble believing that Ralph and the others who experience insomnia are having a little trouble gripping reality. But what IS real? There's where King does his thing best, with that theme that runs through many of his books of "is this real or am I losing my mind?" His characters are skillfully drawn and fascinating, the supernatural plot aspects are tops, and the ending touched me deeply.

Perhaps you suffer from insomnia, and this book came up in a random search for books on the topic. If you are truly seeking help with your sleep disorder, do not, I repeat, DO NOT overlook this book merely because it is a work of fiction, and will offer very little in the way of scientific illumination of your problem. Make no mistake about it, if you are an insomniac, this is one book you absolutely MUST have. With few exceptions, the mere act of READING this book offers a more expedient cure than a thousand prescriptions of your pharmacist's most powerful sleeping aid.

I actually read this book every few years. I've read it 4 times at least and have it in hardcover. On the face of some of his work is 'scary' or 'weird'. There are subtleties in all his book, but especially this one that really speak to human nature and feelings. The things going on around the core story is window dressing that make it fun and even more interesting, but the core story is also strong and heart wrenching.

I love this book. I've read it sooooo many times, i can remember little tiny details. In response to the person in Provo, Utah, I wonder if they ever passed 2nd grade. 6th months? pleasssssssse. they gotta be kidding. Lots of people said they loved the book, but the first section was slow. I totally disagree(not about it being good, obviously) the first part and the part where ralph thinks he is going crazy are the BEST parts. THey are so realistic you will find yourself looking around wondering if it could be true. The other people in my english class said so, too!

I loved this book. It is so good. It has extremely colorful descriptions and the charecters are extrodinarily real - detailed and human. It's the little details that make them so realistic. I loved the plot. And the happy/sad ending. (Meaning, it was a happy ending , but it was also kinda sad, like most of the books, except for the Dark TOwer series). In all truth, this practicly is a Dark tower book. yes, its 800 pages long, but if you enjoy the book, "savor" it , so to speak, instead of wanting to read a book where the plot is force-fed to the reader, it will be over too soon.

King wrote Insomnia in the early 90's, when he was still trying to transition away from adolescent-driven horror stories (like Christine, Carrie, and It) and move into more adult fare. This book comes across as a hybrid of the two. King addresses serious issues such as growing old and abortion rights, but the story itself is pulp horror comedy, complete with troll-like demons, magic rings, and evil spirits that can take human and animal shapes.
The characters are well-developed, and the story is fun, especially at first, but it is not good enough to carry its 800 pages. Unlike other King milestones-like The Stand or Dark Tower series-this book becomes tedious and repetitive. In the end, it's about an elderly couple trying to save 2000 people from getting killed by right-wing fanatics who are unwittingly being manipulated by supernatural forces. Even the protagonists don't seem to care too much whether they succeed. For Dark Tower fans, there is also a small event near the end that will affect the story of Roland the Gunslinger.
My recommendation is to skip this one. King has written many other, more entertaining novels.

Quirky, weird, strange. I found the storyline to drag on and on for 900 pages and never present anything as dark as I expected from King. I felt a little mislead from the rather brief synopsis on the back cover.

This was my all time FAVORITE book by Stephen King I read it in 3 days I could not put it down. I am still waiting for it to become a movie but it would have to be a 3 hour movie or a two part movie to do the book justice. This book is amazing it kept me on the edge of me seat from beginning to end I was sad when it was over I wanted it to go one forever lol

This is Stephen King at his BEST people. Ralph Roberts is suffering from insomia, and things are not going his way. Of course if this was not written by Stephen King, then this novel would be boring, but it isnt. First it starts off with Insomia, then it leads of these things that float around everybody's heads (sort of like life.), and when he breathes them in, he grows stronger.
Then he starts seeing these gray beings everywhere. Eventually he meets one of them and talks to them, they tell him that he has to save a four year old boy named David because the bad gray being is out to kill him!
Now David is a certain key in The Dark Tower series, and the same thing with Ralph Roberts. So all in persective, this is a good novel, it may be long, but it is good nonetheless.

Many of King's works exist in the same universe. Some are more obviously connected to each other. This is one of those examples. Insomnia features some concepts seen in the DT series, and those that have read at least up to book 6 will understand and notice them. I enjoyed this book MUCH more after completing the Dark Tower series and I would suggest someone who is new to King to save this one until later in order to get the most out of it.

Well, to answer that you'll have to read the book.
I think that besides a very interesting story, this book brings to light a few things to think about:
1) What is the line between being "normal" and "crazy"? Would people reject things they sense just because they're not considered "normal?....
2) The book makes you reconsider the way people generally look at elderly people. Instead of being the typical senile golden agers who only think about the past, both Lois and Ralph build themselves a future....

Insomnia is a mixed bag of story ideas that never quite come together. You have an elderly man coping with his wife's death as well as a worsening case of insomnia that is causing him to see...things. An underdeveloped subplot on wife beating. Supposedly pro-life terrorists plotting to destroy a family planning clinic. And, finally, you have the powers of both The Random and The Purpose (New Agese translations being Random = Evil, Purpose = Good) battling to sway the outcome to their favor because, you see, someone in this big mess has serious, Big Picture connections to Roland and Company's quest to save The Dark Tower.
Sounds good, doesn't it? Well it isn't. Insomnia is overlong (taking hundreds of pages to over development rather simple ideas) , prone to needless subplot digressions (in the midst of one important scene we stop for seemingly endless amounts biographical data on every item in Ralph's closet while he searches for binoculars), and, worst of all, it's treatment/development of the female characters borders on the misogynistic.
King constantly amazes me with how he can take dozens of characters, make each and every one them important to the plot, and crosslink seemingly random events in even the smallest of stories to create the illusion of epic meaning. But in Insomnia he fumbled the narrative horribly, creating an embarrassing failure to be avoided.

Having read most of Stephen King's novels, 'Insomnia' was recently one of the few King novels sitting on my bookshelf I had yet read. I put off reading this book for three reasons; 1) It has received a lot of mixed and often poor reviews from all directions. 2) This is one of the fewest King novels that hasn't been adapted into a movie. Although I'm not a fan of King adaptations, this made me wonder about the books content and popularity. 3) King's somewhat dismissal and low regard concerning this novel which he states in his later book 'On Writing', quote; "...the results, in books like 'Insomnia' and 'Rose Madder', have not been particularly inspiring. These are (much as I hate to admit) stiff, trying-too-hard novels." End quote. Despite all the warning signs I had, I still picked up this brick of a novel and read it cover to cover. Here's my review.
The book is mainly divided in three parts. PART I: Little Bald Doctors, PART II: The Secret City, and PART III: The Crimson King. The first part is in my opinion the best part of the novel. It covers most of the synopsis described on the book's back cover. Like most Stephen King novels, this part deals with the build-up of the plot and the development of the characters who often deal with every day life situations which most readers can relate to. One of King's strengths is his ability to make the reader feel nice and comfortable in the first 200+ pages and then he trows us a curveball often dealing with the supernatural. Stephen King is one of the few authors who can write about supernatural phenomenons and somehow keep it realistic even to the point of having the reader relate to it. However, here, King fails miserably. From the page 270 and up, the whole story just falls apart. By then the reader falls into the trap where it is difficult to put the book down since he or she has invested so much time into it.
Even though the book is called 'Insomnia', the core of the story has nothing to do with sleep deprivation. This is just used as a build-up to the story. I'm not going to even attempt and try to explain the plot because, quite frankly, I wouldn't know where to start. This book is just plain weird and sometimes quite laughable. The main characters are two senior citizens (Ralph & Lois) who see auras around living beings and sometimes possess JEDI-like powers. There are also these out of this world little bald doctors which I believe the author tries to portray as Gollum from Tolkien's 'Lord of the Ring'. There are numerous references to this classic piece of literature including an appearance of a ring that 'rules them all'. The little bald doctors however, remind me more of Elmor Fudd rather than Gollum. After a while, you realize the development and dialogue of the characters become strained. Somehow, they seem a bit too 'Stephen King-esque' for Stephen King himself. Other than the frequent LOTR references, it seems like the author tries to somewhat imitate or parallel certain scenes with other pieces of classic stories. For example, there is a final scene where a god like being called 'The Crimson King' hides behind a huge catfish that disguises itself as the main character's long since deceased mother. The image of the Crimson King hiding behind a facade makes me think of a certain scene from 'The Wizard of Oz' where the wizard hides behind the curtain. Strangely enough, soon after this scene from 'Insomnia', there is a unrelated reference to 'The Wizard of Oz'.
The author also tries to throw in some serious real life issues and questions into the mix sush as; pro-life / pro-choice, spousal abuse, freedom of speech, pains of growing old, and Man's old question whether life and death is an act of RANDOM or does it all have a PURPOSE. Most of this just gets lost into the story's 'far-out' scope. I haven't read King's Dark Tower series yet but I believe a lot of the elements of this book relates to this series. There are numerous hints and glimpses of further phenomenons that I believe might appear in future King books. Possibly within King's upcoming final installments of the Dark Tower series.
Even if you dislike this book, you have to admit that Stephen King does have quite an imagination and can sometimes make you wonder about his own sanity. One good thing about this book is that it certainly gives us something to write about. Although this book is a total miss, it is not representative of King's writing abilities. I believe King is one of the best novelist of our time and has often been disregarded because of his falsely labelled image as a horror writer. If you want to read good Stephen King fiction, pick up 'The Green Mile', 'The Stand', 'Desperation' or even his latest 'From a Buick 8'. Stay clear of this one unless you're looking for a cure for 'insomnia'.

This started out as great read, it was more spooky than scary and it kept you guessing and trying to pick up hints and clues. The story was awesome - guy who can't sleep starts seeing wierd stuff and travels to other 'levels'.
However, it all fell apart. Firstly, it dragged on way too long. Secondly, the moment I found out the little bald men were good guys my interest level dropped. And third, the ending got so predictable it was a joke.
The first half or so was fantastic, the second half was plain boring. All in all, a great idea - badly executed.

First of all, do not pay attention to all the blubbering about how long this book is. When a book is good, who cares if it is long? What an intriguing novel, and probably one of the more original I have ever read. I loved the way King portrayed the seniors in such a sensitive way. He truly got to the heart of their concerns, fears and loves. This is not really the typical horror book, so if that puts you off reading it, please do not let it. I really didn't sleep much, either, for the book was better than catching those zzzz's!

In the novel Insomnia, Ralph Roberts, an ordinary guy, starts to suffer from insomnia not long after his wife dies from cancer. Not only are his hours of sleep counting down to zero but he starts seeing auras of light around everyone that somehow reflect their moods and health, and out of the top of the aurora he sees a "balloon-string", which appears to be their soul. And if that's not strange enough, he starts seeing little, bald men dressed as doctors, who go to the homes of the dying with scissors in hand. A force greater than he can imagine wants him to stop the carnage that is about to happen in their little town of Derry, Maine. But he's not the only one who can see the hallucinations...

This book by Steven King starts off slow, for most of the first part of the book the chapters may seem odd and repetitive as King establishes the sleeping disorder. But the fantasy/horror genre pulled me into a compelling story of purpose vs. random as Ralph tries to do what he believes is right. I'm 15 and I didn't really connect with the older characters, but a good read nonetheless.

