Revival (Fantastique)

by Stephen King

In a small New England town over half a century ago, a boy is playing with his new toy soldiers in the dirt when he looks up to see a striking man, the new minister, Jamie learns later he is a man who with his beautiful wife will transform the church and the town. The men and boys are a bit in love with Mrs. Jacobs; the women and girls, with the Reverend Jacobs -- including Jamie's sisters and mother. Then tragedy strikes, and this charismatic preacher curses God, and is banished from the shocked town. Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from age 13, he plays in bands across the country, running from his own family tragedies, losing one job after another when his addictions get the better of him. Decades later, sober and living a decent life, he and Reverend Charles Jacobs meet again in a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and the many terrifying meanings of Revival are revealed. King imbues this spectacularly rich and dark novel with everything he knows about music, addiction, and religious fanaticism, and every nightmare we ever had about death.

• ISBN10: 141047383X
• ISBN13: 9781410473837
• Publish Date: 1 November 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 20 April 2021
• Imprint: Thorndike Press
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 599
• Language: English

Reviews

[Katie King]

**2 Stars**

I usually really enjoy Stephen King novels. I already like mystery and horror novels, and I remember staying up late when I was about 14 just to finish Carrie because I was SO hooked. Maybe I wouldn't enjoy Carrie as much now, or in the same way, but I've been exposed to so many of King's stories, I figured I could always rely on them. So when I was bored and at the grocery store in podunk northern Michigan while camping, it seemed obvious to pick up Revival to carry me through the shitty rainstorms we were having. The only problem is, I didn't enjoy it.

The story follows the relationship between the protagonist, Jamie Morton, and the new pastor on the block Charlie Jacobs, all the way from when they first meet to one of their deaths. Jamie is just a little boy when he first meets Charlie, but he soon becomes good friends with him. Family tragedy rips Jacobs apart, and sets him on a path that Jamie happens to pop in on every decade or so. Some might say it was fate throwing them together, time after time. Jacobs becomes increasingly unhinged as the years go by, culminating in some weird, creepy shit at the very end.

That might sound really interesting to you; it did to me. But the main problem is that the plot is completely boring. A solid first quarter of the book takes place when the two first meet and goes up to and including Jacobs' family tragedy and aftereffects. That part was okay, but I kept waiting for more. It read like a memoir of Jamie's early years. I just figured maybe it had a slow start and the rest would be better. Once Jacobs left town, I thought, "This is it. Only up from here." I was wrong.

While the next 70% was still technically interesting (maybe I was even forcing myself to consider it interesting), I still kept waiting for the big moment. The part where I was so excited I didn't want to put the book down. It never happened. It just followed Jamie as he was a drug addict, then found Jacobs again, then became clean and moved on, then found Jacobs again, then moved on, then found Jacobs again, et cetera. Just the same cycle over and over again. Snoozefest. Several times I questioned why I was continuing to read this book.

The other problem is that it has almost no horror/thriller/paranormal component. I have no idea what people are thinking when they tag this book as such. For almost the entire book, I thought I was being lead to believe that Jacobs was a fraud, that everyone was healed psychologically or they were planted in the audience. That might actually be interesting (although not what I would expect from Stephen King). Then get to that last 5% and apparently he's been actually healing people the whole time?? Don't even get me started on all the random crap that went down at the very end with Mary Fay, because that was SO FORCED.

I was just very disappointed. If the paranormal component had been introduced from the beginning, and I had believed it from the beginning, maybe this would have been a better book. But this was just the memoir of a washed-up minor league rock star addicted to heroin and how he became a doormat to a crazy ex-pastor that can apparently communicate with the devil, except without all the interesting parts you would expect. Less communicating with the devil, more internet research and working in a recording studio. Like I created my "disappointing" shelf specifically for this book...

[Hillary]

There was a lot of Hype leading up to this book. So much hype in fact, that I actually pre ordered. Everyone was saying that this would be King's return to true horror and that I would get the tar scared out of me. I stayed up til midnight waiting for the book to download to my Nook and when it did I jumped right in.

It was a completely enthralling engrossing read. King only seems to get better with age. The only down side was it was not as scary as I thought it would be. Even at the end I was like huh? Where the horror at? hmmph this is NOT SCARY. How ever it was a damn good story. I am glad I bought it and will re read it.

Now my thoughts on the story. I was reading and the build up was good. There were a few times that I felt that the horror was starting. Jamie  and the Pastor was so fleshed out I felt as I knew them personally. I kinda feel in love with Jamie to tell you the truth. I had to keep reminding me that he was a fictional character. Even the semi love story was realistic and not that fake love crap you find in other books. After all life is not all happy endings.

The relationship between Jamie and the Pastor was OMG. King was BRILLIANT in creating a dynamic relationship between the two. You know how most books you can see what the author is TRYING to do but it just well.. it is good...but in the end you know it is just a figment of someone imagination. Not so in this book. It has EVERYTHING that a real relationship that seems to be joined by fate or hell would be.

