Black House question

[joshuahering]

I have a question maybe someone can answer about thew changing of the names of towns. What I would like to know is if it is an artistic reason or if the towns can actualy say no you can't use the name of this town in your book. I was under the impression that you can use the name of any city you want I didn't think towns were copyrighted. While LaRiviere [sic] is a more poetic name then LaCrosse I live in Wisconsin and have visited the worlds largest six pack and it was really cool for me to read a Stephen King book set in the state I live, and read things described that I have actualy seen! I was just wondering why King and Straub changed the names of all the towns. They didn't as for as I can tell change the names of the highways I think Wisconsin is the only state that uses letters for their county highways and the authors did that. Anyway fantastic book and thank you for it. I don't know how you did it Mr. King but when I finished the Dark Tower books a daunting task in itself I still wanted more, So thanks for this little nugget of travel back to the Calla.

[Moderator]

Peter Straub grew up in Wisconsin so was more familiar with the territory but I don't know whose decision it was to change the names. As a rule, though, it's much easier to use a fictional name even if some of the landmarks are real as it is less likely that anyone will come back to complain. So, yes, it's an artistic reason not a legality.

[Damaris]

I think Wisconsin is the only state that uses letters for their county highways and the authors did that.

It's not terribly common but Missouri and either Kansas or Nebraska also use letters on county roads, possibly other states as well (those are just the first to come to mind). In case anyone else should like to know. :smile2:

[LittleRedKing]

I was just wondering why King and Straub changed the names of all the towns. They didn't as for as I can tell change the names of the highways I think Wisconsin is the only state that uses letters for their county highways and the authors did that. Anyway fantastic book and thank you for it. I don't know how you did it Mr. King but when I finished the Dark Tower books a daunting task in itself I still wanted more, So thanks for this little nugget of travel back to the Calla.

That's a good point; why change the names of towns but not the highways, and he even mentioned Miller Park, the Brewers, Milwaukee...

I live near Milwaukee myself so it was pretty fun to see things I am familiar with woven into the story.

[Stranger]

i believe that SK does the same thing with all things related to Derry Maine. I am pretty sure that Derry itself does not exist but Bangor, where he lives/lived, is real and most of the landmarks mentioned in stories about Derry are actually in Bangor in reality.

[thymeoperator]

yeah i'd wondered if derry was real, and thought i sure hope not because if it were and i lived in derry i'd think wow this guy REALLY thinks we're all crazy :)

[Srbo]

I have a Q as well:

Throughout the entire book, someone who is reffering to himself in the third person is describing everything that`s happening to the reader.

Who or what is that " we " ?

If it`s explained in the DT series, than just tell me so, I`ll find it once I read the series...if not, I wouldn`t mind an answer.:)

Thanks.:)

[jchanic]

To me, it's a "bird"--maybe a crow.

John

[Srbo]

To me, it's a "bird"--maybe a crow.

John

A crow that can slide under doors and fly through key holes ? :eek2:

[Bluey Lunger]

not to mention pass through the screen on the window. the changing persona of that tour guide is interesting. at one moment, the persona takes us in to see a nasty sight in the old defunct restaurant, but gets the jitters about watching a wedded couple doing (or about to do) what wedded (and those shacking up) couples do.

don't believe there is an actual answer, nor am i aware of one in the dt series, serbo. but yeah, good question, and it'd be worth reading bh again for another take on that guide...a shape changer?

[Srbo]

Yeah, Bluey, it doesn`t look like there is an answer to that, at least nobody is answering us here.:)

Anyway, Black House blew me away, I have to say that I it liked much, much more than The Talisman and I can`t wait for part three of that saga.:)

[sam peebles]

I have a Q as well:

Throughout the entire book, someone who is reffering to himself in the third person is describing everything that`s happening to the reader.

Who or what is that " we " ?

If it`s explained in the DT series, than just tell me so, I`ll find it once I read the series...if not, I wouldn`t mind an answer.:)

Thanks.:)

It is not explained in the Dark Tower series. I think you guys are looking a little too deep into this. It's not an actual character, simply the narrator guiding us. It breaks down the third wall by actually referring to the readers (King does this once in a while), and parts, such as the very beginning, are told from an awkward viewpoint that may cause confusion due to the use of "we" and "us" (the narrator and the reader). It's not used often in books, but this is the reason we are able to slip through keyholes and screen doors. No one is physically flying through the air like a crow. Simply the authors taking us on a trip with our minds.

[JohnDalglish]

Anyway, Black House blew me away, I have to say that I it liked much, much more than The Talisman and I can`t wait for part three of that saga.:)

Hi,

I think you're probably in the minority in that, Srbo, but I can see exactly what you mean, although I always find the first 50 or so pages of BH a bit of an uphill struggle, it soon becomes very rewarding.

And on your second point I couldn't agree more!