I just don't see how casual readers of King could enjoy this book to its fullest. This book is essentially a Dark Tower book on a tangent and even with that I give it 3 stars. My enjoyment of this book was primarily due to its overall fit in the Dark Tower universe rather than the story at hand.
For those readers planning to read this as a stand-alone novel who have no prior knowledge of the Dark Tower series I rate this as 2 stars. I can promise that you will have no idea what he's talking about and why some things happen the way they do without any DT background.
One other thing: if you are pro-life you may find yourself getting a little hot under the collar at times. While King discusses the fanatical personalities and extreme measures of people that can surround an abortion debate (on both sides) the pro-lifers are definitely held in lower regard in this novel.

This is my first review, and only because the book was tedious and boring beyond belief.

In the past, I have eagerly devoured King's works. Salem's Lot, Carrie, Thinner, Dolores Claiborne, The Green Mile, Misery, Running Man, Rage, The Long Walk, Pet Sematary, Lawnmower Man -- real page-turners with spare, go-for-the-guts writing (in one tale a marooned man eats parts of himself).

But I bailed out on Bag of Bones and Insomnia, for the same reasons -- garrulous and self-indulgent story-telling (almost nothing happens in 200 pages), stupid cultural references, unnecessary similes and metaphors, clumsy, childish writing that makes me want to edit every other sentence...it makes me ask, does everything King writes automatically get published? Does he have a good editor sometimes and no editor other times? How can such vast gaps in quality come from the same brain?

Insomnia features boring things happening to boring people explained in excruciating detail -- and not even that new or interesting: people see auras, there are little aliens with stupid names, not nearly as complex as the ones in his book about little gray men. The writing seemed to get worse the farther I went, until I gave up.

This review relates to the limited edition from Mark Ziesing.
This version of the book is definitely worth investing in. The oversized book comes in a beautiful slipcase. The book itself is printed on heavy paperstock, has a smythsewn binding(for a lot longer durability) and contains severel color illustrations by Phil Hale. The book is not signed, but who cares, when everything else is topnotch!!! The 3 stars are given for the story which is not SK's best. Should i only rate the production of the book, it would get 5 stars!!!!

"Hey, hey Susan Day how many kids have you killed today?" Once again, another somewhat bone chilling book by Stephen King. This book is an absolute page turner, even on the more `boring' pages because you wait for something interesting to happen and when it does, you just can't put the book down! Some parts in this book are hard to catch on to at times. It's almost like a good movie where if you blink then you miss an important part of it. So, you want to pay more attention to the smaller things to add up the bigger things when they come around.

I could connect with Ralph, the main character who has insomnia, because I also have insomnia. Shortly after the doctor had told me that I had insomnia I thought I could research it to find out more about it. As we all know, researching does get a bit boring. So, instead I chose to read semi-non-fiction or fully non-fiction books on insomnia. And when I was at the book store I had knocked over a book and when I went to go pick it up I found that it was about insomnia. (I know creepy coincidence). So I thought it would be the perfect book for me.

This is the perfect genre for me, because I can concentrate on other genre's I get lost and it starts to get confusing to me. This book is just about the perfect book it has mystery, horror, and a little bit of oddity all in one. Although I did like this book, I wouldn't suggest it to anyone who is below the 7th grade for 3 reasons. One, some of the language is vulgar. Two, it might be hard for some people to catch onto at first. Three, It is an awful big book; unless you enjoy reading I wouldn't exactly select this book if I was that age.

Some book information:

From politics, escaped feelings, to escaped thoughts, you can't help but pick up a Stephen King book and not enjoy it. This is by far my favorite book of all time, I would highly suggest it. Stephen King has an amazing way of writing he knows how to put everything together just right. Although the book Insomnia takes about 200 pages before something interesting starts up you get into the book so quickly you don't even notice it. This book has just about the perfect setting, it is 663 pages long, and so it is a bigger book, all the better reason to open your mind to new and exciting things though.

Enjoy!

Stephen King usually tends to write more graphic or horror filled novels. This was extremely suspenseful, but the gory descriptions were kept to a minimum. The story had a good flow to it. There were no parts that felt too long or that dragged on. I especially liked that the book had a distinct ending. If you like a good suspenseful read this is for you!

There are many people for whom the book "Insomnia" will serve as a cure for the titular condition. It's an 800 page book that takes about 150 pages to start making sense -- the first quarter of the book is all strange goings-on with no exposition.
Our hero, an old man with a dying wife, begins loosing sleep and (he thinks) hallucinating. He can see auras around people, fields of light that change according to their mood and health and terminate in a long "balloon-string," their soul. And if that's not strange enough, he starts seeing three little bald men dressed as surgeons, who go around snipping people's strings.
It's all very psychedelic and intriguing, but I can see someone giving up on the book before it really gets rolling. Which would be a shame, because the plot kicks in around page 150 and it's a heck of a ride, all the more enjoyable if you don't know what's coming.
Suffice to say that this is the multiverse-hopping, cosmic guru King of The Stand and It, not the bare-bones King of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon and Running Man (I like 'em both, if you were wondering). Insomnia is actually a better read than both The Stand and It, because it is more closely tied into the world as we know it. Most importantly, the characters are complex and believable, truly people worth knowing.
So if you've got the attention span and the physical strength to lift this book, definitely pick it up. It's a stone trip.

This would have been a fabulous book except for the fact that the beginning ( although it is setting the plot somewhat ) has very little appeal because it is so L-O-N-G and non-complacent with the mood of the rest of the book. The overrall effect I get from this book is deeply satisfying, but the foreshadowing of the characters is way too extensive, it could have been half as long. Stephen King is in my opinion the best author around, but my favorite is still Salem's Lot. It was SHORT AND SWEET.

I have read a lot of Stephen King's books. The Stand being one of my favourites, I am not averse to reading hundreds of pages. But those pages should mean something. There are bad writers with good stories, and good writers with bad ones, but in this disaster, the writing and the story are both horrendous. Stephen King is a good writer, but when he repeats a single line over 50 times ("long road to Eden", "done bun can't be undone") during the course of the book, it begins to grate on your nerves. Also character development is one of King's strongest suits. I believe his ability to richly define believable yet amazingly interesting characters, is one of the reasons for his success. But in this case, the characters are simply annoying. They are more spectators than participants in this Novella. Oh they have thoughts, and lots of them friends and neighbours, but it's the action they are lacking. Ralph Roberts is the only man I know who doubts everything he thinks, and I mean everything. He has the ability to imagine every possible outcome of any scenario, and Stephen King makes us read every one of them.
And Louis, "Our Louis"..."Oh Ralph....Oh Ralph...let's fight, we must save people...", "Oh Ralph...Oh Ralph...Let's get out of here....I am too scared....", "Oh Ralph...". WTF.
If King thinks, that old people are so indecisive, weak, annoying and uninteresting, then he is an ageist.
To prospective readers: Please do not judge King by this book alone. He is very gifted. Please read "The Stand", "It", "Dead Zone"...and any other book but this one.

I have read Stephen King books before, but I have to say, "wow." This book was intense. I had the hardcover, bigprint version so the pages felt like they flowed faster, but even that can't account for the amazing style of King. True, there was more fantasy than horror, but believe me, it was good thing! This book offers a well-deserved rest from some the harder hitting SK novels. 800 pages was a little too much, and to me, the best, most beautifully twisted part of this book was within the last 200 pages. That said, I can still relate and see why King made a long book once again: This kind of story deserves something more than your average short story or novel. This story goes beyond horror, and talks of the idea of an "alternate reality", a hidden city existing within Derry, where the auras of people give away their inner thoughts, and their lifeline hangs delicately above them in the form of a balloon string. I must stop there, for there is much to be discovered in the world of Derry and the secret city existing within it. Like all SK, this book gets twisted, yet all comes back together in the end as any great, complex plot must always do. I highly recommend this book, but a few warnings: be ready for a lengthy novel, be reading for some mind-altering fantasy, and be ready to never sleep again...Welcome to Insomnia.
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I have listened to the unabridged audio read by Eli Wallach 6 times. I keep finding more answers and more questions. I wish there was a companion to this novel delving more into what was going on with the other insomniacs besides Ralph. What was Ed doing and how did Lois cope and Joe ? I still am disappointed in the Crimson King I wanted a bit more of a payoff after almost 15 hours of listening. I would love to correspond with others that found bits and pieces worth passing on ..

Stephen King has a knack for taking seemingly mundane and ordinary objects (cars, dogs, menstruation, etc.) and transforming them into vehicles of pure, chilling horror. At other times he floats into the realm of fantasy or strict supernatural horror (Dark Tower series, It, Stand, Pet Sematary, The Shining) and succeeds at making the reader believe in the plausibility of the premise while simultaneously scaring us out of our wits. Occasionally, or perhaps I should say rarely, does he fail in either plausibility or chill factor. "Insomnia" is just such a rare book.

The premise itself is great: Ralph Roberts, a man in his twilight years, begins experiencing gradual sleep loss to the point that he begins catching glimpses into another world, a world that those around him cannot see. Soon Ralph uncovers an evil plot begun against the town of Derry, Maine, that is far-reaching and backed by the more sinister powers of his sleep-deprived spirit world. Since Ralph is the only one who can see into this spirit world it is up to him to intercept the threat to the town before a terrible evil is unleashed. As Ralph struggles with what to make of his newfound abilities he also wrestles with the loneliness and pain brought about by his beloved wife's death. Will Ralph be able to overcome his pain? Will he be able to stop the threat against Derry?

The premise of one man's sleep loss allowing him to peer into another world has tremendous possibility for a horrific adventure, but upon reading further one gets the sense that King dictated the story a bit TOO much rather than letting the story dictate itself. Dialogue appears contrived a lot of the time, certain situations have you rolling your eyes in disbelief or boredom, and the story tends to drag in its narration (it's close to 700 pages; 500 would have worked better). Character's moods shift from terrified to syrupy-sweet at the drop of a hat, and there's little in the way of development for pretty much everyone but Ralph Roberts. We get to see Ralph Roberts, and ONLY Ralph Roberts, perform nearly every task of his waking life to the seclusion of all the other major characters. When it ends you are indeed connected with Ralph, but his friends and their personal plights are of little interest to anyone. I love King, and I'll read anything he puts out because he's simply the best there is, but "Insomnia" was overall a huge disappointment.

Below is a rundown of the major points of this book and how they rank. (10=Excellent; 1=Awful)
1. Dialogue - 5. Felt contrived and silly a lot of the time.
2. Pacing & Action - 4. Very unevenly paced. Could have been shortened and would have had a better effect. Action takes a long time in coming.
3. Narration - 8. I haven't really read a King book yet where his narration wasn't on the money.
4. Scare & Suspense Factor - 5. Few and far between.
5. Character Growth & Likeability - 4. Sole focus is given to Ralph and it severly impedes the rest of the story. Ralph is a likeable protagonist, however.
Throw-This-Against-The-Wall-In-Frustration Rating: 8
Suggested reading BEFORE "Insomnia":
1. Cujo
2. Misery
3. Pet Sematary

Amazing story. Incredible plot line and Eli Wallach did a great job. I kept waiting for him to bust out with a line from The Good the Bad and the Ugly. Only one bad thing about this audio book...the music was sometimes too loud and obnoxious that it would drown out the narration. Other than that, I loved it.

