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Cell cover art

Cell

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Campbell Scott
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Publisher's Summary

Shortlisted for Audible's Listen of the Year, 2006.

'Civilization slipped into its second dark age on an unsurprising track of blood but with a speed that could not have been foreseen by even the most pessimistic futurist. By Halloween, every major city from New York to Moscow stank to the empty heavens and the world as it had been was a memory.'

The event became known as The Pulse. The virus was carried by every cell phone operating within the entire world. Within hours, those receiving calls would become insane, or die.

In Boston, a young artist, Clayton Riddell, flees the explosive heart of the city. Clay's son has a little red cell phone. Often out of juice. But what if this time the battery is full? Clay has to reach his son, before his son reaches for his phone....

Who doesn't have a cell phone? This utterly gripping, gory, and fascinating novel doesn't ask the question 'Can you hear me know?' It answers it with a vengeance. High concept, ingenious, and terrifying: Cell is the perfect nightmare for a whole new generation of Stephen King listeners.

©2006 Stephen King. All rights reserved. (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc.

Critic Reviews

"King's imagining of what is more or less post-Armageddon Boston is rich, and the sociological asides made by his characters along the way...are jaunty and witty." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Cell

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yeah good

fantastic read, I loved this book before I got the audio book, a great one to listen to when you go to bed

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A fresh take on a zombie plague

This story doesn't waste time in getting into it.
An enthralling story about technology going awry & people's behaviours under pressure as stephen always does so well
Its a scary idea full stop and it makes for a ripper of a story
Full credit to Campbell Scott for a gripping performance.

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Very good

A post-apocalyptic look at the world following the release of a pulse that infects humans turning them into zombie-like beings. Echoes of The Stand exist here however this is independent and follows a father’s dedication in finding his son. Well written and entertaining.

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hope there's a sequel!

I wasn't sure about the narrator at first, but he did an excellent job. It would have been easy to fall into the trap of reading the story in an excited tone, but Campbell kept it tight the whole way through. I'm sur Mr.King will follow up this story with a sequel. How could he not?

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Then and now

I read this book when it first came out and listened to it fairly recently. It was interesting reading from the different perspectives - firstly of a world where mobile phones were new and kind of rare and secondly when everybody has them. Just as The Stand showed some scary premonition of today’s experience of pandemic, Cell gives one a sense of the possibilities if technology goes wrong...

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  • Cam
  • 01-12-2021

Awesome book, & very well narrated. Recommend

Possibly my favourite book.
Super vivid imagery, and really unique story, keeps you hook.

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Finished on a cliffhanger... what happened next?

This isn't my favorite Stephen King... but what an interesting story which makes you think... just imagine if this actually happened. The only downside is the ending... I wish I knew what happened next.

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settle in for a great book.

This book had me hooked from the start. Please listen to this book for considering watching the movie or at least read this if you've only seen the movie. it's worth every second.

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Loved all but the ending

Amazing book as would be expected, but the ending was unfinished and very disappointing. Is there another book coming?

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Fantastically written story and great narration

This is such an awesome apocalyptic story and Stephen King at his usual word smithing genius. I really enjoyed the narration as well!

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