Derry in 11/22/63

[Matt Murdock]

Did anyone else feel really unsettled reading about George/ Jake in Derry?

For me it was like revisiting an old town thats full of bad memories the longer he stayed there the more unsettled I felt

I have never felt that way before reading a novel but the way SK tied it up with IT with Richie and Bev was excellent and created a fantastic athmosphere

Anyone else experience this?

[GNTLGNT]

...oh yeah, the written atmosphere was so heavy... I almost choked on it...to the point of even getting a heavy Lovecratian vibe from it....

[TheMcGuffin]

Me too. But I loved it. It was like going back to visit a childhood home and finding it inhabited with very unsavory characters. IT, being my favorite book, let us know that his was a bad place but seeing it through Jake's eyes somehow let us know on another level just how bad it was.

[kingricefan]

OK, I just know I'm going to get flamed for this but I have to finally admit to my friends here on the Board that I just did not enjoy 11/22/63 fully because SK tied it into IT, which then ties it into the Dark Tower saga. There, I've said it, it's out there for you all to read now. Please be gentle with the flaming!! I was totally unprepared to have this particular book tied in with the DT books. When George/Jake travels to Derry and meets up with Richie and Bev I almost threw the book down, it upset me so much! I did like the constant banter between the three of them, but it WAS unsettleing for G/J to be there, for me, also as I kept waiting for something bad to happen to him. I guess I was expecting more focus to be on Oswald after I knew that King did so much research for this book. I will probably enjoy it more on a re-read, which I WILL do, but it won't be soon. King is still my fav author, always will be, but this book just didn't really do it for me this time.

[Shasta]

[QUOTE=kingricefan;537636]OK, I just know I'm going to get flamed for this but I have to finally admit to my friends here on the Board that I just did not enjoy 11/22/63 fully because SK tied it into IT, which then ties it into the Dark Tower saga. QUOTE]

As far as I can tell (and believe me, I have spent years researching this) all books tie back to the Dark Tower somehow. Sorry to disapoint.

[not_nadine]

I loved the connection. What I did not like was SK inserting himself in the DT, It threw the story off for me.

Oh and here ya go.... I will get it started for ya.

http://ts4.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=5039521995096647&id=e4c659824a8eed1bc6194a76275b48d2

Just kiddin, we all have our own take on things :smile2:

[EAST COASTER]

I spent much of that part of the story willing Jake out of there, I was convinced something bad was going to happen too I've said it before, I know SK's imagination is second to none but how does he sleep at night?

[Moderator]

I spent much of that part of the story willing Jake out of there, I was convinced something bad was going to happen too I've said it before, I know SK's imagination is second to none but how does he sleep at night?

It's when he's in between projects and not writing that he has his nightmares. When he's writing, he's passing them along to his constant readers. You're welcome.

[Spideyman]

It's when he's in between projects and not writing that he has his nightmares. When he's writing, he's passing them along to his constant readers. You're welcome.



Thankee Sai King! And if I am not mistaken, Kingricefan, there was a clue to 11/22/63 in the DT books. a certain door they passed in the tunnels.

[cat in a bag]

It's when he's in between projects and not writing that he has his nightmares. When he's writing, he's passing them along to his constant readers. You're welcome.

Yay for us! :biggrin2:

I don't remember feeling scared about Jake being in Derry. It was fairly early on in the book, I was more scared for him towards the end. But I enjoyed seeing Bev and Richie again, and while we knew they were safe, there was still that feeling that things weren't quite right yet. I love all the little tie ins, it makes me feel like I'm in on a big secret. :wink2:

[~Ally~]

I loved the connection. What I did not like was SK inserting himself in the DT, It threw the story off for me.

And this here is a prime example of a spoiler that could ruin part of the DT series for those who haven't read it. Prior warning could at least be given to state it is a DT related spoiler, since this isn't a DT thread.

[kingricefan]

[QUOTE=kingricefan;537636]OK, I just know I'm going to get flamed for this but I have to finally admit to my friends here on the Board that I just did not enjoy 11/22/63 fully because SK tied it into IT, which then ties it into the Dark Tower saga. QUOTE]

As far as I can tell (and believe me, I have spent years researching this) all books tie back to the Dark Tower somehow. Sorry to disapoint.

