Rating: 5/10
I don't know where to even really begin with this book, I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it either. It just didn't leave any solid impression on me. I'm happy that I read it, if only because now I've read his first three books. Now, every time publishers come out with Stephen King sets that focus on his first three books, I'll be in on the hype. I already have a set of collectors' editions that are his first few books, as well as the Barnes and Noble special edition which is just one bind-up containing the first three books. Now, I'm not a poser for owning them. Anyway, let's get into what is sure to be a scant review.
This one was not one of my favorites from King. Like, it was fine I guess. I thought the story was interesting, but the pacing was kind of weird. Even though this is King's first book, you still get his patented tangential shifts. The characters felt simultaneously too grown and too young at the same time. Like, sometimes the things they did were very juvenile and other times they felt overly adult. Part of the reason that I think that I didn't like it is that I didn't really agree with the whole premise. Like this is a biased view I suppose, but as a fully-grown woman, the event that kickstarted the book was just unrealistic. Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but I don't feel as though I know a single woman who would behave so cruelly to another woman regarding her period. As we have no choice but to go through this monthly, most of us kind of have an understanding with one another. Now, that isn't to say that we can't be apathetic or just purposefully aloof, but cruel like the way it was depicted in the book? It just didn't feel very realistic. My next problem, was that while I did actually kind of enjoy the "press releases" and "book excerpts" and "reports" etc. that were sprinkled throughout, they felt a little spoiler-y. Like, we knew what was going to happen at the end of the book, just because we were told much earlier on in the different documents. So, I guess I have a love/hate relationship with them. I think that a different placement for them may have been good, the dispersion throughout was kind of off-putting.
The story itself was an interesting read. The idea of latent psychic powers being brought on by puberty was certainly a cool premise. The execution was certainly a bit lacking, especially in comparison to his later books. But it was a fairly short, easy read. I would say that you're safe to skip this one, but if you want to read all of his books, it's an easy one to slog through. There is certainly enough action to keep your attention. The ending certainly left the book open for a sequel, I wonder if there was a reason that he included that little bit but never released a sequel? (But on a trivia side note, did you know [according to IMDb], that Stephen king apparently liked the movie more than the book? He's reported to even like the ending of the movie better than his own ending in the book. I personally preferred the ending in the book, but I guess that I can see the merit of the movie ending).