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Title: The Complete Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of Stephen King
ISBN: 0312324901
Author:
Stanley Wiater
Christopher Golden
Hank Wagner
Publicate Date: 2006-05-30
Publish: 2006-05-30
List Price: $21.95
Average Customer Rating: 5.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $7.68
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $7.00
Amazon Merchant Price: $14.93
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| Customer Review: |
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1: For all constant readers of Stephen King
The Complete Stephen King Universe: A Guide to the Worlds of Stephen King
The perfect book to read for every constant reader, this book examines all of the works of Stephen King (up to the time of publishing) and details the continuity and discrepancies between the worlds Stephen King has created. Truly a must for those which Stephen King refers to as constant reader.
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2: Great for everyone..
This is a great book for everyone interested in Stephen King's works. I have read a great deal of his work, so I imagine that I am one of those that falls under the 'Constant Reader' title, and this book had me noting that I had missed some of the overlaps and complexity of his many books. I look forward to reading his books again, and catching even more, thanks to this book.
However, this is also good for the more casual Stephen King reader, as it guides you through his worlds and his books. The authors give very good analyses of each book and each world, sorting through the myriad of characters and ideas that Stephen King uses (quite deftly, in my opinion).
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3: Educational
This is the most helpful book I have read regarding writing. This information has everything from first write to the way to get it published.
The only thing I found missing was a word/page index.
This is a book I would recommend to others.
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4: A must read for Stephen King fans
Many fantasists or fantasy authors create their own parallel universes, which stand as back drops for their stories. H. P. Lovecraft did this with his Cthulhu Mythos, creating a pantheon of dark gods who have the ability to slip into our universe from time to time and sunder reality. Cthulhu's theme is to eradicate all humankind from the face of the earth.
Stephen King's parallel universe, however, appears to be a multitude of intertwining dimensions comprising malefic and beneficial cross-over characters and deities whose conflicts influence these various dimensions for good or for evil. According to authors Hank Wagner, Christopher Golden, and Stanley Wiater, in this, their definitive reference entitled THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE: A GUIDE TO THE WORLDS OF STEPHEN KING, Mr. King's DARK TOWER series stands as the central and unifying dimension from which his parallel universe emerges and ultimately returns. CSKU defines and describes all of Mr. King's stories and novels to date, tying events and people together in each of the over-lapping tales--but the fun does not stop there, readers. At the end of every chapter, the authors reveal interesting trivia about the characters and events that make-up Stephen King's world, sometimes pointing out that people in our so-called "reality" also have a share in his universe, the most obvious person being author Peter Straub, co-author of THE TALISMAN, one of my favorite novels of all time. (Speaking of Peter Straub, an interesting observation is the creepy character in his novel MR. X, who seems to make a brief appearance--at least in this reader's opinion--in Mr. King's novel FROM A BUICK 8, when he delivers the vintage Buick, then disappears behind the gas station where he abandons the car.)
If you are a fan of Stephen King's work, and the author himself, you will enjoy reading THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE. This fascinating and literate guide brought many details of Mr. King's overall work to my attention, details I was not aware of before reading CSKU, and has inspired me to read his stories and novels over again. (No mean feat, I would like to add; although a pleasurable one!) One of the more interesting pieces of information in THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE involved the accident in which a drunk driver struck and nearly killed Mr. King in 1999, while he was out jogging alongside a country road near his summer home in Maine--bizarre stuff, life imitating art.
THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE is highly recommended reading!
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5: A few words from Hank Wagner, one of the co-authors of THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE
A little background info for those of you who have happened upon this offering. THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE is an updated version of THE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE, which was published in May 2001. The CSKU features nine new chapters, which cover King's work from approximately early 2000 through mid 2005. The CSKU discusses all of King's work through that period, including books like DREAMCATCHER, FROM A BUICK 8, the final three installments of the Dark Tower series, and television series such as Rose Red and Kingdom Hospital. Basically, it covers all of King's work through the present day, with the exception of books like THE COLORADO KID, CELL, and the upcoming LISEY'S STORY, and a few short stories such as "The Things They Left Behind", which appeared in the 2005 anthology TRANSGRESSIONS.
Besides the inclusion of the new chapters, the book's been rearranged and revised in many ways, mostly to correct the factual errors and typos that crept up in the first edition. Hopefully, we caught most of the glitches in the new edition; the publishing gremlins that plague all books are a diligent bunch, however, so I expect folks will find some errors in this version as well.
If you should find an error or typo and would like to bring it to my attention, or would just like to discuss the book in general, please feel free to write me at HankW26159@aol.com. In the meantime, I hope you're intrigued enough to purchase the book.
Publishers Weekly called the original edition "An indispensable insider's guide to the influences on King, his plots and characters, TV and film adaptations and more..."
The Library Journal said that the SKU "...will appeal to serious King fans...[the STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE] will be an especially useful addition to academic resources on contemporary authors."
My favorite quote came from noted Stephen King scholar Stephen J. Spignesi: "THE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE is as important a book as Douglas Winter's seminal STEPHEN KING: THE ART OF DARKNESS, which paved the way for the rest of us, we Chroniclers of the King. THE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE is a major contribution to the field of scholarship about King, and King's fans should be grateful that Stan Wiater, Chris Golden, and Hank Wagner - a truly talented and insightful drawing of the three -- have done the kind of work it took to research and write THE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE."
Enjoy.
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