Combining the suspense of The Outsider with the childhood camaraderie in IT, The Institute is a powerful new novel from Stephen King which is destined to become the No. 1 blockbuster of Spring 2019.
Deep in the woods of Maine, there is a dark state facility where kids, abducted from across the United States, are incarcerated. In the Institute they are subjected to a series of tests and procedures meant to combine their exceptional gifts - telepathy, telekinesis - for concentrated effect.
Luke Ellis is the latest recruit. He's just a regular 12-year-old, except he's not just smart, he's super-smart. And he has another gift which the Institute wants to use...
Far away in a small town in South Carolina, former cop Tim Jamieson has taken a job working for the local sheriff. He's basically just walking the beat. But he's about to take on the biggest case of his career.
Back in the Institute's downtrodden playground and corridors where posters advertise 'just another day in paradise', Luke, his friend Kalisha and the other kids are in no doubt that they are prisoners, not guests. And there is no hope of escape.
But great events can turn on small hinges and Luke is about to team up with a new, even younger recruit, Avery Dixon, whose ability to read minds is off the scale. While the Institute may want to harness their powers for covert ends, the combined intelligence of Luke and Avery is beyond anything that even those who run the experiments - even the infamous Mrs Sigsby - suspect.
Thrilling, suspenseful, heartbreaking, The Institute is a stunning novel of childhood betrayed and hope regained.
Industry Reviews
A terrific book - a flat out pedal to the metal thriller. One of Stephen King's best -- Linwood Barclay
Once pigeon-holed as a 'horror-meister', King has become a formidably versatile author, enabling him to pull off a captivating, hybrid novel that shape-shifts through several genres * The Sunday Times *
A testament to the power of resilience and friendship . . . It does everything you'd expect of a masterpiece - and it is one * Sunday Express *
THE INSTITUTE will delight King's devoted readers and create a whole new generation of lifelong fans. The Master of Storytelling at his very best - which means better than anyone else -- Matt Thorne
Hums and crackles with delicious unease...King is supreme at crafting the building blocks of a story and laying them together in a slick, teasing and apparently simple way * Independent *
Stephen King has written the most readable and electrifying tale . . . a thrilling, chilling ride * Love Reading *
[King] has been a constant literary companion . . . I still look forward as much as I ever did to each new novel or short story collection. The Institute is another winner . . . It's familiar King territory and all the better for it. -- Conleth Hill * Guardian *
This hefty, provocative book will appeal particularly to King's long-standing fans. * Metro *
King knows what he is doing, and has done for a longtime. His pacing, ear for dialogue and pure storytelling ability are all on display in The Institute * Otago Daily Times *
