The Institute is a science fiction-horror novel by Stephen King, published by Scribner on September 10, 2019. The story follows twelve-year-old Luke Ellis, a genius with mild telekinetic abilities, who is kidnapped after his parents are murdered and taken to a sinister facility deep in the Maine woods. There, he discovers other children with psychic powers—telepathy and telekinesis—who are subjected to cruel experiments by the facility's staff.
The novel weaves together two parallel narratives: Luke's harrowing experience inside the Institute, and the story of Tim Jamieson, a former police officer who ends up in a small South Carolina town. Their paths eventually converge in unexpected ways. King has described the book as a thematic cousin to his earlier work Firestarter, exploring similar territory of children with extraordinary abilities being exploited by shadowy organizations.
The Institute received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics praising King's ability to create compelling young protagonists and a mounting sense of dread. It was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the New York Times fiction best-seller list, and was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Horror.
