Mirkat Always Reading

What happens to Danny Torrance after The Shining?

According to Stephen King, in his author's note, this is a question he was often asked at book talks, and also one he wondered about from time to time himself, idly thinking about how old Danny would be at various times. So he wrote Doctor Sleep to find out.

After the traumatic events of The Shining, it's no wonder Danny continues to have nightmares. Although, as a child, Danny is sure he will never succumb to alcoholism as his father had, he falls into that trap nonetheless. One attraction is that alcohol damps down the shining.

While living in Florida, Dan Torrance finds his rock bottom and decides he needs a fresh start somewhere else. He ends up in New Hampshire, where he finds work and an AA sponsor.

Meanwhile, he begins to be contacted by someone with a shine even brighter than his own: Abra Stone. Abra is born in 2001, and as a baby, she sends precognitive dreams to her parents and great-grandmother, predicting the events of September 11.

Abra is in danger because of a nomadic, supernatural band of evil beings that call themselves The True Knot. They are virtually immortal and feed off of the essence, or "steam," of children who shine. She calls out to Dan, and soon they team up. Who better to understand what it's like to be a kid who can read minds? And two steam-heads (as The True Knot calls them) are stronger than one.

I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoyed The Shining, especially those who might have wondered how Danny ended up. The book follows him from age six to 44.