Stationary Bike

A short story that goes a long way. If you're a King fan and read everything including his shopping lists you won't be disappointed. New readers or people that don't usually go for the 'spooky' genre may not quite get the same satisfaction. McLarty is the type of reader that gives you a precise image of the character. I enjoyed the total package.

'Stationary Bike' is just about everything you can expect from a traditional Stephen King story. It's not remarkable, but it's a tale well-told of an essentially ordinary guy who experiences something decidedly out of the ordinary. This is where King's strength lies, in exploring worlds and possibilities and how everyday people would react to them. He uses it to good advantage here.

It's the story of a man who discovers he's not as healthy as he used to be, and who buys a stationary bike to help get himself into better shape. Unlike many people, he actually put it to use. He's an artist by trade, and he paints himself a road and a forest to ride through. As he rides, he begins to imagine he's there, and more, he starts to feel it, and he starts to think that he's being followed.

A reader can make or break a story like this, and fortunately, Ron McLarty's reading is pitch-perfect. He reads the text with feeling and has a great ear for dialogue. His reading is natural and well-suited to the story. It's hard to imagine a better reading for this story.

'Stationary Bike' is about 90 minutes long, about the length of a short movie. For this one, though, you can close your eyes and let the voice paint a picture with words. It's a simple, uncomplicated story told in a simple, uncomplicated way. In other words, a good King story, and a great way to pass an hour and a half.

Richard Sifkitz is overweight. Giving into his doctor's encouragement to get in shape, Sifkitz purchases a STATIONARY BIKE. Sifkitz is an artist and begins painting an imaginary scene in which to pretend he's traveling while riding his bike. Soon, his fantasy and reality begin merging together as Sifkitz can't stop riding his STATIONARY BIKE.

I expected better from Stephen King. The story meandered almost meaningless along the imaginary roads in a world populated with imaginary people... for no real purpose that I could discern. Sifkitz envisions the work crew that has been cleaning his system of all the junk he has eaten over the years, a work crew that is becoming increasingly disgruntled as Sifkitz is living and eating healthier now that he regularly rides his STATIONARY BIKE. We learn the identities of this imaginary work crew, but for what reason?

STATIONARY BIKE is a short audio to listen to but one I found myself struggling to stay engaged in the story. I didn't care about Richard Sifkitz's dilemma at all. He wasn't necessarily unlikable; he just didn't have much of a personality at all. In fact, the entirety of his character development focuses mostly on his weight and his efforts to lose that weight. Even the imaginary work crew is more likable and well developed than Sifkitz!

STATIONARY BIKE is not Stephen King at his best. Die hard King fans like myself with probably struggle through it and there may even be some who will insist that Stephen King cannot write a bad story. For me, however, STATIONARY BIKE is a major disappointment.

COURTESY OF CK2S KWIPS AND KRITIQUES

I loved Stationary Bike. Ron McLarty could read the phone book and I would listen -- intently.

Stationary Bike was a lot of fun. In the story we follow Siftkits (spelling?) as he takes a metaphoric journey down his metabolic path. The characters, the reality and the settings were all fun.

It wasn't too long or too short, it was just right. And did I meantion Ron McLarty is a great reader?

You don't have to be an SK fan to like this one.

- Dan.

I am a Stephen King fan and have to read anything he writes. This was an auto book. It was okay but not that interesting. I prefer to read his books and not have them on audio.