Horror

Apt Pupil

Apt Pupil

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  • Create Date：2021-10-21 08:51:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Stephen King
  • ISBN：1529379296
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Summary

The No。 1 bestselling author Stephen King’s memorable story Apt Pupil – published in his 1982 story collection Different Seasons and made into a movie starring Ian McKellan and Brad Renfro – is now available as a standalone publication。

You must know that your fate and my own are inextricably intertwined

Todd Bowden is an apt pupil。 Good grades， good family， a paper route。 But he is about to meet a different kind of teacher， Mr。 Dussander， and to learn all about Dussander’s dark and deadly past 。 。 。 a decades-old manhunt Dussander has escaped to this day。

Yet Todd doesn’t want to turn his teacher in。 Todd wants to know more。 Much more。 He is about to face his fears and learn the real meaning of power – and the seductive lure of evil。

A classic story from Stephen King， Apt Pupil reveals layers upon layers of deception and horror as the boy and old man hold each other in a mutual deathgrip。 Each knows something the other wants kept secret。

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Reviews

Katie ，

This novella was originally part of the book Different Seasons by King but Libby offers it as a standalone audio。 I recall seeing the movie starring Brad Renfro and Ian McKellen over twenty years ago but have never read the story。 The book is far creepier and sadistic than the film， and King excels at writing psychopathic inner dialogue and capturing how people descend into chaos。 That being said， this may be one of those rare moments that the film is better than the book。 Once again I think it This novella was originally part of the book Different Seasons by King but Libby offers it as a standalone audio。 I recall seeing the movie starring Brad Renfro and Ian McKellen over twenty years ago but have never read the story。 The book is far creepier and sadistic than the film， and King excels at writing psychopathic inner dialogue and capturing how people descend into chaos。 That being said， this may be one of those rare moments that the film is better than the book。 Once again I think it comes down to my feelings about King's writing style and the choices he makes。 I also felt the big finale ending was rushed and abrupt， considering how many pages King dedicated to the two main characters bickering and being moody toward each other。 I recommend it if you want to be creeped out by a teenager's macabre curiosity in addition to an old German Nazi concentration camp interrogator describing the atrocities he committed in his life。 This kind of tale is not for everyone， but if you enjoy a dark story you should give this one a shot。 。。。more

Heather McLaughlin ，

Well。 That was unpleasant。 Well written， deftly told， and well read。 But horrifying。 And I think I'd read it before。 Ah， Mr。 King。 Somehow I end up reading the worst of your works more than once。 May GoodReads save me from reading this one a third time。 Well。 That was unpleasant。 Well written， deftly told， and well read。 But horrifying。 And I think I'd read it before。 Ah， Mr。 King。 Somehow I end up reading the worst of your works more than once。 May GoodReads save me from reading this one a third time。 。。。more

Max Kazakov ，

Nice story， nothing mysterious in it that is unusual for King's writings。 Nice story， nothing mysterious in it that is unusual for King's writings。 。。。more

peter f mathias ，

STUDENTS OF HOLOCAUST WILL APPRECIATE， AND EVERYONE SHOULD BE。T is intensely psychological and represents an excellent exercise in anti Nazi 。 Heads up for APT pupil by STEPHEN king，

Andrew Mitofsky ，

Stephen King introduces two very creepy and dark characters in this twisted story that I couldn’t put down。 While I couldn’t decide who was worse， the kid or older man， the story was very unique and twisted in its own sort of way。 The last 20 pages were incredibly suspenseful and left me wanting to read more。

BB ，

What in the fuck I have never been more disturbed

Robjr73 ，

I’ve never been let down by King。 Sure some of his books are much better than others but even the ones that can’t hold up to some of his best are still solid reads。 That’s exactly what Apt Pupil is。 I struggled a bit to in the first half but by second half I couldn’t put it down。 There’s a movie adaptation of this which I’ve never seen so might have to look for that now。

