Hail to the King...1 book down.

Managed to read quite a bit as the holiday season wrapped up and have quite a few things to show for it.  I am sure my reading will slow down now that I am back to work and other commitments are taking precedent, but so far, the year is kicking off right.  Here is a review for the first book I read for the Hail to the King challenge.  It just also happened to be my first finish of the new year!

TITLE: Revival
AUTHOR: Stephen King
PUBLISHER: Scribner
RELEASE DATE: November 11, 2014

FROM GOODREADS: A dark and electrifying novel about addiction, fanaticism, and what might exist on the other side of life.

In a small New England town, over half a century ago, 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 feel the same about Reverend Jacobs -- including Jamie's mother and beloved sister, Claire. With Jamie, the Reverend shares a deeper bond based on a secret obsession. When tragedy strikes the Jacobs family, this charismatic preacher curses God, mocks all religious belief, and is banished from the shocked town.

Jamie has demons of his own. Wed to his guitar from the age of thirteen, he plays in bands across the country, living the nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll while fleeing from his family's horrific loss. In his mid-thirties -- addicted to heroin, stranded, desperate -- Jamie meets Charles Jacobs again, with profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil's devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.

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 Frank Norris, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.

MY THOUGHTS: 
I rarely find much wrong with Stephen King books and this one is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed "Revival" and all it had to offer. To me, not only are King's books scary and thrilling, they are always a deeper look into what makes people tick and while reading this book, you can't help but wonder what makes Charlie Jacobs tick.

In the past,I have been somewhat underwhelmed with King's endings - see "Under the Dome" - but I heard this ending was spectacular and it ended up being everything it was hyped up to be.

Jamie Morton is a man struggling with a lot of inner demons and throughout the book, he has to face them as he faces some "actual" life-like demons in the real world. Morton is flawed, like many of King's characters, but highly likable.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves King or is in the mood for a good thriller. King is a true master of horror because his books are not all about blood and gore, but about the horrors that reside within mankind. What a great way to start the new reading year.

RATING: 5 PAWS