The Institute

I know I was a few years late getting to this one, and that’s on me, as it was in my TBR pile since the day it was released. I found the book intensely captivating. It drew me in from the very first page, and from there, it’s a rollicking, non-stop thrill ride to the end.

Combine that with the very realistic depictions of the Institute itself, which you can almost believe is a real place.

King has always been great at bringing his characters to life, and this book is no exception. It is classic King, and I would… show more.

It's been a long time since I’ve read a Stephen King book that I felt was really up to his old standard, but finally, here it was, and as always, it's like returning home with the familiar, engaging writing style and well-developed characters. For a moment, I thought we were revisiting elements of Firestarter, but it took a different path, although it was just as compelling. 

The story follows the terrifying idea of a government persecuting and exploiting children who have minor telekinetic or telepathic abilities. It's dark and gruesome in places, but King had set up the would-be… show more.

It’s not often that I rave about a Stephen King novel, but I really loved this one.

It's long, but it does keep you interested. And you almost believe it could happen. The fact that it is about missing and mentally mistreated children lends a contemporary and a futuristic feel to the tale. 

Fans will love it, and it will bring a few more to the fold. Recommended.

If you have nightmares about being locked in an institution with no chance of escape (as I have!!) this is the novel for you.

In the middle of the night, kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy— are kidnapped from their homes and placed in an institution by the government.

The staff of The Institute is dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts for use as weapons of destruction.

You’ll find yourself rooting for the kids in this nail-biter of a novel.

Stephen King is known for his artsy works, but The Institute felt different than the other stories. The book is divided up into sections, and in these sections were chapters. It was an interesting way to format a book, but what pulled me into the story was the fantasy magic of telekinesis, almost a runoff of his book The Shining. The psychology was captivating while the young characters were tormented for their punishments of betrayal against the mysterious school, but every kid had their own shine to them, a special talent or gift of nature inside.