has anyone noticed that all of Stephen Kings books are connected

[chinton]

Hi Ive done this t opic before but this is kind of an update.

First thing has people ever noticed that every one and i do mean every one of Kings books are connected. You can Six Degrees of Stephen King with them.

I saw a book in Barnes and Noble yesterdasy called The Stephen King Universe which details exactly how every book is connected. Its fascinating.

[PapaJupe2k]

Really? That is interesting, I guess I'm not that up on Stephen King to know that. Give some examples if you would?

[foxgate2000]

I saw that book too once. Most are related to the Dark Tower stories in some since (The Stand's Randal Flagg is a minion of The Dark Tower's main villain, Hearts in Atlantis' Low Men were minion's of the same villain). I think these connections are outside the Castle Rock stories though, but I'm not entirely to sure.

[chinton]

I have examples that would go on forever but if you really want to see all of them get the book. It makes you apprecite Stephen Kings gebius even more.


There are really two categories its broken up in: subtle and not subtle


In Tommyknockers while the main charater is on a beach in the begginign before he goes back to town he meets a boy named Jack. the beach is Arcadia beach and the boy is Jack Sawyer of The Talisman. You learn in Tommyknockers a full 10 years before black house that a fter Jack saved his mother she dies in a car wreck.

Please keep in mind that the Crimson King( Insomnia) goes through many difffernt psyedenoums: Tick Tock(The Waste Lands), Walking Dude(The Stand), Walter(The Gunslinger) etc.

In Black House at the end of the novel Ted Brautigan is mentioned as the leaders of the breakers. Ted Brautigan is the character form Low Men in Yellow Coats. It looks like those Low Men worked for the Crimson King.

Many of the books in Main like the Castle Rock stories, the Derry stories, Pet Semetary and Salems Lot reference each other. At one point in Pet Semetary as a charcter is driving on the inetrsate she sees the exit for Salems Lot. Another poitn in Pet Semetary a character mentions a Saint Bernard that killed some people up in Castle Rock (Cujo)

There too amny more too mention

My favorite cross reference: a tie

1. In Dreamcatcher on of the main characters sees a staue the Losers Club erected as adults sometime after the timline of IT finished. On the statue is the chilling message Pennywise Lives. looks Pennywise( one of Crimson Kings minions will never die.

2. The prologue of Needful Things. I though King was incredibly smart of getting the audience caught up in Castle Rock affairs in an entertaining fashion. Frank Dodd(The Dead Zone), Cujo, and The Dark Half are all mentioned. In fact the main character of the book is the main character of The Dark Half


Whew Im out of breath

[The Shadow]

Also, in Dolores Claiborne, there are refrences to Insomnia and, rather extensively, to Rose Madder (or was it Gerald's Game? I can't remember). The Dark Tower series has the most by far though.

[Alan Idol]

Yeah man, there are hundreds of little connections here and there. There are a lot of crossover characters, especially in Needful Things. Almost all of his books occur in Michigan, and a lot of them take place in Castle Rock. It's cool to devout readers, who can pick up on these things.

[Donnie Darko]

Almost all of his books have some connections to each other. Little things that breed familiarity and make things seem more realistic, a genius device really. However, being a huge fan of the Dark Tower, to the point that I get foaming at the mouth for anything new, I think that everything King rights past a certain point is meant to take place within the different levels of the tower, with seepage coming through from adjacent levels. If you've read the books, you know what I mean, if not, either go start with The Gunslinger and work your way forwards, not forgetting of course, the # of books that reveal important clues that come between DT publications (Insomnia is probably one of the most important, with Low Men in Yellow Coats and Black House coming close behind), or just skip on past this.

[Donnie Darko]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by chinton:
I have examples that would go on forever but if you really want to see all of them get the book. It makes you apprecite Stephen Kings gebius even more.


There are really two categories its broken up in: subtle and not subtle


In Tommyknockers while the main charater is on a beach in the begginign before he goes back to town he meets a boy named Jack. the beach is Arcadia beach and the boy is Jack Sawyer of The Talisman. You learn in Tommyknockers a full 10 years before black house that a fter Jack saved his mother she dies in a car wreck.

