• The Institute

  • A Novel
  • By: Stephen King
  • Narrated by: Santino Fontana
  • Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (46,846 ratings)

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The Institute  By  cover art

The Institute

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Santino Fontana
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Publisher's summary

A 2020 Thriller/Suspense Audie Award winner!

A New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2019 selection

From number one New York Times best-selling author Stephen King, the most riveting and unforgettable story of kids confronting evil since It.

“This is King at his best” (The St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

In the middle of the night, in a house on a quiet street in suburban Minneapolis, intruders silently murder Luke Ellis' parents and load him into a black SUV. The operation takes less than two minutes. Luke will wake up at The Institute, in a room that looks just like his own, except there's no window. And outside his door are other doors, behind which are other kids with special talents - telekinesis and telepathy - who got to this place the same way Luke did: Kalisha, Nick, George, Iris, and 10-year-old Avery Dixon. They are all in Front Half. Others, Luke learns, graduated to Back Half, "like the roach motel," Kalisha says. "You check in, but you don't check out."

In this most sinister of institutions, the director, Mrs. Sigsby, and her staff are ruthlessly dedicated to extracting from these children the force of their extranormal gifts. There are no scruples here. If you go along, you get tokens for the vending machines. If you don't, punishment is brutal. As each new victim disappears to Back Half, Luke becomes more and more desperate to get out and get help. But no one has ever escaped from the Institute.

As psychically terrifying as Firestarter, and with the spectacular kid power of It, The Institute is “is another winner: creepy and touching and horrifyingly believable, all at once” (The Boston Globe).

©2019 Stephen King (P)2019 Simon & Schuster Audio

Critic reviews

"Stephen King's newest audiobook is compulsively entertaining and features a dazzling performance by narrator Santino Fontana.... Fontana does wonders with this diverse lineup of young characters who band together to fight their captors. Each of them sounds authentic and unique. Meanwhile, the adult characters, with a few exceptions, are a nightmarish bunch. Through them, Fontana shows that evil can have many different voices.... [King's] and Fontana's talents are a winning combination." (AudioFile magazine)

Featured Article: The Shining—Book vs. Movie


Set in the claustrophobia-inducing snow-covered peaks of an isolated hotel in the middle of the Rockies, The Shining is a classic work of psychological horror that’s just about as chilling as it gets. But it’s so, so much more than your classic story of spirits and a man’s descent into madness—it’s also a tender yet deeply painful meditation on addiction, family, abuse, and redemption. Stanley Kubrick rejected Stephen King's initial treatment of the screenplay, and the author was largely dissatisfied with his novel’s jump to the big screen. So what exactly are the differences between The Shining movie and the novel?

Editor's Pick

The King is back!
"Stephen King’s new thriller, The Institute, takes its place at the head of the table—comfortably seated alongside his other great works. As a huge Stephen King fan, I have been impatiently awaiting this listen for quite some time. To make it an even bigger deal, it’s performed by the great and all-powerful narrator, Santino Fontana. Talk about a wonder team! The story starts off with Luke Ellis, whose life is turned upside down literally overnight. After his parents are murdered and he’s kidnapped by mysterious people in an unmarked car, Luke is dropped into The Institute, where some kids disappear behind doors for being bad (Back Half) while other kids are awarded tokens for being good (Front Half). Will Luke be able to escape, or will he soon fall victim to what’s behind the Back Half of The Institute?"
Nicole R., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Institute

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Top Five King Novel

If you’re considering this book, chances are you’re a fan of King. And you’ve probably noticed that some of his novels are super weird and out there, while others are just regular weird—and I say that with the understanding that all of King’s books are awesome.

This one is just regular weird. It’s more like Doctor Sleep and Mr Mercedes than it is Tommyknockers.

For me - and I don’t want to spoil anything, so this will lack substance - this book pulled me in more than any other. Maybe it’s some unknown childhood baggage that my therapist will uncover one day. Or maybe King continues to get better and better—which doesn’t seem possible for someone who became the literal king of this genre decades ago.

King has used this “abused child” theme in other books and his use of telepathy is not new. He intertwines the two in a masterful way. He gets you rooting for the hero’s and pissed and the abusers—like really pissed. I was mad.

To my surprise, there were a few hours where I just could not stop listening (and I paid the price the next day at work!). I was too engrossed and wound up. That rarely happens for me.

Definitely worth a credit.

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150 people found this helpful

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Excellent!!

I loved it. A very compelling story. Rose the hat would be pissed to know that all that steam was in one building for the taking. Thanks for another great story.

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Hope Don't Win Horse Races

Adult readers, B+
Young readers A-
This is a Juvenile book, but it is still good. Well written as you would expect, with one of King's better endings. Story is not too original but satisfying. Not really any scary parts in the book and the so called torture is like, he roughed the kid up. That and a sort of water boarding.
Book has an Orson Scott Card feel to it.
I recommend the book.
Now but an egg in your shoe and beat it.

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Not what I was expecting.

Guess after having read so many of his books, I had different expectations. The book was good but lacked the suspense and surprise I've come to expect from him.

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Good Job Mr. King

Great story, great narration. Not too much on the horror side but a good thriller mystery.

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I don’t get where these “bad endings” come from!!

Great book! Kept me wanting to finish It in one sitting. Narration was excellent and no music thankfully! Loved the book, can’t wait to add the hard copy to my collection! Thanks King and Audible!

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Not laden with needless information.

Listen. Just being honest. I really enjoy Kings" story telling ability. But, I get lost in the mundane details he usually includes with most books. Not to say they aren't important, to him,. To me, he can stray so far off the beaten path, it makes me wonder what was going on before I was lead down a path of description that is pointless to the actual story, IMO. This book, stays on point. If the normal detail oriented writing leaves you with more to be desired, this read/listen is for you. So far, my favorite of his writings so far.

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my favorite king novel to date

i dont usually love his work. i think there is often times too much fluff. But this is my 1st stephen king audio book and i loved it. story was so intense and all the characters were great.

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He just did it again!

King doesn’t disappoint. I’ve always been amazed at his range of genres, topics, and voice. Fearless.

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Stephen King delivers again

Really enjoyed the book. Great story line and well thought out as most of kings books are and hopefully continue to be. Really enjoyed the Fontana reading the book. He made the effort to bring it alive and to make the characters different.

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