Book Reviews of Cell

The King of Weird creeps us out again with this new bestseller. All hell breaks loose one afternoon when people's cell phones start ringing. You simply won't believe what mankind is capable of and who (or what) is pulling the strings. But not everyone is affected, including Clay Riddell who didn't have a cell phone that day. Clay desperately wants to find his family, especially his son, which he sets out to do with naive hope and unyielding resolve. He picks up a few stragglers along the way and together they take on an inconceivable force. The action starts on the very first page, so be prepared for a wild ride from the very beginning. And remember - don't answer the phone.

Cell is about the end of the world via cell phone. It's very timely, considering you can't get a darn coffee without having to hear someone else's onesided conversation.

One afternoon people are going about their annoying conversations when suddenly all who were talking on the cells turn into bloodthirsty, violent "phone crazies". And those who own a cell but weren't using it at the time and make the fatal stake of calling their loved ones, or 911, to find out what the hell is going on, turn all crazy as well. Soon most everyone has reverted into a raving lunatic. The story follows a small band of survivors who were lucky enough to avoid the cell phone crazy making message as they make their way in this strange new world. It's very violent, often sad and some of the action eerily takes place in my neighboring town! Though the ending had me pulling my hair out, I remained entranced until the last word.

Stephen King is one of those writers that can put feeling into each and every word and in doing so can creep you out! This is the story of Clay Riddell, who was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. Without warning, carnage and chaos reigned. Ordinary people fell victim to the basest, most animalistic destruction. And the apocalypse began with the ring of a cell phone...
Stephen King will make you think twice about picking up your cell phone.

Reminds me of his older work... the best book I have read by Stephen King in a while. It was hard to put down!

The "OLD" Stephen King is back! All King lovers must read this book. I stopped reading him at about Dolores Claiborne but picked this one up recently. It is a bit gorey but the story is fabulous and reminiscent of the older King books that wowed me.

Cell phones relay a pulse that drives all those listening literally insane and they are taking over the world.

While I enjoyed this book more than I have others written by S.K. recently it still reminded me a lot of The Stand. I guess certain themes are going to repeat. What really got me about this book was how much we take cell phones for granted--and boy, I look at my cell phone two or three times now before I use it!

Story hooked me right away--finished in a day!

You might think twice about your cell phone addiction. It only takes a little paranoia to see how this scenario could happen. Just pray terrorists don't develop this capability!

I think I have read all of king's books but this is the first one that really * weirded* me out....very bloody...very graphic.....I kept reading it because I enjoyed the basic story..but there were times when I had to put it down and walk away from its *nightmare of the living dead* scenes.

I havent read King in awile but decided to start again. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book. Kept me interested. Kept me in suspense.

Brutal. The interaction between the "normies" was good and believable, though.

I was recommended this book by another zombie fan who read some of my reviews here on Amazon. Sure, I've read some of King's novels, what self described fan of horror hasn't? So when I was told that one of the most prolific and famous authors of all time took a shot at Zombies I had to check it out.

The story follows one man's (Clay) story as all hell breaks loose and he tries to make it home to his son. The story starts with Clay doing some shopping, celebrating the sale of his first graphic novel. Soon things go down hill fast as people seem to have lost their minds and have begun tearing each other apart. The city is in chaos and all Clay can think of is getting to his son.



Ok, so what about the zombies? Well they are not exactly zombies in the sense that zombies generally are dead, the "Phoners" in Cell most definitely are not dead. In the beginning of the book they are more mindless animals in a blood rage while later in the book they become more intelligent. They don't really eat flesh or brains either like zombies do, they just like killing people. As a zombie purist I have to say that they are not zombies but in some ways Zombie-like.



With the bit about zombies out of the way I will state that this was a great apocalyptic survival novel. People are hiding out trying to scrape by and avoiding the Phoners, power in many areas starts to go, whole cities are destroyed and humans are becoming the minority. There is a distinct helplessness and doom feel to the book which I live in any survival novel.



