Stephen king who is one of the most succesfull writers living today decided to write a serialized novel. A serialised novel is a novel told in a few short books or published in a magazine, instead of being published as one book. This is a format of storytelling that has been dead for awhile, but who can argue with the king of horror.And who is more qualified to bring something back from the dead than stephen king. Therefore two questions occur: Does the novel work, and does the format work. Well yes , and yes. The story is a very low key, very small story where the supernatural powers play second fiddle to the characters, and things take their time before before reaching the climax. As much as i minded paying the extra money for this (at 2.99$ a part it adds up to 17.94$ which is more than twice the price of a regular paperback) the format actually adds to the story.
It's hard to get used to the idea of somebody else ordering the pace at which you read a book, but this is what happens. Unlike movies and tv, reading is totally depandent on your participation. This book takes this freedom from the reader. If you read the first part when it first came out you wouldn't be able to read the last part for six months. A madening concept, but a frightfully brilliant one. This gives time for every part of the novel to set in. It also had me rushing to the bookstore every few days to check if it came (this became obsessive with parts four and five, and naturally the clerks at the store can't stand the sight of me anymore.).
As for the story, it apears episodic at first, but than starts to slowly build towrds a climax. Paul edgecomb is an old man sitting in an old folks home writing his memoirs, and struggling with the crumbling of his body and mind. He tells us of the time he spent in charge of cellblock h, the death row in a prison. This is basiclly the story of Paul, a few guards, and the inmates they took care of. While the block is a place of death, in that period some magic gets in following the arrival of a very special inmate, and a mouse. The story weaves the magic and the beauty with the doom and the decay. while every major character in this story faces death (the inmates from the chair, and paul from old age), there are rays of hope that sneak in every now and then. A truly masterful example of storytelling.

As I write this the sixth part hasn't arrived in israel yet. While I really look forward to reading it, it also means the story will be over. Reading, is the most intimate way to get to know a character. It puts you intheir heads, and lets you experience their fears and hopes. In forcing you to speng six months with these characters king does something to you that few books succeed in doing. anyway, if you want me I'll be in the corner crying.

p.s if you thought the last paragraph was overly sentimental you're probably right.

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