I saw Stephen King do a talk at George Mason University back in 2011, and got the surprise of a lifetime (for a King fan, anyway) – he read a snippet of his sequel to The Shining! And now I’ve FINALLY read the whole thing. I loved his return to the world of the Torrance family. How in the hell would Danny be dealing with his experience at the Overlook as an adult? Would he still be seeing “pictures in a book”? Oh yes, and then some. The themes of friendship, family, the mentor and the student, alcoholism, and using powers for good are covered brilliantly. Life is a circle, King says, and everything comes back around. Of course there is the scary stuff too. Uncle Stevie knows how to bring it. The group known as the True Knot, vampire like beings that feed on the “steam” of gifted children – extremely creepy and formidable. I’ll never look at recreational vehicles the same way. King’s writing is so familiar to me. Reading this novel was comforting, in some weird way. Tears were shed at the end, not gonna lie.