King expresses his absolute strange, but awesome mind in this novel. But, in the novel, King wasted too much time on the prolife antiabortionist issues and the abortion thing slowed the story down as a whole. Also, with the main character King made the reader feel that he was more like thirty than sixty+. Overall, besides slow, Insomnia is a good book. The little "doctors" portray the three fates and I love the "aura" powers the characters had. Good work.

King has always given his readers a chance to explore him and his novels. He never writes just one kind of book, and this is far from a formula novel. Insomnia had me up until all hours of the night reading, because I liked it. It had a strange and somewhat confusing plot, but for the most part the story enterwined and came full circle, giving you a clear idea of what was going on. It was interesting, and fun. As always King's imagination has gotten the better of his die hard fans. If you were expecting another IT, don't be. Inomnia was absolutly orignal and exciting, and proves once again, King delivers, no matter what he writes, or how he presents it.

I loved this book, I know the feeling of insomnia and the strange thinhs out there. I really enjoyed this novel and felt like I was their with the well rounded characters. Of all the King books this one had to rank in the top 3 or 4, he has so many I love it is hard to say for sure, but definitelty a great read.

I read this book in like, 3 days and finished it yesterday. I really like it. Of course it is not one of Stephen King's best, but it is still very good. The main reason I give this four stars instead of five is because of the ending epilogue, "Winding The Deathwatch" in the last 30+ pages. It would have been better if it were not included. I suggest you should read until that point and draw your own conclusions. Anyways, there are way more pros than cons (there are only a few more flaws that I would like to name, but want to make this review short so I won't) in this novel and I recommend it to Stephen King fans.

P.S. If you want to read more on the Maine town of Derry, check out Stephen King's novel "IT."

Most of Stephen Kings books just scare me s***less( see IT ).So i picked this one up with hesitation. But to me suprise, i couldntstop reading. Sure it has its down sides, but you cant put it down. It is a real change of pace for King, who usually writes horror, not sci fi. He should do it more often. Your probably wondering why i didnt give it 5 stars. I didnt for may reasons, one bieng the ending. It was sad. Another was there were too many hole in the story line.

Insomnia is far from king's best work. It's a huge book that takes alot of revving before the engine kicks over and has alot of confusing happenings at many stages in the book. I do like the ending and how it all comes together in the final chapters but other then that i can't think of anymore positive things to point out. I guess i just didn't really find the story all that interesting. I wouldn't reccomend new fans start with this one.

'Insomnia' is my first Stephen King novel in at least 10 years and, to my surprise, I discovered that I had read it previously when it first came out. Like all Stephen King novels/stories it is written in a style that looks deceptively simple. His prose is rock solid yet easy to read, his characterizations are quite good. Yes, Stephen King is a very talented writer. And he is a good storyteller, ... for the most part. Like in other Stephen King books I've read, 'Insomnia' starts off very nicely. The creepiness of a man who suffers from insomnia and starts to get delusional is nicely felt. However the book takes a left turn midway through and, well, creepiness is replaced with absurdity. The author really needs to tone down the wackiness and, somehow, cut down the length of this book by at least 200 pages. By the end of 'Insomnia' I was bored and relieved it was all over. What a shame!

Bottom line: great premise gets blown apart by King's overactive imagination. Recommended only for the author's many fans.

Stephen King is one of my favourite authors. In fact, other than Tom Clancy and W.E.B. Griffin, he's the only writer who's books I buy without any hesitation. Unfortunately, this was one of the times when it was a mistake to do so. This book was boring, plain and simple. To all you readers out there who have never checked out a King novel, don't start with this one. Try The Stand first. I'll continue to buy Kings books because they're King, but I hope Insomnia was just a fluke.

If you like political diatribes disguised as "fiction", this book is for you. If you think pro-choice Lesbians are all unsung heroes and pro-life activists are all raving, wife beating control freaks, this book is for you. If you want to slog through hundreds of pages of "Goodliness is admirable but Godliness is vile", then this book is for you. If you are an "openminded" liberal who believes that perpetuating ugly stereotypes about conservatives is an honorable mission, then you have hit paydirt.
If, however, you were expecting a book with interesting characters, intriguing situations and thoughtful contemplation of different ideas and motivations, then skip this and try something else. This book is an insult to serious readers and a 600+ page tribute to smug, self congratulating humanists.
Before purchasing, you might want to sleep on it.

You would think that a novel titled 'Insomnia' would at least keep you up at night reading or be maybe even a little exciting. Nope. This book drags you along tediously through it's neverending pages. The characters are always wandering about in such a state of confusion and bewilderment, that you begin to wonder if even King knows wheres he's going with the bizarre plot.

When I first read the description of the book, I thought it would be something classic and frighening like I've seen King do so many times before. Instead, the only thing mildly unsettling about Insomnia is the thought that you're going to possibly die of boredom before finishing the book. What's sad is that this horribly slow novel is centered around two elderly people. Maybe King was trying to send some kind of message like "old folks are people too," but these characters are given no substance. They're 70 years old, but we're supposed to expect that nothing of interest happened in their lives before the events in 'Insomnia'? My favorite thing about King has always been the intricate web of characters and relationships he spins that create a whole other world. This world of the town Derry is just flat and two-dimensional. I really don't know what else to say.

Now the plot. It never ends. Ever. It keeps trying to lead you on and is always not telling you something. But this gets old about 200 pages in. Eventually you tire of the game of "keep-the-REAL-meaning-of-the-story-away-from-the-reader." I simply cannot get over how flat out, for lack of a better word, BORING this was. Even The Stand held up oh so much better than this.

What starts out as a simple (Stephen King? Simple? Haha) story about a lonely old man, turns into an elaborate and random journey about alternate universes and more hidden religious meanings. King has a wonderful imagination, but this isn't imgination, this just sounds like a bit too much LSD.

The twists and turns become meaningless by the end, making you wonder why you're still reading. Funny enough, that, my dear friends, is probably the only reason I'm giving this 2 stars. Although 'Insomnia' took many weeks, I had to keep coming back to it, even just to see if it would improve slightly. Unfortunately, it didn't.

I love Stephen King. But, I was so hyped on getting this book, then when I read it, I wanted to scream. The story was really nice, but 700 some odd pages is too long for such a boring book. It was too much fantasy for my taste. (Not to say that he has to make everything believable) If you people read my reviews and keep wondering why I down his books so much, it is because King rocks, and I don't want people to read stuff that doesn't help his image any.

Prior to this book's publication, I read a magazine article where King explained during an interview that he was writing a book titled Insomnia. He revealed that he had to abandon his work because the plot was not working out. Mr. King, what on Earth ever made you change your mind? I abandoned your book after page fifty for the very same reason not to mention that it was BORING. A more appropriate title may have done your book better justice -- like SOPORIFIC or SLUMBEROUS.

A must read. There is a masterful interweaving of believable reality and fantacy (which makes more sense than reality itself sometimes) Characters so real and themes so true it almost seems like it could happen. Beautifully written with characters (and their reactions) everyone can empathise with, characters that you feel sorry for when you see the whole picture. A book that deals WITH the whole picture and the small details that are just as importent.

I started on the Norwegian version of Insomnia and I soon learned that this was an extrordonary book. When it seams the end is near you still have som 200 pages to read and then you think can this hold all the way out. It is at that point you know, and truly belive that Mr. Stephen King is a writing genius. It has a really good storry, and if you are free minded, the storry could even be reliable.
I'm a beliver of Auras
Morten Johan Henriksen

Alright. King is the man. No question he is one of the top storytellers of his generation. This book starts off a little slow, as some King novels tend to do, but stick with it until you get to the little bald doctors, then it wont leave your hands for any reason. You will lose sleep at the point, trying to finish the story to see how such a story could possibly end. And the ending(especially for anyone who has read the DARK TOWER series by King) brings a bittersweet conclusion that will almost make you cry. The development of characters and all of the other literary areas one could critique are all used as well as possible, which King is great at. It is a little long, but I love the feeling you get when you finish a book like this. Its just great.

I love the book! I love how it ties many books together at once. My only issue is with the audible recording. The narrator is just fine and tells the story, but the music during the story is not only irritating, but covers the narrator quite frequently. It really detracts from the whole experience.

Insomnia's main character, Ralph Roberts, is suffering from increasingly worse bouts of insomnia, and begins to see fantastical things which turn out to be far from imaginary. Ralph's visions end up placing him in the middle of a battle between good and evil in Stephen King's evil-tinged town of Derry, Maine. I found the concepts and characters delightful and was never bored despite the book's daunting 787-page girth. A must read for horror fans and fans of Stephen King.

Ralph Roberts is a regular guy, except he has insomnia, following the slow death of his beloved wife. After a long time (with plenty of sleepless nights)he begins to see auras around people. Most are healthy looking, others look sickly and deadly. Without knowing it, he has messed in with "long-time business" and is now expected to save over 2,000 pro-abortion protesters from the nice chemist who used to live down the street from him, before he turned into a crazy wife-beater, by two mystical creatures, named Clotho and Lachesis. But the evil 3rd of the creatures, named Atropos (they are named after the Greek mythology characters the Fates)is doing everything to keep Ralph and his "lady-friend", Lois Chasse away from saving the protesters from Ed Deepneau... and his plane loaded with explosives. Once many of the lives are saved, Lois and Ralph are married and live happily until Atropos makes another appearance... and causes the sad, yet refreshing, ending

My sister gave me a beautiful Hardcover edition of Insomnia, that she picked up at a second hand book store, and I read the honkin' (huge!) thing in about 6 days, never putting it down! This is the ultimate ultimate ULTIMATE! This book had so many things tied up in it! I don't even know where to start! The usual Job came into it as it always does, but there were so many parts to it, I can't "sum" it up! This is not a very scary book at all, so if one can get over the hugeness of it, I completely and totally recommend it! The ending was incredibly sad, but also a little disturbing, I'm not sure I understand it completely......

I just loved Insomnia! I have read it 3 times, with the last time this past week. Like It and Needful Things this book draws me to it when I have not yet gotten a new book to read. I think people didn't like this book because it went on and on and nothing really considered "Horror" happens. The book has a lot to do with the supernatural though. I feel it challenges you to think more than a book like Salem's Lot. I thought the characters were wonderful. I love the way he makes references to things and people from It. I really feel like Derry is a real place and I know the people that live there. I would recommend this book to anybody who doesn't mind reading the groundwork of a good story. Besides, what kind of Stephen King novel doesn't run on a little bit; isn't that what keeps us coming back?

a man is tormented by insomnia. some anti-abortion movement seem to be growing. the man starts seeing things. becoming aware of other things. something is about to happen. an enemy having no part in nature is making its move. something needs help. but what's the plan of this enemy? the plot here is great, SK's writing style professional, and the descriptions are among his very best. a lot of suspence. some very good details. interesting plot. carries out nicely.

