Duma Key

I haven't searched for it yet, but I think I may be the only person who saw the pun in the title of Stephen King's latest book, DUMA KEY. If you think about it phonetically it could be seen as doom aqui or doom here. Thinking about it this way, one would hope that the protagonist stayed away from that place. However being a horror novel, no such thing could happen.

I didn't actually read this novel. Instead I picked up the audio version from my library. Audio books can be a mixed proposition. They allow you to "read" the story while doing other tasks - walking the dog, driving to work, or working out. But I sometimes found my resumptions to be somewhat jarring because I didn't leave off in a convenient place or could not remember the action. Written works allow for easier back tracking and restarting in most cases. Also I could not go back to a specific page to reread a section as well. That was not a problem with this book because there is good narrative drive and sufficient recapping and foreshadowing to keep the story moving forward. The other problem with audio books is length. It always seems like it takes longer to listen to than to read, but that is probably because the listener cannot skip passages like the reader does. All in all, I like audio books - especially ones as well produced as this. I have a nice stack on my iPod for when an opening presents.

John Slattery is the narrator and does an excellent job. I had no trouble discerning the characters and he didn't overreach in his performance (no stabs at fake Minnesota accents, etc). I truly enjoyed the audio and would recommend this version to anyone.

Now onto the story...DUMA KEY tells the tale of how Edgar Freemantle was disabled and came back to live a new life albeit probably not the one he would have chosen. This is not a new story. King has written about the isolated artist in the past (see THE SHINING). He's written about the ancient evil (see IT). He's written about brain-injured psychics (see THE DEAD ZONE), and so forth. All of this did not keep me from enjoying this novel. I haven't read as much King as I did in my teen years (This is only the second novel I picked up in ten years.), but I still recognize him as an important voice in American literature. King knows how to write and how to deliver the story. And most importantly, he knows how to entertain. DUMA KEY does entertain and even surprises. For people who don't read King because they don't like horror, they don't know what they are missing.

DUMA KEY is also a nominee for the 2009 Stoker Award for best novel. Right now it is my favorite. I'm still reading COFFIN COUNTY and now have JOHNNY GRUESOME. We'll see how they compare.