Book review: 'The Mist' by Stephen King

Published in 1980, this horror story was orignally published as a short story in an anthology, then as a novella and finally as a stand-alone paperback when the movie was released a couple of years back. I've not yet seen the movie, but the plot had always intrigued me. Actually, most 'end of days' stories and books grab my attention, but unfortunately most of them don't really live up to my expectations. In many ways, 'The Mist' is yet another forgettable addition to the already bloated apocolyptic genre.

A brief rundown of the story if you aren't familiar with the book is this: after a huge summer storm in Maine, USA, a mysterious mist evevelopes the town, trapping the lead character (and narrator) David Drayton, his son Billy (aren't all boys in movies and books called Billy?) and a bunch of other townspeople in the local supermarket. Strange monsters lurk in the mist, ready to put the poor townsfolk to a violent and bloody end if they dare venture outside. A kooky eccentric woman thinks sacrificing Billy will appease God, so David is stuck in a bit of a pickle as to whether he stays and waits for her and her growing band of followers to take his son or makes a run for it.

This is the second King book I've read, the other being 'Cell'. Both were easy to read, pretty entertaining and leave you wanting to know what happens next, which I think is why he's one of the world's most successful authors. However, 'The Mist' left me feeling annoyed and even rolling my eyes after the first half. For example, before the disaster strikes, we're shown scene after scene of just how much David is in love with his wife Stephanie. Sadly, after the people realise the smelly mist conceals hideous and bloodthirsty monsters, it becomes apparent that Stephanie who stayed at home rather than go shopping is probably dead. David is a bit sad. And when I say a bit sad, more he cuts his losses and moves on. About 5 hours after being trapped in the supermarket, he notices the sexy, young Amanda and begins fantasising about her. A few hours later, they sleep together, right afer he witnesses something quite violent too. I just thought the whole idea that a man who supposedly was madly in love with his now dead wife, is highly concerned about his son's welfare, and has just gone through several severe traumas has enough time and energy to begin a torrid affair. It's just so stupid and ridiculous, and the sceptic in me reckons it's just an excuse for a sex-scene. My eyes were rolling so hard, I could hardly finish that chapter.

The other reason I was annoyed by this book is that it DOESN'T HAVE AN ENDING! Like Cell, it finishes in a really ambiguous, "you imagine the ending" sort of way. We never learn where the mist and monsters came from exactly, despite some hints towards the local military testing facility. I wont say exactly how the book ends, but basically it doesn't really end, it just stops. In my opinion, when authors or directors leave the ending open, it screams "I really didn't know where this was going, and I got tired. You figure it out". You mean I've just spent $16 and several hours of my time with this book, and yet don't get to learn what happens to the characters you've asked me to be invested in? What a waste of time!

All in all, this story had the potential to be quite entertaining and clever, yet some of the stupid situations King writes for his characters and the lame-o ending really ruined it for me. I enjoyed it up until the David/Amanda tryst started and then it sort of descended down the slippery slope of Trash Mountain. Read this if you're stuck in a snowed in cabin with nothing else to read, otherwise, skip it and find something else to do.