You must weed through a lot of events at the beginning of this book pretty much before you have true sympathy for the main characters which is hard. Its much easier to read when you care about what youre reading. I have found this book to be better the second time around. I waited a year between readings and it was awesome the second time. Its very involved with the Dark Tower series. This will be a plus for a lot of people. I really love the descriptions in this book. The characters are great but i like the descriptions of auras, the death bags, and balloon strings. Its just so awesome and vivid. It made me want to see it for myself. Actually, those descriptions did make me see it for myself.

The story starts out a little on the sluggish side but you soon realize that it is necessary as King establishes realistic characters. This fantastic story takes the common disorder of Insomnia and puts a twist on it that few people would ever think of.....that is why Stephen King is a one of a kind writer. There are parts of this story that are somewhat confusing but I promise you that the ending will clear everything up....at least, it did for me. This is not a short-read but at book's end it is definitely satisfying when you finish it.

This is one of those books that you either like or you don't like. Personally I LOVED the book. I couldn't get enough of the imaginitive, new age look King was placing into this story. It kept me thinking during and well after I read the 700ish page book. And it is still worth the re-read after three years of having the book. If you like the "Eyes of the Dragon" King then you will Love Insomnia.

It was a wonderful change from the norm of Stephen King; it's right up there with The Tommyknockers as one of King's best works. It makes you think and leaves you with a feeling of awe at Mr. King's prolific talent. It is not horror; it is not gore; it is a simple, well-told story of recapturing youth and innocence. King has gradually advanced from master of the shocking to now being a masterful storyteller.

I am not a huge fan of reading. But Stephen King's book Insomnia was totally different. I was expecting a boring and uneventful book judging by the back cover and what not. But once I got some what deep into this book. I knew it was something special.

Stephen King has some of the best word choice I have read in a long time. He really knows how to paint a very unique and descriptive picture in your mind. I think that this man has a one of a kind gift. I might not have read very many books but I know a good one when I read it. He writes about things you would only think possible in dreams. How he thinks of his plots and ideas I can't understand. Like he starts losing sleep and it becomes worse and worse each night. And then he starts seeing colors around people which determine there mood they are in. And then he suspects these men that look like doctors but their faces have like no expressions are killing people. I don't think that there is any other author like him. At first this book started off kind of slow. But once I got to about the 5 chapter it totally took of instantly. It was a book that totally kept catching me off guard. He writes in a way that you think you know what's going to happen next then all of a sudden...BAM! Something totally crazy and new! Well in conclusion I think that if you like something that's not in the ordinary and is really intriguing and wont put you to sleep I would suggest this book. It has action, love, and fantasy and bundled up into one very unique and great book!

Yes, this is a long book. Don't care though - I enjoyed it. I was VERY late reading it but am glad I finally got around to it. It also (towards the very end) reminded me how much I want to read the rest of the books in the Dark Tower series. Someone wrote that you have to give the book a chance to get going (the first 150pp). I don't remember that being a problem but agree that once things get going they really just take off and don't let up - at all. King - you are still the master!

I felt compelled to review this book. This is one of my favorite stories of all time, from any author. I don't really understand reviewers who are disappointed because this isn't "typical King." What would typical King be? Those of us who have been lifelong readers of Stephen King understand that there is no typical Stephen King story. He has given us such diverse gems as The Eyes of the Dragon, Christine, The Green Mile, and The Langoliers. For me this book was no harder to get into than The Dark Tower or The Talisman. I know one thing from reading his stories - it is ALWAYS worth the effort. Insomnia is no exception. In my opinion, this is his most imaginative tale of all. The character development is incredibly deep and true, and the way all loose threads are tied up in the end is absolutely amazing. I think those expecting "typical King" have watched one too many screen adaptations of his early work. Just take the ride - you won't be disappointed!

If you want to read a good book from Stephen King, do not pick Insomnia. This is not one of Stephen King's best book that he has published. The story takes place in a small town in Maine called Derry. Ralph Roberts is the main character in the book. Ralph suffers from insomnia after his wife dead of cancer throughout her whole body. That was the best part in the book because it kept my attention with the details he added during whole time while she was dying and what she had went through. Stephen King had a good point when he said "that every human being has a death watch in their head." Nobody knows when it will stop ticking. But then after her death, the story went down hill. Stephen King just dragged on the rest the story plot. There was lack of details in the chapters. Ralph was the only character that was talk about in any kind of details was is was still not enough to capture the moment. During the story, one little scene that would take so long to end I would forgot what started this scene. Then you have to go back and read it again to keep up the boring plot. I could not wait until a chapter was done thinking the next one would not be as bad as the previous one. I was wrong. They just kept getting worst and worst. Of course, this book has to be 663 pages long. On the cover of the book, it reads #1 bestseller and that must be a misprint. They have to be people like me that are very disappointed with this book after reading it. If you like to read a book that puts you to sleep I've got the one for you. Russ

Simon and Schuster Audio, what were you thinking with the production of this book?! The intermittent music is not only extremely irritating, but so loud that it drowns out the narrator! Otherwise, I'm really enjoying the book.

Insomnia is a gripping tale of two ordinary people who share an extra-ordinary experience.
Ralph Roberts and Lois Chasse have both been suffering from insomnia. What makes this experience unique is that their insomnia becomes a catalyst, enabling them to not just see, but also briefly become part of a whole other realm of existence. They discover a world of auras where 3 'Little Bald Doctors' are the emisaries of death.
They soon learn that their new power comes at a price. Something terrible is going to happen in their hometown of Derry and only they can stop it.
That Stephen King chose to make his protagonists senior citizens is refreshing. This story challenges the idea of heroism being a young man's game.
Don't let the length of the book put you off. This is an engaging, well crafted tale that is worth reading.

The books plot deals with mankind's fight for survival. King uses the subject of abortion as the epicenter. This symbolism is there if you want it. If you don't what you get is an amazing story about a man named Ralph Roberts who is realizing that the world has moved on. As a Dark Tower junkie this is about as good as it gets.

First, I am shocked to see such bad reviews on this book!

This was absolutely a great read! I started this book off by listening to the audio tape I downloaded offline & I followed along in my book. Something about the readers voice really brought this story alive for me. I strongly recommend listening to the audio tape if you dont have the attention span or have problems getting into it.

This was my first Stephen King novel I've read & definitely wont be my last! He is such a fantastic writer I now understand why he has such die hard fans! The descriptions give great snap shots I got lost in this book, I felt like I really got to know the characters. I was sad that the story was over. You will definitely get insomnia staying up late reading this book! I strongly recommend this book & I cant wait to get Bag of Bones in the mail so I can start reading !!

Insomnia was Stephen King's first book I read. After that, I also read The Stand, Needfull Things, Rose Madder, Eyes of the Dragon, Thinner, Desperation and some others. I still think, that Insomnia is his best book. Especially because of the combination of paranomal stuff (you know, aura's and so) with his own fantasies. So everybody who's interested in such things should read this book! Arnout Lie.

I agree with the reader who believes the reason people didn't like this book is because they are not familiar with the Dark Tower series. But I have read that series (and I love all of the books), but it still took me almost three weeks to read this book. I usually finish a book I like within a matter of days. The only part I really like about this book was the way it tied into the DT series.

See what insomnia has has done to Ralph. Then see what "Insomnia" will do to you as you catch a glimpse of a dark world beyond the perception of ordinary men. "Insomnia" takes you to the astral world where life and death hangs by a thread and only three spectral "doctors" determine man's fate. And an ultimate evil entity plans to gather souls and destroy mankind!!!

King never fails to amaze me with his ideas and the way he developes a story. Insomnia. an existing phenomena (I wouldn't call it an illness) that most people would have experienced in certain stages of their lives, was used to weave this spellbinding story. King could really describe the frustration of not getting the amount of sleep one is supposed to get after a long hard day...the feeling that somebody is cheating you of your right to rest. I could identify with the panic and anger as I lay awake some nights, tossing and turning in bed. I especially liked how King uses auras to represent different states of emotions and how a person's life is decided by the three little bald doctors that serves the Random and the Purpose. People die everyday, some with reasons, some without and King gave me a deeper insight into the latter.

If you are reading this review and thinking about getting this book, let me tell you, just stop. Don't buy it, don't borrow it, don't rent it from the library, let it sit on the shelves in the shame it deserves. I don't know where this came from, but it needs to go back. I'm embarassed by the fact that Stephen King let this go into print for his dedicated readers to buy. I did not get Insomnia from this novel, in fact, I fell asleep trying to get through the exhaustable plot. The two main characters are frankly boring, and unrelatable to his main audience. The conclusion was rushed, the "bad guy" was not there long enough to be "terrifying" and the only real enjoyment I got from the novel was the little bald guys, yeah, even the evil one. Insomnia was disgraceful, and don't worry about reading it unless you need something to put you to sleep besides nyquil.

I loved everything about this book. When the main character starts tripping out when hes first getting insomnia was soo funny, I was right there with him seeing a bunch of weird things. The little bald doctors, the whole bit. The story was interesting, funny, a little spooky at times, overall just darn right great. Very well written and one of my new favorite Stephen King books.

One of King's best books! Clearly he is the master of horror and knows what he is doing. So good I actually believed I was getting insomnia myself until I realized it was King's writing that kept me reading so I could find out what was going to happen to Ralph and the little men who cut the auras of animals and dogs. Great book and a must for any one who claims to be a King fan!!!

Perhaps this otherwise wonderful author was in a creative slump. Perhaps he used "INSOMNIA" as a vessel to express his blatantly liberal views.
King makes Pro-Life supporters out to be maniacal, wife-beating, mentally unstable nutjobs who will go to homicidal extremes to prove a point. I found this offensive, and I am usually open-minded when it comes to poking fun at certain groups (even those I support, and the pro-life "movement" happens to be one of them). King goes too far, however. His political views are so shamefully displayed here it almost makes you cringe....at one point, King brings up the useless topic of the Bill Clinton administration (no offense to Democrats...but what place do these subjects have in a Horror novel?), and adds on to this pointlessness in writing that the main character thought "he was doing a pretty good job." Stephen, what were you thinking? You're a liberal...we get it. Don't exploit your gift to rub it in out faces.
As for the story itself, King also misses the mark. The plot -- when it decides to show up (we're talking RARE OCCASIONS here, folks) -- is a decent one, but it is truly amazing how much King goes on and on and on and on and on about the most insignificant things, or at least things I personally don't care about.
The wordy text causes one to miss obscure plotpoints -- towards the end, Ralph (the lead character) must cut a gash in his forearm to make some sort of a deal with those on the "higher level" -- does anybody have the foggiest what this was about? There were many moments in the storyline similar to this...things that make you go "huh! "
Plain and simple, INSOMNIA just doesn't keep the reader interested. It starts off as a very interesting, quirky tale which is offbeat and enjoyable. And then Mr. King ruins it by dragging out the most pointless of monologues (dealing with little things in Ralph's daily life which King found interesting, but I, for some reason, did not) that seem to go on forever.
You feel physically tired after finishing the book -- the plot developments seem lethargic, and very slow and in many cases over-complicated.
In conclusion, this is an overlong, BORING book which fails to keep the reader hooked. Avoid it like the plague.

to be able to read a book that (I must admit) does take a while to really get going. It is valuable, though, if you are a Dark Tower Junkie. It has priceless information and a facinating mind-reading scene. I enjoyed it, but it took me a while to really start...enjoying it. Please don't throw it at the wall if you are bored out of your mind, because it does get better. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Patience is a virtue.

