I HATED that novel by King. Possibly the most boring, unshocking, horror novel I've ever read. (Sorry, Iowa)
Hate me yet?
Yet I wouldn't call it "predictable"... because I was convinced, while reading it, that the ending had to be more 'shocking'... it wasn't. It was less, in fact. Unpredictable only in the fact that it was so in your face predictable I couldn't believe it would be so.
Long time ago we talked about King and I mentioned that I'm not a fan. I'm not. I MUCH prefer Dean Koontz. But that is NOT to say King hasn't been brilliant. He wrote what I consider the greatest 'short story' ever penned.. "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut". He wrote "The Shawshank Redemption"... one of the best movies of all time. Our old friend SanfRAM called me on that once... he LOVES King... and I had to admit "Shawshank" was brilliant, and some others. But overall? Ehhh. Not a fan.
I just find his writing tedious, interspersed with brilliant lines... not frequent but when penned, eye-popping.
Anyway.. my point here is this: I think I've only read ONE horror novel that I would say is "great"... "The Exorcist". (Also a great movie). I read the Exorcist, by the way, in one night. Couldn't put it down.
And lastly... not picking on horror novels or those who love them... it's just one of things that doesn't, for the most part, work for me. I consider this a failing on my part. - JamesJM