Please keep in mind that the Crimson King( Insomnia) goes through many difffernt psyedenoums: Tick Tock(The Waste Lands), Walking Dude(The Stand), Walter(The Gunslinger) etc.

In Black House at the end of the novel Ted Brautigan is mentioned as the leaders of the breakers. Ted Brautigan is the character form Low Men in Yellow Coats. It looks like those Low Men worked for the Crimson King.

Many of the books in Main like the Castle Rock stories, the Derry stories, Pet Semetary and Salems Lot reference each other. At one point in Pet Semetary as a charcter is driving on the inetrsate she sees the exit for Salems Lot. Another poitn in Pet Semetary a character mentions a Saint Bernard that killed some people up in Castle Rock (Cujo)

There too amny more too mention

My favorite cross reference: a tie

1. In Dreamcatcher on of the main characters sees a staue the Losers Club erected as adults sometime after the timline of IT finished. On the statue is the chilling message Pennywise Lives. looks Pennywise( one of Crimson Kings minions will never die.

2. The prologue of Needful Things. I though King was incredibly smart of getting the audience caught up in Castle Rock affairs in an entertaining fashion. Frank Dodd(The Dead Zone), Cujo, and The Dark Half are all mentioned. In fact the main character of the book is the main character of The Dark Half


Whew Im out of breath</font>


Sorry dude, the Crimson King is not Tick Tock, Randall Flag, Walter or any of the other villains that King produces. The Crimson King is trapped in the top floor of the Tower (yes, it has achieved proper noun status in my ming), and all these characters are merely his agents. There is some vast plan behind all the stories, some intricate tapestry that King is weaving, and I'm very much looking forward to having the curtain pulled aside to see what waits behind it.

And, if you haven't read Robert Brownings "Child Roland to the Dark Tower Came", then you should. I have a feeling that most of the answers lie in that piece of poetry. I've studied and compared it to the current works and the similarities are too difficult to ignore.

[izombie]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by chinton:


In Tommyknockers while the main charater is on a beach in the begginign before he goes back to town he meets a boy named Jack. the beach is Arcadia beach and the boy is Jack Sawyer of The Talisman. You learn in Tommyknockers a full 10 years before black house that a fter Jack saved his mother she dies in a car wreck.
</font>


Also at one point in the Tommyknockers I forget who it was, but a couple of people are driving into Derry, and one of them see a Clown looking out of the sewer, which he thinks is a hallucination from being away from the ship to long.


[This message has been edited by izombie (edited 07-30-2002).]

[genephillips]

i just thought of something i read in Pet Sematary that might be another reference, but i'm not sure. There was a part where it casually mentions something about a bizarre phenomenon in which an unborn twin devours the other twin in the womb and its teeth show up in his testicles later in life, or something close to that. didn't something very similar to that happen in the Dark Half?

[The Shadow]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by genephillips:
i just thought of something i read in Pet Sematary that might be another reference, but i'm not sure. There was a part where it casually mentions something about a bizarre phenomenon in which an unborn twin devours the other twin in the womb and its teeth show up in his testicles later in life, or something close to that. didn't something very similar to that happen in the Dark Half?</font>


Yeah, that's the same thing. Also, in Insomnia, they mention Gage Creed, from Pet Semetary, and his tragic death by a semi-truck.

[jackson13]

In Stand By Me they are talking about Chopper and they say he was the meanest dog in the state up until Cujo's rampage a few years later or earlier. Something like that, it's been awhile since i've watched SBM.

[chinton]

well then who is wlaking dude. If hes not the crimson King is he one of the Crimson King's minons

[foxgate2000]

well you all exceed my knowledge in this topic...lol...and you all have my compete and total interest. Is there a specific timeline for these stories in which to follow (as if reading 3 novels a week isn't enough for me I have to take on more?) that would be easy to understand it all?

[chinton]

Something else justy hit me if Vrimson King is trappe d in the Dark tower than how does he appear in Insomnia in the end. They even say the name Crimson King. Maybe the main character happen t o occupy the same space as the Crimson King as far as dimensions for a second.