May be King had a contract to respect. The idea was not bad, the slowly beginning is very involving, U feel sleep but U can't sleep. Stop to read when Ed sees the "doctors" coming out from neighbour's door.
If U want it, buy the inexpensive version.
It's not a too hard response ( I think King is one of the best writers of the world, but he can misspell too)

I definitely enjoyed this story. It was weird but in a good way. The story was interesting and because it was unpredictable, it kept me reading. King has his good books and his bad books; this one I would say is a good one.

When I selected this book to read I was expecting a typical King novel, but was pleasantly surprised to find a book on a completely different level. It is one of a few books that actually made me cry at the end. I intend to reread it often just to remind myself that things happen for a reason and that every choice you make in life has a consequence, be it good or bad.

Insomnia is a great read. The characters are interesting and involving. Also includes great use of some Stephen Dobyns poems, I liked them so much I bought Dobyns "Cemetary Nights". I also liked the novelty of an elderly man as the hero in this book. This is King at his best, entertaining and some horror. There are also some ties to the Dark Tower in here.

I respect most of Stephen Kings work but I did not enjoy reading Insomnia. He draged the story along with a few good ideas but for the most part it was a chore to read. In my opinion one bad point that stood out the most was that there were too many liberal minded characters voicing their opinion when it was really unecessary. It looked to me like Mr. King was using his story to get certain political beliefs into the minds of his readers. Another annoying apect of the book was how trite the characters dialouge could be at times. There were a lot of predictable moments that spoiled the little suspense the novel offered.
One highlight of the book was at the end of the story when the main character (his name slips my mind) faces one of the best villians ever emagined. Taking this into consideration I gave this book 2 stars.

Hands down the very best book for someone that suffers the affliction, though it definately won't help you sleep. It is also IMHO King's very best book and the only one I've ever read more than once. Also the only one I would ever suggest as a worthwhile way of spending time. Especially at 4 am.

I just wanted to say that you really need to read the Dark Tower books before you get to this one. If you don't read these books (The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard in Glass) or at least one or two, you just won't have a clue what's going on and you'll think it's boring and you'll give up. If you see this book as what it is, namely a big bunch of exposition into the inner workings of the Dark Tower series, it will be compelling and the end will make you cry (at least, I did). Just a hint from a huge fan.

With most of Mr. King's books being horribly bloody and graphic, this book was a refreshing change. The length may put some people off, but if you loved the book, as I did, you are glad it is so long; you don't want it to end! Also, the characters are among the most developed that King has created in years. Insomnia is a wonderful story, and a fast read

Overall, I enjoyed the book. ( like I do most of King's ) It was a little less "on the edge of your seat" than others I had read by him, but none the less, stimulating. I liked the supernatural elements in this book also. King seems to put these into the majority of his works, and they definitely add flavor. A 8 on my scale. Happy reading

Yes, it's in Derry, Maine.
Yes, it's a mystery.
Yes, it's a love story. (Maybe that should be YIKES, it's a love story.)
Yes, it's gory in places.
Yes, it's very confusing at times..
BUT
It has a beautiful Metaphysical component. The Universe giggles at our concept of Good and Evil. REAL Evil can still be defeated by Pure-Sincere Good.

I appreciated the theme without the discussion of religion! The Higher Power is just that.

Insomnia is one of the greatest stories ever told by King. However, his usual shot in the arm approach to writing a story is swapped for the seemingly gradual progression that this book follows. His characters are almost _too_ real. You find yourself growing attached to the characters the way you wouldn't in most of his other books. A triumph for King

Old Ralph the hero of this novel is a terrific character. He's the kind of man you'd want for a granfather. When the action finally takes off---it takes a long, long time to do so--you will care what happens to him and his love, the feisty Lois. The book is too long and at times it seems more like a literary experiment than a fully worked out novel.

Although Insomnia is not a very fast read, it is well worth the time that is required to get through it. The characters are so real that you may question whether those earrings you lost ended up in the hands of Atropos. If read with an open mind, this book will tap into the imagination and open doors to the possibility of existence beyond our 'plane'.

I liked this book the first time I read it -- WHEN IT WAS CALLED "THE DEAD ZONE". Really, the "innocent-psychic-stumbling-upon-political-assassination-plot" storyline was interesting once, but not twice. King writes too much, and it's no wonder he has the reputation (in some quarters) as a verbose [writer]; and this self-plagarizing, recycled piece of rambling nonsense backs that accusation up in spades....

This novel falls just short of average. It really doesn't challenge the reader in any facet of original thought, and the characters are interminably dull. I did not choose to finish after about 600 pages, so I'm still not sure how it ends, although the plot became rather predictable at that point so I have a good idea of what happens, I just failed to care by page 600. It is annoying to invest time to read 600 pages only to finally make the decision that I just didn't care enough about any of the characters to warrant reading any further. The dialogue between the characters is contrived, and worse, the characters do not seem distinctive. They all act, think, and talk similarly so the whole town kind of dissolves into one old, boring morass. There is also some relatively lame science fiction, laser powers shooting out of people's hands, which is just tired. I would suggest looking elswhere for entertainment -- at least this book didn't do it for me.

If you have trouble sleeping, get this book! It'll knock you out in no time. Yes, Stephen King succeeded in writing the most boring book in his career. If you manage to get through the first 200 lid-drooping pages, you will be disappointed, because it just keeps getting more boring with each subsequent page. Makes you yearn for the days of book-burnings.

This is a book that I quickly read. I seriously couldn't put this book down. The story is about a widower who begins to see things that the normal person does not see. It is up to him and his friend Lois to stop something terrible from happening.

That's all that I will say from the story. This novel, I think was also a bit of a political statement. If not, it was still a fun read!

This was my first King book to read, and I was very surprised. I had expected a scary, nightmare inducing read, but this was amazing. It was spooky (I wouldn't say scary,) mysterious, and heartwarming. You cannot help but fall in love with the characters throughout this 780 pg. book. I read some reviews about a slow start, but I have to disagree. I thought it was an excellent way to set the stage for the highly imaginitive plot that was to unfold. I would love to read another book with the same characters! If anyone can recommend a Stephen King book that comes anywhere near to the plot or the writing style in Insomnia, please email!

The first time I read Insomnia I was a young teen, since then I have read it at least four more times. No matter how many times I read it I always get lost in the excellently descriptive narrative. This story brings up feelings of excitement and adventure. I have enjoyed many works by Stephen King, and this one is one of the best.

At first when I was reading this book I wasnt sure what to expect with it. I thought the story was sooooooo slow and a little boring... Then it started to pick up and I just couldnt put it down. It was soo great. I really liked how things kinda ame together at the end there. The characters are all well written and its just a great story with soo much going on.
I really liked the descrition when the main character would go another level higher and sees all the auras and stuff, I thought it was great !!!!

This book is very good but it is also very controversial. I am sure Kings publishers did not want him to publish. It was never really reviewed much, not very many papers or critics recommended it...why? Because it is about ABORTION. It is a clear and intelligent book about a subject everyone wants to steer clear from. I recommened it because it gets you thinking.

not a truly terrible book because it has some interesting ideas, but mostly it had way too many boring parts to be truly enjoyable. stephen king has definetely done much better. on reading past reviews of the book i see that a lot of people are suggesting one reads 'the dark tower' series to truly get the most from 'insomnia', and well, i actually haven't read them, so...

Insomnia is a book that will keep you up half the night reading and marveling over this example of one of King's best works ever! If you have never read a Stephen King book and are thinking of reading one, this makes for an excellent choice. I suggest this book to King fans and soon to be King fans alike! Great job Stephen!

i like sci-fi books. i do not know what posessed me to read this book, but was it worth it. the beginning parts of the book at character development and story but once Ralph starts seeing some strange things, the book kicks into high gear and gets REALLY GOOD! i couldnt put it down. i think i ended up reading half of the entire book in 2 days. By the end of the book, i was so sad that it was ending, and it has a terribly sad ending, that i was actually crying. Please, if you like sci-fi thrillers, please please PLEASE read this book.

I honestly wasn't expecting much of this book, but I was delighted to find it took place in Derry (Those of you who read IT know what I'm taking about). Insomina has believable characters although the story of couse, is a bit far fetched. This is a good rainy day book. You'll like it a lot better if you read IT first.

I have read this book and I wonder if it is the same Stephen King who wrote The Tommyknockers or It, which I really enjoy. I totally agree with the criticisms written in this review and I don't understand how people can rate it with 5 stars... Maybe Stephen's got a big family!
Sorry for my poor English, I'm French!

I've been a Stephen King fan since the late 80's, starting with the Dark Tower series. I stopped reading his books after the long delay in the fourth book. Over the past couple of years, I have re-read all of the Tower books, and many others. I wouldn't call this his best by any means, but I do love how so many of his books tie together in one way or another. This book is a little slow, but if you are a fan, how can you not read it?

I have to say this is probably my favorite Stephen King novel. I couldn't put this one down. It was chilling and suspenseful. It's not often I read a novel more than once, this one I've read twice. And once it's available on the Kindle I will read it again. I would highly suggest any avid Stephen King lover read this book. One of his best works!!

I really do not understand why so many people have given this book such negative reviews.
The main character is lovable and easy to identify with although part of the senior community, this story drew me and kept me turning the pages. The story has so many things to contiplate, growing old, abortion rights,woman's rights, and how we handle death.
For king fans it is easy to pick out refrences to some of his other works, especially the tie in to the Dark Tower series.
Unlike others I found this a quick read, often finding myself compelled to read just one more page, but unable to stop there.

I usually read Stephen King for his interesting ideas and imagery and expect his books to read fast and well. I've read three previous King books that have had the occasional long passages with overstated depictions of horror, doom, and grotesquery in order to immerse his readers into the tone of his story. This one takes the cake because what is meant to read as terror and horror is really ridiculous and unimaginative. And this is exactly what "Insomnia" is. This isn't a spoiler, just the author's note: at the end of the book we read Sep. 10, 1990- Nov 10, 1993- three years in which King took to write this book. Three years which were evidently wasted.

The other King books I've read were engrossing for their characterizations and character identification. "Insomnia's" Ralph Roberts is certainly a character the reader could identify with. He is strong, kind, has traditional gentlemanly views on aiding women in distress and regards them as beautiful and respectable. His counterpart Lois Chasse doesn't come across as identifiable. Instead she serves as a secondary character who has no real flair or identity other than being in love with Ralph. King doesn't usually do that with his secondary characters. Other characters with much smaller roles in this book come across as real and identifiable, like Ed and Helen Deepenau, the three bald doctors, and Ralph's numerous confidantes.

