I just finished reading Stephen King's 2008 novel, Duma Key. I started it in early 2008, got bored with it and put it down, then recently picked it back up and finished it. The premise is good but the execution is awful. It's a long book but could easily have been cut by three hundred pages. Reading it made me sad. When I was in middle school I loved King. I thought he was the greatest. I'm not sure if he got worse or I started to have better taste, but reading anything by Garth Ennis these days gives me that same sad feeling. Remember how awesome Preacher was? Picking up a new book by Ennis is exciting because you think that magic might return...until you start reading. Punisher Max, The Boys, Jennifer Blood, and now Stitched are all mediocre. They feature blood, profanity, shocking images, and insane comedy...but they just don't have that wild, engrossing, entertainment punch that Preacher had. It's sad to think that Ennis will never write another book as great as his first big series.
As for Stitched, it features walking dead people in Afghanistan and is based on Ennis' own 17 minute short film. It's bloody, semi-creepy, but mostly just stale. Like King's early stuff, I miss the thrill. *1/2 (out of ****)
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