Once again King manages to play on the common person's fears to spin a great story. If you are a father what could possibly be more frightening than the thought of your kid being torn apart? For a society so dependant on cell phones, what could be scarier than cell phones driving us mad? How about facing someone who is driven to bestial rage and knowing he will kill you on sight? Then imagine thousands of these Phoners roaming your streets. Kings writing style only adds to this fear inducing read.

Now, what was King trying to get at with this Cell's plot? Nobody really knows but could he be pointing out that Cell Phones are some social plague? Everyone has probably noticed the total loss of manors we've seen in last 15-20 years and part of this surely has to be due in part to cell phones and people's need to be in contact at all times. Another spin: Brain cancer. There has been speculation that cell phones could cause cancer so in the realm of fiction it's not a far stretch that they could drive people nuts.

As for the story, this one is action from start to beginning. What starts out as a straight forward zombie like novel ends up being more of a supernatural survival story. Many characters come and go in the story but the only one we really get to know well is Clay. There are plenty of gory scenes for those who like them and lots of twists to keep you turning the page. However, the ending (while sad) was kind of anti climatic and leaves you hanging. The book seemed to be building and building tension leading me to think that there was going to be a big "bang" at the end but it never really materialized.

In the end the book was still highly enjoyable and I would recommend it to any horror fan. King's tribute to George Romero, while not quite zombies, was a truly fun read with great imagery and spooky feel.

I am an avid lover of all Stephen Kings books and have read most of them (some of them two or three times!), but this is the first book of his that just jumped right over all the "leading up to" stuff and just jumped right into the craziest story I've ever read! It starts with a guy just walking down the street and suddenly there is people jumping off roofs, walking into traffic, etc. Trust me you will not put this down until it is done.

In a world gone mad, what are the right choices? Can the old morals survive? This is the story of what happens when a world goes mad - all thanks to the joys of modern technology. Within a matter of hours the world disintegrates from what we know today to a dark age the likes of which no one could possibly have predicted.

This book reminds me of The Stand, where the world is turned on its head thanks to a deadly flu virus. "CELL" is much the same in that it takes something we know and love, something we trust, and turns it into a weapon of mass destruction. If you liked The Stand, you will like this, too.

Once again Stephen King shines in the book. The story takes place in modern day society, normal everyday people in everyday situations, that is... until something goes terribly wrong. Not just effecting a small town, but all towns across the U.S.

This was a wonderful book! I will read it again one day, but for the mean time I will keep a close watch on technology today and the things that can go wrong or right with it. I highly recommend this if you are a Stephen King fan. Even if your not a fan this book will keep you going until the end and then it will leave you wondering.....

I was disappointed in this book. I used to read a lot of SK books, so I decided to try this one out. To be honest, I wondered if he was just trying to see if he could sell another book without having to put any effort in it. I kept waiting for something significant to happen. At the end, I realized it had been a waste of time.

I am surprised by all the positive reviews on this book. I thought it was the worst SK book I have ever read.

This book tried too hard. It really wanted to be as good as The Stand, but it just wasn't. Not even close. The premise was interesting, but there just wasn't enough "meat" here to really love the story. The character development was weak, it was missing the information that would have wrapped up the book well. I wasn't in love with the ending, but didn't hate it either... I dunno. I was disappointed. I miss King's old stuff...

I wasn't as impressed with this book as some of his others. Hard to keep my attention. A good book, but not great.

Two thumbs up for SK on this one. It'll grab you right from the start.

I usually do not like King books, it seems to take him 80 pages to get to the point or explain the color of the clouds, etc. This book started right off very fast and kept me reading until the end... although I thought the ending could have been better, but hey, I actually read a Stephen King book all the way through and enjoyed it!

Exciting, cross country epic story about travelers after a world gone crazy by cell phones.

Interesting idea although somewhat implausible at times. Not for the faint of heart!

Awesome story. Not as horrific as other works, but very easy to read. ****

This was a great book by Stephen King written with his usual genius. Loved it!

Feels like old King.A very good read.

Stephen King is back! More like his early stuff. Loved it.

Where were you on October 1st at 3:03 p.m.?

Graphic artist Clay Riddell was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. Without warning, carnage and chaos reigned. Ordinary people fell victim to the basest, most animalistic destruction.

