This novella was a great story and another exellent testament to King's skillful command of our language. Who ever said pop culture can not also be art? This probably would have received a 5 star rating from me if it were not for the fact that the movie is so much better than the book, a rare feat. I think that the written word was simply the wrong medium for this message. Kudos to King, though, for coming up with a brilliant prison-escape heist/caper--my favorite sort of story.