[Donnie Darko]

Well, if you want to read the Dark Tower series, start to it's current situation, this is my rough outline...

It*
The Stand*
Eyes of the Dragon*
The Talisman**
The Gunslinger
The Drawing of the Three
The Wastelands
Insomnia
Wizard and Glass
Low Men in Yellow Coats (from hearts in atlantis)
Black House**
The Little Sisters of Eluria***

and Robert Brownings poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came"

A quick summary of the timeline...
* - Pre-reads, not essential to the story, but adds depth due to numerous references
** - The Talisman is the prequel to Black House. Originally, I don't know if the Talisman had anything to do with the quest for the Dark Tower, but with the addition of Black House, it has become an important piece of the puzzle
*** - The Little Sisters... is a short story about Roland that can now be found in "Everythings Eventual" which was just published. It can be read anywhere along the way, and really serves to help flesh out Roland some more

IT and The Stand are not abolutely necessary, but you will be bewildered by a few references, notably in Wizard and Glass. I highly recommend reading Eyes of the Dragon before you dig into the Dark Tower series itself, mostly because there is quite a bit of speculation about the main characters importance in the overall story. It's a quick, fun read, and you'll start to note Kings penchant for giving his villains names with the intitials R.F. This is a very powerful little fact that King uses to draw everything he writes together.

Read the Talisman, it's long, but it's a very gratifying story. It plays a huge part later in the series, and the main characters are easily some of the best that King has written.

The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, and The Wastelands are the first three books in the real DT series, and are where us fans really find ourselves most absorbed. The central character, Roland, is the last of an ancient breed of what are essentially cowboy paladin's/knights known as gunslingers. Every cool thing you've wanted in a character, Roland has. His quest really is the tornado that sweeps everything else up that's in it's path.

** As a side note, because the books were originally released in 5 year intervals, I've actually had the time to read them over quite a bit, and to be studious in my approach... for instance, I've read The Wastelands over 50 times.

Moving on, Insomnia is the next book where we hop back into our "world", and we learn a significant bit about Rolands. This is the first introduction of the Crimson King, and where we learn more about the different levels of the tower.

Wizard and Glass once again picks up Rolands quest, but mostly it's a book about Rolands backstory, before the quest for the Dark Tower became all-consuming. This was originally my least favorite until I switched the way I looked at it. This book is more of a character drama than any of the others, and really brings some human elements into the story.

Low Men in Yellow Coats (the first story in Hearts in Atlantis) is set in the USA in the 1950's, and introduces a major character and major plot pieces. If you've made it this far, you're obsessed, and this one will be a flashfire page turner for you.

Black House is really a great exposition that answers most of the questions that are generated from Low Men, Wizard and Glass, and Insomnia, and is a really good read... it just takes a 100 pages or so. King uses a 3rd person limited throughout parts of the book that takes some getting used to.

The Little Sisters, as mentioned, is just a short story that was released in an anthology, but recently was re-released in Kings new book of short stories "Everythings Eventual". This is just s little side trip for Roland, and is a fun read. This one isn't s gleaner though (a term I use whereby fans of the series scour through the book looking for clues and hints to fill in the puzzle). It's not vital, but once again, if you've made it this far, you'll want to check it out.

Finally, there is Robert Browning's poem, "Child Roland...". This is a long one. A really long one. However, you will love picking out references to Kings work which was taken from here. I'm of the opinion that many of the answers to questions in the series are to be found in this piece.

Well, that's all for now. If anyone is interested in chatting about the series, let me know. Occasionally messageboards will pop up about it and usually they fill up pretty fast. I hope that this has piqued the interest of some out there to pick up our heroes quest.

If anyone feels that I left something out, was incorrect on something, feel free to let me know. I prefer to BE right than to just think I am.

[foxgate2000]

Thanks bunches. I might just skip IT and have already read THE STAND, but will start with EOTD (eventually I'll go back to IT). Again thank you and sorry to everyone for tying up for the minute, I just wanted to read these stories now I know where i can start.

