A Novel Critique

In the first section of this novel, we read of two tales of death. A young boy named Johnny Smith falls on the ice while skating, blacks out for a few moments, then comes true with a half-remembered prophecy of death. The prophecy comes true, but Johnny doesn't remember making it. Subsequently, a man named Greg Stillson, a Bible salesman, kicks a dog to death in a potential client's front yard. These two people will later meet, and the stakes will be higher, but these first chapters predict the extreme circumstances of these men.

John Smith later grows up to be a well-liked teacher, with a girlfriend named Sarah, a relationship which may be becoming more serious. One night, Johnny and Sarah visit a carnival, and Johnny has an amazing stroke of luck at the Wheel of Fortune, predicting numbers with excellent prescience. But he feels ill afterward, and instead of going home with Sarah instead takes a cab back to his house. He never makes it. The cab crashes, sending John Smith into a four-and-a-half-year coma.

When he awakens, the world has changed. Sarah has married, his parents have aged. His mother, Vera (a direct decendant of Maragaret White of Carrie) has become increasingly infatuated with the Christian fringe. And politics have changed. An energetic young man named Greg Stillson is becoming a political power to be reckoned with. And Johnny, it seems, has come back to consciousness with the gift (or curse) of second sight.

Johnny doesn't want the fame that comes with his newfound power, and becomes something of a recluse. Still, he uses his powers when he feels that he must. He is pressured into helping the Castle Rock Sheriff catch a serial killer. He tells a woman that her child is in danger of a fire, and through swift action the child's life is spared. But with these insights come something else: what Johnny calls a "dead zone", a future he can't see. When he prevents a student of his from attending a party in a bar which will burn down, he discovers what the dead zone really is: a future that he can change.

Then, he shakes hands with Greg Stillson at a political rally. He sees Stillson as the President of the United States; he sees charred and burning bodies everywhere; he sees the aftereffects of a nuclear war that has occured by Stillson's hand. Now the question is, can he stop Stillson. And if he can, should he?

These moral questions weigh heavily and give the novel terrific depth. Johnny is forced to choose between the life of one and the lives of millions. In theory the decision is easy, but in practice it is a terrifying choice. Drama on the human level becomes intertwined with Johnny's devastating worldview, the result of which is a strong, resounding novel about responsibility and morality.

Trivia: The Dead Zone was King's first #1 novel, setting a trend that still continues today.

Personal Observations

The Dead Zone is one of my favorite King novels. Quiet in a way, but also stunning, it's one of the most powerful novels I've ever read. I remember one night, when my Mom came into my room and I was reading it. My Mom's not a big reader, and she told me it was time for bed. WHen I beggeed her to let me stay up and finish the chapter, she just looked at me, puzzled, and said, "All right." I think she would have understood me better if I asked to stay up and watch TV a little later.

It still surprises me that the ending makes me cry every time, and that Johnny's visions still fill me with excitement. This is one of those King novels where you read quickly through the prose to get to the "action" parts (like the fire bursts of Firestarter). I remember buying it, too. I got it (like most of my other early King purchases) at Infinity Books in Quincy, MA. I was going to see a movie, and while waiting I sat on the steps behind the movie theater and read the first chapter. Nothing like a King novel to take me out of place and time and transport me into the lives of Johnny Smith and Greg Stillson. Since then, The Dead Zone has been a constant on my Top Ten King List, and I don't think it's falling off soon.

Movie Adaptation

When I first saw David Croenberg's The Dead Zone, I didn't care for it. I was young and this was before I read the book. Years later, I bought it to complete my collection and re-watched it. God, this movie rocks. One of the best adaptions in both visual interpretation and tone, great casting (Chistopher Walken is GREAT!), terrific scenery. The side story of The Castle Rock Killer is handled evenly (it should have interrupted the action but only propels it). And I really liked Johnny being "in" the visions. This is truly one of the best adaptations.

Dedication

THIS IS FOR OWEN
I LOVE YOU, OLD BEAR