Editor Reviews:

Product Description:

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.

Rating : - A simple story, well-told
'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.