{"product_id":"the-institute-a-novel","title":"The Institute by Stephen King","description":"\u003ch1\u003eThe Institute: A Novel by Stephen King\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom \u003cstrong\u003e#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King,\u003c\/strong\u003e the most riveting and unforgettable story of kids confronting evil since \u003cem\u003eIt\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“This is King at his best”\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e (The St. Louis Post-Dispatch).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSynopsis\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis’s parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there’s no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents—telekinesis and telepathy—who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and ten-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, “like the roach motel,” Kalisha says. “You check in, but you don’t check out.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don’t, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs \u003cstrong\u003epsychically terrifying\u003c\/strong\u003e as \u003cem\u003eFirestarter\u003c\/em\u003e, and with the spectacular kid power of It, \u003cem\u003eThe Institute\u003c\/em\u003e “is another winner: creepy and touching and horrifyingly believable, all at once” (The Boston Globe).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAbout the Author: Stephen King\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStephen Edwin King, born September 21, 1947, in Portland, Maine, is a highly acclaimed and prolific American author known for his horror, supernatural fiction, and suspense novels. He is often referred to as \u003cstrong\u003e\"The King\"\u003c\/strong\u003e or \u003cstrong\u003e\"The King of Horror\"\u003c\/strong\u003e. King's books have \u003cstrong\u003esold over 350 million copies worldwide\u003c\/strong\u003e and many of his works have been adapted into successful films and television series.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eEarly Life and Career:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKing grew up in Maine with his mother after his parents separated when he was a toddler. He attended the University of Maine, where he wrote for the school newspaper and met his future wife, Tabitha Spruce.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAfter graduating, he taught high school English while continuing to write short stories.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHis first novel, \u003cem\u003eCarrie\u003c\/em\u003e, was published in 1974, launching his career as a horror author.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLiterary Works:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKing has \u003cstrong\u003ewritten over fifty novels,\u003c\/strong\u003e two hundred short stories, and nine collections of short fiction.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHis works include \u003cem\u003eThe Shining\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Stand\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eThe Dead Zone\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eIt\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHe also wrote under the \u003cstrong\u003epseudonym Richard Bachman.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMany of his novels and short stories have been adapted into films, including \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Shawshank Redemption\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Green Mile\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1408\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eMisery\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePersonal Life:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKing is married to Tabitha Spruce and they have three children: Naomi, Joe, and Owen.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHe is also a philanthropist, supporting education and community programs through his foundation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKing has battled drug addiction in the past, but he has overcome it and is now a recovered addict.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Bust-Down Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50281317237051,"sku":"1982110589","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0855\/2077\/7531\/files\/9781982110581.png?v=1764904498","url":"https:\/\/bustdownbooks.com\/products\/the-institute-a-novel","provider":"Bust-Down Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}