King is even realistic in Jamie's heroin addiction. I have never tried drugs myself but reading this I felt that I could grasp the hopelessness in which Jamie found himself before he was cured.

The after effects of the secret electricity was..WOW is all I can say. At the end of the book we find out that people see the gateway to hell when they are cured, or at least some of them do. Some even get stuck in the gateway then end up offing themselves. However we do not know this til the end so while reading you are left wondering what EXACTLY they are seeing that makes them go insane. When I got to the end, and by this time I was reading as fast as I possibly could. At first I was like the FUCK?! I reread it a few more times  to make sure I had read it correctly I went online to the message board and was like huh. we all die then go to hell where we are controlled by giant ants. There is no heaven only the null. huh. Then I kept reading and THE END. WHY DID KING END IT THERE?!?! I WANT MOOORE!!

This book was so good that I wanted more. However the ending was sort of anti climatic. I felt that the horror was just building up then..THE END.

That was the ONLY fault I had with this book. Everything else was just perfect. Hers to hoping King writes many more books to come.This review was originally posted on Adventures in Never Never Land

[Rinn]

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.

Revival was a lovely surprise from the people at Hodder, who actually sent me two copies of the book – so I passed one onto a friend, and we ended up reading the book at the same time. It’s always fun being able to discuss a book with someone who is also reading it, or has just read it. I don’t know if this is what motivated me to pick up my reading speed (read in three days, compared to how it’s been for most of my time during my Masters so far, that is SUPER quick), or whether it was just because the book completely and utterly drew me in.

At first, Revival didn’t feel like your usual Stephen King novel. It didn’t quite have that sense of sheer creepiness, only perhaps a slight sense of unease. And then suddenly, one horrific event, told in full King style gory bits and all, turned it all around. It jumped back and forth in time, throwing shocks in my face and then only explaining them chapters or hundreds of pages later.

Whilst definitely a unique story that explores how one small incident can change so many lives, for better or for worse, as well as being a pretty thorough character story, I felt that Revival didn’t quite deal what was promised. The blurb claims that “This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written”, and whilst I agree that it is rich and disturbing, it was definitely not a terrifying conclusion. It was, quite frankly, just very, very odd. Odd is something that Stephen King does very well, but apparently not this time. Everything was over a little too quickly, and overall it just didn’t satisfy me.

Despite that, I am more than happy to give this book a five star rating. The build up of the story, the characters (particularly the protaganist, Jamie), the tension – definitely all worth it. I had a lot of fun trying to guess what Jacobs was up to, and what Jamie’s part in it would be. And whilst it’s not creepy and horrific in the style of The Shining, for instance, it is yet another fine example of why Stephen King is so popular – boy, can he write.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Five reasons to keep the lights on and listen to Revival

• No one tells a story quite like Stephen King. His imagery and characters will draw you in. King weaves a masterful web ensnaring the reader. Unsettling, dark, and at times disturbing you cannot divert your eyes or in my case my ears. In Revival,  King, addresses one of our greatest fears as he takes us on a journey involving two unique characters exposing their flaws, desires and fears.


• Jamie Morton. We meet Jamie at the impressionable age of six and travel with him throughout his life. We experience many firsts and gaze upon him at his worst. The tale is told in Jamie’s perspective and King did an excellent job of capturing the period, and allowing us to fully experience Jamie’s life. Like so many of King’s main characters Jamie is flawed and stumbles into dark addictions. Morse beautifully narrated Jamie allowing us to experience his emotions and struggles.


• Charles Jacobs. We witness this charismatic minsters fall from grace. He is a man who dabbles in science and pursues the potestas magnum universum; believed to be the greatest power in the universe. He is the first adult friend Jamie ever makes and will have a profound effect on him. The relationship between them was fascinating and journeyed from worship to disgust. King did a wonderful job of fleshing out this quirky character and his transition felt genuine. The friendship between the two characters had an authenticity to it, even as I felt uncomfortable by it. Charles Jacob is a disturbing little man and one I will not soon forget.


• Revival is not a horror novel in the traditional sense. I was not overly horrified or grossed out. Disturbed and unsettled? Oh heck yes! There are dark moments and creep-tastic scenes that will burn impressions on your retinas. It will make you questions science and faith. You will never ever contemplate death the same way again. Electricity is a central theme throughout the tale and visions of Frankenstein danced in my head. Carnival sideshows, disturbing nightmares, and religious revival tents added to the overall tale and were oddly fascinating.


• Fans of King will enjoy mentions of past books and iconic places from the Gunslinger and more. I found myself giddy when we stumbled upon them. King pays homage to H.P. Lovecraft and Arthur Machen’s story, The Great God Pan. For me King’s questions and look at life after death was chilling. The last section of the book is notched with suspense, laced in horror and I closed the book with a spine tingling shiver eager to push the darker images from my head. Once again, King opened a door in my mind that cannot be closed.

Audio copy provided by publisher.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer