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  • Revival

  • By: Stephen King
  • Narrated by: David Morse
  • Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,416 ratings)

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Revival

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: David Morse
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Summary

A spectacularly dark and electrifying novel about addiction, religion, music, and what might exist on the other side of life.

In a small New England town, in the early '60s, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister. Charles Jacobs, along with his beautiful wife, will transform the local church. The men and boys are all a bit in love with Mrs Jacobs; the women and girls - including Jamie's mother and beloved sister - feel the same about Reverend Jacobs. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond, based on their fascination with simple experiments in electricity.

Then tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, the preacher curses God, mocking all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Jamie has demons of his own. In his mid-30s, he is living a nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll. Addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate, he sees Jacobs again - a showman on stage, creating dazzling 'portraits in lightning' - and their meeting has profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings. Because for every cure there is a price....

This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It's a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe.

©2014 Stephen King (P)2014 Simon & Schuster
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Critic reviews

"The most remarkable storyteller in modern American literature." (Mark Lawson, Guardian)
"America's greatest living novelist." (Lee Child)
"King's gift of storytelling is unrivalled. His ferocious imagination is unlimited." (George Pelecanos)
"King is a very remarkable and singular writer. He can catch dialogue, throw away an observation or mint a simile, sometimes, brilliantly . . . Storytelling is everything - and by golly does he know how to carry the reader." ( Observer)

What listeners say about Revival

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable but not one of his best.

Any additional comments?

I largely enjoyed this audio book but did find the end very disappointing.
If you're a Stephen King fan I'm sure this will appeal but he has many better books out there.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A compelling listen.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Enjoy the narration immensely, and found the characters highly engaging. Its been a week of cooking 'proper' meals, early nights, ironing and minimal TV so I could maximise my opportunities to listen!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Revival?

The development of the character of Charles Jacobs, you keep hoping.....

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Probably the revival!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes!

Any additional comments?

Initially I felt the climax was a little bit of a let down, maybe due to the big build up, however I kept listening and somehow the epilogue reeled it back from being a tad too outlandish.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Utterly Chilling

I’m a huge fan of Cosmic Horror & Stephen king, and this did not disappoint! However the ending is the single most Chilling concept I’ve ever read.
As much as I loved this book, the ending is going to haunt me forever!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

not stephen kings usual standard !!!

l have read all kings books and unfortunately this was not one of his best .

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Utterly Absorbing

If you could sum up Revival in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating, moving, shocking.

What did you like best about this story?

The gentle autobiographical pace, but with chilling, intriguing undertones.

Which character – as performed by David Morse – was your favourite?

All of them, he was brilliant.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No! It's long and involved.

Any additional comments?

More like this please. I'd never read Stephen King as I thought they'd be more terrifying, but this was a beautiful story, pretty dark in places but never gratuitously so.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story. Kings writing is just on point.

Brilliant characters. Lovely pacing in the story. Great narrator. Just a well rounded audiobook. Fantastic.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Creepy Thriller

The book works very well weaving in the story of Jamie with Danny. The ending of the book was slightly confusing to understand which works very well in the fact that we should comprehend what is happening.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Very typical Stephen King

Perhaps not his best although of course that may just be a personal reaction the story does sweep you along to a certain extent but the ending cannot help being a little weak given the subject matter

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Not one of his best

I’m a big Stephen King fan but this one didn’t hold me to the end. He never does great endings but this one was just a step too far. The performance was very good though, can’t fault the reader.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I hear Lovecraft and Stranger Things

Fantastic narrative and narration. Love this story. Wasn’t sure what was coming, but I’m glad I stayed. Fascinating storyline and I can now definitely see how much SK is influenced by Lovecraft and Poe. Well worth the credit and time spent listening to

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