The Institute by Stephen King

There’s moment in the original Willy Wonka film where Gene Wilder goes off on a rant and Mr Salt declares ‘he’s at it again’. That’s what it’s like picking up one of Stephen King’s books. The only thing you know for sure is that you have no idea what might be coming.

The Institute begins with a retired police officer, Tim, giving up his seat on an airplane on an overbooked flight. It’s a seemingly unimportant decision but one leads to another and to another and to a small town walking as a midnight door knocker. The story ambles along like the character itself, in a small sleepy town on a deserted main steet in the middle of the night.

Then we meet Luke. Luke is very intelligent. He’s twelve and has already been accepted at two prestigious collages, both of which he plans to attend. Oh and if he gets really agitated or emotional he has low level powers of telekenisis. I don’t think I’m spoiling too much to say that Luke is going to wind up at The Institute.

There he meets other kids, experiences how deeply fucked his situation is, starts to test the limitations of his powers and of course figure out how to get him and his new friends out of there.

It’s an excellent book and has a lot in common with a lot of stuff we are enjoying on television at the moment with series like The Boys, Death Class, The Umbrella Academy and even Stranger Things, all revolving around young people who not only have to save the world but also figure out a whole bunch of personal shit at the same time. That being said when you throw in an uncompassionate government, a secret installation and the containment of a power that could unleash an apocalypse we’re getting closer to the horrifying Chernobyl on HBO.

Oh and Mr King…The ending is great.

9/10