The Dead Zone

The Dead Zone is a novel by Stephen King.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

The story is about the life of John Smith, a teacher, who was in a accident that left him in a coma for almost five years. When he awakens, he learns that his fiance has married to someone else, and many things had changed over the years. He soon discovers that when he touches a person, or an object touched by that person, he is able to psychically see the tragic events of their past or future. When he touches a maverick political candidate named Greg Stillson, he sees an apocolyptic future so awful that he must take steps to prevent it by any means necessary.

The inspiration of the story was a real-life house painter, Peter Hurkos, said to have become psychic after injuries incurred in a fall off a ladder. Other famous people who underwent dramatic personality changes due to cranial trauma are Roseanne Barr, Sam Kinison, and workman Phineas Gage in the 19th century.

Published versions:

• ISBN 0606019170 (prebound, 1979)
• ISBN 0670260770 (cloth text, 1979)
• ISBN 0451155750 (mass market paperback, 1980, reprint)

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The Dead Zone (movie) - The novel was adapted for the screenplay of a film of the same name in 1982, starring Christopher Walken.

The Dead Zone (TV series) - Starring Anthony Michael Hall, a TV series produced for the USA Network began in 2002 and is also based on the novel.