books
Stephen King The Institute (Scribner) Stephen Kings
latest novel is an- other door stop of a book. Not as big as It or The Stand, but at 550 plus pages, it’s pretty hefty. I admit. I am a bit of a
slow reader, and finding time to read in the cracks between all of my projects can often be a challenge. Still, this one is what I call a real “page turner.” There were sections of the book where I just could not find a stopping point, even at 2 am when I was ready to fall over and sleep for a day. Luke Skywalker is not the only hero
named Luke. The 12-year old genius, Luke Ellis, is the star of this story, which also in- cludes a whole playground full of great char- acters, all living in a hidden government testing facility in Maine called the Institute. The testing being done at the Institute is being done on children between the ages of 6 and 16, all of which have displayed gifts of telepathy or telekinesis. Of course, the chil- dren’s parents have all been murdered, and the kids have been kidnapped and brought to this place against their will, and for the most part they are treated like dirt. Imagine a young boy being submerged in a tank of water, unable to breath, and let up at the last second, only to be pushed back down again and again. This only the tip of the torture ice- berg as it were. Luke befriends a group of kids-
Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris and 10-year old (and the most gifted) Avery Dixon. There’s a rouges gallery of evil Institute workers, led by Mrs. Sigsby. They have an interesting “re-
ward” system in place. If a kid just takes their shots or does exactly what they say, they re- ceive tokens, which they can use to unlock a computer (with very limited internet access of course) or purchase snacks or drinks from the vending machine, including real cigarettes and mini bottles of alcoholic drinks. Of course, they also sell the old-fashioned candy cigarettes. They have a cafeteria where they feed the children well, and a playground, complete with a trampoline and basketball goal. Ah, just like home- well, except for the torture. The reader is sucked into the story, and
we begin to root for Luke and the gang and their dream of escaping. But will any of them make it out alive? That’s the million -dollar question, and if you read all the way to the end, you will find that answer. This is one of King’s all-time best in my opinion. I give it five stars, and extra points for including South Carolina in the story. There’s even a mention of our very own Greenville. Visit the Institute, if you dare. Just avoid the “zap sticks.”
-Michael Buffalo Smith
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