Although The Shining might be one of the most famous Stephen King novels, its legacy is heavily based on the iconic Stanley Kubrick adaptation of the book. King’s own love-hate view on that film is particularly intriguing. Although on record as praising the film’s unsettling atmosphere and contributions to the horror genre, he has frequently expressed his dissatisfaction with Kubrick’s work as an adaptation.

King infamously stated “what's basically wrong with Kubrick's version of The Shining is that it's a film by a man who thinks too much and feels too little”. Recently, he argued Shelly Duvall’s character was “one of the most misogynistic characters ever put on screen”. Ultimately, King even wrote his own screen adaptation of The Shining, which was shown as a television mini-series in 1997 to a very mixed response.

Now, King is looking to again revisit the settings and themes he explored in his 1977 novel with Doctor Sleep. Dan Torrance, the young boy at the centre of the original novel, is one of the protagonists of the new novel, still gifted and/or cursed with the telepathic ‘shining’ ability. However, the novel is said to focus on a variety of other characters as well, with a now middle-aged Dan forced to confront a shadowy ‘cult’ called The True Knot. There's also a cat that can see the future, for reasons we hope the novel justifies.

The long-anticipated sequel has received a mostly favourable response from early readers. James Lovegrove of the Financial Times says “it’s a gripping, powerful novel, all the more so for being patently heartfelt”, while Jake Kerridge of The Telegraph concludes it’s a “warm, entertaining novel by a man who is no longer the prisoner of his demons, but knows where to look when he needs to call on them.” In one of the more negative responses, the AV Club criticises the novel for “a lot of redundant dialogue and little forward movement… even more damning, Doctor Sleep just can’t muster significant tension”.

You can find out yourself if Doctor Sleep lives up to its legacy when it’s released in Ireland tomorrow. We're already curious if any director will brave a film adaptation.

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)