According to the plot summary, the novel picks up with Dan Torrance, now middle-aged and recovering from his horrific past. A drifter and alcoholic for years, Dan is desperate to shed the memories of his childhood and finds himself in a small New Hampshire town where he is a member of AA and is working at a nursing home. There, he uses the remnants of his shining power to comfort his charges in their final days. Dan must save preteen Abra Stone from the paranormal beings known as "The True Knot". Abra has the brightest shining that Dan has ever seen, which sends the story twisting and turning in a battle of good and evil as Dan tries to quiet the demons that arise in himself.
With this new book comes talk of a sequel to Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation, which, while given mixed reviews at first, became a hit and has become a pop-culture icon. While a search for a director is yet underway, it is thought that the movie rights will likely be sold before the thriller hits bookshelves next year.
Meanwhile, Warner Brothers is considering creating a prequel according to a report from the LA Times. While they note that any plan of the movie is in the very early stages, it would focus on what happened in the lives of Jack Torrance, his wife, and their psychic son, Dan, before they checked into the Overlook Hotel. It's reported that writer-producer Laeta Kalogridis, of Shutter Island and Avatar fame, is working with her partners Bradley Fischer and James Vanderbilt on the project. Though nothing is set in stone yet, the movie will most likely not have the input of King.
It's hard to speculate exactly what a prequel would be about since the Torrance family was a pretty normal one before they arrived at the hotel. It could be from the point of view of his grandmother and Hallorann, or explain the shining power's origins. The original film looked at the hidden meanings in the story, so a prequel could expand upon the mystery that surrounds The Shining.
While plans for both of these films are still in their infancy, it's something to look forward to in the coming months and years. In the near future you may find yourself curled up on the sofa enjoying an evening watching a trio of scary movies on TV. Until then, you can satisfy your hunger for horror by watching, and reading, The Shining.
(Note: the above article was a reader submission.)