Stephen King, the master of horror, suspense, and fantasy fiction has a real hit in the novel entitled The Cell published in 2006. In it, he shows that even horror and gore can be made to seem funny. One of the quotes prefacing the title page is “Can you hear me now?” made famous in a series of Verizon commercials.

Clayton Riddell, Cartoonist Whose Luck is About to Change

The staging of this novel is in King’s “home country of New England” and opens with his protagonist, Clayton Riddell, an illustrator or cartoonist of fantasy figures. Clayton has not been very successful in getting his work recognized up till now and is in a way possibly an autobiographical figure to King himself in his early years. Clayton is staying at the Atlantic Avenue Inn which he describes as a “not quite fleabag hotel”.

He is in Boston at Copley Square and his luck seems to be about to change. He is walking along with his artist’s portfolio carrying, at this point in the novel the reader must assume, his drawings. The reader is led to believe that he has had some degree of success in getting his work published in some form of comic strip serial or magazine. He feels so good at his success that he purchased a small glass paperweight, at the cost of ninety dollars, as a present for his wife Sharon from whom he is now martially separated. To him a great deal of money.

Copley Square Boston, Massachusetts October 1st 3:03 PM

While walking back to his hotel he observes a number of people who at first appear normal. Then they begin acting out in a violent manner and he can hear shouting and gunshots in the distance. Pandemonium seems to be breaking out all around him.

Teaming Up

He meets up with a man who at least seems to be normal, Tom Mc Court, who lives in the Boston suburbs, and later a young girl, Alice Maxwell who become his traveling companions in their flight from Boston which is now in flames.