The Mask by Dean Koontz (The Ending)

The ending of this book to me was a very big disappointment in my own opinion. Jane and Carol have been continuing their hypnotherapy and Carol discovers that Jane pretty much has like teleknetic powers that she can't control when she is doing her therapy sessions. Now because of this her and Carol decide that it would be best to change scenery. They go out to her cabin in the woods and continue. Paul and Grace don't agree with this at all know something will go wrong. Carol has Jane under hypnosis again and all hell breaks loose. I know I have made it sound good but listen to this. Pretty much nothing happens and they live happily ever after, is that the gayest ending ever for a so called horror movie or what. I wasn't enjoying it to begin with and they hit me with that garbage. Has a book ever been this unenjoyable to read for you?

SETTING PG30-60 Thinner by stephen king

The story is at a point when there is a happy, excited tone to the charcters. Billy Halleck (a lawyer) has just won a case he has been woking on for years and he and his wife are starting thier vacation. Although the main characters (billy and his wife) are light hearted and on top of the world, the setting sets them up for disaster. Billy and his wife are basically alone in a dangerous place in the woods where anything could happen. Already billy fears for his life along the trails due to the steep rocks and caves. Not only is billy frightened some what by where he is but the old gypsy man is always lurking in the back of his mind and from what i can tell halleck often is afraid the gypsy man will come for him as the grim reaper does for the dead.
Billy cannot help but find a flaw to where he is vacationing. Even though he was head over heels about the trip, he now gets to the vacation spot and finds it is not all it he had made it out to be. Have you ever hyped yourself up about a place you were going then found it was not all it was cracked up to be once you got there? How did you feel?

Conflicts Within Jack Torrance - The Shining by Stephen King

Toward the end, for all of you who saw the movie, knows what the big buildup is all about. Jack finally endures all the hate and anger that is boiled up inside of him and goes totally insane. At one point in the book Danny asked Jack if he'd ever hurt him or his mom and Jack's answer was a simple no. When the pressures from being couped up in the same giant hotel with the same 2 people, Jack didnt stay true to his word that he had given his son. The day came and Jack lost all control by attempting to kill his dear and innocent wife Wendy. He proceeded to bash her ribs with a roque stick and then tried to murder her by way of a knife. While unsuccessful, Jack had failed within himself to compose of everything he had built to recooperate with his drinking problem. It was all let loose on this one moment of insanity. He was taking it out on his loved ones. This part was a true display of what type of effects drinking and anger problems in general can have on a person. Jack was doing so good for a long while but overall he was never ever right. This can happen to anyone and that is what makes this book an instant horror classic. If you had anger issues and a drinking problem on top of that, would you be a responsible adult and risk what Jack risked by going to an empty hotel with only 2 people for such a long time? And if so, why? Everyone gets tired of everyone somewhere down the line...

The Mask by Dean Koontz

Carol has began to have nightmares. She is starting to think that she is goinh crazy. The nightmares start with her just hearing noises. Then slowly she hears it getting louder and louder.
Then all of the sudden an axe swings at her. This person trying to kill her and then she wakes up from the dream. Carol is really scared andstarts to wonder if the dream and her connection with this girl from earlier has something to do with it. Has any of this ever happened toyou before?

The Shining by Stephen King

Shortly after Jack is possesed he goes insane attacking wendy with a roque mallet breaks 3 of her ribs her vertebre and one of her knee caps, she get s away by stabing jack in his back with a butcher knife as he chaces her in to the suite.
he hears a snowcat of Dick holloran the head chef he hids behind a pillar and attacks him shatering his and giving him a concusion. He hears Danny scream and he goes after him he follows him but gets away reminding him that the boiler is about burst destroying the Hotel. Wendy Dick and Danny regroup and leave in the snow cat and jack is half way to the boiler when it explodes killing him and the Hotel.

Most Horror stories use last second climaxs to get the readers excited shoing the final ending with clarity to an end of a great story.

Rich

The Shining by Stephen King 3rd post

After the Hotel realizesthe it can not posses Danny and use his powers it goes for another weaker charcter in the hotel, Jack is perfect having the stress as the hotels care taking and his resposibilities also isolated from the rest of the population, trying to become a better father and husband and trying to get his writing carrer of the ground. After the hotel realizes this the hotel cause a mad woman to attack danny in a series of events that leads Jack to sell his soul for just one drink.