And the apocalypse began with the ring of a cell phone....

Wow! I just stayed up till the wee hours to finish this, I couldn't put it down. Old-fashioned Stephen King, held my undivided attention all the way through.

An absolutely FANTASTIC book. One of King's finest fictions. Very quick, compelling read and an incredible spin and reinterpretation of the tried and true zombie story. Definitely the best zombie story I've read!

This book is horrible. The concept is simple - people addicted to cell phones turn into zombies. How is that different from realty? The worst King book I've ever read - and regretted wasting time on!

MASTERPIECE I believe this book is quite different than any other SK book. He has really done it this time AMAZING. Once again I spent most of my time on the edge of my seat unable to do any thing but be sucked into this book. SK's books seem to have wore out the seat in my favorite reading chair.

Cell is the best of Stephen King’s books. Is a world much like today, where everybody has a cellphone “glued” to their ear, and people are controlled through this cellphones.

I have been a long time fan of Stephen King but got away from his books for awhile and started reading Dean Koontz and others. I felt this book did not peak my interest as quickly as some of his others and found myself reading it very slowly. I found it alot easier to put down than some of his other books. All in all it was enjoyable.

I hadn't read a Stephen King book in a long time because he started getting into the serial novels, which wasn't my thing. King hits it out of the park with this one, once again though. Great book, couldn't put it down.

great book----as usualy Stephen King delivers in a spooky way!

Another solid story from Stephen King. The book makes a thought-provoking statement about the prevalence of and our reliance on our wireless technology and always being "connected." This isn't my favorite King book ever, but it kept me reading and interested until the very last page...I wish it had gone on for a few more pages!

It's good - typical Stephen King. The ending leaves a lot to be desired, but that is also typical S.K.
One thing it will do - even if you have finished reading it, the next time your cell phone rings - you will hesitate to answer it.

Alittle hard to read at first but in the end it was good.

Clayton Riddell, a struggling artist from Maine who is estranged from his wife, Sharon, and his young son, Johnny, has landed a graphic novel deal in Boston. As he begins to allow himself to celebrate, somebody, somewhere, triggers "The Pulse," a signal sent out over the global cell phone network that instantly strips any cell phone user of their sanity, turning them into bloodthirsty, homicidal creatures.
Civilization crumbles as the Pulse's victims, dubbed "phone crazies" or simply "phoners", attack each other and any unaltered people in view. In the first few hours of chaos, Clay is thrown together with Tom McCourt, and fifteen-year-old Alice Maxwell.
In the first few days the phoners begin "flocking", migrating in lockstep, only to disappear at dusk every evening. They also begin to regain a semblance of intelligence, and forage not only for food, but also radios and CD players.
On the trek north one days sleep spent at Gaiten Academy, a prep school with one remaining teacher, Charles Ardai, and one surviving pupil, Jordan. They discover where the phoner flock goes at night, stuffed into the Academy's soccer field with radios and speakers throughout the field, playing a selection of random songs each night.
Ardai demonstrates that the phoners have become a hive mind, and are developing psychic and telekinetic abilities. The five of them decide that they must destroy the flock before its powers grow even stronger.
The sleep that follows is filled with a horrendous dream, in which everyone sees themselves in a stadium, surrounded by hundreds of phoners who broadcast a grim telepathic threat in Latin. A disheveled man wearing a Harvard University hooded sweatshirt approaches, bringing their death.
When they wake the man dubbed “The raggedy man� leads the flock on bloody reprisal on all other normals in the area, and orders the protagonists to head north to a spot in Maine called "Kashwak", where there is no cell phone reception. The flock psychically compels Ardai to commit suicide after writing the word "insane" in multiple languages. Clay and the others bury him and travel north, mostly because Clay is still determined to go home.
I liked this book because of the twists and while I am not a huge fan of King this work restored my faith in the author. I have also discovered that it will soon be made into a tv mini series, not a movie with Eli Roth at the helm as was stated in 2006. :(

First off, I've never been so glad that I don't own a cell phone! Secondly, Stephen King has penned another gruesome winner, going back to his days of blood and gore. CELL starts off with the Pulse, where everyone who owns a cell phone answers a call and subsequently goes psycho. Back to their basic days of kill or be killed, these are slobbery creatures with no morals, emotions, or human qualities besides the desire to destroy.

