I can't believe this book didn't get the attention it deserved. It was truly that good!!

Definitely putting it up there with the best of Stephen King!!

The Dead Zone follows the life of Johnny Smith. He awakened from a 5-year coma after a horrible car accident. Nobody believed he would ever wake up, but they were all wrong.

Since waking up from his coma, Johnny has been able to experience clairvoyant and precognitive visions whenever he touches someone.

As much as I enjoyed The Dead Zone, once again I didn't consider it a horror novel. I've felt that way with a few of the other SK books I've recently read.

Still, it was very enjoyable with unforgettable characters and a great plot. Also, I really enjoyed the 80's film starring Christopher Walken!

The story of Johnny Smith is both fascinating and engaging. His newfound abilities bring both opportunities and challenges.

The way he uses his visions to help others and solve mysteries is truly captivating.

The characters in the book are well-developed and come to life on the page.

The plot is full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Overall, The Dead Zone is a great read that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good mystery or thriller.

I'm not going to fully review this just yet. However, I will say that this is an absolutely belter of a book.

The words within its pages seem to have a magic of their own.

The quote, 'Nothing is ever lost, Sarah. Nothing that can't be found.', holds a profound truth.

It makes you think about all the things in life that we might believe are gone forever.

But perhaps, just perhaps, they are not truly lost.

This book has the power to touch your heart and make you look at the world in a different light.

It's a story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.

I can't wait to explore it further and discover all the hidden gems it has to offer.

So far, it has already shown great promise and I'm excited to see where it will take me.

Most of Stephen King’s famous early novels possess an iconic scene (such as Carrie at the prom), an iconic character (like number 1 fan Annie Wilkes) or just a really simple hook (vampires, deserted creepy hotel, zombie pets, killer dog, killer car, killer clown etc…).

However, The Dead Zone is the one with the ordinary schoolteacher (John Smith, no middle name) who might have a hint of psychic ability. He gets into an accident, ends up in a coma, and wakes up to discover he is really psychic. He initially avoids using this new ability but then (reluctantly) uses it a bit, mostly to save people/property from fires and once (reluctantly) to chase a serial killer. Eventually, he tries to save America and the world from a loose cannon politician.

So, yes, it’s baggy and unfocused, but I recall being completely engrossed the first time I read this (probably around age 12 or 13). Even minor details and scenes have stayed with me, like the traveling salesman hawking lightning rods at a dusty roadhouse bar. It’s all about the storytelling. It doesn’t matter that it’s slow and sinuous, the pacing is uneven, and it’s kind of cheesy. King the Storyteller casts a certain spell.

This reread was a lot of fun, but something bothered me. Something felt different since I last read this book. It’s not that it seems dated (it was already dated the first time around) or that I’m a more discerning reader (although I’d like to think so!). Eventually, it dawned on me… 11/22/63. I had read 11/22/63.

Published 32 years apart, 11/22/63—which does have a really simple hook: time travel to save JFK!—and The Dead Zone are like fraternal twins. Both involve political assassinations. One has a psychic who can see the future; the other has a time-traveller from the future. John needs to prevent a fictional disaster; Jake needs to change a real historical event. John aims to preserve our reality; Jake attempts to change it. It’s like killing Hitler versus saving JFK.

It’s not that 11/22/63 is a complete rehash. They’re very different books in many ways. But the similarities that exist make it all the more evident when these two novels diverge on big questions like ‘can one man be a hero?’ and ‘can you ever cheat fate?’ And it made me view the ending of The Dead Zone in an entirely new light.

**The Dead Zone, Stephen King**

The Dead Zone is a captivating horror/supernatural thriller novel penned by the renowned Stephen King and published in 1979. It tells the story of Johnny Smith, who experiences a life-altering accident and spends nearly five years in a coma. When he awakens, he discovers he has developed clairvoyance and precognition, but with limitations, attributed to a "dead zone" in his brain caused by the accident.

The prologue sets the stage by introducing the two main characters. In 1953, a young John Smith is knocked unconscious while ice-skating. After recovering, he mumbles a mysterious message to an adult on the scene. The incident seems to fade from his memory until a few months later when the adult is seriously injured while jump-starting a car.
By 1970, Johnny is a high school teacher in eastern Maine. After a visit to a county fair with his girlfriend, Sarah, and a series of eerie wins at the wheel of fortune, he is involved in a car accident on his way home that lands him in a coma for four and a half years. Upon waking, he realizes he has suffered neural damage, but also discovers his newfound ability to tell people things they didn't know when he touches them or objects.
For instance, he predicts a nurse's son will have a successful surgery, reveals that his doctor's mother, thought to be dead, is actually living in Carmel, California, warns his physical therapist that her house is about to burn down, tells Sarah where her lost wedding ring is, and recounts the story behind a St. Christopher medallion owned by a skeptical reporter.
As the story unfolds, Johnny's abilities bring him into contact with various people and situations, some of which have far-reaching consequences. The Dead Zone is a thrilling exploration of the power of the mind and the consequences of having extraordinary abilities in a world that may not be ready for them.