Bookish Blonde ，

Sadly， this book has only confirmed that I need a good long Stephen King hiatus。 This novella， gifted to me by @tandemcollectiveuk and @hodder， tells the incredibly disturbing tale of Todd， the all-American kid who becomes fascinated with the local ex-Nazi， as you do。 Whilst I have to admit the story is effective， in that it truly disturbed me， it was too far for my liking。 I know King likes his gore more and more these days， but it lacked any real scare; it just left me feeling a bit queasy and Sadly， this book has only confirmed that I need a good long Stephen King hiatus。 This novella， gifted to me by @tandemcollectiveuk and @hodder， tells the incredibly disturbing tale of Todd， the all-American kid who becomes fascinated with the local ex-Nazi， as you do。 Whilst I have to admit the story is effective， in that it truly disturbed me， it was too far for my liking。 I know King likes his gore more and more these days， but it lacked any real scare; it just left me feeling a bit queasy and not particularly keen on reading more。That said， the ending picked up a bit of pace and I powered through to a brilliantly King-esque turn of events in the final few chapters。 So maybe you will too！ 。。。more

Kathy ，

I will be the first to say that I am not a Stephen King fan so that could be why I ended up liking this book where most of his fans didn't。 I thought it was well written and well-paced。 I can totally understand a 13-year-old boy being fascinated with WWII and Nazi stuff and wanting to talk to someone without actually realizing the horrors they were digging up as well as the trauma it would cause themselves。 I will be the first to say that I am not a Stephen King fan so that could be why I ended up liking this book where most of his fans didn't。 I thought it was well written and well-paced。 I can totally understand a 13-year-old boy being fascinated with WWII and Nazi stuff and wanting to talk to someone without actually realizing the horrors they were digging up as well as the trauma it would cause themselves。 。。。more

Kristen ，

I can handle a lot， but this was too much。 I do not recommend this for anyone with a love for animals。

Simon ，

I really enjoyed reading this story， more than I thought I would and I felt like Todd， being drawn into the darkness and evil of the world Dussander was explaining。 They both had each other by the end， trapped in each others lies， secrets and misdeeds。 If only the guidance Councillor had kept his nose out， I don't really pity the bastard。 I really enjoyed reading this story， more than I thought I would and I felt like Todd， being drawn into the darkness and evil of the world Dussander was explaining。 They both had each other by the end， trapped in each others lies， secrets and misdeeds。 If only the guidance Councillor had kept his nose out， I don't really pity the bastard。 。。。more

Beth （bibliobeth） ，

AD-PR PRODUCT ⁣⁣This review comes with a gigantic thank you to @hodderbooks and @tandemcollectiveuk for sending me a copy of Apt Pupil by Stephen King， I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the celebrations in #KingForADay and seeing everyone else’s posts which were all wonderful and so creative。 ⁣⁣Apt Pupil is one of Stephen King’s novellas that has recently been published on its own for the first time as part of the Iconic Stories Collection。 Other books in the series include 1922， Rita Hayworth AD-PR PRODUCT ⁣⁣This review comes with a gigantic thank you to @hodderbooks and @tandemcollectiveuk for sending me a copy of Apt Pupil by Stephen King， I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the celebrations in #KingForADay and seeing everyone else’s posts which were all wonderful and so creative。 ⁣⁣Apt Pupil is one of Stephen King’s novellas that has recently been published on its own for the first time as part of the Iconic Stories Collection。 Other books in the series include 1922， Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption， The Sun Dog， The Body and The Langoliers。 ⁣⁣Re-reading Apt Pupil has made me remember why I’m such a huge King fan。 He takes an ordinary situation - that is， a stereotypical all American boy visiting an old man and makes it extraordinary。 I don’t really want to give too much away as the beauty of this short tale is to know as little as possible so the surprises are even more impactful。 Personally， I feel like the characters of Todd and Mr Dussander will stick around in my memory for a long time to come。 ⁣⁣King is also excellent for getting his readers hooked。 I certainly didn’t want to put this down and it was fun to check in with other readers within the tandem collective chat to see how they were enjoying the story。 Furthermore， I would absolutely recommend reading Apt Pupil with a friend， there’s so much to discuss。 ⁣⁣Apt Pupil is a dark， melancholy and twisted work of fiction but this Constant Reader wouldn’t expect anything less！ 😍⁣⁣Four stars 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 ⁣⁣⁣ 。。。more