Enter Clayton Riddell, a man happy to have never given in to the need to purchase a cell phone, who watches the people on the street of Boston go murderous. He hooks up with Tom, another "normie" and Alice, who watched her mother go crazy and kill a cab-driver, to escape the city. Clay is heading home to Kent's Pond, Maine, to check on the well-being of his estranged wife, Sharon (who doesn't own a cell phone) and his son Johnny (who does).

What follows is the groups trials and trevails as they're inevitably pushed towards Kashwak, the NO-FO zone. You'll have to read CELL to figure out what this means, but believe me, it's well worth your time and effort!

Stephen King has returned to his days of blood and gore, guts and more blood, and the result is a winner. If you love horror, or King in particular, you won't go wrong picking up a copy of this latest winner.

I loved this book! The action started right from the beginning and kept me going until the end.

A very creepy premise -- "What if some unknown force could turn most of the world into walking zombies, using their cellphones?" A great, truly scary opening followed by a road trip from and into hell. You'll look at your blackberry and iphone a little more suspiciously after this.

One of my favorite books of all time! It has everything one could possibly need-zombies and a constant fear of death. I would tell anyone that loves "Dawn of the Dead" (or 'Shauwn of the Dead') to pick up this book.

I initially didnt enjoy this read. It grabbed me and then slowly let me down until I didnt really care about what happeend.

Because I am such a SK fan, I always read everything at least twice, to pick up things I didnt get the first time. The next time I read, I loved it. I loved the characters, and their relationships, and the happy and sad events that they encountered.

This is not for the faint at heart as there is a lot of bloodshed but I assume you know that if you know anything about SK. Regardless, prepare yourself before you get on the rollercoaster.

The storyline for this book is very intriguing and thought provoking. Once again, Stepehen King, who is already possibly THE most talented author of our time, for some reason is compelled to resort to more graphic language and raunchy content than is necessary to get his point across. I have never understood why he does this...he doens't need to...
I have always found with King, you just have to put up with these sleezy parts if you are going to read his work. To get to sample his brilliant writing skill and storytelling, without these distractions, the tasteless content can be skimmed over.

The only things I didn't like about this book was the use of cell phones and the end.

Loved this book. Have read most of Stephen King's books. This was more sci-fi to me with the technology theme and without the supernatural theme or gory unnatural creatures that some people expect of a horror book writer. I'm always telling my family to not get so attached to the phone and computer--will they ever learn?????????

This book is definitely classic King. I don't want to spoil the end for anybody, but it definitely keeps you thinking after you've closed the book. I did feel it started a little slow, but then did the usual thing King's books do, and picked up so you can't put it down. After all these years, I'm still amazed at the way this man can write. A must read for fans and anyone who's wants to be freaked out by their cell phone.

This book reminds me of the King in his heyday. The story is great, one we all could relate to (or wouldn't find so far-fetched) and has the King flair in telling it that keeps you hooked.

what a great book! so creepy and scary!

I am an avid Stephen King reader but lately I am left unimpressed. The Cell seemed to renew my faith in his writing, it's a page turner!

I really enjoyed this book by Stephen King because it goes straight to the story line within the first few pages with sudden action that gets the plotline going quickly. It was hard to put down because you wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next, with characters one starts to care about and hope they survive. Cell's premise is that suddenly there is a signal coming through on cell phones that suddenly turn people into zombie like creatures that attack and start to dominate the world. The band of non-cell phoners battle with wits and will to try to survive in the quickly changing world they find themselves in. It was one of the better Stephen King novels I've read in awhile.

