May 10, 2008 04:00 am Hello, my friends, many whom I have not yet met. I promised you last month a review of Stephen King's latest novel, "Duma Key." Unfortunately, the library failed to deliver the book in time, so I was forced to write a review on several artists at an inhuman speed. However, due to my constant taunting of the library, not only was my library card taken from me, but I was given, on probation, a copy of "Duma Key." So it was, from that day that I began to read "¦ and I must speak "¦ err "¦ write my opinions now. For those who don't know what "Duma Key" is, it revolves around a character named Edgar Freemantle, a recently divorced man who had lost an arm in an accident. In this book, he battles with a temporary bout of suicidal thoughts, and eventually moves to a house on an island off the Florida coast called "¦ you guessed it "¦ Duma Key. From there, he begins to sketch, and soon paint. He gains a few friends on the island, who convince him that his art is good, and soon, he gains a bit of popularity. However, his paintings begin to hold a dark power, and Edgar starts to experience weird sensations. He learns the histories of his friends, and a dark power from one of their pasts returns to cause havoc. It's up to Edgar and his friends to destroy it. For some strange reason, I was expecting this story line. It's a basic plot that King uses in most of his novels. If one were to reveal his plot in a headline, I believe it would look something like this: Good guy and friends must band together to face absolutely evil monster. It seems a little strange that King seems to repeat a topic, switching certain characters. Still, I give the man credit, and he is not on trial here _ it is this particular book. There were some good things that I liked about this novel. To start, I really enjoyed the breaking of social norms. It's rare to have a protagonist who isn't complete physically, not to mention mentally. It's unique to have somebody who challenges your mind to envision the character as a person who you wouldn't meet every day. Another thing I enjoyed would be the way that King described life without a limb. I would really be interested to know how he was able to describe the feelings so well, because it is simply amazing. It was as if King lived without his arm for a while to research this book. With good details come the bad. While the book starts off originally, it seems to mold, past halfway through the book, into the clichéd Stephen King novel. I feel, simply, that King ruined the rest of his novel by tossing on such a simple ending. I must stop writing that, in fear of redundancy. Besides its clichéd manner, I really had a large problem with the way the book flowed. The story had a smooth feeling, but it was a very slow read, ranking up there with "Dracula," or "The Gunslinger" (which, by the way, is another King novel). It felt as if King was trying to elongate his story by adding frivolous details, and meaningless sentences. It made the book dull (at several points during it, I fell asleep), and truly brought it down. This book seems to have truly slipped by. In its four-or-five month existence, the book has not made much of a spark. I believe that it should be put in the stack of books that one passes at the library, not bothering to pick up. Personally, I believe that Stephen King has written better, but I've seen much, much worse. I officially give "Duma Key" a 4 out of 10, for its hackneyed plot, and for a lack of captivation. So, that's it for me this month. I'll be back next month. With what, I don't know. I've heard of Panic at the Disco releasing a new album. I might check it out. You can trust on this: "Iron Man." Plain and simple. Long days and pleasant nights to all. Adam Munio is a junior at Unadilla Valley Central School. He can be reached at pentwarrior@yahoo.com.
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