Then there's the whole abortion mess. This central political issue crumbles midway thru and seems to serve no purpose at all in the story. Though King does provide an interesting and seemingly objective commentary on the issue via Detective Leydecker (albeit with a tranparently pro-choice slant), it serves no relevance to the theme of the story but just hangs there on display used for no more than a story device.

I gave the book two stars because I am an aspiring writer and reading this provided me with some of the devices that are important to utilize as part of a writer's arsenal. The devices were obvious and all thru the reading I asked myself, 'How is King going to get through this?' His weapon of choice was most often Ralph Robert's narration (via third person) that analyzed the events of the story and interpreted its meaning and significance. It seemed whenever King was in trouble in the story, he would use Ralph as his solution and let him think it out and guide it for him. This is a useful tool for a beginning writer, but King used it as a crutch to tell a story that had no pulse from the beginning.

One last thing, the villians just don't work. They are not frightening, they are not demonic, they are not vicious or malign. Three little bald doctors with scalpels and scissors? Their defining characteristics are being small and bald- does that really frighten anyone? The real villian among them dances around and jump ropes to reveal his evil madness. Then there's the Crimson King, the evil supernatural mastermind we read about from page 100 who finally enters the story on page 550 as a Catfish in one of the most terrible, anti-climactic scenes ever rendered. I rest my case.

I just wanted to say that the people that did not like or understand this book probably have either not read, or didn't like the Dark Tower series. Yes it was long and you have to realize that the entire book was a set up for something very important that will happen later in the Dark Tower series. This book is absolutely essential reading to any fan of the Dark Tower series as it goes more in depth as to the nature of the Tower than even the Dark Tower books do. Everything else in the story is just filler as far as I'm concerned.
And remember, all things serve the beam (and all of King's books are tied to the Tower).

It's only surprising how many of King's fans seem to like this one, which, in my opinion, is nearly garbage. The idea is great. I love it. I wish he'd taken his time and written a better novel about it. Instead, there is this garbagesqueness -- great idea, but terrible, terrible execution. The characters are wooden and forgettable, except the dead wife; but oh, she's not around anymore, is she? King's description of how elderly people talk and act is laughably bad here -- of course, it's what ruined his Green Mile series, as well. And the predictable plot is intriguing only because of the ideas lurking beneath it. Again and again, I found myself wishing he'd approached this material from a different perspective. Or just waited a year or two to do it right.

The writing itself is bad. Cliches, trite dialogue, poorly written transitions. Pages that stall and stall until the opposite of Insomnia is achieved: we're being put to sleep by all the utter nonsense that we've read (and not liked) in a hundred books before this ... and now here it is again?!

And no, I am not usually one of King's critics, but I do have to call his bad books for what they are. And this is a terrible book. And I think if you asked him, and he responded honestly, even he would admit that this is one of the ones he could've done a better job on.

But the underlying ideas!

Insomnia might make a great movie someday (probably in the works as we speak). But I wouldn't buy it, if I were you.

A very strange story involving death, mythology, and little colored ribbons. It really reads like a childrens book with lots of fantastic characters and colorful dialog. However it is just too long and the fantasy wears out after a while.
I recommend the unabridged audio version, you'll get through it quicker and probably enjoy it more overall.

What a great introduction to the idea that an old man has got the 'gift' and can see people who are loosing their souls...

... just goes banal just more than half way through to the point where you need to be a Dark Tower fan, big time, to like it. If you read Black House and liked that (because you are a Dark Tower series fan, and you read The Talisman) then Insominia has all that some other-worldy stuff that isn't really every King fan's cup of tea.

I am still enjoying the images this book gave me when I first read it almost 20 years ago and now that I am a Reiki healer it is just that creepier. I hope I do not run into the "Doctors" in my journeys. I had no idea it was 800 pages, I just remember being very sad it ended.

Pretty good book, but the ending's not too clear...
What happened to Lois? And I agree with other reviewers that say that in this book characters are well developed... I felt as much home as when I read "The Eyes of the Dragon", my personal favorite. And I loved the supernatural element.

This is the only Stephen King novel I've read so far, and now I am hooked. It is one of the best novels I have ever read. The subtleties of the book are hard to notice at first, so it should be skimmed through more than once. I wonder how King felt writing from the perspective of a 75-year-old man.

This book was great. I actually thought that I knew Ralph and Lois. I knew something was bound to happen with them since they were flittering so much through the whole book practically. Ralph was a really cool guy, and it's too bad that we don't have very many people like him in the world today.

This was the slowest paced of any Stephen King book I have read. The set-up to the traditional King "battle of good and evil" that occurs in the last 100 pages of nearly all his books could have been honed down, sparing the reader 500 pages of one useless waste of time. Dull, dull, dull. Yawn, yawn, yawn. A jolt of Red Bull could barely keep me awake for this ineptly written tale. The story of the mythological three Fates is neither new to modern literature nor particularly interesting as interpreted by King. Although the characters of Ralph and Lois are likeable, their being wrapped up in a mystery they don't understand leads the reader to lose interest quickly. King needed serious editing on this book. It should have had the the pacing of an Alfred Hitchcock film, but instead, King wrote it like Erich Von Stroheim directed it: a tortured and boring development for an idea that didn't merit it. I needed toothpicks to keep my eyelids open for most of it. As for the King fright-o-meter: listening to crickets chirp in the dead of evening is scarier. Watch "Blair Witch" instead. Even THAT was more frightening than this stinker.

I always enjoy King's work, and this is no exception. Suspense, science fiction/fantasy, a love story, and horror rolled into a fast, un-put-downable story. A dash of tears thrown in for good measure. King is a amazing story-teller, and this is no exception.

Loved it.From beginning to end.Page turner.Primary and secondary characters were fascinating.Motivation was strong.New age message was enjoyable."I used to be wise,now I am older and Wiser."Good touch.

I tried, I really, really tried. This is not only the first King book I couldn't finish, but the only book EVER I haven't finished. Reason? I didn't CARE what happened. I didn't CARE what became of the characters, so I never wondered. In most books, (IT, Carrie, Bag of Bones or Koontz's Watchers, Phantoms) I wanted to know what would happen. I cared and felt like I was a part of their lives. Not in this one! This book might actually have been written as a cure for insomnia! Put me right to sleep!

As this was the second book by Stphen King i read (the first beeing bloody, high body count and rather scary "Desperation"). I was rathyer disappointed with this book, as i thought it would be a bloodfest, but later on my mind has grown, and a few weeks back i read it again and i thought that this was a rather exeptioanl work of art. With one of the most original plots i've ever seen (old people cutting ballon strings) he managed to twist it in to an extremely entertaining work, and putting a 70 year old man in the lead was a great twist from the usally young and healthy Heroes

Stephen King is the master of intelligent horror fiction. Insomnia is my favorite of all his books. If you consider yourself a real fan, you don't read his milk-tooth works like Carrie and then say that Insomnia is too long. This is a sensitive, fine-tuned, utterly enjoyable and re-readable masterpiece enmeshed in King's irresistibly interesting world. Long-time fans will enjoy the interconnectednes to other King favorites like The Eyes of The Dragon, The Stand and The Gunslinger series as well as the mysterious and ultimately beautiful and symmetric universe which King's works inhabit.

Long, drawn out, and at times plain boring, this ranks as one of the very few King books I've regretted buying. It's not horror, suspence, drama... anything that you would typically look for in a King book can't be found in this, other than a handful of quasi-interesting characters.

My problem with about half of Stephen King's fiction is that it gets stupid about halfway through. I picked up this mammoth tome with some trepidation, but also with glowing reviews from a few friends of mine. Boy were they WRONG! The plot was interesting (if not dreadfully slow) until ... you guessed it ... about halfway through. Unfortunately, I had invested hours in reading what I had finished and I just couldn't stop. Now I wish I had. Clotho and Lachesis are the two worst characters in contemporary American fiction (and you can quote me on that). Mr. King gets a 2 from me because he kept me reading... but certainly NOT for keeping me interested.

Yes, that's right, if you happen to suffer from insomnia this is the book for you. I got about halfway through it about 9 months ago and it's been sitting on my shelf since then.
Besides starting out slow, it becomes almost rediculously comical in the way the characters get more and more outrageous in their behavior. I realize that Stephen King novels are based on the 'make believe' however, I enjoyed most of his other books' eeriness; Insomnia is just crazy and laughable.
I recommend skipping this one and going on to one of his other good books like The Shining, Misery, or Christine.

Insomnia is the type of book that changes everything and yet everything stays the same. You read and read until you think that you are going blind and then you read again. I loved the characters and the idea of a multi-leveled existence of the universe. Read the book.

I am a long-time Stephen King fan and completely enjoy his down home buildup but after a tremendous amount of back story, he ends up in a little overdone drama. Loved it anyway, some of the imagery is truly gross but i am a fan of the walking dead so i can deal with it. Nobody does it better!

I've been reading Stephen King since I was a young teenager and I have to say this was the least favorite book of his I have ever read. While the plot itself was good (I'm not going rehash it - you can read all about plot in other reviews), there was just way too much detail for everything. It made parts of the book totally boring and unnecessary and there were times I honestly debated just putting the book down and not finishing it. I found myself wishing for the ending to just come already. I have never felt that way about any of his other books. If you're a first time SK reader skip this one and start with IT.

I have read most of Mr. King's books; and it is with all due respect of the man and his great talent that I say this; Insomnia was too long and not that interesting. I'm used to his books reaching out and holding on to my imagination, but, this one didn't do that.

For those Constant Readers that are fans of the Dark Tower series, Insomnia is a good one for you. It is not dependent on the Tower series and you needn't have read the Tower books to enjoy this. But those who have read the series will pick up on a few things here and there... some subtle, some obvious. But do follow the adventures of Ralph Roberts and his sleepless nights as he discovers some of the secrets of life and death. It's not a tale of terror and horror, but in the opinion of this Constant Reader, it is among King's best.

Great concept. Great characters. Great writing (as usual). But sometimes King goes off on tangents just when all I want to do is find out what happens next.... but not 13 pages later. This happens too often in "Insomnia". Trim the fat, Mr. King.

Well I loved this book. I am scratching my head over some of the reviews. I liked the fact that it wasn't too gory because I'm not really into that. I am always attracted to King's fascinating premises but I am not keen on the gross out factor.

This book presents a stunning believable supernatural other world connected to our own. It has an explanation about the way death works.

The characters are very believable.

Unfortunately the begining and middle are so fantastic that the ending comes as an anticlimax but it is still worth reading.

Stephen King is the master of fiction. Insomnia took me for a ride that I won't soon forget. The characters are great; and to this day, when I see a few women pushing baby strollers, I say, "A gossip of women," and laugh as I recall this story. It has been three years since I'd read Insomnia and this is one of the few books that I would consider reading again.

Stephen King is a masterful storyteller and his fleshing out of characters is second to none in my eyes. I am 23 years old, so I can't connect too well with the 70 year old characters and all of their troubles. I did, however, enjoy the depths to which King went to make them feel like real people. The first 200 pages are slow building, but then things start to get a bit strange and the story picks up speed. I liked the ties this story has to the Dark Tower, but it is also a bit misleading in that aspect. Some of the abilities the characters gain and some of the beings they run into aren't mentioned in the Dark Tower (to my knowledge), and the section concerning the Crimson King is somewhat confusing. I would recommend this to any King or Dark Tower fan. It was a good read, but tedious and needlessly confusing at times.