Not his best but far above the recent duds like Rose Red and Kingdom Hospital. There is a virus which is transmitted through cell phones that causes people to become homicidal maniacs. The majority of the population become mindless killing machines (rather like zombies) and the rest have to try and stay alive. A small group sets off on a trek to try to reach a survivors camp. They end up waylaid at a boarding school in New England and find that the "zombies" are getting smarter and seem to have a hive behavior. They plan to trap a large group and kill them but things don't go as smoothly as planned. I'd give this one a solid 7 out of 10. This is kind of like The Stand crossed with Night of the Living Dead.

I like King's stories and this did not seem like one of his books. It starts off very fast and grabs you in the first couple pages but it loses steam even before the halfway point in the book and just drags until the end.

Better than most King novels of late but still lacking that punch to the gut. Just when you thought it would get crazy it goes in another direction and becomes more about details and less about action. The ending was horrible and predictable. There are better Zombie novels out there than this one.

I really enjoyed this book. It's a quick-read and grabs your attention. It reminded me a bit of "The Stand". The only thing I didn't like was the ending-it ended too abruptly for my tastes.

reading this book now....or rather, TRYING to read it. I know Mr. King can be verbose, but the beginning of this book seems to go on and on and on, ad infinitum. I haven't decided to quit on it yet...but I don't find myself looking forward to going back to read it. I will, however, give it 20 more pages before I decide I can't read this one....???

I have to say, this book did freak me out in some places. I was VERY disappointed with the ending! It was a great read though. I had it finished in a matter of days!

Fast paced and easy to consume, the master of horror gives us another tale of the apocalypse, this time through the convention of every day technology.

Some have pegged Cell as a redux of The Stand, but that alone speaks volumes. There's another writer who often retold his own stories: William Shakespeare.

Others have complained that the ending left more to be desired. But the ambiguity works. It's not about the details outside of the lives of the survivors. Rather, this is a story about their survival.

Excellant read the outcome of the book is up to you you'll see

This book was ok if you've never read The Stand. It reminded me of The Stand, and was extremely predictable. However, in true King fashion, you are sucked in and can't put it down.

An apocalypse caused by cell phones. Zombies, great main characters, humor (poking fun at the average cell phone user), drama, loss -- this is the King novel I've been waiting for.

Stephen King is at it again another quick read that draws you in quickly and leaves you wondering if he could have done a little more on the ending. A great read to fill some time during a flight not the very best of Stephen King but still has areas of heart thumping "what if's"

One of his most strangest stories ever. Starts out with a very interesting idea and gets stranger and stranger... ultimate King....
His ending... you won't believe.

I really enjoyed this book. I love Stephen King, and this one is vintage. The world falls apart, a cross country trip ensues, and of course we end up in Maine. Excellent read.

I liked this book a bit more than I have more recent books by king...
it is really kind of sweet how he almost makes you afraid to use your cell phone for a while! Suspenseful and fast read

MMMM!! MMMMM!! King is getting his snap back. He sort of stumbled for awhile. But Cell returns King's fans to familiar wordplays and drama that we love so much.

it's an ok read

great ride

A really good read. Surprise ending, if you like that kind of ending.....

Excellent.

Very graphic. A little too much for my taste.

Quick read...beach book....very today.

Stephen King can really write em. This one's hard to put down. But, don't give the enemy any ideas, Steve.

WHERE WERE YOU ON OCTOBER 1ST AT 3:03PM?

Graphic artist Clay Riddell was in the heart of Boston on the brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. Without warning, carnage and chaos reigned. Ordinary people fell victim to the basest, most animalistic destruction....

And the apocalypse began with the ring of a cell phone.....

Stephen does not like cell phones and neither do I. Otherwise, tired Stephen King Armageddon.

Cell is classic Stephen King. It's slightly reminiscent of The Stand. Simply put, it's about what would happen if someone interfered with cell phone frequencies. Highly readable, hard to put down in places, those who love Stephen King should love this book.

Loved it!

What a book!!!! Stephen King What more is there to say!

VERY GOOD - EASY READING

Creepy. Made me want to not answer my cellphone after I read it.

Starts great, kind of leaves you hanging at the end.

Graphic artist Clay Riddell was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. Without warning, carnage and chaos reigned. Ordinary people fell victim to the basest, most animalistic destruction.