[Jason Voorhees]

It, I believe, also put in an appearance in ''Insomnia'' but that is open to debate.

''I be the Queenfish...''.

[This message has been edited by Jason Voorhees (edited 08-01-2002).]

[Cyclonus]

I was aware that SK put in references to his previous works. Misery refers to The Shining. Needful Things has cameos by characters from Cujo and others. Still, I didn't know they were that interconnected!

That leaves me with a problem. I don't want to fell obligated to read these books in any particular order, but I don't want to miss out on anything either. http://www.joblo.com/ubb/frown.gif

[foxgate2000]

I do know that NEEDFUL THINGS was the last Castle Rock story that King wrote, and in my opinion, the...best!!!! (I excerpted a certain "F" word there...lol) All the Castle Rock stories tied into each other and almost all were mentioned in NT. Don't feel so lost though, Cyc, I have a lot to read for the Dark Tower, so u aren't alone. Of course, if your like me then you can read three books a week, or 3 at a time...lol

[Cyclonus]

I've been known to take three weeks to go through an entire novel.

[Donnie Darko]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by foxgate2000:
Thanks bunches. I might just skip IT and have already read THE STAND, but will start with EOTD (eventually I'll go back to IT). Again thank you and sorry to everyone for tying up for the minute, I just wanted to read these stories now I know where i can start.</font>


Just as an FYI, IT actually contains some important information about the turtle which is an important part of the DT series.

And as a note, you don't have to read the books in any particular order, except the actual Dark Tower series, because it was written that way. The order I've given them just makes the most sense for getting all your information lined up.

[chinton]

Wow finally I get a hit topic


A queation though I havent read Insomnia in a while where do you think Pennywise was mentioned Jason Vorhees

[foxgate2000]

Okay, maybe I'll start with IT then...lol...thanks!

[Jason Voorhees]

Originally posted by chinton:
Wow finally I get a hit topic


A queation though I havent read Insomnia in a while where do you think Pennywise was mentioned Jason Vorhees?

SPOILERS FOR THE STEPHEN KING NOVEL'S INSOMIA AND IT!!

DONT READ AHEAD UNLESS YOU HAVE READ THE BOOKS!!

I am of the opinion that the creature in the plane with Ralph Roberts and Ed Deepnue (Haven't read Insomnia in a while either, so I am sure that I have misspelled Ed's last name)., Was It aka Pennywise.

Here's why.

1. The creature in the plane says ''I have done a lot of work here in Derry'', The walking dude, aka Flagg hasn't been centered in one place like IT-which has always been in Derry, so I think this statement suggests the presence of IT.

2. This one is slightly less substantial, In IT we learn that the creature IT is female, and the creature in the plane refers to Itself as ''The Queenfish'' suggesting it too, is female, Like Pennywise.

3. The creature in the plane is not only a shape changer, but it reads Ralph's mind and assumes his worst fears, Ala IT.

4. Finally, When Ralph looks deeply into the creatures eye's, He sees the deadlights. Just as Ben Hanscom saw them in the Spider's eyes in IT.

Well, that's my reasoning anyway. I'm currently rereading It and have almost finished it, It is such a great book, I encourage anyone to read it if they can.




[This message has been edited by Jason Voorhees (edited 08-01-2002).]

[Function13]

This is a damn good topic and I am a major King fan (I'm his number one fan, heh heh). As for everyone who wants to know what order they should read the books in I think the best approach is the one most people have. Just read whichever ones you want because then you end up noticing things and it makes you feel really smug and intelligent when you notice major links that you haven't heard people mention. Donni Darko's idea of reading The Eyes of The Dragon and then the Dark Tower series in order because then it makes a lot of sense and is a lot of fun. (I read Wizard and Glass first then the Gunslinger onwards and I ended up really confused)

[chinton]

Youve got a good point Jason vorhees. In fact you are brilliant

[Jason Voorhees]

http://www.joblo.com/ubb/smile.gif, Thank you Chinton, I appreciate it. You rock man!