Stationary Bike
Written by Stephen King
Narrated by Ron McLarty
4/5
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About this audiobook
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.
Stephen King
Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes the short story collection You Like It Darker, Holly, Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.
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Reviews for Stationary Bike
224 ratings15 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5STATIONARY BIKE was given to me years ago as a gift. Immediately, it became a favorite for its' picturesque visions of riding the countryside. As a cyclist, I feel all the intensity that Stephen King writes in his story.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great story, still somewhat dark but more upbeat. Reminded me of “Duma Key “ and evening “Hearts in Atlantis.”
Narrator was fantastic ... it was like King telling the story himself! - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This may be the worst thing I have ever read by Stephen King. It wasn't captivating and went nowhere.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good novella, typical King, it’s a great lunch read. I recommend
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Download was glitching and couldn’t listen to but first few minutes
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a fun, little story. Not your typical ST tale but very well written nevertheless.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When artist Richard Sifkitz is told by his doctor that he needs to lower his cholesterol level, he takes it to heart, adjusts his diet, and buys a stationary bike. Soon his bike rides become a little too realistic.This is a 2-disc short story on audio, and I'll admit, this story took off in a direction I wasn't expecting. It's got the supernatural element that Stephen King is known for, but it also has a moralistic lesson which was kind of a nice change. This won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I thought it was a pleasant, quick read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The only format I could find was as an audio book. I'm not a fan of this format but gave it a go anyway. I never got a firm sense of terror or fear in the main character. I can't say whether it's the format or the story itself. I'll give it another listen and see if I enjoy it more.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I enjoyed this, but not as much as other Stephen King novellas. I can't pinpoint why exactly, but it didn't resonate with me even though I liked many different aspects of it. Stationary Bike opens with a middle aged overweight man in a doctor's office. Things are being written down in red, weight cholesterol, he has to do something about it. Actually taking the doctor's advice he starts to eat better, sleep more at night, and introduce some work outs. Rather than join a gym, he purchases a stationary bike and puts it in his basement. At first it's tedious and boring, there is nothing to look at. As an artist he decides to paint a trail, a bike path he remembers from childhood. Overnight his biking improves and it turns to his favorite part of the day. If it weren't for the timer to snap him out of his biking reverie he might never stop. It's like he really is biking right there in his art/memories. But one day he sees something and in the distance he can hear an approaching truck. He can't bear to think about what will happen if the truck catches him while biking. Suspenseful, unique, and witty.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is not what people think of when they think of Stephen King -- there's no gore, and while it IS intense, it's not quite what I'd call a thriller. But I know King's work well enough to know this is classic work of his! Loved it!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5There's not too much high tension in the story but It has the usual twists. Sifkitz resolves to work out and buys a stationary bike and then the weird stuff begins. The book was read by veteran reader Ron McClarty who covered all of the characters made this an enjoyable experience. Weird, interesting little story about the power of the mind. No goose bumps or night mares after I read this book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Listened to this book as audio.The journey of a man to loss weight is a journey that many people can relate to. For Richard Sifkitz, the journey took him down a road that he did not expect to go down.While most of Kings works have an element of suspence, this story was not very suspenceful. Slightly predictable and profuse with brand names, I sometimes felt I was in a commercial for all his favorite things.Overall a light, quick and easy book to read/listen to.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is substandard for Stephen King as there is not too much high tension in the story. It has the usual twists that you read / listen to King for, so overall it is still a quite enjoyable tale. Not in the same class as "Road Virus Heads North", but it is similar. Stephen King does a very credible job of narrating his own story.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5When a man is told by his doctor that he needs to start taking care of himself, he gets himself an exercise bike. When he creates a fantasy world to help motivate him to keep riding, things begin to get out of hand. This was an entertaining story, even if there wasn't much substance to it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was more like the classic King that I know & love. More so than some stuff of his that I had read. It got me motivated too. I decided to follow the same excercise plan & so far I'm down 20# & 28 points on the cholesterol. HEY! I'm proud of myself & it only took you about 5 seconds to read about it. Deal with it! LOL