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[bukwus]

Hi all
New to the forum. I'm sure this is brought up elsewhere so I'm sorry if I'm being redundant, but I'm fascinated by Andre Linoge and hoped there was more information about him. Has King talked about him at all? Is he connected to the Dark Tower? What is his "work" that he needs to carry on? What is the history of his cane? etc.
Thanks

[bopropadop]

You bring up some excellent questions to which there are no easy answers. Sai King is sometimes ambiguous allowing his Constant Readers to sort things out for themselves. That is half the fun IMO about reading his books (or in this case watching his screenplay).

If you search the forums for "linoge" and "cane" for instance, you'll find a number of threads that discuss these topics. You'll find suggestions and/or questions from others that ask if Linoge is the Legion of biblical fame, Randall Flagg himself, a demon, the devil, or an alien... You'll also see some discussion about whether Linoge's cane is the same cane Stu had in The Stand. You might find that you agree with some folks and disagree with others. But I promise that you'll log off at the end of your search more informed than you were when you started. That's the great thing about this board and sharing your thoughts with others.

Finally, when you can, check out the social group dedicated to Storm of the Century. It was one of my favorite groups and contains lots of good discussion about the movie and the screenplay. You can find it here.

Welcome to the board!

[wolfen244]

Will Stephen King expand on Andre Linoge by writing either a sequel the SofC or some kind of prequel?

[Moderator]

He's never mentioned any plans or ideas percolating about that, so I would guess no.

[Amphiaraus]

More's the pity.

I remember the moment when I heard King had been clipped by Smith: June 19, 1999. My first thought was, "Godammit! What's next?" Turns out 'what's next' was George Bush announced he was running for President of the United States Better yet, he was going to run as a "compassionate conservative." Now I thinking, "What rough beast, its hour come at last, slouches toward America..."


Fortunately King survived Smith and America survived Bush... mostly. That King hasn't mentioned any plans or ideas regarding a resumption of this story... well, like the man said, "A lack of evidence is not necessarily evidence of lacking." Personally, given the epic-in-the-making material that King set up in 'Storm of the Century,' there's as much buried treasure here as there was in the wake of 'Salem's Lot' and that next-to-last novel in the Dark Tower series.

*thinks for a moment*

What was the rumored name of that one going to be? 'The Second Coming'? Something like that. Here's hoping there are no more friggin' Smith events in Uncle Steve's future! There's some serious writin' that needs to be done!

[gjnr7522]

He's never mentioned any plans or ideas percolating about that, so I would guess no.

That's a shame because it would be a great sequel. There are a lot of unanswered questions that I would love to see discussed. I first watched it when it originally aired in Feb. 1999 and have watched it about 4 or 5 times since, and watched it via Netflix last night. It's still awesome.

[Moderator]

More often than not, when someone wants to know what happened next his response is "what do you think happened?" The ending certainly did upset a lot of people when it came out.

[GNTLGNT]

...Marsha, I loved the term "percolating"...coz it brought to mind me first "cup o'joe"...

[gjnr7522]

That's a shame because it would be a great sequel. There are a lot of unanswered questions that I would love to see discussed. I first watched it when it originally aired in Feb. 1999 and have watched it about 4 or 5 times since, and watched it via Netflix last night. It's still awesome.

P.S. As I wrote before, I think a sequel would be incredible with this storyline. He's done it before and I hope he does it again. Here are just a few of the ideas I've had throughout the day regarding a sequel if I were to write a sequel. Of course, I'm not King Stephen!!! He's the master Anyway, here is a panoply of ideas I've had:

• After Michael Anderson sees Linoge and Ralphie in Chinatown in San Francisco, it re-opens the festering wound of Ralphie's loss. Something else, though, has been born in Michael -- a desire for revenge, and answers. He becomes obsessed with finding Ralphie and in learning more about Linoge. He interviews those in the occult, pastors, priests, missionaries -- anyone who can help him come to understand Linoge. He reads ancient texts in his quest to learn as well. Eventually he uncovers some startling facts about him.
  