Alma ，

*some minor plot points discussed， beware*A rolling， stunningly complex narrative。 I just finished it and I feel literally breathless。 At times I couldn't believe what I was reading。 King explores themes of good and evil， the banality of evil， in all honesty， with an accuracy and attention to detail that is thrilling。 His knowledge of WWII history is impressive。 I don't know if he did research before he wrote this but if he did it must have been quite extensive。 The character of Dussander/Denker *some minor plot points discussed， beware*A rolling， stunningly complex narrative。 I just finished it and I feel literally breathless。 At times I couldn't believe what I was reading。 King explores themes of good and evil， the banality of evil， in all honesty， with an accuracy and attention to detail that is thrilling。 His knowledge of WWII history is impressive。 I don't know if he did research before he wrote this but if he did it must have been quite extensive。 The character of Dussander/Denker is fascinating and King somehow manages to make us feel quite a lot of sympathy for such an 'evil' character。 Todd is frightening in his seeming blandness and amoral vacuity。 There are quite a few twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat but what is really frightening here is the people， not ghosts or monsters。 If you're very sensitive or squeamish， prepare yourself for images like a someone shoving a shotgun up a woman's vagina。。。kittens and their unfortunate encounters with ovens。。。and more than one insinuation of pedophilia and homosexual eroticism between a boy and much older male。This book is intense， as is my love for King。 A must-read for true King fans， but if this is your first venture into King territory。。。uhhh I'd start with something lighter。 。。。more

