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Stationary Bike

Stationary Bike

New on audio from Stephen King...an unabridged novella"as artful as anything he has ever written." (Booklist)

Climb aboard Stationary Bike -- a streamlined fever dream of a tale, in which an ordinary household object assumes otherworldly powers and a familiar journey takes a terrifying twist.

When commercial artist Richard Sifkitz finally gets around to having that physical he'd been putting off for years, and his cholesterol comes back dangerously high, he does what so many thirty-something, junk food-eating couch potatoes have done before him: he buys a stationary bike, and vows to ride it regularly.

Unlike many a mid-life exercise convert, however, Richard actually starts to ride his new stationary bike. A lot. Soon he's spending so much time on his bike that he decides to put his artistic talents to use and paint a mural on the wall opposite his stationary bike. But it turns out that Richard's mural is no ordinary picture -- and soon his stationary bike is taking him places he doesn't want to go...and can't stay away from.

A riveting riff on artistic frustration, midlife mortality, and hard-won redemption, Stationary Bike is a thrill ride that could come only from the mind of Stephen King.
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio

Price: $5.98

Stationary Bike

User Reviews

A simple story, well-told
rating: 4

'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.

I expected better....
rating: 2

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

Great Story -- Great Reader
rating: 5

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.

Stationary Bike
rating: 3

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.

Not one of King's best stories
rating: 2

I'm a Stephen King fan, but I was disappointed with this audio book. I've never purchased an audio book before, but this was the only format for this "novel." I'm not sure if I just couldn't really get into the story because I listened to it while I was driving (and, therefore, was too busy concentrating on driving), or because the story itself just wasn't all that interesting. It is a 2-disc set, and the story seemed very short. I am giving the audio book to my brother, who is blind. Maybe he will like it better than I did.

Stationary Bike