It keeps readers on the edge of their seats, wondering what Johnny will discover next and how his abilities will impact his life and the lives of those around him.

“The Dead Zone” follows Jhonny Smith, who wakes up almost 5 years after an accident. Yes, a long time. Far too long. The good (or bad) thing about this is that he wakes up with a strange power; visions. Every object and every person he touches, he will immediately know things about them. An ability that throughout the whole book will make the protagonist wonder if it is a gift or a curse.

Let's first talk about Jhonny, who is the most important and tells us most of the story. In the prologue, we see him as a child who has a small accident and later, the same thing happens, but this time worse, leaving him in a coma. When he wakes up, he faces reality, which hits him hard as time has taken everything from him. He is a character with many nuances. He goes through different circumstances that will make you think and reflect. And the good thing about the book is that it never gets boring. And no, it's not that there is a lot of action but that the character goes through interesting moments, making the reader have a rollercoaster of emotions.

The others are secondary and yes, they contribute to the story but they don't appear much. There is Sarah, the ex-girlfriend who has continued with her life after the accident; Herb, the understanding father and Vera, the fanatical religious mother, who leaves a very fundamental mark on Johnny; we also have Dr Weizak, Sheriff Bannerman, Frank Dodd, Chuck and many more who have a small but important relevance. Oh and let's not forget Greg Stillson, The Laughing Tiger.

Now, the synopsis has always caught my attention a lot, but as I read, I was very disappointed because I thought it was a trap for the reader; where the reader believed that that would be the main plot but would collide with something else, but not entirely bad. However, Greg Stillson was indeed a villain in the work, with his qualities of greatness and his audacious and aberrant acts... but in the end, he was not a very relevant villain. He simply contributed something undeniable in the climax of the plot: he was the most difficult and important decision for Johnny. At first, I was very disappointed that his importance was not as much as I had thought, but once I finished the final act, I understood why.

So there are three things that should not be expected from “The Dead Zone”:

1. This is not a story where the protagonist will try to assassinate the future president of the United States throughout the book.


2. Nor is it a story where we will see the villain doing and undoing on many pages, as in other works of King, where he delves deeper.


3. Much less a story full of constant action.

Don't be misled by the synopsis alone (as happened to me). The story is much more than that; we see everything through the eyes of the protagonist, of characters with fears and insecurities but with decisions that leave a mark, for better or for worse. The story of Johnny Smith is sad, captivating, reflective, emotional and in a certain part, reassuring. It is a story where most of the characters are not forgotten and that is thanks to the protagonist.

The good: the characters, all of them, but especially Smith; he takes the top spot.

The bad: I wanted more. After much thought, that was the worst thing that could happen to me and it is that the ending left me cold.

I can't believe that I initially rated this a 4 in my memory from the time I first read it, way back in the distant past. Now, as I read it again, it feels uncannily prescient. And not in the way that John Smith means it.

I'm referring to the political climate and the nastiness that is involved.

That being said, despite the novel being set in the 70s, it still feels modern. It was also an excellent story. It was almost episodic on its own. I remember the original movie and even the TV series in the 2000s with great fondness because they did justice to the original and it satisfies that longing for an unconventional hero who does good wherever he goes. :)

It just goes to show that not every Stephen King book has deeply flawed main characters. Of course, it's kind of funny that I would say that here. John was a really nice guy... and yet he went out to assassinate someone. A really nice guy. :)

This is definitely one of Stephen King's finest works.

If this talent was a gift from God, then God was a dangerous lunatic who ought to be stopped.

When I made the decision to read all of SK's works in publication order, it was simply because I had been informed that this was the easiest way to detect the signs of the multiverse. And I believe I've discovered my very first crossovers! This book directly makes references to Salem's Lot and Carrie. Of course, I'm wondering if I overlooked any subtle links. So, if there are others in this book, please help a girl out.

Another outstanding read from SK! I envision that reading this in the early 80's, the character of Stillson would have seemed absurd. However, you can definitely observe the parallels between him and Trump.

I truly adored Johnny Smith. He was such an all-around genuine character that I found extremely relatable and just couldn't help but root for. And Herb, ahhh Herb!

I didn't overly love the ending. I'm left with a few unanswered questions. But overall, I really enjoyed this.

Four stars.

Johnny Smith seems to have it all.

He enjoys a wonderful streak of luck, has a great sense of humor, a promising career, a loving family, and an amazing girlfriend. However, his luck takes a turn for the worse when a catastrophic car crash occurs.

The crash claims several lives and sends Johnny into a coma for four long years. When he finally wakes up, his world has been completely flipped upside down.

To make matters stranger, he gains the haunting ability to peer into the souls of those he touches.

This ability leaves him wondering if it's a blessing or a curse. After reading the entire story, I can't help but feel that it's equally both.

I was truly impressed by the casual flow of the plot. It made every single character feel like a real person. We get to see every little detail about each character's life, personality, upbringing, and development.

