SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS & EXPERIENCES ON THE THEMES IN REVIVAL
Those who have read Revival know its themes are a return to the Stephen King of yesteryear when books such as The Shining, Pet Sematary and IT frightened readers at the very core of their inner self.
In a recent Twitter post, Stephen wrote:
“The book coming in November, REVIVAL, is a straight-ahead horror novel. If you’re going to buy it, better tone up your nerves.”
This website is a social experiment intended to help you do just that. -Explore the dark side of the human condition in anticipation of reading Revival.
If you have already read Revival, click here to submit your thoughts on the story.
Those who have read Revival know its themes are a return to the Stephen King of yesteryear when books such as The Shining, Pet Sematary and IT frightened readers at the very core of their inner self.
Update 11.19.14: The response to Prepare for Revival has been astonishing. So many of you have shared your most intimate thoughts on the intense themes within Revival and we thank you for your contributions and honesty.
You’ve openly shared your darkest moments with the world. You’ve explained your faith and the challenges of being a person plagued by addiction or an all-consuming obsession. You’ve told us how you’ve been let down; not only by your loved ones but by your higher power as well. You’ve expressed your very diversified and often inspiring visions of death and what happens in the afterlife. Thank you. We sincerely appreciate your contributions.
Now, we ask that you tell us what you think of Revival itself. Go to The Other Side and tell the world what you think about the story. For better or for worse, tell us how you feel. Tell us what you think of the characters and their struggles. Tell us what you think of the epic nature of Revival and how spending a lifetime with a “change agent” can bring about monumental shifts to your life’s path. Tell us what you think of the climax and the overall message of Revival.
We want to know what you think and to share your opinion with the rest of the Stephen King community. Love it or hate it, Revival is a King novel that stands alone with a uniquely dark presence. Revival demonstrates some of the most bitter conflicts deep within the human spirit and makes no apologies for its conclusions. It questions our very existence and leaves an impression far removed from any other Stephen King novel.
Tell us why you agree or disagree.
Indeed Revival is a novel for those ready to experience the complicated emotions of Faith, Tragedy, Disillusion, Addiction, Curiosity, Obsession, Death and what may exist on the other side of life.
Prepare for Revival invites you to explore and share your innermost thoughts on these themes in an effort to help brace yourself before you feel the dark energy within Revival.
Each category of this site is named after a specific theme within Revival. For each theme, we ask you to answer a simple and poignant question about your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs regarding that theme. All approved submissions are published to the appropriate category and can be viewed by visitors of the site.
You are encouraged to share of yourself freely and can choose to do so anonymously. You may use your actual name when making submissions but it is not encouraged. We also ask that you do not include the names of others in your submissions.
It should also be understood that there are no likes or dislikes on Prepare for Revival. There are no up-votes or down-votes. There are no threaded comments or further discussion of your submission in any way. There is no need to log-in or connect your ID to a social media account. All submissions are fully reviewed by moderators who will treat each entry with attention and care.
You can rest assured, we have done everything possible to make sure that you may express yourself without restrictions or fear that your deepest and darkest thoughts will be discussed or ridiculed by other users on this site.
Take your time. Think about your life and the dark times that made you the person you are today. You are no doubt a stronger person as a result of the difficult days that tested your faith in God, loved ones, humanity and ultimately life itself.
The loss of love… The tragedy of untimely death… The obsession that consumed you… Tell us about it. We’ll share your story with the world as we all prepare for Revival.
What does your faith mean to you? How has it shaped your life?
- on FAITHMy faith is in karma. And being a relatively uneducated man, I don't even know if it belongs to any religion. But I do know I try to do what I consider the right thing. So far it's worked for me. Either that or I'm just the luckiest man in the world. I have three kids, all of which have suffered potentially life ending accidents and all survived relatively unscathed , barring a few scars. Now I have four wonderful grandkids with another on the way. I'll continue my faith in karma in the hope it will rub off on them.
Why do bad things happen to good people? What purpose does it serve?
- on TRAGEDYI think it only seems as though bad things happen to good people while not so good people have it relatively easy No one really knows about other people's true goodness. I feel sometimes I catch bad breaks even though I'm a good person, but maybe I'm deluding myself. Perhaps I'm actually a self rightious pain in the ass! It's all a matter of perspective and I guess good things happen to people who have the perfect blend of dedication, nerve, desire and luck.... A dash of good sense doesn't hurt either.
