Joyland (Hard Case Crime Novels) Mass Market Paperback – May 27, 2014

I want to start my review by copying/pasting a post I wrote in the amazon discussion boards in response to all the complaints about there not being an e-book for this novel available at this time. This also goes out to everyone posting a 1 star review for the same reason. Also I use the words TRUE FANS in my review title because real and true fans of Stephen King could care less about the publication form and collect his works because there are few authors who can write the amazing novels/short-story collections that are so imaginative and descriptive and in so many genres as SK does. I understand that there are some readers who need e-books for reasons of eyesight, arthritis, etc. I have enough faith in SK that he will eventually put this novel in other forms besides paperback like he has in other publications that were released in only one form to start with.SK has a long history of publishing his stories/novels only in certain formats for the express purposes of creating an atmosphere. The ones that come to mind are The Mist, The Storm of the Century, the joint publications of The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer and Rose Red, and finally UR. The Mist was originally published as a "3-d sound" audiobook. In the hopes of enhancing his readers imagination this short story was made into an audiobook with a unique 3-d sound stereo effect. With the background noise, excellent voice actors, 3-d stereo effect, etc. the fear and panic the characters feel was geniusly portrayed (if you can find it I highly recommend this to all). This was eventually published in a short story collection, adapted into movie format and can also be purchased individually. The Storm of the Century was published as a "novel for television." SK did this not only because the larger cast of characters would make this almost impossible to publish it in just one book in written form, but in order to portray the immensity of the storm. Once again this was eventually released in written form (the script was published in paperback). I have both the script and the movie and I love to read the script while watching the movie to see the differences. Another concept SK tried in order to enhance the atmosphere intended was the joint publication of the book The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer and the movie Rose Red. Under the pseudonym Joyce Reardon SK published in paperback form The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer in order to provide a more detailed background into not only the characters, but also the house (a character in its own rights) Rose Red. The cover of the book has a note for readers to watch Stephen King's Rose Red. Publishing the book before the movie once again helped to enhance the readers (or in this case the watchers) imagination and create the intended atmosphere. Last on my list is the more recent UR. Because of the theme this was originally published in e-book format. You definitely would have not shared the characters feelings if this was first read in paperback form. Hence SK decision, once again, to publish this in only one form at first (this can now be purchased in audiobook form.on to my actual review. this novel was as much of a great read as all his others are. I don't want to go into any detail of the story and ruin it for other readers with spoilers, so here is a small description. the basis of the novel is about a college student who gets a summer job at an amusement park, makes friends with others that are both living in the same boarding house, but also on the same "work team" at the park. at the park learns about the local legend regarding the funhouse's history and the resultant haunting. from there it just gets better and better as only Stephen King can do. the story's main character, Devin, is now much older and is narrating the story through flashbacks. at times while trying to tell about a certain part that happened during that summer the character seemed to get sidetracked with other side stories. at first I found that annoying. but, I started to think that that is what people do in real life so why is that not portrayed as much in novels. So I actually found that feature to increase the realism of the story for me. yes, I know this is fiction, but we all read books with our imaginations flowing as if the story is happening for real.in conclusion I encourage anyone who is a fan of mystery books to give this a try. Even if you aren't a fan of SK I think you would enjoy this novel as his descriptions aren't as "hard core" as some of his longer books. some have stated they dislike his work if he gets too descriptive with violence and/or sex for their taste to handle. that is not the case here so I think you could take a chance with this one.

Joyland is an excellent story from Stephen King. He takes us back to the days when small private carnivals and amusement parks still operated, some traveling from town to town, appearing overnight after the trucks roll in and the tents are pitched, while some were fixed in place in the beach towns and vacation spots of our country. He gives us characters with heart and doesn't burden the story with gratuitous or contrived suspense.The main character, Devon, is a college student who takes a summer job at a small amusement park located in a beach town in North Carolina. He quickly fits in and earns the respect of the long-term carny hands as well as his fellow summer workers. He is an easy-going and reflective young man, going through the pain of first separation and then rejection from his college girlfriend. When the summer ends he decides to stay on full time at the carnival rather than return to school.Devon becomes friends with a woman and her son. They live in a large house on the beach, and the boy is wheelchair bound and stricken with Muscular Dystrophy. He also has a wisdom beyond his years, and he is able to see things that others cannot . Devon encounters them initially in his walks along the beach, and when he helps the boy to launch a kite into the wind, the ice is broken. The boy's young mother is protective of her son as well as suffering herself, partly from the stress of caring for her disabled boy and partly due to estrangement from her family. Gradually Devon becomes close to them, each helping the other to deal with the pains in their lives. Finally, Devon hosts them for a day at the amusement park, closed for the winter but powered-up for this special occasion. It is a wonderful gift for the boy who has until then only observed it from afar.The mystery of a long-unsolved murder at the amusement part builds very slowly as we get to know Devon and the other characters. Early in his employment at the park Devon learns of the death of a girl who had been on the ride in the house of horrors. Her ghost is said to continue to haunt the park. When one of his co-workers sees the ghost himself, Devon's desire to learn how she was killed and why it was never solved grows until he is consumed by the need to solve the crime. It eventually leads him to uncovering the long-buried truth, a great and surprising climax to the story.I think that it is great that Stephen King's latest novel has been released as an affordable paperback novel rather than an expensive hard-cover book (or as an e-book, although I'm sure that it will be eventually). The publisher - "Hard Case Crime" - is one that I have been familiar with for a while, because for the past several years they have been releasing paperback crime novels in the style of those published in the U.S. from the 1940's through about the 1960's - check out for example  The Dead Man's Brother , Blood on the Mink , The Girl With the Long Green Heart , Strange Embrace/69 Barrow Street . Stephen King has given them a huge shot in the arm by selecting them to publish his latest novel in this format, plus he has made it so much more affordable for his fans to pick up his latest novel at a reasonable price, and I salute him for doing it.(Hard Case Crime has also published limited-edition hardcover editions of this book, available at their website for a short time until they are sold out - just go to [...] and you will find them - for those who are committed King fans and must have hardcover editions of the book now).In a sense then, this book might be viewed Stephen King's homage to the days of paperback pulp fiction; the cover and presentation of the book is whimsical in the style of the pulp novels of fifty years past.King has written a story that is full of heart and compassion. This is a book that would be a great read even without the murder mystery and resident ghost. To have them as well makes it a superb story and a great choice for summer enjoyment, at the beach or by the poolside.

Excelente livro, edição primorosa!

Arrived as illustrated

Helt fantastisk bok. Man vill inte att den ska ta slut.

I can't say anything about the book as I haven't read it. I can say something about how I received the book. How on earth did this go through quality controls? Each page is literally at a different lenght. The pictures attached will tell you enough. Ridiciulous.

This is a stand alone mystery that still has a touch of the "spooky business" we all love about Stephen King books.The book runs along nicely lulling tye reader into a false sense of security before revealing the big surprise at the end. I recommend you have a glass of wine, and a tissue by your side, curl up in a comfy chair and away you go into the story. I loved it👍