The very first book I bought for my Kindle 2 was Ur by Stephen King.  It is currently a Kindle exclusive, and being a sucker for all things King (a Constant Reader, if you will), I just had to pick it up.

The story revolves around college English professor Wesley Smith, who was chided by his former love as to why he can’t just “read off the computer like the rest of us.”  He orders a Kindle from Amazon, and is surprised when a pink one arrives overnight.  He soon discovers that not only can he download books from Amazon, but books from different Urs, alternate realities past and future.  When he discovers that he can also download newspapers that way…

LIKED

The Dark Tower Connection.  That came out of left field for me.  I wasn’t thinking it or expecting it at all, although it makes perfect sense in hindsight.  My first thought was “No way” followed quickly by “Of course.”

The price.  It’s a quick read, being a short story / novella, but the price is nice at only $2.99.  It was a smart move by Amazon to team up with a high profile author to promote the Kindle 2.

NOT SO MUCH

UR or Ur.  How do you spell it?  Even Stephen King’s own website uses both.  Inside the story, it’s shown as Ur, but the cover picture depicts UR, so I decided to compromise and use UR in the title and Ur in the text.

Ad-like.  By its nature, it feels like a bit of an ad for a Kindle.  King’s a professional, and the story moves beyond that, but you still think about that as you’re reading.

RECOMMEND?

Yes.  The story ‘s premise is decent, and if you can get past the fact that it’s a story available (currently) for the Kindle and it’s about a Kindle, it’s very enjoyable.  For King fans that can’t get enough of The Dark Tower series and all of King’s other connections to it, it’s a must-read.