How has your faith in a higher power or your loved ones let you down?
- on DISILLUSIONI was one of those schmucks who took Catholic teachings seriously, hook, line, and sinker until I was nineteen or twenty and met my boyfriend of about a year and a half at the U of Maine. He was having his own crisis of faith and he practiced his new-found thoughts by discussing them with me. Ironically, I left the faith and he eventually became a priest, for pity's sake. That was more than 40 years ago. I say I left the faith, but it didn't really leave me until recent years. I became depressive and obsessive compulsive, and I created my own private hell. I joined a Unitarian Universalist Church, whose liberal ways helped to release me from my dungeon. I even identified as a pagan for a while. With the rise of atheism helping me along (books, articles, TV shows), I can say I'm just about free at the ripe old age of 64. Cathlolicism is full of some pretty scary shit. Imagine a little girl doing the "Stations of the Cross" during which one had to beat yourself on your chest three times in a row (not really hard) and say Jesus died "through my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault. That, and all the hell talk and oh! confession.....does things to the old psyche. And I wasn't even molested. Last thing, why do people believe that God is this so all powerful, and all loving higher for their lives, but not for others. Yeah, he saved that little child under the rubble in a natural disaster, but he let the whole rest of the town die? Or let's raging illnesses take people? Or doesn't stop people from torturing one another? He helps YOU find your car keys or get that loan, he can't stop white policemen from killing black people. I guess whatever floats your boat, floats your boat. Just don't try to force it on me and little innocent kids. I still say you are just mumbling to to an imaginary friend, and ultimately yoursef
How has addiction affected your life and the lives of your loved ones?
- on ADDICTIONMight be an addict. Have severe back pain and had been taking percocet for 3yrs until I became used to it. Now I'm on oxy. I'm not going to dealers or selling my meds (also on morphine and muscle relaxers...all 4x/day) but a quiet panic sets in when the bottle becomes less than half full. Dreading the day I will have to cut back because the doctor will want to wean me off. I know that won't happen for a while because the damage to my back can only be helped so much, but still I'll hoard pills. When I think about it, really think, there is addictive behavior. Does it stem from the need to have the drugs? I've never used them the way some addicts or recreational users do; snorting or smoking, injecting, but am I an addict or afraid of the pain? When the relief comes I can walk and concentrate. When I'm in pain I lay in bed and sweat and can feel it through my legs. I've tried to cut back, afraid of going to that dark place; the streets or stealing to keep the pain away but I'm not so sure that the pain is the only thing that makes me feel like shit after 24-55hrs of not having any medication. Damned if I do, damned if I dont. I did get lucky and have my left hip fully replaced and was off all meds for about 2yrs. I was only 34. That first bout with percocet was short, about a year and because I took less than prescribed I was fine. But this... this is a bitch.
What is the one thing in life you are most curious about? What drives that curiosity?
- on CURIOSITYThere are things that curiosity enhances and there are things that are better left untouched. I suppose it depends on how well you can handle the thing you are curious about. Curiosity is a way to learn.
What is your one true obsession? How has it affected your decisions in life?
- on OBSESSIONBeing too stubborn to let things go can keep someone from learning and also from moving foreword.
What happens when you die? Is there life after death?
- on DEATHWhen I was a child and first learned about "death" it was really terrifying. The thought of becoming "nothing" was impossible. Then I thought about the Universe. It has no end, right? What would the end look like? I took physics and realized there is more in the universe that we cannot see than what we can see. I had a near-death experience that put the final period on the paragraph. I watched a medical team work to bring me back. It was like watching a t.v. show that did not concern me. I heard the doctor outside in the hallway telling my husband not to tell me about it. So the first thing I said when I woke up and hubby was there was "you don't have to tell me about it, I watched the whole thing." He was flabbergasted. For years it bugged me that I saw/heard this conversation that happened AFTER they brought me back. Then I studied quantum physics and realized time doesn't really exist.... I have always wondered about people who say they have great faith, but cry when they lose a loved one, or fear dying themselves. I don't think their faith can be as great as they say when they break down completely. I have no particular "faith" (as in religion) but am not one bit afraid of dying. I'm getting pretty old, and I figure I'll be better off out of this body after awhile, and what an adventure is ahead!