insomnia stephen king review with favorite part

#Insomnia stephen king review with favorite part series

So, Jake restarts his new/old life, first in the town of Derry, Maine and eventually making his way to Texas. In King’s particular mechanics of time travel, this resets everything in his previous try. Here he learns his first lesson about the obdurate past: it does not want to be changed, and will do everything it can to stop you.Īfter this first attempt, Jake returns to 1958. In his first test run, George attempts to save a young family from an abusive and violent father. So, Jake agrees to go back instead, living his life as George Amberson.

#Insomnia stephen king review with favorite part series

James Franco and Sarah Gadon on the 11.22.63 series for Hulu (2016)Īl had a plan to stop the Kennedy assassination, although his sickness means that can no longer survive the five years between 19.

This is because Al has discovered a place in the back of his diner that takes him back to 1958, a thin spot in time and space if you will. Jake is surprised to see that Al, who was healthy the night before, is dying of late stage cancer. This story begins in the present day, where recently divorced high school teacher Jake Epping is summoned by diner owner and friend Al Templeton. Yet it’s fair to say that he’s not attempted anything quite like this thriller before. Like King’s It, a book heavily referenced in this one, King’s 11/22/63 takes place in two different time periods. After all, save for two special effect scenes, Back to the Future is entirely a period comedy. Instead, King concentrates on writing a thoroughly researched period piece, with a thriller element that drives the back half. (By coincidence, I read this back to back with The Illuminatus Trilogy, so I certainly had my chance to get a fill of them). As such, one might expect that an alternate history tale brushes against some conspiracy theories or similar. The title, of course, refers to the day that JFK was shot in Dallas. Like his previous release Under the Dome, the origins of this novel goes back to the 1970s - as a 14 page draft called Split Track - but was put aside when the writer realised just how much research it would involve. This book hits so many of my wheelhouses that it practically steers its own ship.įirst published in 2011, 11/22/63 is King’s 60th book (if you count all the anthologies and Richard Bachman books as well). King, alternate histories, and time travel. Stephen King plays with the latter concept in 11/22/63, pondering whether or not foreknowledge of the future makes it any easier to kill a person. What would you do if you could travel through time? Would you want to skip to the end and see how it all turns out? Or do the old chestnut of going back in time to kill Baby Hitler?