I really do love the Dark Tower books, I think they are his best novels, don't get me wrong. I just didn't like the connection with 11/22/63.

[Homer403]

OK, I just know I'm going to get flamed for this but I have to finally admit to my friends here on the Board that I just did not enjoy 11/22/63 fully because SK tied it into IT, which then ties it into the Dark Tower saga. There, I've said it, it's out there for you all to read now. Please be gentle with the flaming!! I was totally unprepared to have this particular book tied in with the DT books. When George/Jake travels to Derry and meets up with Richie and Bev I almost threw the book down, it upset me so much! I did like the constant banter between the three of them, but it WAS unsettleing for G/J to be there, for me, also as I kept waiting for something bad to happen to him. I guess I was expecting more focus to be on Oswald after I knew that King did so much research for this book. I will probably enjoy it more on a re-read, which I WILL do, but it won't be soon. King is still my fav author, always will be, but this book just didn't really do it for me this time.
Great post!:y: I,on the other hand,rank 11/22/63 in my personal top 5 SK novels and enjoyed it waay more than WTTKH.It just seemed that Mr.King may have forced himself,just a little,to write WTTKH whereas 11/22/63 seemed to come more naturally.

[Bryan James]

It felt like Harper Lee's pre-Halloween season change in "Mockingbird," at least the movie version....that whole "something just ain't right here" vibe.

Might have had something to do with the main character knowing that "something just ain't right here" so he was keyed (pardon) that there was something else.

Deeper down.

[GNTLGNT]

When he's writing, he's passing them along to his constant readers.

...what a giving type of guy...his generosity is only exceeded by his good looks...:biggrin2:

...said "nightmares" soundtrack provided by Uncle Alice...

http://www.assignmentx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/UniversalHalloweenHorrorNights2011-AliceCooper.jpg

[doowopgirl]

I actually love it when SK links parts of books. It makes for an SK universe that I spend as much time as possible in. The scene in Derry was very heavy with atmosphere. The other bits that turn up in 11/22/63 just made me love it more. I have just started Wolves of the Calla and found SK put himself in there. Hey, it's his book and if you can't put yourself in your own book, then I just don't know.

[not_nadine]

And this here is a prime example of a spoiler that could ruin part of the DT series for those who haven't read it. Prior warning could at least be given to state it is a DT related spoiler, since this isn't a DT thread.

Very good point, Ally and I say thankya. I will be more considerate in the future. :down:

[PrisonerNumber6]

Actually, I'm willing to believe as how the inclusion of characters from It actually was part of the story. I think you can tell by the natural flow the words on the page have. It's when description and dialogue achieve that special crossover into the realm of prose poetry that is the hallmark of all great book, whether lit'try or popular. I saw that same prose quality in the scenes with Richie and Bev.

I think what people like Harold Bloom dislike might be coming upon that same prose poetics in places where they believe it doesn't belong or more thinking along the lines of "Who's this upstart pretending to be one of the few, the proud, the ones called to a high and lonely destiny above the common rabble". At least there's one way of thinking about it.

[dsurrett]

I think the references to IT make Derry seem a bit darker, justifiably so. But if someone read 11/22/63 without first reading IT, I don't think they would walk away with a sense of having missed anything that explained the darkness. Dallas was as bad as Derry in many respects, without allusions to Pennywise. Maybe King was trying to let the readers know that small and medium sized towns in the late 50s and early 60s weren't usually like Mayberry.

[Beep-Beep]

Personally love any chance to get back to Derry, and the chance to spend a bit more time with a couple of the Losers was great, but for sure that part of the book i spent wondering what was around every corner

[Bryan James]

Just because it pertially relates to this thread...

King has few Naysayers in His publishing world. That's a damnshame.

Obvious by the belaboring of the "Glee Kids from It: The Interlude" scene.

That should have been ..."handled" a better, given the gravity and the fans of the Source.

It was familiar, but embarrassing. Didn't those silly ****s (pardon the poon), having gone through what they did, maybe have possibly given up on their cutesy-wootsey phrases. Or maybe not, they still cling to them 'cause that's all the sanity they still have after the experience.

NVM, I'm nuts.

The cool thing?

I sink.

