Who Would Like This Book:
If you're into gripping thrillers with a dash of the supernatural, The Institute is classic Stephen King with a modern twist. The story expertly weaves suspense, rich character development, and a sinister atmosphere as a group of psychic kids face unimaginable odds at a shadowy government facility. Fans of Stranger Things, Firestarter, or King’s older works - especially those who enjoy kids banding together against pure evil - will be totally hooked. It’s also great for readers who appreciate a slow-burn, character-driven plot with deep emotional stakes.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers found the pacing sluggish in places, especially the long setup and middle sections. The focus on child endangerment, harsh treatment, and psychological abuse may be a dealbreaker for sensitive readers. Others disliked the familiar territory for King, noting it borrows a lot from his previous books without feeling as fresh or scary. If you want fast, relentless horror - or dislike stories with telepathy/telekinesis - this may not be your favorite.
About:
'The Institute' by Stephen King is a gripping tale that follows the story of Luke Ellis, a 12-year-old boy with telekinetic powers who is kidnapped from his home and taken to a mysterious facility known as The Institute. Here, he is subjected to cruel experiments alongside other children with psychic abilities. The narrative weaves elements of horror, suspense, and psychological thriller as the children band together to resist their captors and fight for survival. Stephen King's writing style in this book is described as reminiscent of his earlier works, with a focus on character development and intricate plot twists that keep readers on the edge of their seats. The book is praised for its engaging storytelling and the exploration of themes such as friendship, resilience, and the darkness of human nature.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book includes themes of child abuse, violence, and emotional distress, making it important to be aware of these content warnings.
From The Publisher:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King whose "storytelling transcends genre" (Newsday) comes "another winner: creepy and touching and horrifyingly believable" (The Boston Globe) about a group of kids confronting evil.
In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis's parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there's no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents-telekinesis and telepathy-who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, "like the roach motel," Kalisha says. "You check in, but you don't check out."
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don't, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.
As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is "first-rate entertainment that has something important to say. We all need to listen" (The Washington Post).
Ratings (145)
Incredible (18) | |
Loved It (62) | |
Liked It (44) | |
It Was OK (18) | |
Did Not Like (3) |
Reader Stats (259):
Read It (147) | |
Currently Reading (4) | |
Want To Read (81) | |
Did Not Finish (6) | |
Not Interested (21) |
3 comment(s)
In this book you follow Luke who are one of the kids kidnapped by the institute and forced to cooperate with them to learn to use their powers, telekinesis and telepathy. The premise reminded me slightly of "girls with all the gifts" but after reading it, they are two complete different stories, amazing in the own right. I loved this book, as very often I loved Stephen King's way to write characters and so easily to connect with (mostly) . Their feelings and actions feel so realistic and while you don't always agree with them, you get why they do it. This was an suspenseful and exciting read but at first I wasn't sure what to think, as I thought Stephen King's voice in this was different from his other books, if I hadn't known it was by him I wouldn't have guessed it but after a while I get used to it and enjoyed the show
This was a solid adventure story that moved along at a brisk pace. I was expecting something a bit more horror-tinged when I started reading it, but instead this was mostly a fantasy about terrible things happening to telepathic and telekinetic kids. This was also the closest King has come to a young adult novel since maybe Eyes of the Dragon, although it was fairly profane, so maybe that would disqualify it in some circles. King sticks the landing here, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Not King’s ~best~ work, but a familiar and consistent story that avid King fans will find familiar and comfortable. As always, his writing of children characters is excellent, though this book does not feature many scares. However, it provided the general aura of an excellent King novel that I have come to love, and that is enough. Avid readers will thoroughly enjoy.
What can you read after
The Institute?
About the Author:
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, and Doctor Sleep are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
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