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The Institute: An epic thriller from the No.1 bestseller and an acclaimed TV series

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'It does everything you'd expect of a masterpiece - and it is one' Sunday Express

'Hums and crackles with delicious unease' Independent

'Captivating' The Sunday Times

'An absorbing thriller' Mail on Sunday

NO ONE HAS EVER ESCAPED FROM THE INSTITUTE.

Luke Ellis, a super-smart twelve-year-old with an exceptional gift, is the latest in a long line of kids abducted and taken to a secret government facility, hidden deep in the forest in Maine.

Here, kids with special talents - telekinesis and telepathy - like Luke's new friends Kalisha, Nick and Iris, are subjected to a series of experiments.

There seems to be no hope of escape. Until Luke teams up with an even younger boy whose powers of telepathy are off the scale.

Meanwhile, far away in a small town in South Carolina, former cop Tim Jamieson, looking for the quiet life, has taken a job working for the local sheriff. He doesn't know he's about to take on the biggest case of his career . . .

THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY OUT.

'An epic tale of childhood betrayal and hope regained... an immersive tale full of suspense and thrills that will keep readers up late at night racing towards a heartbreaking yet glorious finale... a dazzling achievement' - Daily Express

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Praise for The Institute

  • A terrific book - a flat out pedal to the metal thriller. One of Stephen King's best

  • Once pigeon-holed as a 'horror-meister', King has become a formidably versatile author, enabling him to pull off a captivating, hybrid novel that shape-shifts through several genres - The Sunday Times

  • A testament to the power of resilience and friendship . . . It does everything you'd expect of a masterpiece - and it is one - Sunday Express

  • THE INSTITUTE will delight King's devoted readers and create a whole new generation of lifelong fans. The Master of Storytelling at his very best - which means better than anyone else

  • Hums and crackles with delicious unease...King is supreme at crafting the building blocks of a story and laying them together in a slick, teasing and apparently simple way - Independent

  • Stephen King has written the most readable and electrifying tale . . . a thrilling, chilling ride - Love Reading

  • [King] has been a constant literary companion . . . I still look forward as much as I ever did to each new novel or short story collection. The Institute is another winner . . . It's familiar King territory and all the better for it. - Guardian

  • This hefty, provocative book will appeal particularly to King's long-standing fans. - Metro

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Stephen King

Stephen King

STEPHEN KING is the author of more than seventy books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent titles include Fairy Tale, Holly, and If It Bleeds, all number one Sunday Times bestsellers.

Many of his titles are the basis for major motion pictures including IT, Stand By Me (adapted from The Body) and The Shawshank Redemption, which is IMDb's top-rated movie of all time.

King is the recipient of The Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence 2022, 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 Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

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