Georgia ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 todd is abitch

Shawn Durham ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In 1974， Los Angeles teenager Todd Bowden arrives at the doorstep of elderly German immigrant Arthur Denker， accusing him of being a wanted Nazi war criminal named Kurt Dussander。 The old man initially denies the allegation， but eventually acknowledges his true identity。 Rather than turning Dussander over to the proper authorities， Todd asks to hear highly detailed stories about his crimes， having recently become interested in the Holocaust。 However， Todd still threatens Dussander with exposure In 1974， Los Angeles teenager Todd Bowden arrives at the doorstep of elderly German immigrant Arthur Denker， accusing him of being a wanted Nazi war criminal named Kurt Dussander。 The old man initially denies the allegation， but eventually acknowledges his true identity。 Rather than turning Dussander over to the proper authorities， Todd asks to hear highly detailed stories about his crimes， having recently become interested in the Holocaust。 However， Todd still threatens Dussander with exposure should he refuse his demands。 Over the next several months， Todd visits Dussander daily under the pretext of reading to him， all the while badgering him into revealing more details of his atrocities。 Todd soon gives Dussander a replica SS Oberleutnants uniform， forcing him to wear it and march on command。As his relationship with Dussander continues， Todd also begins to have nightmares and sees his grades slip。 After being confronted by his father about his grades， he forges his report cards before giving them to his parents。 Eventually， Todd becomes in danger of failing several courses。 Ed French， Todd's guidance counselor， requests an appointment with the Bowdens。 Todd and Dussander concoct a ruse， having Dussander go to French's appointment while posing as Todd's grandfather， Victor。 Dussander falsely claims that Todd's grades are the result of problems at home， and promises to make sure his grades improve; French believes Dussander's story， but notices that Todd's "grandfather" does not mention him by name。Knowing that Todd has been doctoring his report cards and knowingly socialized with a war criminal， Dussander blackmails him into spending his visits studying。 With great effort， Todd is able to sufficiently improve his schoolwork。 Since he no longer has any use for Dussander， Todd resolves to kill him and make it look like an accident。 Todd had earlier claimed to have given a letter about Dussander to a friend; if anything should happen to Todd， the letter will be sent to the authorities。 However， before Todd can kill Dussander， the old man realizes Todd's intentions and claims to have written about Todd's involvement with him， and put his statement into a safe deposit box that will be found upon his death。 However， it is revealed that Dussander， like Todd， is also bluffing。Over the next few months， Todd murders several homeless vagrants; he finds that committing murder somehow helps with his nightmares。 As years pass， his visits to Dussander become less frequent。 He loses his virginity， but finds sex unsatisfying compared to the thrill of committing murder。 He rationalizes that his failure at sex is because his girlfriend is Jewish。 When circumstances do not allow him to continue his serial killings， he picks a concealed spot overlooking the freeway and aims at people in passing cars with his hunting rifle。 Dussander， suffering from his own nightmares， has also taken to killing the homeless for essentially the same reason as Todd， burying the bodies in his basement。 Despite the link between them， Dussander and Todd are not immediately aware of each other's exploits。One night， when Dussander is digging a grave for his latest victim， he has a heart attack。 He summons Todd， who buries the body and cleans up the crime scene before finally calling an ambulance。 At the hospital， Dussander happens to share a room with Morris Heisel， an elderly Jewish man and Holocaust survivor who recognizes "Mr。 Denker" but cannot place him。 When Todd visits Dussander in the hospital， Dussander admits he was bluffing about his bank deposit box， as was Todd's threat about his letter。 Dussander has read about the homeless men murdered by Todd and tells the boy not to get careless。 Dussander declares that "we are quits。"A few days later， Heisel realizes that Denker is Dussander， the commandant of the camp （the fictional "Patin"） where his wife and daughters died in the gas chambers。 An Israeli Nazi hunter named Weiskopf visits Dussander， telling him that he has been found out。 After Weiskopf leaves， Dussander steals some drugs from the hospital dispensary and commits suicide。 When Dussander's identity is revealed to the world， Todd convinces his parents that he didn't know about Dussander's past。 Meanwhile， a police detective named Richler， accompanied by Weiskopf， interviews Todd and is not so easily convinced。 A vagrant recognizes Todd as the last person seen with several of the homeless victims， and notifies the police。Meanwhile， French meets Todd's real grandfather。 French brings up their previous conversation， but the real Victor Bowden obviously doesn't recall their meeting， and bears no physical resemblance to Dussander。 French becomes suspicious and checks Todd's old report cards， finding that they have been tampered with。 Later， he identifies Dussander as the man who met with him about Todd's grades。 French confronts Todd， who responds by fatally shooting him。 Todd's sanity finally breaks。 He takes his rifle and ammunition to his hideout by the freeway and embarks on a shooting spree， resulting in his death at the hands of the authorities five hours later。 。。。more

Bibi ，

probably the most disturbing thing i have ever read

Gary ，

I remember seeing the movie years ago。

Penny Danner ，

Part horror（ible）， part intriguing， part historical。 One boy's fascination with history turned on its head and leads to many bad things。。。。。 Part horror（ible）， part intriguing， part historical。 One boy's fascination with history turned on its head and leads to many bad things。。。。。 。。。more

Ushnaa ，

A 5 star book but King had to ruin the ending as always。 But I'm surprised at how much i "enjoyed" this fucked up book。 Writing style was great。 The characters were utterly fucked up and everything in my body made me hate them。4 stars。 A 5 star book but King had to ruin the ending as always。 But I'm surprised at how much i "enjoyed" this fucked up book。 Writing style was great。 The characters were utterly fucked up and everything in my body made me hate them。4 stars。 。。。more