And the apocalypse began with the ring of a cell phone....

Wow. First King novel I've read in 4 years and I couldn't put it down. Fast-paced action and great story keep you guessing. Stephen King is still a master.

Starts out real fast and has a good story and message. One of King's best in recent years.

Harrowing...Entertaining...Cell is hard to put down.

I really liked this book. It took me a while to read because it is pretty thick. It was very interesting though, one of those books that really makes you think! I give it 4 stars! It is in like new condition!

Graphic artist Clay Riddell was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autumn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes,Without warning,carnage AND CHAOS REIGNED.oRDINARY PEOPLE FELL VICTIM TO THE BASDEST,MOST ANIMALISTIC DESTRUCTION.aND THE APOCALYPSE BEGAN WITH THE RING OF A CELL PHONE.

Good, scary story. More like the "old" Stephen King than some of his more recent works. If you've ever been a little paranoid about cell phones--maybe this book isn't for you!

best King book I've read in a while.

A page-turner. I couldn't put it down.

i'm not one for science fiction, but my husband enjoyed this one.

Really a fast read. I could not put it down. I had to find out what would happen.

A really great science fiction novel in the true style of Stephen King. It grabs you from the first minute and continues nonstop until the end.

updated "night of the living dead"... only much scarier

Grabs you right from the first page and doesn't let go. Excellent suspense and horror combined!

Reminds me of the Stephen King of old which is a good thing but book was not as good as I'd hoped. It's unfortunate but I think as far as horror goes, his well has run dry.

Interesting premis, but the ending was stupid!

Another chilling but fun read by the King of horror. "Cell" is a shorter version of "The Stand"- another look at apocalyptic America brought upon by our excessive use and reliance on the cell phone. Couldn't put this book down!

excellent reading, King at his best

Great book! Easy read!

What can I say.....Steven King.

This book hits the ground running and really makes you question your use of a cell phone. Couldn't put it down.

It could probably happen!

Not bad, reminded me a bit of The Stand, but a easy read.

A surprisingly good novel. Although, some may complain there is no closure at the end, I thought it was a fantastic ending.

This wasn't the best Stephen King book I've ever read, but it's still far better than most horror novels out there. It started slowly and parts of it reminded me of both Matheson's "I am Legend" and King's own "Pet Sematary"... however, it's still worth a read. The premise alone is very interesting.

This is a great book. It made me afraid to use my cell phone!!

wow...S.K is back!! I loved this book! I almost hate to put it up for"adoption" !! And believe you me, next time your on your cell phone, you'll think about this story :)) I know that I have

I totally enjoyed this book about an apocalypse that began with one cell phone call. As usual, King's abilty to write about everyday life and how everyday things are affected by a disaster is incredible. It sort of reminded me of King's "The Stand", except not as long and a much quicker read. The only thing I didn't like about it was the ending.

Great book - starts out fast and keeps going. I could not put the book down - I read it in 2 days. You honestly think about never using your cell again.

Stephen King is awesome pool side reading...not quite as scary as alone in a house at night...but I read it at night and was totally creeped out.

OUTSTANDING! Can't wait for the movie in 2007!

Pretty enjoyable

Classic King....couldn't put it down until it was done.

It was ok

Where were you on October 1st at 3:03 PM?
Graphic artist Clay Riddell was in the heart of Boston on that brilliant autymn afternoon when hell was unleashed before his eyes. Without warning, carnage and chaos reigned. Ordinary people fell victim to the basest, most animalistic destruction.
And the apocolypse began with the ring of a cell phone . . .

awesome!

A great book! You will not want to put it down!

I just couldn't put this book down! It was awesome and the loss of sleep was worth it. King just holds your attention to the very end with Cell.

I have a library of SK's books. This one was like the books of old...thrilling and scary. I like the "impossible" bbbuuuttt maybe feeling I felt with this book.

Excellent story, Mr. King tosses you right into the meat grinder and keeps dragging you through the muck and mire until the last page.

Steve o does it again.Draws you into his weird world where everything goes to Hades.I'm not a big fan, but readable, and no killing the dog.