In Horror genres 3 times out of 4 there will be a good charcter trobled by the past or present trying to set things right it puts them in harms way and leaves them vunrable to attack or possesion. Rich

Characters of The Shining (Stephen King pages 1-63)

The Shining has a lot of characters. Obviously the main ones are The Torrance's which consist of Jack, Wendy, and their gifted and strange son Danny. But the book runs deep with personalities that add to the mood. Such characters include the hotel manager Stuart Ullman, the head chef Dick O' Halloran, and Watson, the maintenance man. Ullman is known as being the uptight runner that controls the Overlook. Without him as manager who knows how the hotel would be. He has things organized and he has things done his way or no way. As a result of this somewhat ironfisted control, he takes criticism from plenty of employees. Most notably Watson, who constantly uses profanity when voicing his opinions about Ullman and his ways. Watson's father was actually the one time owner of the hotel before Ullman took over as head man in charge. This is why i think Watson shows such a strong dislike for Ullman and his managing....And last but not least comes the flamboyant afroed head chef, Dick O'halloran. O'Halloran is a very nice man who is in charge of the kitchen and also, not a fan of Ullman. Once introduced to the Torrance's, he shows Wendy where all the supplies and different types of food are. Shortly after he takes a liking and a fascination to Danny, and realizes that he has a gift that not many have. O'Halloran has Danny help him carry his luggage to his car where he finds an oppurtunity to speak with him about what he thinks about Danny's special ability to know when things are going to happen. O'Halloran explains to him how he has it and that Danny could take this newly discovered shining ability to another level that not even he himself could reach. All of these other not so important (not including O'Halloran) characters add to the story because they add outside points of view that are different to that of the Torrance's.

Then there are the characters that greatly influence Jack and his drinking, such as Al Shockley, his drinking buddy and close friend. Al and Jack automatically clicked as friends when they met as teachers for the first time. After meeting they started to go out and have drinking binges where Jack would return home late at night to Wendy and a young Danny. This immediately took a toll on Wendy. After a few too many close calls, Jack realized he had to stop while he was still ahead. This was going smoothly until one day he cut a high maintenance student from his debate team and then caught that same kid slashing his tires. Jack acted with usual aggression and this got him fired from his job. Thats where Al Shockley stepped in and got Jack the job at the Overlook. All of these characters build up the story that lead to the culmination of events that unfold at the hotel. Because once there, they (Torrance's) are basically the only ones in the story. How would you feel if you were Jack Torrance and all of these past failures and hauntings kept bothering you and in the longrun your family?

The Mask by Dean Koontz pg 17 to 37 Character Introductions

After the small introduction, we are now going into the book in it's starting point. Opening up with a little rain storm we meet the first character to this book. Alfred O' Brian who because of the the last name I'm guessing is irish, but did not say. The book describes him as a quiet man who keeps to himself. A stoiac type of character that can be almost mannequin like when he is just relaxing. A well groomed man who's attitude could easily be mistaken for dislike. But a really humble man Alfred is. Now in comes Carol, the type of woman who can be angry and happy within five minutes who had just started working there a week ago. Paul was the guy who ladies looked at but never stared hard you know. With characters like this I hope the book is good. I'm sure all of you have felt this way before to right?

The Influence The Setting Has on The Torrance's ( The Shining by Stephen King- pages 63-144)

At this point in the book, the Torrance's are on their way to check into the almost emptied hotel that they will have full control over for the coming months. While stopping somewhat close to the hotel, they take in the beauty and its surroundings from a distance. Jack, already seeing it once before, looks at the amazment on both his wife and his son. Not thinking of what these breathtaking sights would end up doing to Jack in the longrun, he took it in as well. Once finally there the family ventured onto the hotel grounds where they were again taken back by the giant maze, the rouqe field, and the plant sculptures that really drew Danny's attention. All that aurrounded them was monstourous mountains, bare parking lots, and not much else. This was an oppurtunity of a lifetime. This made them be happy together for the first time in a long time. All past thoughts about anything bad were gone with the wind that ripped through the vast environment the hotel sat upon. The closest sign of human life was miles away and this temporarily scared Wendy. She wondered how Jack would cope without the drinking and how Danny would cope overall. This was all out of the window however, when they became drawn to the feeling of love at first sight. Jack was happy that they were happy, but even he was not sure how he himself (the leader of the 3) would handle the serious responsibility. Would the overwhelming feeling of loneliness take over? Would cabin fever make him go insane? Just think, if you were in Jack's shoes, how would you deal with it?