[kingricefan]

I actually love it when SK links parts of books. It makes for an SK universe that I spend as much time as possible in. The scene in Derry was very heavy with atmosphere. The other bits that turn up in 11/22/63 just made me love it more. I have just started Wolves of the Calla and found SK put himself in there. Hey, it's his book and if you can't put yourself in your own book, then I just don't know.

I agree with you, I also love it when a book is linked to the DT saga, but it was (for me anyway) just jarring when I came upon this part in 11/22/63.

[ashiepoo84]

I agree! I couldn't put the book down during the Derry section. It was so unsettling.

[champ1966]

I can't get enough of the connections.It's great when you've been reading an authors works for 15 years,then all of a sudden you notice that some of the books are connected and you then spend the next 15 years looking for the connections in his new material.It makes re-reads even more compelling.I'm re-reading Insomnia at the moment.I'm more obsessed with SK's books now than I have ever been.(Insomnia spoiler) Someone mentioned that Ralph Roberts is in 11/22/63,my next task is to see if I can find it

[King fan from trinidad]

I loved when he was in old school derry! The conversation with the kids really made the book for me.

[Bryan James]

I do not think that Our Derry should have been revisited so damn Glee-fully. He didn't have to (and shouldn't have, but no one was there to tell Him) keep that dumbass scene. Poor style. Lack of judicious editing.

And that's all I have to say about that.

[xkittyx]

Thankee Sai King! And if I am not mistaken, Kingricefan, there was a clue to 11/22/63 in the DT books. a certain door they passed in the tunnels.

Yes! When I recently did my re-read of the DT series, it was not long after I'd read 11/22/63, and I noticed all kinds of mentions, brewing ideas, of it. Like the door, as you mentioned, and also Eddie I think it was, though it could've been someone else, thought about what if someone went back in time to save JFK. I like how all the stories connect in little ways, myself. Makes me feel included in the importance, makes me happy And I liked visiting Derry again, getting that bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and seeing the kids again... :biggrin2:

[loobylou]

I can't get enough of the connections.It's great when you've been reading an authors works for 15 years,then all of a sudden you notice that some of the books are connected and you then spend the next 15 years looking for the connections in his new material.It makes re-reads even more compelling.I'm re-reading Insomnia at the moment.I'm more obsessed with SK's books now than I have ever been.(Insomnia spoiler) Someone mentioned that Ralph Roberts is in 11/22/63,my next task is to see if I can find it

I am in total agreement I love the little connections, like getting a ickle soft spot when spotting a certain sheriff etc in many of his older books that was till I found this website and realised others had found them all and more too lol. i just finished 11/22/63 and i didnt find RR did you?

[Matt Murdock]

Thanks for the response's guys Im glad Im not the only one ....

If possible please lay off the DT spoilers im only half way through the drawing of the three

Cheers

[they all float down here]

i love every page. it's all part of Stephen king's universe.

[champ1966]

I am in total agreement I love the little connections, like getting a ickle soft spot when spotting a certain sheriff etc in many of his older books that was till I found this website and realised others had found them all and more too lol. i just finished 11/22/63 and i didnt find RR did you?

I've been looking through the book,to no avail.Then I googled it and it took me to my post on this thread!!!

[kingricefan]

I've been looking through the book,to no avail.Then I googled it and it took me to my post on this thread!!!

Hey, Champ, stop 'googling' yourself!! :rofl:

[SlasherFreak]

Well, IT is my favorite King novel (favorite book of all time really), so I welcomed a return to Derry with a couple of the Losers, even if it was just a few pages.

[GNTLGNT]

...I thought it was a nice "gift" to the CR's amongst us...didn't really influence the story in any way, but felt good to "see" them again...and after all, not EVERYTHING he writes has to be on-topic as it relates to the overall story...these asides are welcome...and in that series of pages-a welcome lifting of the darkness for a moment or two...

[The Nameless]

Well, IT is my favorite King novel (favorite book of all time really), so I welcomed a return to Derry with a couple of the Losers, even if it was just a few pages.

