Author: Stephen King
Genre: Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
Personal Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ / ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 out of 5 stars)
Trigger warning(s): children abuse
It took squeezing reading into every free time I have for the last 4 working days to finish this book and it was worth it! Let me tell you why. But first, a quick plot summary!
Plot/Summary
The story revolves around 12-year-old genius, Luke Ellis, who was abducted as he was just about to step into his college life. He was taken in the night by a group of kidnappers that deliver gifted children to the Institute. Luke wakes up in the Institute and meets other children gifted with either telekinesis or telepathy. He goes through the days dealing with adults who don’t have problems hurting children when they disobeyed and medical teams conducting multiple experiments. What they were for, he and his new-found friends intend to find out. Luke might be a child, but his intellect might just be the key to shedding light on the dark operations going on in the facility.
World Building
I know a lot of people find issues with Stephen King’s books being too long. But honestly, that’s what sucks me into his world and his characters. His worlds have always been so immersive and this was no different. You have two main settings with characters in them that have different vibes – the old town of Dupray where you feel like you’ve time traveled to the past filled with adults, and the modern architecture of The Institute which is a combination of a military base and a children’s daycare filled with actual children and modern workers. My imagination could easily switch between the old town of DuPray and the Institute because of all the establishing chapters. I found myself anticipating how in the world would these two locations and these two highlight characters – one wandering adult and one genius kid – would get entangled; and it’s always satisfying when it doesn’t come down to some silly plot device.
The Science
The book is centered around mental powers such as telekinesis and telepathy. I’m delighted that King did not default to the usual science fiction tropes that people with these abilities can just suddenly discover and develop their powers and you’ll expect to see children lifting up heavy objects and reading minds without effort and strategizing like adults to defeat the enemy. No, I felt that there was a lot of scientific research that went into this. The groundwork for the science behind the children’s lives and the Institute itself will be provided plenty from beginning to end. What I love about this is King’s charm to turn anything remotely plausible into horror and suspense. Plus, he delivers it in a way that isn’t difficult to process.
Final Thoughts
I really like this novel. The plot is rich, the action was palpable, and the buildup was worth it. I got invested in the characters and I personally felt that the ‘boring chapters’ helped me immerse into the world. I read some thoughts about this book saying that the chapters where we go through Luke’s life before the kidnapping and the other highlight character’s – Tim’s – life on how he ended up in DuPray were not needed and I couldn’t disagree more. They built the foundation of these characters’ actions later on in the story. However, I’d understand if some people would find it too tedious to go through. For me, it just made me more invested in the supporting characters. It enabled me to care and actually get nervous if anyone was going to die and it brought the element of surprise when a character turns out to be a traitor.
Favorite Quote(s):
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
― Officer Gullickson, The Institute
“Life was basically one long SAT test, and instead of four or five choices, you got dozens.”
― Luke Ellis, The Institute
“It was good to have goals. They could bring you through tough times.”
― Herbert Ellis, The Institute
“Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”
― Maureen Alvorson, The Institute
“What is the mother of carelessness if not assumption?
― Mrs. Julia Sigsby, The Institute
“What you did for yourself was what gave you the power.”
― Kalisha Benson, The Institute
The Stray Reader 
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