Bag of Bones by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)

Audiobook Reviews from Audiobook-Heaven

Title: Bag of Bones
Author: Stephen King
Narrator: Stephen King
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Duration: 20 hours, 46 minutes
Copyright: 2000
Genres: horror, paranormal, suspense
Filed in: Audiobook Reviews
Review copy provided by Kearney Public Library.

PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Even four years after the sudden death of his wife, best selling novelist Mike Noonan can't stop grieving, nor can he return to his writing. Now his nights are plagued by vivid nightmares of the house by the lake. Despite these dreams, or perhaps because of them, he decides to return to Sara Laughs, the Noonans' isolated summer home. In his beloved Yankee town, he finds himself falling in love with a widowed young mother, who struggles to keep custody of her 3-year-old daughter. He is also drawn into the mystery of Sara Laughs, now the site of ghostly visitations, ever-escalating nightmares, and the sudden recovery of his writing ability. What are the forces that have been unleashed here - and what do they want of Mike Noonan?
©1998 Stephen King, All Rights Reserved; (P)1998 Simon & Schuster, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

MY TAKE ON IT: Here it is, my very favorite Stephen King novel. “Bag of Bones” has everything I love in a good audiobook: page-turning suspense, a thrilling mystery, and a spooky ghost story, all rolled into one. Shucks, I even liked the ending of this audiobook, which I cannot always say of King’s books. One of my favorite scenes from “Bag of Bones” is when Mike Noonan is standing at the top of his cellar stairs, conversing with what may or may not be the spirit of his late wife in the darkness below. The spirit thumps once for yes and twice for no as Mike asks questions. “Are you Jo?” he asks. Thump goes the spirit, and then thump-thump. Yes and no. This is a really creepy scene!
In addition to the myriad literary references Stephen King makes in “Bag of Bones”, he also mentions several characters from his own books. Thad Beaumont from “The Dark Half”, and William Denbrough from “It” are mentioned in passing, and Ralph Roberts and Joe Wyzer from “Insomnia” actually make brief cameos. I also heard King use the word “oogy” in this audiobook which fans of King will undoubtedly recognize as one of Annie Wilke’s favorite epithets in “Misery.” It’s always nice to see old familiar characters like that; as King himself says, it’s a little like coming home to family.

NARRATOR: Stephen King has narrated a few of his own novels and short stories, including “Bag of Bones.” Authors don’t typically make good narrators, although King is better than some I’ve heard. Personally, I would like to have heard Campbell Scott, who narrated “The Shining” and “Cell”, do this one as well.
Mister King, please let the professionals handle the narration, you can afford it.

FINAL WORD: If you like ghost stories as much as I do, you’ll definitely like “Bag of Bones”, but this is so much more than just a ghost story. Give it a try, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

CHECK OUT THESE OTHER AUDIOBOOK REVIEWS:
The Shining by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)
Cell by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)
Under the Dome by Stephen King (Audiobook Review)

----------o----------

If you like this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:
Get "Bag of Bones" by Stephen King (Unabridged Audiobook) from Amazon.com.

This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.
Audiobook review by Steven Brandt
Come back soon for more audiobook reviews from AudioBook-Heaven