 Hello everybody, E here. Welcome back to another book review. Today, we are doing the most anticipated book for me at least of the year and that is Stephen King's The Outsider. Boy, let me tell y'all this book was good. Right off the bat, I'm gonna bring up a couple things. There was a lot of hullabaloo over whether or not this was the fourth Bill Hodge's book which was... As you've read the Mercedes Trilogy, it was impossible for that to be that. Holly from... I don't think this is any big spoiler at this point. Holly from the Hodge's books is in this book but this is not a book about Holly Gibney. She just happens to be in this book and she was in the Bill Hodge's Trilogy, whatever you want to call it. This is a complete standalone. Now, while we're on that subject, there are going to be some spoilers in this book for the Mercedes Trilogy or the Hodge's Trilogy, whichever you want to call it. I'm gonna call the Bill Hodge's Trilogy. There are some spoilers in this one regarding that series. So if you plan on reading that series, I do suggest, unfortunately, read that series before you jump into this one. I'm not gonna go into spoilers for this book when I do my Thursday theorist video for this one, which we will be getting to in roughly about seven weeks. When I do that, then we will get into the spoiler territory. This book, I'm pretty sure at this point, is in my top five Stephen King novels. When am I gonna be replacing? If you guys watch my top five Stephen King books, I'm gonna be replacing. This has bumped off the Wastelands. I was on the fence for the night. I was gonna bump off Bag of Bones or the Wastelands. I think I'm gonna bump off the Wastelands for this one. This book is so much fun. From beginning to end, it is dark, it is disturbing, and yes, it is a horror novel. It is a detective story, but it is most definitely a horror novel. There's some of the creepiest stuff that King has ever written is in this one. But guys, I cannot express enough how happy I am about this book. This just goes to show you, and the guy has published over 60 books at this point in his career, and he's still trying new things. He's still doing new things. There are some things in here that just puts it way up there as far as Stephen King's storytelling ability. There's a story within a story that I really, really like. There's a character that comes in late in the game called Claude Bolton, I believe it is, and his mother, Lovey. Lovey tells a story in here that is just as good as any of Stephen King's short stories. The lore, even the reasoning for the villain in this one is unique. I've never heard anything like it before. There's so much great stuff in here, but I don't want anybody to think, oh, this is a return to form for King. This is not old Stephen King. This and revival are the best of new Stephen King. This is the later years, whatever you want to call it, the winter of his career kind of deal, but this definitely a top five brand new favorite. I'm jumping right back into it in audio book, of course, because Will Patton is narrating it. I'm going to jump right back into it right tonight. I just finished it this afternoon doing this video, and then I'm going to jump right back into the audio book. So have you guys read it? What do you think? You're not going to get any higher of a recommendation from me than all five stars. If I could give it more, I would six, ten stars, whatever, all that baloney. But I do not wait for the paperback. Do not wait for a secondhand thrift stop by. This is one of his best books. Go out and buy it. Did you read it? Did you like it? Let me know in the comments below. But until next time, I have been E, you have been U. This has been a damn good Stephen King book. I'll see you guys later. Bye-bye.