The Dead Zone - Definition and Overview

The Dead Zone is a novel by Stephen King published in 1979.

This tells the story of John Smith, a teacher who is tragically injured in an auto accident that leaves him in a coma for almost five years. When he awakens, he is heartbroken to learn that his promising future has vanished, his fiancée has married someone else, and he has unlocked the mysterious "dead zone" of his brain, granting him the psychic ability to touch a person (or an object that person has touched) and see the tragic events of their past, present or future.

Despite using his newfound ability to identify and capture a local serial killer, Smith considers his gift a curse and is loathe to use it, but when he touches the maverick political candidate Greg Stillson, he sees a vision of an apocalyptic future so terrible that, after morally struggling with his conscience, decides he must take steps to prevent Stillson from becoming president by any means necessary.

The inspiration of the story was a real-life house painter, Peter Hurkos, said to have become psychic as a result of injuries incurred after falling off a ladder. Other famous people who underwent dramatic personality changes due to cranial trauma are Roseanne Barr, Sam Kinison, and workman Phineas Gage in the 19th century.

Published versions

• ISBN 0606019170 (prebound, 1979)
• ISBN 0670260770 (cloth text, 1979)
• ISBN 0451155750 (mass market paperback, 1980, reprint)

Adaptations

• The Dead Zone (movie) - The novel was adapted for the screenplay of a film of the same name in 1982, starring Christopher Walken.
• The Dead Zone (TV series) - Starring Anthony Michael Hall, a TV series produced for the USA Network began in 2002 and is also based on the novel.