The next call you take could be your last in this terrifying #1 New York Times bestseller by Stephen King—now a major motion picture starring Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack.
“If any of them looks over here, sees us, and decides to come after us, we’re done. We won’t have a hope in hell.”
On October 1, God is in His heaven, the stock market stands at 10,140, most of the planes are on time, and graphic artist Clayton Riddell is visiting Boston, having just landed a deal that might finally enable him to make art instead of teaching it. But all those good feelings about the future change in a hurry thanks to a devastating phenomenon that will come to be known as The Pulse. The delivery method is a cell phone—everyone’s cell phone. Now Clay and the few desperate survivors who join him suddenly find themselves in the pitch-black night of civilization’s darkest age, surrounded by chaos, carnage, and a relentless human horde that has been reduced to its basest nature...and then begins to evolve. There’s really no escaping this nightmare. But for Clay, an arrow points the way home to his family in Maine, and as he and his fellow refugees make their harrowing journey north, they begin to see the crude signs confirming their direction. A promise of a safe haven, perhaps, or quite possibly the deadliest trap of all....
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"Not as gory as I anticipated but a great read nonetheless. It's got a good idea behind it (mobiles fuzzing up the brain and turning you into a zombie) and also concerns itself with telepathic ideas. The protagonist, Clay, is trying to find his family and a ragtag bunch of people fall in and out of his life as he makes his journey of which some are lucky and some aren't. It's mostly a book about exploring these characters and the uncertainty that pervades their situation of which King doesn't offer an explanation for at the end. It feels like it doesn't need to as well seeing as it's from the perspective of what would be likely you or I in this situation. Anyway, it's superb."
— Walpolian87 (4 out of 5 stars)
“Cell is hard to put down once you’ve picked it up. There is no shortage of harrowing scenes…ascends to the level of horror…a solid, entertaining novel.”
— George R. R. Martin, #1 New York Times bestselling author“Cell begins with a big, graphic jolt…King contemplate[s] the essential darkness of human depravity…A Hieronymus Bosch tableau of hellish depravity…A traditional King narrative studded with alarming signs of the times.”
— New York Times“Whether you are a Luddite or a mannerless cretin who can’t leave home without a headset and a phone charger, King wants you to know he has your number.”
— USA Today“A simple yet terrifying supposition…a nightmare landscape made more horrible by its proximity to the world we know.”
— Los Angeles Times" Campbell Scott does such an amazing job narrating this book. I have listened to it several times over the last few months and I always pick up something new. If you have seen the movie for this story, please read/listen to this book! It is so much better than the movie. "
— April, 4/5/2018" HUGE Stephen King fan. Since I was twelve, and I am going on 44. Will be till the day I die, but this one was not his best. As usual, his characters are top notch, cool and their story lines are straight out of Kingland...but even though the initial premise was promising, I felt he went nowhere with it. SPOILER ALERT. The catastrophe is cool, but what happened after to the "phoners" was disappointing and left a bad taste in my mouth. I just didn't get hooked on the ongoing transformation, it wasn't "enough"... "
— Marie, 5/5/2017" one of my favorites! I've read this more than a dozen times! "
— les, 4/14/2016" First King book that jumps right in with both feet. Usually he spends a lot of time building the characters and the story fills in around it. This did just the opposite and did it well. It was hard to put down and the characters were very likable. Made me think twice before answering my cell:) Would have liked a better ending or a sequel. "
— Scott, 2/16/2014" Wow finally finished... this was an easy read and I have been meaning to read this book for years as it has only been sitting in my bookshelf for like 5-6 years ... I didn't mind the story line don't read sci-fi books so it was a totally different read then I'm used to. Wasn't happy with the ending It just stops or am I just not getting it :( I've got about 7 more of his book so hopefully they r better "
— Skye, 1/30/2014" I wasn't blown away but I liked it nevertheless. It certainly lacks action and could have done with a better ending but I found the characters well-developped and some were quite compelling. I don't want to give away any details... My advice is; if you're a SK fan, go for it. In case you're new to the world of Mr. King and you decided to give the author a shot, I would recommend picking another novel (IT, The Stand, Pet Sematary, Misery...). "
— Hakim, 1/25/2014" Starting off strong, this is definitely of the more-recent King storytelling style. The conclusion felt stuttered and chopped, and I ultimately didn't get a feel for most of the characters. "
— Douglas, 1/16/2014" Meh, I've enjoyed some of his other stories much better. "