Insomnia started off as a very slow and boring book, so much in fact that I almost put it down. But I forced myself to finish it, and it was great! The only thing is that I dont think that senior citizens regularly swear at each other though. . .

I loved this novel! The idea of the "rope" auras and levels of live differed strongly from King's usual, graphic horror. I found it almost refreshing to have one of his works discourse on the ancient myth of Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos.

Okay, first let me confess that I'm not the typical Steve King fan (is there such a thing?). I read The Stand years ago, and have loved the Dark Tower series, which has led me to start reading some the peripheral Tower books like Insomnia.

I'm glad I read it, even without the Tower connection, I would have liked it. But for you Tower junkies who haven't read it, but are interested in the Tower connections, read pages 461,580, 683, and 728 (this page caught me off-guard and gave me chills). These pages are from the Viking hardcover edition.

Great audiobook except for the shrieking audio.. violin or guitar, can't tell.. much louder than the reading voice so drowning it out or bursting your eardrum. Would have been much better pushed into the background because the idea is good.

This book is simply frustrating. No it is nothing to do with the writing. As usual, King's narrative flows like ice on the glass. Dialogues are very strong and King's unique brand of humor pops up here and there. Characters turn out to be your neighbors you have been seeing around for quite a while...the town's sinister forces are evil -two little bald doctors are evil buuuut

Yes there is but...this story could be simply a gorgeous thing with that kind of eloquent writing and several highly imaginative subplots- but King mischievously holds himself back. This is the frustrating thing. King expertly doles out every and all hints towards a great horror novel but stubbornly leaves it there with a grinning on his face. You feel that King felt where the reader would be dying of wonder and suddenly pulled the reins in the story. The result? If it was a bad book I wouldn't be sorry.

This started in 1991 with funny but overrepetitive Needful Things and culminated its peak in this book, reaching dizzy heights in FBA8-that one (see that review)

Why are you doing this, Mr King? I am not sure if you really hit the wall and start to repeat yourself- Christine and Buick are miles away from each other both are cars (at least in your books models are different, considering Koontz's poor golden retriever reincarnations ) and they could still be two wonderful horror books in two different directions,. Don't tell me you don't read your pal, John Grisham's book. In four out of five books, he tells lawyers and judges and courtrooms. Does anyone object? Why does he not feel stuck inside a court room and go on babbling on the same subject with names of characters being the only thing different?

I am sure you are laughing by yourself or testing the market. If I don't write horror, then where would the horror market go?

Let me tell you: Nowhere. You were the impulse, you were the driving force we love "your horror", not any "horror"

so please don't listen to the critics, high-brows etc listen to your own voice ...please let your next book (seems interesting as usual) be in full throttle without restraining yourself. Dreamcatcher was close, Black House was close Desperation was close but there was always something nagging. I tought you lost it. FB8 proved otherwise. You are deliberatelys holding it.

Anyone who makes me and my stubborn girlfriend read the Gerald's Game, Insomnia and FBA8 read until the last page without skipping anything should be the greatest author- not artistical perhaps not disciplined but a God-born talent.

Please Stephen; I feel there are numerous Shinings, Pet Cemetaries, Christines in your wonderful brain. Please let them go outside.

Thank you in advance.

A constant reader

I've been a Stephen King fan all my life and this one...well it's a letdown. I read it awhile back and only recall being very disappointed. I finished it because I kept hoping it would get better. For those of you who liked it, you must not have read some of his better work, which is just about anything else he's written thus far. It's comforting that, more often than not, he doesn't let his faithful readers down.

"Sleeping Pill" would have been a better title. This hefty lap-crusher is an unbelievable slog, an absolute disappointment from the repetative, meandering start to the drawn out finish. Where, oh where has my Stephen King gone?

How can I not love this book? The protagonists are not young, bouncy characters, but aging people that many may actually overlook in real life. In a way, that makes the "This guy is a bit off" sentiment absolutely credible, but your disbelief is so suspended by King's artful style that you can almost see the grey men walking by you on the street! Trust me, don't read this book to try to go to sleep- the smooth writing style and the intriguing plot will keep you up hours after your alarm clock has announced the new day.

Is this King's best novel? No. Does it soar and sing nonetheless? Absolutely. What separates King from fruitboy horrorhacks like Dean Koontz and John Saul is that extra added dimension that allows us to gaze into American life, i.e. how we view important issues and social situations, our obsession with the material, etc. King is not just our best Horror/Pop Fiction writer, but he is one of our best overall writers within the last thirty years. Period, end of story.

You know that question that goes something like "If you were stuck on a desert island with only one book, what would that book be?"? Well, my answer would be this one, because I wouldn't feel bad when I used it to start a fire. Stephen King was a great writer. Cujo, The Stand... great works of fiction. Insomnia... great example of how you can publish anything with Stephen King's name on it. Do not buy this, do not read this, do not walk too close to it in the bookstore.

As an avid King fan, I've read most of what he has to offer, but this is quite possibly my favorite. Derry, Maine keeps us up late at night once again. Scary, touching, and by turns even funny, King has blown me away on this one.

I haven't read all of King's books, but I have read a lot. Insomnia is definitely my favorite. It's like a familiar movie that you can watch over and over again and not get bored. The colorful "cartoonish" characters really make you use your imagination. For those who said it isn't like his other work, "A good writer varies in content and style to some extent(especially an author of horror stories). If the author writes the same way every time, the stories would get pretty boring and predictable. Maybe you just need to read it again." :)

Mr. King has written another perceptive book. This one regarding the insomnia of the elderly, you would think he either was an insomniac himself or had experienced visual phenomena himself, hallucinations, things that go bump in the night.

If you are like me, and do not even consider "Eye Of The Dragon" to be a real Stephan King book, then "Insomnia" must truely be his worst. My interest level was minimal throughout, so it took me more than a year to finish. It is simply not a page-turner. Conservatives, stay away from this book; it espouses more feminist dogma than even "Gerald's Game."

This novel from Stephen King doesn't draw much attention, yet it is one of his best. "The Dark Half" was another of his books that was better than it's fan fair.

If you have some extra time on your hands, this book is well worth a read...

I really liked this book and thought that Stephen King did a really good job writing it. I'd always heard that Stephen King books were gross and bloody and gory and would give me nightmares, but that wasn't the case with this book. It was, however, VERY creepy. I really saw what a twisted mind SK has when he described the other dimension that Atropos and the little bald doctors were from. I thought the ending was great too, which was really nice because other great books often have disapointing endings. Hey, are you missing anything? I could have sworn you were wearing...Oh well...

Stephen King's novel Insomnia is a "colorful" and gripping tale that has readers wondering what will come next. Ralph Roberts and his lady friend go on slightly lengthy journey into the limits of reality to help save their town of Derry, Maine. During the spell of torturing insomnia, Ralph and his friend must deal with Purpose, life, death, and Random in order to bring sanity back into their crazy lives. Although a little slow in the beginning and end, this story will keep you turning pages and thanking Stephen King for his brilliance.

I have seen a lot of reviews that have deeply criticized Insomnia. This book is definitely a moderately difficuly book, but nonetheless I love it. You must be very patient with it. This book is like a snowball going down a hill. It gets faster paced and more exciting as it goes on. The last 300 pages of this novel are probably the best last pages he has written, and that is saying a lot when I've read The Shining, The Stand, and most other popular King novels. This book really enables us to see what Mr. King is like. We can see his positions on many political issues such as abortion. The book is very touching and I think everyone cried when Ralph dies at the end. My favorite part is probably when they are in the lair of Atropos and Ralph is cutting poor Atropos in pieces. Another weird scene is when the Crimson King poses as Ralph's mother. If you can get by the first 300 pages this is a tremendous book. The first 300 pages were totally sparse of action, but I found it bearable because Stephen King does a great job of letting us see what it is like having just lost an important family member like a wife, and suffering Insomnia. This novel turns from a dull book to an extreme page turner at around page 400(soft cover) when Ralph and Lois go into the Derry Home hospital to see Jimmy Vandermeer and see for the second time the little bald doctors, Clotho and Lachesis. When the quartet went to the 'upper levels' so many of my questions were answered about why Ralph was suffering Insomnia and also I learned a great deal about the Dark Tower series. The only Dark Tower book I have read was The Gunslinger. Insomnia cleared up a lot for me. I will say this again, Insomnia is a great book ,but you must get by the first 300 or 400 pages first, then the action comes.

This book is one of Stephen King's true masterpieces. It starts out pretty slow, but it's well worth the wait once the ball starts rolling. Very well-written, exciting, and anything but mediocre. Highly recommended. All Dark Tower fans, I cannot stress how important this book is going to be in the cycle. Read this book!!!

This the best I've read by Stephen King ever! It's just the right speed all the way. Slow at the beginning, introducing all the main characters, then it picks up speed heading towards the unforgettable climax

This is a halfway decent book but it is probably the worst King book that I have read. The other king books that I have read have been very attention grabbing and good. But this one is rather boring. It is not recomended

This is definitely one of King's finest books yet. I have been an avid reader for years and I am always amazed at how King can bring your biggest fears to life through your imagination. Read it and enjoy!

I've read a lot of king's work, and this one was just terrible. If ya want King read The Shining,IT,'Salem's Lot or one of his better ones. I personally just didn't like it. Everything was bad.It just didn't seem like King. It wasn't him.It didn't have any flow, it was dragged out and the whole plot was bad. It isn't worth it.

It's a great peripheral tale to the Dark Tower series, with all the trademark elements of King stories. Oddball characters, and that creepy little town, the seamless blending of reality and... hyperreality?

Why does Mr King get involved into areas unknown to him? As a Greek reader I am offended by his latest works, especially Rose Madder and Insomnia, where Greek mythology undergoes a Hercules and Xena rendition! Please spare us your miniscule education on foreign matters, Mr King... and stick to American horror. Obviously getting involved with ancient civilisations is too much for you. I am offended, to say theleast... and so is Minotaur, Klotho, Lachesis and Atropos!

Overall, I think this book was a difficult read in the fact that the story was not that interesting. The fact that the main character has insomnia and begins to "see" three little bald doctors and balloons attached to people; the fact that the Crimson King soon turned into a catfish, these are ideas that are clearly out of control. But I have to give it to Mr. King for allowing us into his head; he is clearly a mastermind of bringing you in, he is a very good story teller and am not surprised that many of his books have been adapted into movies. The best novel of his that I totally recommend is THE SHINING; nothing compares to that.

I love Kings books and this was no disappointment. There could not have been a better title for this book. I was glued to it! I stayed up until 3 a.m. reading.It will cause your imagination to soar.

I wish I could offer a better review on this. The book, wasn't one of Kings best, but certainly not a bad book either.

The problem lies in the production of this audio book. The background "music" (Read NOISE) is harsh, jarring and disruptive.

