The average user rating for this Book is 7.1 out of 10 (based on 71 Votes).
No Comment gave it a10: It was the first novel of Stephen King I've ever read and I completely enjoyed. I am a teen nad I completely got what Stephen King meant. The critics that gave it a bad mark has a closed mind and can't get the message. Though I admit, you have to have a strong stomach ot read it, but it's extremely intresting! An excellent page turner, can't understand why people don't like it. I've read so many bad reviews, that is until I stumbled on this website.
Sarah M gave it an8: I actually loved the ending. [SPOILERS:]When Clayton Riddell said to his son, "fo fo you you" , I interpreted this to be a father who knew there was no hope for civilization to ever be the same, at least how he knew it. Handing the phone to his son was much like putting a gun to the boy's head in order to "save" him from becomming a flesh eating zombie. No further writing was necessary for me to know that Clayton would take the phone from his son when the boy was finished with it and put it against his own ear to listen, thus putting the "gun"to his own head and pulling the trigger. The only issue I had about the story was that the story has already been done .... "Desperation" and "The Long Walk". None the less, I still enjoyed the book and I'm thrilled that SK is back bigger and better than ever!!
Sue J gave it a7: This was good, but I have enjoyed some of his other books a little more. The ending was very disappointing. I need an ending!
Angela H gave it a9: Great story but I hate the ending. I don't know how it ends!!!!
will m gave it a9: i loved this book completely up until the final paragraph...WHAT HAPPENED?!?!?!?
yanelle f gave it a10: The best King's novel I've read (and I've read most of them). Hope there's a sequel though! The ending left me too frustrated...
Don M gave it an8: A good read, at least up until the end. A real sense of truncation there. Did the reboot work for the kid or not?? Mr King, please let us know, how did it end???
Gabe M gave it an8: Disapointing ending, but great story, with very graphic descriptions of a destroyed Boston, and good character development of the protagonist. Haunting...makes me think twice every time my cell phone rings! For the movie version, I can see Samuel L Jackson playing the role of "Harvard" man, and the Olson twins playing the "pixie" girls in the beginning! :-)
jacob r gave it a10: loved it! everyone should read it.
Kathryn J gave it a10: I couldn't stop reading it. I thought it was great. It was wonderful. A true page-turner. The ending was disturbing. It'll be a book I long remember and think of everytime I hear the commerical for Verizon, "Can you hear me now?"
Pascal D gave it a2: Coming right out of the misterious worlds of the gunslinger, parts 1 to 4, reading Cell in Dutch (Mobiel) has left me with an unfinished feeling after closing the book on the last page. Few climaxes, indeed some moments of awe but way, and I mean waaaay not on the level of the Gunslinger and other epic works of King. I even started wondering if he'd written it at all, but only after a cross reference to Charlie the choochoo I realised that the master had lost his touch on this one. I've read almost every book by King, in English and Dutch, some even for several times, but Cell is absolute the worst one I've read. It can only get better.
M. Baker gave it a4: A re-writing of "The Stand". I had hopes for Mr. King after his last book of short stories. Now I'm wondering again. Good premise though.
William C gave it an8: I really enjoyed the book. A very sudden ending but overall a very satifying and quick read.
bob b gave it a10: Awesome
Don S gave it a4: I enjoyed the book until the last 80 pages, or so. After all the build up, the ending was totally and absolutely disappointing. Great plot idea but totally "under done". It felt as though he got bored with the story and just threw the ending together. I had the hard cover, which had the added annoyance of the "handwritten" excerpt from his upcoming book to be published by Scribner. It was like trying to read a grocery list that went through the washing machine. Wait for the paperback if you have to buy this one at all - and I don't think I have ever said that before about an SK book.
Electric Monk gave it a10: This is Stephen King in top form; classic Kingian characters, including a plot as violent--if not more so--than "The Regulators" which, for purists, was written under his Richard Bachmen pseudonym. The ending was fitting: Lovecraftian with a twist of Barker tossed in for good measure. I have yet to read a finer tribute to the zombie genre and, that having been said, if you have not done so already, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Stephen King's "Cell"...you'll be glad you did!
Katie gave it a9: King left it open-ended... we don't know why... hopefully for a sequel because Cell is great! it keeps your attention, and there is something for everyone... you really get to love the characters.
Tyrone B gave it a1: King stealing ideas from himself. Don't waste your time.
courtney A gave it a9: Great story, hardly predictable, and very captivating. I smell sequel though. King can surely write another 350 pages with that cliffhanger.
Jackie G gave it a10: greattttt
Rob D gave it a1: This book was nothing more than a hash of his previous books, warmed over with plot elements heavily borrowed from other works, most notably Matheson's "I Am Legend," which did a better job in about a third of the space. Wait a couple of years and buy the paperback for chump change at a garage sale - do NOT waste more than a dollar on this piece of garbage. I have enjoyed his books for nearly 20 years, but he really let us down here.
Chris H gave it a3: Weak re-do of The Stand. Stephen King has lost it.
hank g gave it a7: I agree with everyone else almost, i loved the book. It kept me into the book till the end. I got to the last page and i kept flipping through pages looking for the end. All the other books he has written hes always had a better ending than that. I think he just got bored.
Travis K gave it a9: This book is like "The Stand" but updated for the new century. King, as always, provides plenty of chills and thrills and the story works on almost all levels. Not King's best work - but still a great read and you'll fly through the 300+ pages.
