I was in KMart with my wife a few weeks ago (April 2020) as she was looking for a book they had advertised. While browsing the shelves, I saw The Institute by Stephen King, for the grand sum of $8 - and that was for a brand new copy of the book, only published last year. I can only assume it was a case of clearing the shelves. Needless to say, I snapped it up for that price. The premise is a good one:
Deep in the woods of Maine, there is a dark state facility where kids, abducted from across the United States, are incarcerated. In the Institute they are subjected to a series of tests and procedures meant to combine their exceptional gifts - telepathy, telekinesis - for concentrated effect. Luke Ellis is the latest recruit. He's just a regular 12-year-old, except he's not just smart, he's super-smart. And he has another gift which the Institute wants to use...
Sound familiar? It's reminiscent of Firestarter and Black House, both of which concern children with special extrasensory powers, being used for nefarious purposes. And it's a brilliant book, surely one of King's best. It had me enthralled from the first pages and the pace never let up throughout the 482 pages. I read it in 3 days, which meant that nothing much else got done for the entire 3 days! That is always my guide to whether I think it's a good book. Oh yes, and if you keep thinking about the plot and what's going to happen next when you should be asleep in bed!
The book is written very well, with the focus initially on an ex-police officer Tim Jamieson and then swapping to the seemingly unrelated story of young Luke Ellis and his abduction and induction into the Institute. But the two are connected by fate and it all comes together superbly. The interaction between the trapped children is also very well done and continues and grows throughout the book.
After having just finished The Dome and it was a fizzer. Reading this is the perfect antidote!
King at his masterful best. Highly recommended.
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