Kenda Fry ，

I have never given a book a one star before， but I absolutely did not like this book。 It wasn't because it had poor plot line or defined characters， but because this book scared the ever living daylights out of me。 Mind that I have read four books from Stephen King before this one and don't consider myself easily frighten person。 However， unlike the four other books by Stephen King which had supernatural elements， this book had to do with life historical events of the Nazi party and the Holocau I have never given a book a one star before， but I absolutely did not like this book。 It wasn't because it had poor plot line or defined characters， but because this book scared the ever living daylights out of me。 Mind that I have read four books from Stephen King before this one and don't consider myself easily frighten person。 However， unlike the four other books by Stephen King which had supernatural elements， this book had to do with life historical events of the Nazi party and the Holocaust。 Describing the unspeakable horror that was inflicted on the Jewish people in the concentration camps。 But that was not the most horrifying in this book。 The book is essentially about a young teen age boy named Tom is obsessed with how the Nazi's killed and experimented on the Jewish people。 He finds our the this old man in his town named Arthur Denker is not the person he says he is， but an ex Nazi named Kurt Dussander in hiding。 Tom blackmails him that he doesn't tell him everything that he wants to know that they don't tell you in school， he will out him to the rest of the world。 At first I felt sorry for Dussander because he seemed like an old man just trying to live out the rest of his life in peace。 However， as the book goes on， you find out that he is as much of a sociopath as Tom is。 Through the people， one plays off the other trying to be the more dominant one and sends them both into a downward spiral。 The only reason that I stick around was because I wanted to see which one would end up killing the other。 Sadly not how it ends。 。。。more

Holly Hartley ，

I don't normally write reviews， but by god this is one of the most uncomfortable and unsettling books I have ever read！ The manipulation on both sides is incredible， and it feels like the words you read crawl under your skin。 The subject matter is controversial， and this book is definitely food for thought。 I don't normally write reviews， but by god this is one of the most uncomfortable and unsettling books I have ever read！ The manipulation on both sides is incredible， and it feels like the words you read crawl under your skin。 The subject matter is controversial， and this book is definitely food for thought。 。。。more

Rich Guins ，

Really powerful。

Mat Brewster ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Listened to this on audio book which was excellent。I liked the story quite a lot。 The idea of a troubled， young， teenager realizing his neighbor is a Nazi and instead of turning the guy in he blackmails him to tell all the gorey stories of his time running a concentration camp。Both characters are really interesting and their interplay was fascinating。 But then they both become serial killers and I became less interested。 Painting the Nazi as just a vicious killer who got off on the violence does Listened to this on audio book which was excellent。I liked the story quite a lot。 The idea of a troubled， young， teenager realizing his neighbor is a Nazi and instead of turning the guy in he blackmails him to tell all the gorey stories of his time running a concentration camp。Both characters are really interesting and their interplay was fascinating。 But then they both become serial killers and I became less interested。 Painting the Nazi as just a vicious killer who got off on the violence doesn't ring true to me。 It seems to me that those men who ran the camps did so out of a sense of duty， nationalism and racism。 I don't know that had the Nazi party never risen to power that they would have all turned into serial killers。 I've never heard that any of those people who escaped to Argentina or wherever after the war continued to commit murder for the fun of it。 I don't know if any of that makes any sense， but once he started killing homeless people I started to tune out。It did make more sense that Todd would turn into a killer， but it still wasn't as intersting to read。 。。。more

