The Institute Audiobook By Stephen King cover art

The Institute

A Novel

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The Institute

By: Stephen King
Narrated by: Santino Fontana
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About this listen

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
Genetic Engineering Horror Psychological Science Fiction Supernatural Suspense Scary Paranormal Fiction Thriller Extrasensory Perception Genetics Exciting Supernatural Thriller
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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: Stephen King’s 20 Best Audiobooks—The Definitive List


Stephen King is one of the most prolific American authors of all time. He has published 61 novels, more than 200 short stories, and six nonfiction books—and he shows no sign of stopping. His most recent novel, The Institute, was published in September of 2019, and we’ve already pre-ordered his novella anthology If It Bleeds, which is set to be released in 2020. With such a large portfolio, choosing one listen to start with can be daunting.

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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awesome classic story not a horror book

awesome not a horror book but felt more like 11/22/63 and has a few references to other king work

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Gripping from start to finish.

The institute

This book surprised and scared the hell out of me in a very good way. It’s King at his finest. Great characters, a horrifically plausible plot, and before I knew it 19 hours was gone. If you like Stephen King you should love this one.
I thought the narrator was excellent too. He did a great job with accents and giving unique voices to all the characters.

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Still the Master! I'm only sad that it ended!

I LOVED this book! Wonderful story, masterfully written and beautifully narrated. An Absolute must read.

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One of my favorite SK novels!

This book is dark, occasionally funny, violent without being too gory, the right amount of socially scary, and absolutely perfect.

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Great read

I used to read everything King wrote but began to drift away when I found the endings of his later books to be a bit too contrived, as if he’d written himself into a corner or something. I felt let down by books like The Cell and Under the Dome. The latter an excellent story with a so-so ending. In The Institute, I appreciate that the horror of the story is not from ghouls that are not human. As Shakespeare said, “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” That is true of this book. The Institute grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go. I’m glad I bought it and am now open to checking out some of his other recent work. Kudos, Mr. King! I’m a fan once again.

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Hoping for a sequel!!!!

The header says it all- another grand slam from a slugger for the ages, and I’m truly hoping this book has a sequel. These people were fantastic! Great narration from a name I hadn’t heard before, but hope to hear again. Especially if it’s a follow up to The Institute:)

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Mind expansion

A great read. Not typical S.K. book. Makes you think that this could be happening now or in the future as autocrats think they know the who, what where and why of the world and they should control it all.

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KING BLOWS IT COMPLETELY Out of the water again!

I Didn’t think King could supersede the superiority of Dr. Sleep, however he has IN SPADES. THE INSTITUTE struck a chord so deep within me that I find myself daydreaming...breathlessly about these children and the acute probability these Atrocities may very well exist; perhaps Mr. King’s intuitiveness is rattling the blackhats making them very nervous indeed! FIVE STARS ACROSS THE BOARD! Would make an INCREDIBLE SCREENPLAY!!!

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Great! Couldn’t stop listening.

I need to catch up on sleep now! Could’ve passed on the few jabs about Trump, but we all know King hates him - haha! The story was awesome! I’m sad, because the next book I read probably won’t compare.

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Stephen King, you are crushing it like a boss!

This is one of the best Stephen King books ever. I can hardly bear taking breaks from listening to do real life.

The narrator Santino Fontana is easy to listen to and a good fit for this story. Great job by SF! My tiny complaint is about the goofy accents on a couple of the peripheral characters but it’s easy to forgive since otherwise the narration is so good.

I am in awe of Stephen King for being able to write this compelling story.

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