THINNER BY STEPHEN KING pg1-30 Billy Halleck

Billy halleck is a very believable character. The feelings of remorse and regret he faces for running down the old gypsy lady allows the reader realize the connection between the fictional character and real emotions. Making billy seem more lifelike. He represents the feelings of guilt people experience most times after an accidental death they have caused or had some part in. Billy constantly mentions the judge (an old golfing buddy) who aquited him of all the charges. It seems as though he wishes he had gotten some punishment, but the fact that he didnt only furthers his day by day guilt trip. I can relate to Halleck in this way. Whenever i get away with something truly unjustifiable, it is a bitter sweet victory. Halleck has what i like to call an enlarged conscience. Something is weighing heavily on his conscience that his mind will not let him forget or wander away from causing him to feel an immense amount of stress, grief, and often mental angiush. Do you ever have this problem?

The Influence The Setting Has on The Torrance's

Thinner by Stephen King

chapter 9 pg 72. Bill the main character and his wife had killed an old lady in a car crash and got arrested. A week later they were released from the station because the old lady had an heart attack while she was driving. They were come from the fair. The old gypsy had touch bill and he started to lose weight like crazy. His wife had called the docter for a check up to see if he has same kind of cancer.

The Shining by Stephen King (R!cH)

Now accepting the responsibility to take care of the Overlook Hotel, an isolated Hotel resort in colorado now he seeks to prove that his alcholsim is past him and start a carrer as a better Father, husband and writer. I really like the novel they also go into detail with danny to not that much thought he has psychic telepathic ability and his able to communicate without saying one word with other people that have this gift, and is also able to see in to the future from what the book describes.
Once they arrive at the Hotel Jack and Wendy go for a tour and the head chef of the Hotel Dick Holloran and Danny talk about the gift that danny has, Dick says the he also has it to and so did his grandmother and she called it Shining. He informs Danny that the Hotel has an evil past and it will show him things but they cant hurt him because there like pictures in a picture book they arnet real.
This discusion between Danny and Dick is one of the pivitiol points in the story to me, this is were Dick explains the Shining and that the things he will see are just fake and wont hurt him...(He Thinks). He belives Dick that these things wont hert him our his family so he never informs his Dad or Mom of his sightings and there fore has nothing to worry about. Mabey the insanity of Jack could have been avoided if Danny would have told him.

The Shining by Stephen King (Rich)

In The Movie version by Stanly Kurbick we really dont get to personal with jack Torrence as the novel really digs deep into his life how he as an recovering alcholic and he is just trying to rebuild his relationship with his family and focus on writing. Stephen King go's in depth on how he was a alcholic and he got into a fight with one of the other teachers at his school in new england, which gets him fired at the school. Then he moves to Colorado to find new work, he gets a job interview with watching over the Overlook Hotel for the winter.

The Shining by Stephen King First Impressions

My First Impressions of this book are very good not what i expected since the movie is my favorite movie to watch although ive never read the book. It takes a more detailed approch to the charcters who are Jack Torrence Wendy Torrence and there gifted son Danny Torrence who has an imaginary friend named Tony. But iam enjoying the novel really well. It was Stephen Kings Third Novel and he got his Inspiration of of one of John Lennons songs named instant carma. Rich

Thinner by Stephen KIng

chapter 4 page 64. The guy steven is still talk about loseing wieght and he is loseing wieght. It is still boring i think. The only highlight's of the book is that he swaers at someone because he got cutoff on the highway. It has no action,or horror in the book so far. It dry and he is only talking about himself, him famliy, his best friend the jugde and the gpisy that is come to town in march and it start on his birthday.