Kindle Book Review: UR by Stephen King

Stephen King’s new novella UR isn’t featured in a literary anthology or in one of his compilations. It is a Kindle exclusive work released to coincide with the new Kindle 2. King has written a novella for the Kindle about the Kindle.

Though it sounds odd – and at first it is a little odd to read about someone reading on the Kindle – King delivers an entertaining and engaging story. The story follows college English teacher Wesley Smith just after his breakup with a fellow college teacher and women’s basketball coach. The ex-girlfriend left him with, “Why don’t you read books off the computer like the rest of us?” as a parting shot, prompting Wesley to buy an Amazon Kindle to spite her.

Wesley starts to get to know his Kindle, finding a strange menu on it called “UR Menu.” In this menu he finds written works by famous authors – works that they never wrote. Depending on which “UR” he chooses, the listing for each author changes.

Wesley, unfamiliar with the new technology, consults one of his students to see if this is a normal occurrence. His student confirms that no, this UR Menu isn’t normal, and neither is the bright pink color of the Kindle.

We travel with Wesley, his student, and another teacher as they explore the UR Menu. The more they explore, the more they’d like to be able to forget they ever saw the pink Kindle.

Despite the slight hokeyness of writing a Kindle novella about the Kindle, King manages to pull it off well. There are a few spots where it seems to be too much – King refers to Wesley as a technophobe and has Wesley call the Kindle “newfangled” technology, despite Wesley only being thirty-five. In today’s age, it’s not uncommon for a seventy-year-old to have a cell phone and be a computer whiz. It also seems a little like preaching to the choir – after all, why have a character discover the wonders of the Kindle when you know without a doubt that your reader is already reading it on a Kindle.

In the end, all that matters is that I was entertained. King managed to loop this story into some of his bigger works, which I always enjoy. I can definitely recommend this novella. It’s a fast read, and at only $2.99 it’s probably the best Kindle bargain you can find.

Stephen King’s UR is only available on the Kindle.