This is a simple book, simple dialogues, more or less predictable storyline and all that. And I thought all the time: Why did I like King so much when I was young

This is exactly how I felt when I read three of his most recent novels. It was such a letdown. My childhood favorite (I am still young so it is probably also more recent than some of his older work) was Black House, but I also really liked The Stand. Even though I am such a big King fan, and I own almost all of his books, I have only read a handful of his work. This is probably not a good thing!

very interested to learn first hand where Ayn may have gone wrong

I will be interested in reading your thoughts on this if you write something on it! Do not hesitate to tag me if you remember! I am myself not yet well versed in these ideas. But I am also interested in learning.