Stationary Bike

Haunted by the results of his physical, commercial artist Richard Sifkitz purchases a stationary bike that he plans to use to get back into shape, but when he paints a picturesque mural on the wall opposite his bike, he discovers that the mural is no ordinary picture and that his stationary bike is taking him on rides to places he really does not want to go.

From Publishers Weekly

In classic Stephen King tradition, this audiobook reminds the listener that even something as ordinary as a stationary bike can have a devious nature to it. After a tongue thrashing from his doctor, Richard Sifkitz turns his addiction to fatty foods into an addiction to a fantasy world created around his stationary bike, spending hours a day pedaling away. But as his obsession grows, the lines between fantasy and reality dim and he believes someone or something is trailing him on his path. Ron McLarty, who previously recorded King's Salem's Lot and Faithful, delivers this novella with an excellent pace and easy disposition. His controlled reading creates a much tenser atmosphere with surprises and plot twists made more shocking without the advance warnings of a more dramatic reading. The jazzy segues between chapters lightens the tone just enough to make the listener feel uncertain about where King is taking this story. King's writing style is quite agreeable to the audio format, making for an enjoyable although slightly dark tale. This novella was published in the anthology Borderlands 5(Reviews, Jan. 19, 2004). (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile

This extended short story will fulfill the needs of fans who must read everything from the master, but most readers will feel as if they're going nowhere. Recent widower and commercial artist Richard Sifkitz begins a midlife exercise program; to keep himself occupied while riding his stationary bike, he paints a mural of a road leading up a mountain. There in his imagination he creates the Lipid Group, four workers on the roadway and in his system who labor to lower his cholesterol but who also pull him into a nightmare world. Ron McLarty continues to prove himself the best interpreter of King's work; unfortunately, there's just not much for him to do here. R.O. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About the Author

Stephen King is the author of more than fifty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Prize. He is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.Ron McLarty has appeared on Broadway in That Championship Season, Our Country's Good, and Moonchildren. His film credits include Two Bits, The Postman, and The Flamingo Kid. He has starred on television in Spenser for Hire and Cop Rock. Mr. McLarty is also a novelist and an award-winning playwright.

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