The rest of the world?

[WatchMeShine]

I may be mistaken, and it might mention it somewhere in the book, however I have come across a thought that I just can't seem to get rid of. That is, what happened to the rest of the world during the superflu? I don't remember reading anything about foreigners making their way to Boulder or Las Vegas. Were there only survivors in America?

What are your thoughts? And, if anyone knows the answer for sure, I'd appreciate it.

[wally wonder]

don't recall anything specific, shine. too wrapped up w/the locals, enough happening there. this is almost like the "who's going to hell?" question, hey? like what about all those fierce people down in the jungle beating each other on the chest with sticks, what about them, huh? what about that! mr. fung!

[mstay]

I think it talked about the military releasing the virus all around the world so we weren't the only ones hit. But the book didn't mention survivors elsewhere that I remember.

[K4driver]

said in one part "tenative cases in Chilie and Mexico" Flagg even thought there might be another like him in France. someone on Flagg's side mentioned they were leaving to Rio.

[jchanic]

Even if there were survivors in other parts of the world (which I think there would have been), the ones here in the US would not have been able to hear anything about them.

John

[aptpupil]

I reckon SK took a leaf out of Richard Matheson's book in dealing with this aspect of the story. In "I Am Legend", the mutation that caused 99% of mankind in the USA to become "darkseekers" had also affected the rest of the planet, but that simply wasn't particularly integral to the story.

We have to imagine that other countries had struggles and stories of their own going on simultaneously in both novels, but they made no difference to what was happening within the USA's borders.

[michal]

It is mentioned in several cases. First is when the superflu is realised in the States it is said that agents carry it to Russia (if we're dumed, we'll take them with us kind of thing)and that it spreads throughout the world. In another I believe it's Stu, but maybe Glen (sounds like Glen anyway) says that he's guessing taht across the worlds there are new Boulders or Free Zones are created and that soon enough society will start rebuilding itself. As for the shift between Good and Evil... No mentioning that I couls recall.

[fleecymango]

Hi, My first post, so bare with me.
I think that other countries had the superflu, but the whole travelling to flagg and abagail, well we know Flagg travels between worlds - Dark tower, but what about Abagail?
It is Abigail isnt it? Only read it seven times, but my memory is rubbish!

[luckygehrig]

Also, doesn't Flagg (in the expanded version anyway) show up and find some tribesmen that apparently survived the flu? I know for sure that it was mentioned earlier in the book that agents who were operating around the world were going to be given vials and told to release them (though they weren't going to be told what was in them). I think it's safe to assume that the rest of the world was probably going through things similar to those in the US (though perhaps minus the Flagg/Mother Abigail saga).

[aeroplane]

If the flu was really that potent, I'd think it would have spread around the world eventually without the help of agents and their vials.

Fact is, all it took was one army reject, a police officer and traveling salesman to start a "chain letter" that managed to wipe out the US.

Just one or two people coming back to countries in the "rest of the world" (i.e. Russia) by sea or air, from the US or Mexico, would have eventually started a chain letter over in Europe and Asia.