11.22.63: Literary suspense from the No. 1 bestseller Paperback – 5 July 2012

One of the finest novels I have ever read. And I've read a LOT. Certainly this is one of Stephen King's greatest achievements as a storyteller, with a wonderful "It" overlap.I have never been a fan of time-travel books, mainly due to the obvious flaws and paradoxes that come with tinkering with past events. But here, King tackles those flaws head-on in a sprawling epic tale that will take your breath away.It's a daunting size, thicker than a fridge door! And yet I raced through it. It is insanely addictive. If you tried to explain the plot, you'd sound crazy, and yet it is told so deftly, so cleverly, so sensitively, that it makes perfect sense.It is 2011. Divorced English teacher Jake Epping from Lisbon Falls in Maine is persuaded by a dying friend who runs a diner to pass through a portal to 1958 in his pantry (like I said, there's no way of describing it without it sounding bonkers). After briefly experiencing 50s Maine, Jake is persuaded to go through the portal again in order to stop the Kennedy assassination five years later.But the running theme throughout the story is that "the past is objurate, it doesn't like to be changed."King deals with love, loss, murder, greed, selflessness... you name it, it's here. He takes us back to Derry, with its simmering darkness, then to Dallas - both places brought vividly to life in stunning clarity thanks to the master storyteller.A phenomenal achievement and a must read. I'm not actually a huge King fan but this is a very special book that was recommended to me so many times I could no longer resist. I did not regret it.

I think there was a point at which it was fashionable to say that Stephen King's best words were long since typed - perhaps around the time when he announced his retirement.Just like his retirement, the notion that King has lost his mojo has been proven false - and nothing underlines the calibre of King's recent creativity as much as 11.22.63.I've long held the belief that the fact that King is so easy to read often leads people to conclude that while he might be a commercial heavyweight, he's a literary lightweight. Personally, I think this is about as true as the idea that he's a spent force.Delving into the first pages of 11.22.63 was like revisiting an old friend. That easy style was welcoming, like a firm handshake or even a hug. Welcome back, reader. Sit yourself down.And then 11.22.63 does what any good book should do - it draws you in. Within a few pages, you're part of the story, being carried along for the ride.The premise is simple: if you could go back in time, would you stop Lee Harvey Oswald from killing JFK? And, if you did, wouldn't it make the world a better place? The proprietor of a local diner, Al Templeton, believes that this would be the case - and that he has the means to do it. But, for reasons better explained by King, he can't - so he passes the baton to an initially reluctant English teacher, Jake Epping.So Epping takes a trip or two back in time - the first to familiarise himself with the world of the past, a second to prove that the future can be changed. And then - the main mission.The problem is that the doorway to the past lands you on the same day in 1958, so there's some hanging around waiting to catch up with history. A few years when it's important to stay out of history's way, not make waves - and not change anything.That's enough in the way of spoilers. The book itself I'd describe as well-balanced - gripping when it needs to be, laid-back when life's more normal. I've seen this described in other reviews as `sagging in the middle' but I'd challenge that - King's giving Epping time to grow, make friends, form relationships. And it's this that I found more endearing than many of King's other books. Sure, he writes great, believable characters, but I've not personally felt that the relationship between any come off so well - and be so moving - as that between Jake and Sadie in 11.22.63.There's also some lovely writing - sections which show King not just as a master of plot and character, but as someone who really can twist words to his will. But he's not an indulgent showman - for the most part, he lets the story do the talking. He's out to entertain, not impress.There were a few parts - not many - where I felt things were a little overplayed, but these were brief and didn't detract from what is a great read. 11.22.63 is entertaining from end to end, gripping, emotionally intelligent and at times moving.

With this book Stephen King impressed me and not only because I already was a great fan of his books before (even if I absolutely do not agree with his politics). "11.22.63" is one of the best, most intelligent and most profound time travel stories ever.As it is pretty obvious by just looking at the cover, the story turns around the assasination of John F. Kennedy and an attempt by a person from our times to prevent it. The man who finds the opportunity to travel back in time and try to save Kennedy's life is an altruistic idealist, who hopes that he can change the history and as a result make our world a better place. He can not go directly to 1963 - he can only travel to 1958 and so has to live five years in the past before he can act. He knows that the risks are very high, because the past has ways to protect itself from the changes - and the more important the change is, the more lethal defenses are used... But still, he goes for it.The description of time traveller's life in the 50s is excellent. King took great care to study the details of all days life in this time and I really felt like I was in this time and place with the main character. I was also delighted to learn, that even if Stephen King is a very left-winged writer, his sexual fantasies are very conservative, in fact they seem similar to those of deeply catholic Sicilian peasants from the beginning of XX century...))) (remembering Mario Puzo's "Godfather" can help to understand the last sentence).The tension rises in this book all the time, surprises are well preserved and twists are served at just the right time. There is also a long and excellent sequence reminding the last chapters from "The day of the Jackal". Supernatural elements are very few as they are used to spice all the thing without drowning it in mumbo jumbo. But those things are pretty normal for King's books, which are almost always excellent - and therefore they are not the reason why I was so impressed by "11.22.63".I was impressed by this book for two reasons. First, Stephen King decided in his description of events in Dallas on 22 November 1963 to go against the opinion of a majority of US citizens (including his own wife, as he recognizes it in the - very interesting - postface). This display of common sense and intelligence took some courage.The second reason was the conception of the time and of the mechanisms by which it defends itself against changes and of ways in which it can be changed, and of their various consequences. I can not go here into many details because I absolutely do not want to provide spoilers, but I was surprised and very impressed by the final chapters of this book. Considering once more how much left to the center King situates himself, writing the last chapters of this book asked for a LOT of courage. Also, settling the old argument between Leibniz and Voltaire in the way this book does, required a kind of wisdom rarely seen amongst self-declared "progressists".Bottom line, this is not only an excellent read but also one of the best, most powerful and most profoundly wise books by this very talented author, who with this novel just reached a whole new level of greatness. Enjoy!