  • Linoge was cast out of heaven along with one-third of the spirits of heaven in ages long past. Their leader, Lucifer (Satan), along with the one-third of heaven, were cast out as part of their punishment for their rebellion and were not allowed a body by the Lord.
  • Linoge has been on the earth since its very beginning. In the beginning of the earth, when God first began sending spirits to earth as mortals, Linoge possessed a wicked man, and unlike the other evil spirits, he found a way stay inside the man and live through him. Until, that is, when Jesus himself cast him out and entered a herd of swine. After Jesus and the apostles left, though, he found another wicked man and that is the man he has possessed ever since.
  • Linoge became an emissary of Satan and engaged in evil, destroying the souls of men whenever he could.
  • There are limits to his power.
  • Michael learns that spiritual power born of faith, the kind Jesus used to cast Linoge out in the country of the Gadarenes, is the key. Michael reads with interest in the New Testament Matthew 5:1-9. He reads how Linoge was afraid of Jesus -- an emotion he never sensed or saw in his first encounter with Linoge on Little Tall -- and how Linoge recognized him as Jesus as the Lord God incarnate. Michael reads, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me” (Verse 7). Jesus said to the demon, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many” (Verse 9). Michael realizes then that spiritual power can end Linoge's influence over Ralphie. Michael comes upon a quote by a 19th century theologian who said, "Faith has power, dominion, and authority over all things and is the power by which God himself oversees the universe."
  • The realization causes Michael to go into a fit of anger and despair for he realizes if the people of Little Tall had stuck together and trusted in God, Ralphie would've been saved from Linoge, and all of them could've cast him out. He realizes what he had always sensed that the townspeople were played exquisitely by Linoge who, with his eons of time-born experience, knows how to manipulate less cunning mortals.
  • After his paroxysm of anger, Michael realizes that there is still a chance to get Ralphie back. He soon thereafter discovers that he must do so before a certain time or he will lose him forever, though.

More to come...
(Evidently there is a character limit -- 6,000.)

gjnr7522

[gjnr7522]

P.S.S.

• Linoge becomes aware of Michael Anderson's indefatigable efforts and appears to him one night in his San Francisco loft. He is polite, sympathetic, even decent to Michael; he shows no malevolence toward him. After the initial shock of Linoge's appearance, Michael's white-hot hatred of Linoge surfaces. He reminds Linoge what he took from him and of all the cold-blooded murders he committed during the storm. Michael tells Linoge he knows who he really is -- a fallen angel who was cast out of Heaven along with Lucifer but unlike the other one-third of the hosts of heaven who fell, Linoge was allowed to possess a mortal and thus live with an incredibly long lifespan. Linoge, though polite, reminds Michael of the commitment he and the people of Little Tall made that night he took Ralphie. Anderson viciously reminds Linoge in turn he made no such promise. All pretense of courtesy gone, Linoge telekinetically throws Michael against a wall and taunts him. Telling him he doesn't have the power to stop him. Michael tells him he knows there is something binding him from killing him even now and tells Linoge savagely he will find the spiritual power he needs to cast him out to perdition. Incensed, Linoge calls Ralphie who somehow appears. The site of Ralphie is almost too much for Michael to bear. He reminds him he's his Dad and that he still loves him. Coldly, without the slightest semblance of morality, Linoge tells Ralphie to set Michael on fire. Ralphie can't -- he shows Michael he still has good in him. Linoge savagely slaps Ralphie across the face and decides to do it himself but finds he can't -- something is stopping him. Michael, for the very first time sees a microexpression of fear cross Linoge's face. In an instant, Ralphie and Linoge both leave.
• Meanwhile, on Little Tall island, the survivors of the Storm of The Century haven't forgotten the hell Linoge put them through, or Michael Anderson's pain or Ralphie being given to Linoge. Those that survived the suicides and trauma in the few years after the storm can think about little else. Revenge is what they want and answers, but most of all peace. While all the townsfolk hate Linoge, they fear him as they are all reminded of Linoge's chilling rejoinder to not speak of what they saw transpire during the storm.
• A national TV reporter, smelling a story about what happened during the Storm of The Century on Little Tall, visits the island. She gets nowhere but is quietly told by a still suffering Molly that the answers she wants may be forthcoming with her ex-husband Michael. She tells him his name and that he works for the FBI in San Francisco. The reporter goes to San Francisco and meets a reluctant Michael Anderson.
  
  • Michael rebuffs her again and again but all she can get from him is that his son was taken from him. Incredibly, she asks him if Andre Linoge took him. Michael can't believe she could've guessed his name. The reporter tells Michael she had an experience with Linoge when she was a little girl of five although she won't go into the details. Her father was a devout, spiritual man who had angered Linoge, she said, and say him kill him in front of her. There is more to the story but she refuses to tell him. Linoge, too, has become an obsession with her and she wants justice for her late father.
  
  
• Michael's sidekick, a monk who has taken a deep interest in Michael's story, has helped him at every turn with translation, research, etc.
• Michael comes upon a plan after sharing all he's learned about Linoge with the reporter. Michael deliberately does a TV interview with the reporter so as to draw Linoge out. He remembered Linoge's chilling rejoinder to the town's people to keep the events of The Storm of The Century to themselves and realizes it may be a linchpin to anger Linoge.
• After Michael's superiors at the FBI see his TV interview, they ask him to resign as the interview was "an embarrassment to the bureau." Michael does so, and thankfully, as he now realizes he can work on his "project" full time. Money is not a problem for Michael has become quite wealthy due to his part-time Forex market investments.
• Meanwhile, back in Little Tall, the townspeople all saw Michael's interview. The respect and admiration for Michael's courage is had by all. The interview serves to galvanize the townspeople into coming up with some kind of plan.

Watch for the next installment.

GJNR7522