Jessica ，

Very good interesting story。 But it seems to be written by a edgy kid who randomly send gore into the gc。

comaloider ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 An underrated gem from the pen of one of the most prolific horror writers。The story is genuinely chilling; such a young child spiralling down from interest to obssession and beyond， the corruption of innocence that we equate with childhood will never not send shivers down my spine。 What makes this story special is that Todd is not a victim of consequences beyond his influence， not a protagonist forced to face the evil and losing himself in the process; he's the one who sets the story in motion。 An underrated gem from the pen of one of the most prolific horror writers。The story is genuinely chilling; such a young child spiralling down from interest to obssession and beyond， the corruption of innocence that we equate with childhood will never not send shivers down my spine。 What makes this story special is that Todd is not a victim of consequences beyond his influence， not a protagonist forced to face the evil and losing himself in the process; he's the one who sets the story in motion。 There is no character to root for， and that's something I enjoy。 The kid is a legitimate psychopath to the point where I almost felt sorry for the old man， even though he too was a despicable monster。 I genuinely enjoyed seeing Todd struggle in school as a consequence of his actions。 The story never felt dull to me， maybe with the exception of slightly long-winded parts regarding side characters， but that is King's style， and I think a part of it is because the story is rather short， under 200 pages if I recall。 The story was captivating the first time I read it and didn't let me down on subsequent re-reads。 I would definitely give it a try。But I may be a bit biased， since， for someone who was also very interested in WWII at a young age， the book resonates with me on a slightly different level。 。。。more

Angela Day ，

One of the most disturbing books I’ve read。 Definitely a page turner but I have to admit the ending seemed abrupt and disappointing

Audrey （Warped Shelves） ，

3。25 starsAhh， summertime， and a seasonally appropriate Stephen King novella to read。 How idyllic！ Apt Pupil， set in "The Summer of Corruption，" is a gruesome， horribly entertaining read。 This coming-of-age of sorts is very reminiscent of King （as Bachman）'s novel Rage。 Thrilling， macabre， and unputdownable from the start， I guiltily enjoyed Apt Pupil。 That said， the novella lacks the bildungsroman element that could turn it from a slasher story to something profound。 （Not that I particularl 3。25 starsAhh， summertime， and a seasonally appropriate Stephen King novella to read。 How idyllic！ Apt Pupil， set in "The Summer of Corruption，" is a gruesome， horribly entertaining read。 This coming-of-age of sorts is very reminiscent of King （as Bachman）'s novel Rage。 Thrilling， macabre， and unputdownable from the start， I guiltily enjoyed Apt Pupil。 That said， the novella lacks the bildungsroman element that could turn it from a slasher story to something profound。 （Not that I particularly care for profundity in everything I read， but a moral would keep me from feeling so guilty to enjoy such books。） Quick and sick， Apt Pupil is another hit from King-- Different Seasons is full of 'em！ 。。。more

Kayla ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is the first Stephan King book I’ve ever read。 You hear of him as an acclaimed author with well known work like “The Shining” or “It”， and yet this is the first work I’m reading from him。 I have to say this book was brilliantly stimulating， from the very beginning where we’re introduced to this all American young boy with a dazzling smile to the very end of the book where his “bright” life is completely demolished in the matter of a few pages。 Reading the way Dussander and Todd think and tr This is the first Stephan King book I’ve ever read。 You hear of him as an acclaimed author with well known work like “The Shining” or “It”， and yet this is the first work I’m reading from him。 I have to say this book was brilliantly stimulating， from the very beginning where we’re introduced to this all American young boy with a dazzling smile to the very end of the book where his “bright” life is completely demolished in the matter of a few pages。 Reading the way Dussander and Todd think and try to calculate every problem they’re faced with， never failed to put me on the edge of my seat。 Lastly， I think that it’s important I note the moments were Dussander put Todd in a corner so to speak。 Either Todd and especially Dussander are good people （psychopaths to put bluntly） you would want to root for but in those specific moments were Dussander talks about just how much Todd as gotten himself into， its hard not to think of Dussander as the captivating villain。 Overall if you’re looking for a cynical， psychological， thriller this book will not disappoint。 。。。more

Wojtek Konieczny ，

8/10

Lesley ，

Messed with my head a LOT （ had to take a 10-month break from it hehe）。 It’s a very disturbing story， but I HAD to read to the end and I am glad I did ！ Had a very satisfying ending too！！

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Apt Pupil

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Apt Pupil&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Apt Pupil&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0