I am the same. I also found it to be such a relief that Richie and Bev are finally just being normal kids, doing normal kid stuff. I also found it really nice that they were able to place Jake as a good guy and not a threat, like thier experience with IT has made them wiser and good judges of character. The Derry section was a perfect mini update IMO. The fact that it was set a short time after IT's 1st demise didn't make me think the Derry folk would be as bad, but I also had a feeling that bad things would happen - Derry anytime is seemingly an afflicted place.

[staropeace]

This is silly but I sorta got miffed at Steve for being so harsh to Derry. It is my favorite fictional place in the whole wide world.

[staropeace]

Ralph wasnt in this story.

[RichardX]

I can't get enough of the connections.It's great when you've been reading an authors works for 15 years,then all of a sudden you notice that some of the books are connected and you then spend the next 15 years looking for the connections in his new material.It makes re-reads even more compelling.I'm re-reading Insomnia at the moment.I'm more obsessed with SK's books now than I have ever been.(Insomnia spoiler) Someone mentioned that Ralph Roberts is in 11/22/63,my next task is to see if I can find it

It may have been Bag of Bones where Ralph makes an appearance. Relying on my faulty memory.

[Robert Gray]

I tend to read each story or series as contained and don't worry about connections (blatant or guessed). To tell the truth and shame the devil, the connections don't matter at all because each of those stories is complete. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end. That is as it should be. I loved 11/22/63 for many reasons, not the least of which was a nice new take on time travel. The return to Derry was fine by me. All those people screaming for more Pennywise (one name among many) got a bone thrown to them. You got to see the monster again without undoing everything earned by the heroes of It.

[Jack Torrance Floats]

the tie in to Derry and IT was one of the best parts of this book for me. loved the way they reference Patrick Hockstetter (sp?) and also Bev saying something like "the clown didnt kill that one". LOVED that part.

[tenngolfer]

I'm re-reading It for the first time in 25 years, and I read 11 /22/63 during the first quarter of 2012 , then covered the DT series over spring and summer. I really enjoy the connections. So far in It, I have noted "the voice of the turtle", "a universe where roses sing", and "wheels of destiny", and "wheels of the universe" in the re-read. Lots of little notes here and there.

[SLCer]

Jake's first visit to Derry is probably my favorite part of the book - especially when he's having a nice conversation with the bartender. I think it got me thinking about how a sequel to IT would probably be an interesting novel ... especially when dealing with modern day Derry. I loved it. It was creepy (the creepiest aspect of the book, which, while often spooky at times ... wasn't overtly horror), especially the scene where he has an experience with IT at the Kitchener Ironworks - that spooked me!

[unclelouie]

Did anyone else feel really unsettled reading about George/ Jake in Derry?

For me it was like revisiting an old town thats full of bad memories the longer he stayed there the more unsettled I felt

I have never felt that way before reading a novel but the way SK tied it up with IT with Richie and Bev was excellent and created a fantastic athmosphere

Anyone else experience this?

So Im guessing had Roland and Oy been the ones to take out Oswald you would not have enjoyed it any less?

[GNTLGNT]

So Im guessing had Roland and Oy been the ones to take out Oswald you would not have enjoyed it any less?

...wait!.....what??...:m_dazed:

[laurenonfire]

On the topic of visiting Derry once again, I truly enjoyed that little throwback. I viewed it as a nod to the Constant Reader, but not to where a new reader wouldn't be able to follow along. I loved the characters of Richie and Bev in their original context, so it was nice to see them in between the two segments of their lives addressed in It. Personally, I feel like all the tie-ins to different books and relating back to the DT series just makes me love the Stephen King universe even more.

That being said, the creepiness was still lurking in Derry, and I feel like the reader could feel it and that George/Jake could feel it as well. Instead of a haunted house, we had a haunted town. Definitely a fan of how King presented this.

[The Nameless]

So Im guessing had Roland and Oy been the ones to take out Oswald you would not have enjoyed it any less?

Ha ha, I think if Roland was the one to take out Oswald, he would have said "meh, screw the window of oportunity", walked to Canada, through to Alaska, then made a boat to sail to Russia, and shot him in 1958, then took out half the kgb, and anyone who tried to capture him.

[AYSE]

against all the haters i love seeing someone i knew before.. it makes me feel that i belong that world.. like i in deed visit Derry in my past life or in my young ages.. when i see a person or a place i know it makes the connection feels real!