While most of the reading by Mr Eli Wallach is adequate, about 1/3 of the way in, 2 new characters are introduced and the screeching high pitched wailing he uses for these two characters can not be adequately described. It is horrid! Honestly, shrill doesn't even come close.

What in the name of heaven were they thinking when they put this together? I'd love to see this reissued after jailing those responsible for this criminal effort. I want my $$ back!

King has done it again. Insomnia is a thrilling and suspense filled ride. This novel is a little different from most King novels. There is not as much gore and King talks about the sensitive subject of abortion. For those with stong feeling on abortion you may want to avoid this novel, however if you are able to look past that and into the lives of the characters I think you will be very pleased.

I love this book. From the first time I read it when it first came out to when I put it on my Kindle. However I was not impressed with the misspellings in the Kindle editin. Some words had letters missing. The story is still there and one of King's best.

This was one of the books that made me fall in love with Stephen Kings book. I've then read Christine, bag of bones, and currently reading 11/22/63. It's not an easy read but you find yourself so involved in the story that you don't even notice The small print

Stephen Kings astounds me more and more with each book of his that I read. I can't believe that some dare to call this book a bore. Maybe for people that couldn't stand their English class and dropped out after the 8th grade, this book is too intense. That's the only explanation that I can think of for bad reviews of a book that is as insightful as it is interesting.

Even though when you read a lot of works by an author you start to anticipate where that author might go...this story was just a bit TOO predictable for my taste. I liked the main character, but his companions lacked depth. I found myself not caring what happened to any of them. It's worth a read, but definitely wait to borrow it from a friend or from the library.

"Insomnia" is a negative example of the problems with later period Stephen King novels. A passibly scary story idea worthy of perhaps a novella length treatment in a "Four Past Midnight" type collection, instead stretched out for seven or eight hundred pages until as a reader insomnia is one of the last of your problems. Once again, King creates a decent setup that loses effectiveness as many pages crawl by with little or no action. This is not one of his best or in the end even all that scary.

It must have taken me over a month to read this book and i read 90 percent of it and put it down and never finished it.Why? Because it sucked and it didnt go anywhere and i didnt care what happened to anybody in it. this is hands down the WORST book he ever wrote and everyone knows it. If you go in the store and pick up any Stephen King book you always see tons of great reviews on the front back and inside, this book does not have one good review written on it so that must mean something. After this book i pretty much gave up on King,I think i tried to read The Regulators and Desperation but they both were pretty uninteresting. so basically what Im saying is dont read this book.

This was King's worst novel to date. I would advise you to read it only if you are interested in 600 pages of shameless political diatribe disguised as fiction. Forget the plot summary on the book's inside cover--this book is one long rant on abortion, and that's it.
If you are pro-life (as I am), you will be particularly offended at King's disgusting portrayal of pro-lifers as homicidal terrorists who will stop at nothing to kill those who disagree with them.
Bottom line, read one of King's earlier books, like Salem's Lot or The Shining. At least King knew enough back then to keep his idiotic politics out of his writing.

I could not finish. I read the first half and the epilogue. It was so boring. Too much description, ramblings, dreams, visions. The guy sees auras and things other people don't see. The epilogue explained some major events. That was somewhat interesting, but not enough to make me want to read more. One of the things I love about King is his characters. I didn't care about these characters. My favorite King books are Carrie, The Stand, and Rose Madder.

The narrator Eli Wallach was painful and hard to listen to. He sounded like he had laryngitis. He has a soft, whispering, gravely voice. At times it felt like he was reading as opposed to acting. My mind kept wandering.

The depth of King's books always amaze me. That he can reference back to characters and events from past books like he does leaves me in awe. Sometimes you feel like when it is all said and done each of his books will end up being the individual chapters in the masterpiece that is his body of work.

I read Insomnia because it is tied in to the Dark Tower series, which I love. I really disliked the characters in Insomnia, especially Ralph. I don't know why, but by the end of the book I really didn't care if he died or not. Not King's best work.

If you gave this book a low score, I think I know why you didn't like it. Have you read the Dark Tower Series? If you like horror (or gore), then you're not going to be a big fan of the DTS, and Insomnia is going to play a big role in that series. It's more of a high fantasy/western/romance/sci-fi all rolled into one -- and every single King work is coming together with this series. But if all you want is mindless gore, try reading someone else. I think King might just be a little too intelligent for you.

I've tried to read this book a few times over the past four years, and it's just so slow for so long, that it's hard for me to get into it. Any advice out there on when the book gets better? Do I need to get past the first 200 pages before it gets better???

For those of you who need to test the waters and try out all the fruits Stephen King has to offer, good luck with Insomnia. It's bitter and over-ripe and maybe a little rotten on the inside.

Insomnia is a sprawling, rambling, 800 page monster that Stephen King put out back in 1994 when the aftertaste of Delores Claiborne and the mediocre short story collection Nightmares & Dreamscapes was wearing off. Written at the height of his game, Insomnia may have been something different, but it wasn't. Weird in many, many places, it starts slow and keeps building to something you don't expect, nor care for. When Clive Barker gets weird, we stand back and gawk and try to make heads or tails of the abomination he has birthed...when King does it we step back and shake our heads and say "Huh?" Built around the story of an old widower who starts seeing weird little men cutting invisible balloons from peoples' heads, Insomnia moves on to cover a psychotic abusive husband...a shelter for abused women ... and a climax that has strange (if head-shakingly puzzling) effects that extend to the Dark Tower series.

I've been reading King since I was a kid and have read (and many times re-read)everything he has ever published. Does that make me an expert, an authority? I think it does. This is King past his prime and falling down. I have never reread this one and maybe that's a crime, maybe Insomnia, like Cujo, gets better with a second go through, but I seriously doubt it. This is not prime King and neither are his next three or four novels. Sad to see the King losing his touch, but it happens to us all. There are many, many more interesting and frightening and enthralling novels from Stephen King, go find one and steer clear of Insomnia unless you positively have to.

Deal with it.

I have just finished re-reading Insomnia and 13 years has definitely done this book justice. The first time I met Ralph Roberts all those years ago, I wasn't very fascinated. Not at all. Now that I have taken the time to re-read the book I have another view on this 800 page behemouth. First off, perhaps I was expecting another IT back then and now I no longer expect that from King. I take what I can get, for better or worse. Having finished The Dark Tower series helped just the tiniest bit in digesting King here. Back in the day, the final page had kinda stumped me and infuriated me a little because it seemed like a rip-off nod to Roland, The Gunslinger from the Dark Tower series, which, back in '94 was far from being finished. Insight. What a great tool. I no longer thing that this book is horrible. It is kinda long, but enthralling nevertheless. Perhaps I should give some of King's other horrid outing a second try? Gerald's Game? Rose Madder? Desperation? Maybe.

This book should be titled The Dark Tower 4 and a Half. It adds depth to an already vast series of stories. If you liked any one of The Dark Tower novels, then by all means, read this fabulous, tremendous, tear-wrenching, heart-stopping, mind-blowing, imaganitive and unbelievably original masterpiece. Probably his best of all time! (that includes the Dark Tower books, I mean the Crimson King, now that's some scary stuff!)

This book is a CURE for insomnia. I was just so boring and uninteresting. Stephen King is now officially off my reading list, all my remaining books of his are going to charity. I just cannot trudge through page after page of boring dialogue that (1) goes nowhere, (2) does not contribute to the plot, if there even is one. King takes so long for his characters to actually do something, and I just don't have that kind of patience. There's nothing wrong with the flow of Insomnia, the mechanics are fine, but the content is just plain flat. I don't need to read about an innocuous conversation on a park bench and watching a piece of litter blown by the wind, and then nothing, followed by a new chapter. Pages and pages of nothing but pages and pages. I was not impressed with the ending. I would suggest to the editors (although it is much too late) to remove about half of King's content and just get to the action, leaving in only the essential conversations and dialogue--those elements which, either directly or indirectly, actually contribute to the plot and climax of the story.

If it takes 150 pages for the story to actually gain momentum, to be meaningful, to actually do something, then that's 150 pages that could be cut out. Every word should tell.

A much better read for me was Robert Heller's "Catch-22" and Robert Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land," and I would go so far as Leonard Goldberg's "Lethal Measures", since at least the action and engaging dialogue is there, not to mention some witty, original humor. "Marathon Man" by William Goldman was also excellent, concise and thoroughly engaging from start to finish. I apologize if you find this unhelpful, but I know a good story when I read one.

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This wasn't one of King's best books- it was a bit, well, strange at some parts. For instane, Bald Doctors. But it was an interesting book- maybe a bit slow in some parts, though. Quite a lot of characters too. But I still read through it and found it hard to put it down most times. I found it interesting with the Auras and Balloon Strings. I would recommend this to Stephen King fans but be prepared for a long and sometimes confusing book!

This has to be one of the slowest starting books I have ever read, took about three months for me to actually read the first 200 pages,which is weird because i usually read a book in about 3 to 4 days. Now with that said once it starts it was fantastic and i finished it within a week. The story is great and i def. understand why he built the characters up the way he did.This was my first stephen king book and since this one i have read pet sementary which i loved and the best imo the shining which i am about to finish today.

Insomnia is an exellent story, and anyone who puts it down and says that their opinions are justified since they have read every written publication King has marketed either don't understand literature or are lying and have read very few King books(or possibly just one). My only judgement is that the book did a lot of stretching events, and I had to re-read a few things to understand them.

The truth is that Stephen King makes great stories and this is one of them.

Being a fan of the Dark Tower series I read this with the understanding that there was a lot of tie in with the epic. I liked it and it was definitely a King novel with a lot of drip of DT. I kind of felt like it was a little forced though. As if it was written in the same haste he wrote the last couple of DT books.

I believe this to be one of king's best. While the parts of the story focusing on the abortion tend to be a bit dull, they can in no way tarnish this great story. Ralph is one of king's great characters and as he begins to see more and more outside his window at night, the story takes on a very surrealistic and haunting quality. Even though the end is touching, I wished this book would have gone on and on.

I tried. I really did. This book just couldn't hold my interest. I read about half of it and gave up. Read The Green Mile, Hearts in Atlantis, It, Carrie, or any other King book before you read this one!

Why waste words? King's Insomnia wasted enough already. If you're an incurable King fan, and will read anything he dishes out, then go ahead and buy it. Just be aware that this book is an agenda with a weak plot wrapped around it. Not since "Tommyknockers" has King been so thoroughly absorbed in peddling his tired liberal slop.

My my my where do i begin? Lets start with my PILLOW! This book was one of the worst. I even let someone borrow it to read it and they refused, refused I tell you, to waste thier time reading it after they couldn't get into the book. Both she and I are avid horror, especially Stephen King fans. In all fairness though it really was a horror book. I was horrified that I had paid money for this smelly book. Sorry King fans this was not one of his best works.
TTFN Ta Ta For Now

This was easily the worst book of King's I have ever read. I am a huge fan of his, but this book was horrible. The only saving grace to it was that it was set in Derry, Maine, with some of the stores and characters from IT. If you want to learn about an old man that can't sleep and is Pro-Choice, then get this book. If you want good Stephen King then I suggest Skeleton Crew or something a little better than this.