Teri K gave it a10: I loved this book. It was an interesting idea, about how our own developments can lead to our demise. It was very well written, a page turner. I couldn't put it down until i finished. I havn't read any of stephen king b4, but this has got me hooked.
Eric V gave it an8: Great Book. Horrible Ending. Enough Said.
Empty Drum gave it a3: Stephen King has written many great novels and short stories, but this flat out sucks.
Prudence Khillers gave it a10: Saddest book of all time!
Brandon S gave it a2: King is too good a story-teller to delve all the way down to a zero rating, but he comes too darn close this time. Along with the final Dark Tower books, this is King's worst outing.
karen f gave it an8: I love Stephen King, this book was really good and i couldn't put it down till it was read, so thats a good sign cos i can get bored easily. Enojoyed the characters, was easy enough to follow, but didnt like the ending, i want to know what happened to the boy, the pulse and who started it all!!
[Anonymous] gave it a9: I really enjoyed "Cell". I'm only in 8th grade and this is the first King book I have read, even though I've seen "IT". I was greatly depressed when Alice died. I had grown attached to her by that part of the book, and was angry at the two that killed her. But oh well, it's a book. This book is certainly good enough to persuade me to read his other books.
Drew F gave it a7: Entertaining story while it lasts, but it's far too brief. Seems like King was writing this one with the tv-miniseries screenplay already in mind. Very streamlined, with very little indepth character analysis, save for 2 or 3. I guess it says alot about how much i enjoyed the book in that my major complaint is that it was far too short!
Mike H gave it a0: I'm a big fan but....oh dear...what happened here. No character development. No tension. No real meaning. ...and the ending??? Did he run out of steam? Get bored? Or has the King just lost it? A good time to retire I think!
raw w gave it a10: The King is back!!!! and maybe the truth is out about all of the zombies with cellphones stuck to their heads...lol!
Sean S gave it a7: Good read. However another predictable bad Stephen King ending. Who started the Pulse? Government? Hackers? Aliens? AT&T?..lol
Peter D-P gave it an8: King’s books seem to fall into two categories to me - ones that transcend his base line as a writer and ones like ‘Cell’, where he is still one of the best storytellers around, but don’t have that indefinable quality that makes his best work the best horror writing of all time. Even on the lower level he still writes books that are gripping, amusing and that occasion some reflection on what is happening in and around our lives, and this is where ‘Cell’ sits. I picked ‘Cell’ up on a visit to Washington (I’m a Brit) and read it on the way back to the UK: it kept me gripped and distracted for a few hours of the journey, value for money in my eyes. I think people have trouble with the fact King writes in a couple of modes: the first half of ‘It’ (the childhood scenes), ‘The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon’, etc., are a different type of book from ‘Cell’, ‘The Regulators’ etc. In ‘Danse Macabre’ King said he tried for terror (which means the reader has to have a strong bond with the characters), but would take horror or even gross-out (I’m paraphrasing here...). This is horror combined with gross-out, and effective horror at that. Personally I’m just glad he’s still writing novels. Something to look forward to...
James Bond gave it an8: I enjoyed the book. It was pretty streamlined for a King book. He didn't go into great detail with the innter thoughts and workings of most of the characters in the book. Being a King reader for at least 20 years, I sort of mised that. In fact while reading it, I almost thought it was written by a King impersonator. I really enjoyed the book and plan on re-reading it several times in the years to come. (As I do with my other King novels)
staubin gave it a3: The first third of the book was great but all the parapsychosis, convoluted computer theories, bizarre character twists, and the ending just let me down.
Mark A gave it an8: Boring at times but a pretty solid effort from king. My only criticism is that it was more of a science fiction book than a horror book and not something you woule expect from this man.
Jan S gave it a4: I am a Stephen King fan..have been for the past 23 years. Therefore, I feel obligated to read his books. The honest to god truth is that the scariest thing about this book is the picture of King himself on the back cover. Is he wearing a mask?? His writing has declined, fallen and failed. This story is predictable with shallow character development. The characters could be anyone (fill in the blank here) on a USA made for TV movie..which this book seems to be written for. King has lost his edge, and with it..his creativity. I hope he retires soon so he stops making an embarrassment out of what used to be an excellent writier.
Josh B gave it a10: Best book in years.
Peter W gave it a5: I have been a long time reader and defender of everything that Stephen wrote. If this was one his first books, I'd say there is a good writer in the making. However, somehow he must have fallen asleep with the pen still running. (God knows I nearly did). The characters are flat, and so is the story line - it almost reads like a script. The only character I actually cared for was the antagonist. To the rest I'd say dial 911, you're time is already up! The ending tastes on sacharine, has no surprises, no final conflict, no ... nothing. STEPHEN - WAKE UP MAN! Please wake up. You can do better, I know, because 'I am your biggest fan' - is that a cell I hear?
greg gave it a6: Starts out strong with great character development and interactions. Then, somewhere during the stay at the boys school, the story goes south in a hurry. I barely paid attention the last half of the book. Too bad.
Carter gave it a10: Back he never left
David M gave it a1: Stephen King is a good storyteller and a terrible writer. He can't even possibly be trying in this one. Steroetypical characters, cliched dialog, and the exact same descriptions he's been using for a decade or so. The story is good enough to drag you through it, even though the writing will make you wish you could listen to that zombie pulse yourself.
Lynn C gave it a9: king is back
mj jones gave it a7: Compelling idea that loses momentum half way through. Couple of leaps of faith left me wondering if there wasn't a more direct way to get to the point. Conversely though I haven't used my cell in a while.
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