— cassie, 1/16/2014" One of the least favorite King books that I have read. It had no real plot, poor character development, and, in my opinion, was just plain boring. Stephen King is my favorite author, but this effort fell way, way short of what I have come to expect of his work. "
— Stephen, 1/13/2014" I loved this book. It was really intense right when you read the first part. "
— Brent, 1/12/2014" This book will always get to me... "
— cristina, 12/29/2013" Fun, nothing too crazy "
— Jason, 12/6/2013" Great book - action started on page 3 which was a departure from most SK books! "
— Dianne, 12/1/2013" I read this book quite a while ago now...I remember bits of it but I guess the main point would be that I remember really enjoying it! "
— Roxanne, 11/26/2013" I`m sorry to say that this is by far the worst SK book I`ve ever read. I didn`t like it at all. I gave it two stars only because of the zombie genre and my devotion to George A. Romero and his work. "
— Ana, 8/14/2013" Pretty freaky book considering how much people are on the cell phones these days. Far-fetched fun. I enjoyed. "
— JJae, 3/11/2013" No es de lo mejor que ha escrito king "
— Miguel, 3/1/2013" Truly apocalyptic and a book I couldn't put down! "
— Karen, 11/6/2012" Very good. Kept you wanting to read more and wondering what was going to happen next. Had a lot of action, but a lot of violence. "
— Morgan, 10/17/2012" I love many King novels. This is not one of them. I believe every writer should approach a novel as if they were trying to be published for the first time. Cell would never have been published if it was not by King. "
— Tina, 6/2/2012" Totally dated w the tech. Also kinda crappy. "
— Kim, 2/3/2012" This was my first zombie-type book. I read it spring break sophmore year in between playing ultimate with a broken right hand, improper amounts of alcohol consumption and watching my friend knock another friends teeth out with a ping pong paddle. "
— Derek, 11/1/2011" Super bad! Why did I read the whole thing! Cause I'm a King fan. But this really sucked! "
— Margaret, 9/30/2011" This is writing like you expect from Stephen King. Take an everyday item like a cellphone and turn it into an implement of horror with all the baggage that comes with a meltdown of society. I've read the book twice and loved it both times. "
— Charles, 9/25/2011" Nice start, so-so execution and finish. "
— Jon, 9/24/2011" I have a zombie fetish "
— Kristi, 9/4/2011" I would prefer other final, but i liked it so much "
— Pablo, 8/5/2011" It seemed like a shorter version of The Stand which is one of my all-time favorites. "
— Robin, 5/24/2011" I liked the premise, about a pulse being transmitted by cells that turn people into raging maniacs. Would have liked to have learned the whos and whys it happened, though. And I guess I was disappointed by the end to where the 'zombies' evolve, etc. "
— Steven, 5/19/2011" One of the greatest zombie novels of all time... :)<br/> "
— Miguel, 5/18/2011" First Stephen King book I've gotten through and actually liked. Loved it actually. Amazing book. "
— Shannan, 5/17/2011" This is quite seriously one of my all-time favorite reads! I adore King! "
— Katie, 5/16/2011" This started out great, a real page turner, but as it got going I kept expecting more, and it got more suspenseful, and then the ending was just kind of a big let down... I'm not sure I would recommend it, even though it was very well written (like all his books). "
— Chris, 5/13/2011" So far this book is pretty good. I like the idea of a zombie epedemic occruing due to cell phones. It could totally happen. Maybe now I'll be more careful with my cell phone. I think this book is also a societal comment on terrorism. There are a lot of 9/11 style references within this book. "
— Carla, 5/12/2011" Liked it, because everyone caught with a cell phone to the ear went bonkers! "
— Carolsgoodreads, 5/11/2011" Initially the book had me intrigued about cell phones causing mayhem but about halfway through the book the thrill lagged and eventually faded- then I got bored. I was disappointed with this title. Lately the last few titles I've read by my favourite writer have left me feeling empty. "
— Dee, 5/5/2011" I loved this book. I think, despite the ambiguous ending, it held up. The plot was fast paced and enjoyable, and I really felt for the characters and the extreme tension they were under, along with their fear. Will most likely read again. "
— Brittanie, 5/3/2011" Very well paced and written. I could not finish this novel because I didn't have the stomach for it. This must be his most gruesome work. I can't stand zombies! "
— Manuel, 4/30/2011Stephen King has written more than sixty books, many hitting the #1 spot on the New York Times bestsellers list. He has won the World Fantasy Award, several Bram Stoker Awards, and the O. Henry Award for his story “The Man in the Black Suit.” He is the 2003 recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2007 he received the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. His epic works The Dark Tower and It are the basis for major motion pictures.
Campbell Scott has, in addition to his numerous stage and film credits, narrated more than forty audiobooks, including This Boy’s Life and Into Thin Air, and won seven AudioFile Earphones Awards.