Stephen King. Even if you never read one of his books, it is unlikely you are unfamiliar with his name. A name which is synonymous with a nearly unparalleled list of works, plenty of which have been adapted for both the small and big screens. At age 72, his writing is just as good – and arguably more popular – than ever and his newest release, The Institute, is no exception.
The Institute is the story of Luke Ellis, one of a large collection of children with supernatural powers who are abducted and held captive for… well, for reasons you must read to find out. These children, some as young as eight years old, many older teenagers, are gifted with telepathy and telekinesis. Gifted with the powers to, respectively, read the thoughts of others and move objects with their minds. Gifted with the powers that lead to their incarceration and abuse at the hands of a group of adults who believe they are saving the world. Luke, however, is determined to learn why this hell on earth exists. And with any great fortune, do something about it.
While Luke orients himself to his new “home” deep in the woods of Maine, a former law enforcement officer by the name of Tim Jamieson is in search of a new home of his own. Setting out from Florida and headed to New York in search of a fresh start, he becomes sidetracked in a small South Carolina town. Drawn to stay there for reasons he does not entirely understand, Jamieson takes a meager job and waits to see where life leads him next. Little does he know how his world will collide with Luke’s.
In the vein of his wildly successful coming-of-age tale IT, King has created a cast of characters led by a close-knit group of children who are fierce yet terrified and ultimately determined to save the day. Par for the course in any King novel, the world-building done within the pages of The Institute is masterful. Each character is well-rounded and lively enough to jump off the page. The atmosphere of the Institute itself is markedly unsettling, tense,and anxiety-provoking. Unlike many of King’s more recent works, The Institute does not spend hundreds of pages crescendoing only to leave the reader disappointed by a ten-page denouement that is less than satisfying. The pace of the book is constant and driving, the resolution to the story just as strongly developed as the chapters that lead up to it. As a result, the story moves quickly, pulling the reader forward in true nail-biting fashion to learn the fates of these children and their decidedly evil caretakers.
Although King claims to avoid politics in his writing as much as possible, The Institute does overtly and obscurely address concepts that are at play on the world stage today. As one may expect, there are some direct references to the current President of the United States. However, King also explores some less conspicuous concepts which are likely to be on the minds of many readers in this day and time. For instance: the notion of the “groupmind,” the collective consciousness, or “groupthink” if you will. In the novel this may apply only to the combination of individual psychic powers; however considering the present day political landscape and the role of the media in both spreading information and misinformation, this is a timely theme. Conversely, King also explores the idea of finding power within oneself, and furthermore the realization that one may grow their own power. As with many of his works, there is an obvious examination of “good” versus “evil.” But perhaps the greatest moral consideration, and certainly the most difficult to grapple with, is this ethical dilemma: Is it justifiable to harm a small number for the greater good?
Rarely one to disappoint, King has generated another dark and twisty masterpiece with The Institute. And his devoted “Constant Readers” would not expect less. Walking this tale effortlessly across genres, King clearly remains at the top of his game. With parallels to some of his previous works, including Carrie, Firestarter, and The Shining, as well as echoes of the hit television show Stranger Things, The Institute is sure to thrill fans of horror, suspense, and science-fiction alike.
Stephen King is the bestselling author of countless books and short stories, many of which have been adapted for film and television. Some of his most well-known works include Carrie, The Dark Tower series, The Green Mile, The Shining, and The Stand. Visit his official website for an abundance of additional information.
The Institute is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
“From #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King, the most riveting and unforgettable story of kids confronting evil since It—publishing just as the second part of It, the movie, lands in theaters.
In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”
In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.
As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is Stephen King’s gut-wrenchingly dramatic story of good vs. evil in a world where the good guys don’t always win.”
