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41 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Universe" helps settle an argument about "It.", June 14, 2001
This review is from: The Stephen King Universe (Paperback)
Pennywise does live, after all. I've had an occasional argument with people over my theory that King is working on a meganovel that will ultimately tie his previous works together. As support, I called attention to a brief mention in "Dreamcatcher" of Pennywise the Clown, the central villain of that King classic, "It." It is waved off, as just one of the mentions King makes of characters from previous works. Now don't get me wrong; ordinarily I'm all for turning the other cheek. Except... I'm right. "The Stephen King Universe" is not so much a companion piece to King's writings as it is an examination of the links between his fiction. "Universe" operates on the theory that King is working on a meganovel that will ultimately tie his previous works together, using the penultimate King tale, "The Dark Tower" series. Wiater and company uncover connections between books that you'd never suspect existed (Cujo may pop up in "Needful Things," while a character in "Misery" may have known someone from "It" as a child, to name just two). Everything (novel, short story, screen adaptation, e-book) before "Dreamcatcher" is examined in depth, while the histories of popular King towns like Derry, `salem's Lot and Castle Rock are written out in a grand fashion. A character mention here, a throwaway line there - they take on more meaning in "Universe." The authors of the book also compile nifty thumbnail sketches of key characters in the novels. From "It": IT (aka MR. BOB GRAY, PENNYWISE THE CLOWN): "...In 1958, It is confronted and defeated by a group of small children calling themselves the Losers Club... In 1985, It is apparently killed by the Losers Club, now adults. It may still be alive, however." The whole book is a must-have for King fans, and those interested in looking more closely at his works. The authors' obvious enthusiasm for the author shines through, and is contagious. It's the kind of in-depth examination typically reserved for that which is consider a literary classic. The only difference is that this is something everyone can enjoy. And if you're still not convinced that the Ultimate Stephen King Novel is on the way, consider this quote from the Man himself about "Dark Tower" heroic gunslinger Roland, which appears on the back cover of "Universe": "I am coming to understand that Roland's world actually contains all the others of my making."
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At last a guide, and a map., July 31, 2001
This review is from: The Stephen King Universe (Paperback)
Stanley Wiater, Christopher Golden, Hank Wagner are quite overwhelmed with their entreprise : to describe the Universe of Stephen King's fiction. But they do a marvelous job at it, even if some purists may find some mistakes, contradictions, etc. Each entry gives you a general presentation of the work, then a presentation of the characters and finally eventual adaptations to the screen. They also include in their work (which is not an encyclopedia) the works that were only produced for the screen, like The Golden Years and Cat's Eye They try, everytime it is possible to connect the characters, places , situations and artifacts from one book to the others. That is where the purists find some mistakes or misleading elements. But, as far as I know it is the first time such a book is published in such a format, in such length, hence in such usefulness, not only for Stephen King fans or addicts, but also for those who consider Stephen King's multimedia fiction as a social, cultural, and even political phenomenon that has to be studied in depth, in its plots, in its style, in its cross references. And it is not a simple compilation if not piling up of raw data, as so many other attempts amount to. No reference given here by me. Let me regret one thing though : the sources are not given, and that is a shortcoming. Stephen King always or nearly always works from a « model », a starting block that is a prompter : a film, a book, a situation (from the news for instance), and it would be interesting to show how on some themes he does not distanciate himself from the general principles of the model (Vampires are beasts that have to be destroyed, except in the long short-story « Popsy » where the vampire is actually a justice-maker and with a family structure behind : grandfather and grandson), to show too how on some themes, like Extraterrestrials, he takes a stand between two models and chooses the urban paranoid one : destroy them to the last. Where are the Encounters of the Third Type ? I will regret, for example too, that they do not study the rock and roll quotations in Christine. They are the reference used by King and they are meaningful and significant. A last remark : works are not in chronological order, neither of their actual writing nor of their publishing. This is also a handicap for those who want to understand the evolution of King's art and influence. An essential book nevertheless. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very nice book that, of course, contains spoilers., May 23, 2001
This review is from: The Stephen King Universe (Paperback)
Being a casual King fan, I picked up this volume to help me understand his work. It revealed to me many things I did not know. I have read "Insomnia," and I had become aware that it was intimately associated with the DARK TOWER series (which I haven't read) and "IT" (which I have). And I was aware that quite a few of King's books all came to a head in "Needful Things," which references "The Library Policemen." But I wasn't aware that all the books cross-pollinated like this, nor that the DARK TOWER series was the linchpin of King's entire library of work. Until now. Wiater, Golden and Wagner do an excellent job showing you all the unseen connections. (Although I found one they missed--one of the doctors in "FIRESTARTER" shares a name with Patrick Hockstetter, a boy from "IT.") Now I will definitely pick up more of King's books, and eagerly await the promised final battle novel. Will we be seeing many of our old favorite heroes in a final struggle against an army of darkness led by Randall Flagg, It, Leland Gaunt, and Tak? Only time will tell...
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