Connections to other books?

[strange]

I've read the Shining and as it's one of his early books I don't know but apprently there are references to Salem's lot? Does anyone know and could someone tell me anymore links it has with any other King book.

[sam peebles]

I dunno about Salems Lot, but the cook, Dick Halloran, makes a brief appearance in It during the burning down of the Black Spot (was that the name of the club? Not sure...)

[MellowLedbetter]

Like Jerusalem's lot, the overlook hotel had a bad history. The lot had Marsden, and the lots residents had quite a few dirty secrets, And the overlook had the bad history with all the gangster/mafia ownership and murders. The Point im trying to make is that the two books involve bad places with bad history/people attracting the supernatural. Thats just my opinion i guess.

[Manxkitti]

I have yet to read The Shining. But it is on my Top 10 must reads this winter. Looking forward to it since a lot of people think it's SK most scary book. Looking forward to it.

[jcadams]

While reading The Shining I noticed that Jack's dad had called him Jacky Boy, made me think of Travelin' Jack from Talisman.

[Lina]

I don't know anything about about Salem's Lot, I haven't read it, unfortunately. But as far as I remember, there was a brief mention of Overlook hotel in Misery. Although, I've read Misery quite a long time ago, but I suppose it was there that the hotel was referred to. Well, if someone has already mentioned it and I haven't noticed, then excuse me.

[Boni]

You are right Lina, and let me warn whoever didn't read Misery: Don't read it before The Shining, it has a HUGE spoiler from The Shining in it. And to the OP, the future books make this connection happens. For instance: Annie Wilkes from Misery talks about the Overlook Hotel, then years later, some character in Rose Madder is reading a Paul Sheldon book (he's a character from Misery), the book makes a brief comment about a character named Susan Day who appears in Insomnia, that is obviously linked to IT, and Dreamcatcher, and mostly of the others books, and of course with The Dark Tower, in which Father Donald Callaham, a character from 'Salem's Lot appears. So, there is your connection between Salem's and Shining.

[Reactor]

Yup, the cook in The Shining might be the same cook seen in IT, at the Black Spot bar, which got burned down.

The "REDRUM" word also appears in a fighting fantasy gamebook by Steve Jackson & Ian Livingstone, titled "House of Hell", where the main character gets trapped inside after a car accident in an old rickety haunted house ruled by Lord Kelnor, the Count. In the cellar, there'z a secret door with can be opened with the password "MURDER". Normally this wouldn't be a reference. However, during the gamebook, the main character needs to talk with a hunchback named Shekou, and give him brandy to ask him about passwords. Shekou tells that the password openin' the secret door in the cellar is something like the house's name, but the letters are all shuffled. And the house is called "Drumer". This just screams for a linking to The Shining.

[GNTLGNT]

ALL of Sk's books are somehow related to one another-hence the book "The Stephen King Universe"...these connections are sometimes blatantly in your face-other are much more subtle, but they are always a blast to look for...:biggrin2:

[Evil Queen]

I wondered alot about the incident that happened to Jack & Al, when they had been out drinking all night & were driving home & ran over the bike that was in the middle of the road. They never found a body but what was the bike doing in the middle of the road? It made me think of something that I had read in The Long Walk, when Garraty was remembering about Freaky's death, being hit & killed while riding his bike on the highway. I wondered if the two incidences were related? I don't know, probably not, but I always wondered, whose bike was it that Al ran over & why was it in the middle of the road, deserted?

[Alexandra19]

I also got Dick Halloran, quoted in It in the Black Spot part, but can't think of anything else.
It's been a while I haven't re-read The Shining though, and it was one of my firsts so maybe I should find more now but I don't see any connections with Salem though...

[Smakface13]

Until I read that other thread, I was really hoping that 217 was a reference to 19. Technically it still is though :P 17+2=19.. and there is also the scene where Wendy counts the risers on the staircase, there being 19. Though I'm sure you all knew this already:)

[Smakface13]

There was also when the Overlook gets destroyed.. and Hallorann sees what looks like an obscene black manta coming from the window of Presidental Suite, this reminded me of the elementals in DT.. But again, I'm sure you all knew that.

[Smakface13]

I don't know, probably not, but I always wondered, whose bike was it that Al ran over & why was it in the middle of the road, deserted? Well, as I didn't read The Long Walk, I couldn't comment on that part of it.. But after reading The Dark Tower I like to think Ka placed the bike in the road that night. Jack Torrance was always meant to end up at the Overlook.. :P

[pugsneedhugs]

Well, as I didn't read The Long Walk, I couldn't comment on that part of it.. But after reading The Dark Tower I like to think Ka placed the bike in the road that night. Jack Torrance was always meant to end up at the Overlook.. :P

Here's what I thought connected to Dark Tower (in addition to any already mentioned): I thought the Red King is who was actually the evil force behind the Overlook Hotel. He wanted Danny's psychic powers for the beam breakers. Just like he (the Red King) wanted the telekinesis powers the little twin girls had. Just like in the Wolves of the Calla.

Anyone think the same thing?

[ghost19]

Well, as I didn't read The Long Walk, I couldn't comment on that part of it.. But after reading The Dark Tower I like to think Ka placed the bike in the road that night. Jack Torrance was always meant to end up at the Overlook.. :P


Good one Smak. I like that about the Ka putting the bike in his path. All things serve the tower...

[xforce11]

Interesting theory.

[losthighway]

I dunno about Salems Lot, but the cook, Dick Halloran, makes a brief appearance in It during the burning down of the Black Spot (was that the name of the club? Not sure...)

Also, you can definitely spot the sense of an It-type sinister creature present in the Overlook in The Shining. I think The Shining was part of the development that led to King's being able to put together the masterpiece, It. I read It this past summer, and read the Shining just recently, and several times when the narration in the Shining referred to the evil presence as an "it," I almost had a flashback.

[mrblonde]

They are from Stovington VT. This place plays heaving in The Stand.

[Saintpat]

I am just reading The Shining for the first time. Have read many of Mr. King's books but somehow missed this one despite having seen the movie, of course, and the TV movie.

If I had read it earlier, of course, it wouldn't have been noteworthy but the first newspaper clipping (I think it was the first) that Jack finds in the basement is a few weeks after the Kennedy assassination and the headline is about Lyndon Johnson pledging to carry on Kennedy's work or some such.

I also noted that it was odd that it was a December 1963 newspaper when the Overlook has presumably always been closed that time of year due to weather, and it's doubtful any paperboy would be able to deliver through the weather regardless.

[unclelouie]

Here's what I thought connected to Dark Tower (in addition to any already mentioned): I thought the Red King is who was actually the evil force behind the Overlook Hotel. He wanted Danny's psychic powers for the beam breakers. Just like he (the Red King) wanted the telekinesis powers the little twin girls had. Just like in the Wolves of the Calla.

Anyone think the same thing?

Fascinating idea you have there. There are certain works of SK that as I read them, I get a strong feeling inside that I am reading something heavily related to the DT. I got "that feeling" while reading 11/22/63, and also reading some older works such as Roadwork (Highway 478... 4+7+8=19), among others. I am getting the same "feeling" as I read The Shining. I can definitely feel the presence of Big Red, and the presence of "19"...

I know that the SK had already written The Gunslinger when The Shining was released in 77, but the breakers were never discussed until Wolves of the Calla, which was about 20 years after The Shining... but I dont rule it out that the breakers existed in SK's mind back in the 70s, however, and I am going to go with your theory as I finish reading.

And oh yes, the presence of "The Red" is definitely felt in The Overlook. Either that, or some otherworldy evil presence... probably some crap left over from The Prim.