Done any nagging recently, Ms Mod? LOL

Long days and pleasant nights

[Srbo]

It is not explained in the Dark Tower series. I think you guys are looking a little too deep into this. It's not an actual character, simply the narrator guiding us. It breaks down the third wall by actually referring to the readers (King does this once in a while), and parts, such as the very beginning, are told from an awkward viewpoint that may cause confusion due to the use of "we" and "us" (the narrator and the reader). It's not used often in books, but this is the reason we are able to slip through keyholes and screen doors. No one is physically flying through the air like a crow. Simply the authors taking us on a trip with our minds.

I like this explanation, am very impressed.

Thanks Sam!

[Srbo]

Hi,

I think you're probably in the minority in that, Srbo, but I can see exactly what you mean, although I always find the first 50 or so pages of BH a bit of an uphill struggle, it soon becomes very rewarding.

And on your second point I couldn't agree more!

Done any nagging recently, Ms Mod? LOL

Long days and pleasant nights

Yeah, I know, John, that a lot of people like The Talisman better, but for me...brother, how mature writing that was, then Henry`s presence there, the Thunder Five...it was...I don`t know, a lot more realistic to me...
And, the Fisherman aka Burny ( what a friendly nickname for such a bastard, eh ? ) is one scary SOB, scarier than Morgan a lot.
At least to me.

I liked the book so much that I feel tempted to say, that for now, out of the books by SK that I have read it`s really close behind The Stand and IT on my list of fav SK books.

[thymeoperator]

i thought 'black house' was more fast-paced and i could not put it down for any moment...and yet i thought 'the talisman' was more emotional and moving, much deeper. so they had their own good points.

[costanza]

Ok a few observations. Black House occurs sometime between the Waste Lands and Wolves of the Calla, correct? Parkus mentions Roland and he having at least three companions. Once again Oy is left out. I hate that but won't get into it right now.
I guess technically since he says at least three, I forget the exact quote, that the Tet could much farther than the Calla even.

Parkus has a gun. Big iron with the sandalwood grip. Where did he get it? How did he get it? They meet at the tent of the Little Sisters, but not of Eluria. The sisters moved on after that story. This tent is in the Inner Baronies. Is it Gilead? I guess he could've gotten a fallen gunslinger's gun there. Here's something a little far fetched, maybe he got it out of the garbage can that Susanna drops it in in New York after she goes through the unfound door and meets the Taurin brothers for the "first" time. Parkus is definitely a traveling man.

What about Tyler Marshall? He's the strongest breaker in the world. Stronger than Ted Brautigan. Ted escapes and is brought back numerous times. Why is it that he's not brought up again in the Tower series? I find it hard to believe that the Crimson King would give up on getting him after just one try.
Three beams remain during Black House. One lets go during Wolves O'la Calla. He had enough breakers to get that done and he really didn't need him to finish the job? Well, technically he did but not fast enough to beat Roland.

And one more way way out there thing. Tyler Marshall. Ty Marshall. Ty M. Tym. time.

time = The Tower

[evilduck]

yes SK has said that derry is just a fictionalized bangor

[moody819]

last question first...i have read black house at least 8 times..one of my favorite SK books. the "we" is refering to the old man, the crimson king, and grog-the crow. they are all basically the same person/being just in different forms and int ehcase of the king, on different planes of existance. now for my take on the other question...the reason that stands out to me as to why they changed the names of the smaller towns is who wants a bunch of SK-heads (said with love) roaming all over the small quiet town with their cameras and such taking souviners from the town and basically turning it into a tourist trap. take the texas chainsaw massacre (movie yes but same gerneral rule). i am from texas and so many people question me about that movie. i lived in hewitt and ppl get confused as to the town and last name in the movie. its just protecting people's privacy IMHO.

[costanza]

I was always under the impression that gorg, the crow, was just one of the castle rooks. The crows circling Le Casse Roi Russe.

[spoiler] Mordred could control them in DT7. So the King could surely control them here.

Speaking of talking crows. What's up with Zolotan? The talking raven from The Gunslinger. He never does anything evil but he sure fits the profile. Well, there is the one time where Roland is refilling his water skins in Brown's well and Zoltan squacks from above him. He then thinks that it would be very easy to be brained by a rock down there.

I just got an idea. Wrong thread to post it. [spoiler/]

[newyearsevil01]

I live near Milwaukee myself so it was pretty fun to see things I am familiar with woven into the story.

That's kind of what I thought when I read the Talisman and noticed the reference to Ohio's Interstate 70.

[dpmklm]

I have a Q as well:

Throughout the entire book, someone who is reffering to himself in the third person is describing everything that`s happening to the reader.

Who or what is that " we " ?

If it`s explained in the DT series, than just tell me so, I`ll find it once I read the series...if not, I wouldn`t mind an answer.:)

Thanks.:)

Near the end of DT7 the story switches to being told in the same third person style as Black House for awhile, and then switches back. I always found that odd. Maybe “our boy” Jack has a bigger role in Roland story that we know. I for one am real looking forward to the third book.

[randallFlaggfan1]

Derry is a fictional town.

[Doc Wilson]

The very unusual first person plural narrative mode in Black House refers to King and Straub. This is made explicit later in the book when the narrators refer to themselves as "two scribblers".