Johnny's story is divided into three major sections. In the first section, we explore his adolescence through the perspective of a carnival accident.

The second section delves into his early adulthood through the eyes of a demented serial killer.

The final section shows his later adulthood through the lens of a corrupt politician who wants to start a nuclear war.

Watching Johnny struggle, persevere, and remain a good person despite going through such tragic ordeals is an emotional and engrossing experience.

Johnny reminds me a great deal of John Coffey from The Green Mile at many points in the story. They even share very similar abilities.

Both are tragic characters with hearts of gold who make the best of their unfortunate circumstances. Although Johnny Smith's story didn't make me cry like a baby like John Coffey's did, it was still an absorbing tale.

1.25 stars

DNF @89%



Me at the moment:





The Dead Zone is my least favorite Stephen King novel so far. At best, I didn't really like it; at worst, I truly hated it. I found it to be boring, incomprehensive, and lacking in flavor.

The main story revolves around Johnny Smith, an average Joe who gets into an accident and, after spending 4.5 years in a coma, wakes up to discover that he has become a seer. The setup is interesting enough. However, the book quickly turns into a mess after these initial chapters.

First, I challenged myself to find one element of this story that I actually enjoyed. After all, I did give it a.25 star bonus, right?

The one okay segment of the book is the series of events leading up to the accident. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Johnny and Sarah. The description of ice-skating in the first chapter took me back to my own memories of ice-skating. King did something unique here that I hadn't seen in his other works: he made it feel like a fairy tale for just a few paragraphs, and it was truly magical. Even the first chapter after the accident, which follows Sarah and his family as they come to terms with the fact that Johnny is hurt, was well-written. I wish I could say more positive things about The Dead Zone, but unfortunately, I can't.

The question this book poses is "if you could go back in time and kill Hitler, would you?". There are a few brief scenes about a man named Greg Stillson, who is running for president. He seems to be the main antagonist of the story, from what I could gather (and from what I read on the Wikipedia summary of the last 50 pages that I didn't read). These scenes with him are supposed to be foreshadowing for future events or parallels. I think if King had focused more on this aspect, I might have enjoyed the book more. Instead,

you get a side plot about a serial killer (resolved in just 3 - 4 chapters), a side plot about a kid who can't read (another 3 - 4 chapters), and a whole bunch of King trying to add depth to Johnny while keeping him as a good, innocent type of guy (kind of like his character Stu Redman from The Stand, but not quite the same). It all felt so pointless. At some point, I just stopped getting excited when a new conflict arose because I knew it would be resolved in 20 pages. Other than the subtle political undertones, I'd say this book is pretty useless (at least to me).

In the end, I guess I can take inspiration from a character called Lightsong from Warbreaker when formulating my opinion on this book:

very drawn out, sharp as hell but lacking a point.

Thank you all for joining in for Episode 3 of Quickie Review with Valliya!







Previous episode: Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn ★★★



Next episode: Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell - Brandon Sanderson ★★.75

The first book of King that I read when I was still young (at that time, there were no teens yet).

Of course, I was impressed and I became his devout admirer, although over the years sometimes his works didn't appeal to me.

But "The Dead Zone" remained one of my favorite books because of the interesting heroes and the extremely well-developed story. I have reread it many times, always with great pleasure.

And more than once I have wondered how I would act if I were in the place of Johnny and what choices I would make.

It is very difficult for the reader to identify with your hero, and it is given to few authors, but for that King is the King and there is no one like him!

Then came "Cujo", "The Long Walk", "Christine", "Salem's Lot", "It", "Different Seasons", "11/22/63", "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" and the subsequent steps of Roland the Gunslinger, and more, and more...

Amazing! I really enjoyed it.

Probably the reason Stephen King was so loudly vociferous against Donald Trump in 2016 is that he actually predicted him. In The Dead Zone, he conjures up Greg Stillson, a maverick politician who doesn't play by the rules. With his stance of poking the establishment in the eye, he wins himself a huge following. Moreover, much like Trump, Stillson is initially dismissed as an amusing distraction.

Johnny Smith, the hero of The Dead Zone, gains psychic abilities that enable him to see the future of those around him if he touches them. Once he shakes Stillson's hands, it becomes his mission to stop him getting anywhere near The White House.

In real life, we're not so lucky.

'The Dead Zone' comes from Stephen King's imperial phase, and we really do see his ability to make the ordinary epic. This isn't a big story with many characters. More often than not, they're just hanging around in New England rooms talking, and yet it feels so much more. It's not just that the stakes are high. In this small locale, King brings together pain, hope, faith, and anger to give us a hero whose journey is huge even though he doesn't travel far. Wonderfully written, this is an incredible work that is over-shadowed somewhat by other books of its vintage like Salem's Lot, The Shining, and The Stand, but deserves to be regarded as their equal.

If you get a chance, please visit my blog for book, TV, and film reviews - as well as whatever else takes my fancy - at frjameson.com. Like my Facebook page. Or follow me on Twitter or Instagram: @frjameson.