Cell by Stephen King - Book Review

In a world where everyone is connected, Cell is the terrifying reality of what would happen if something chose to take control. With nearly the entire population on the planet having access to one, an unknown virus is born when every cell in the world suddenly rings, turning ordinary citizens into crazed and out of control zombies.

“The Pulse” is a global epidemic that reduces the population into instant chaos, most succumbing to the crazed killers it creates.

A small group of survivors band together to trek across New England, only to discover that “Phoners”, those taken by the pulse, begin foraging for food, killing “non-phoners” on sight. With horrifying dreams beginning to ravage the group and an endless struggle against an evil force, the survivors’ desperate trek will come at a price none want to pay.

Although the story begins with the usual flare of gripping suspense mixed with shocking gore and terror, it soon turned into a confusing mess for me, eventually closing the book after just a few chapters.

I picked it up again a few months later, beginning the story from scratch to try and let it pull me in. Although I managed to eventually finish it, it wasn’t something I would ever return to.

It’s an apocalyptic, world-ending story, yes, but when the author Stephen King has already released an epic saga called The Stand, it’s hard to not compare the 2. While The Stand did everything right, Cell did everything wrong.

For me, at least. I couldn’t like any of the characters, never finding myself attached the way I was to Stu, Tom and Franny. Although the story had enough blood to keep the most vested of fans happy, the core of the story wasn’t enough for me, often looking at the clock to see if I wanted to continue. Unfortunately for me, not one of my favourites.