Stephen King Question/Curiosity

[DrHerbertWest]

I've been reading Stephen King's Insomnia after having bought it from the discard section at the library for $0.25.

For those who haven't read it, I won't spoil anything. However, the plot involves an older man named Ralph who can see people's "auras" and he meets an alien being that controls who dies when and how. The closer he gets to finding this creature, the more he can see and (telepathically) know.

Well, he sees items belonging to dead people in this alien being's lair and here's an excerpt:

"Here was the sneaker of a little boy named Gage Creed, run down by a speeding tanker-truck on Route 15 in Ludlow"

For those who haven't read/seen Pet Sematary, that's the little boy in the movie.

My QUESTION (finally, right?! Haha) is... Has Stephen King intertwined any of his characters or storylines before? The second I read it, I was very amused. Just wondering for those who have read more of his books than I have.

[Spacevis]

that is interesting. I'll have to ask my gf, she's yhe King-expert in this house.

[Workshed]

Yeah, man, that's a cool part in Insomnia. Stephen King does this often, culminating with his Dark Tower series (in fact, there is a very strong Dark Tower moment in Insomnia that eventually ties into Bk. 7 in that series), in which many, many threads from other books become entwined.

I recommend The Stephen King Universe, which is a great resource for all the nice little nods, hints, and threads that he gives and ties together in his novels--not just in the Dark Tower series, either.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580631606

[eric_angelus]

Yeah, he has done it alot. For example, Alan Pangborne, the Castle Rock cop is in both Needful Things as well as The Dark Half. Also in Cujo, there is a reference to the serial killer in The Dead Zone.

[RyanPC]

Yep. Events that happened in The Dead Zone are mentioned at the beginning of Cujo, and I believe the priest (Father Callahan?) from Salem's Lot is a character in one of the more recent Dark Tower books. The events in Cujo were mentioned in--I think-- Pet Sematary. And of course Dolores Claiborne and Gerald's Game are both connected by a major plot point. There's more but I can't think of them off the top of my head.

[allmessedup]

I remember one of the early novels [I think it's CARRIE] made a reference to Teddy Duchamp. I think he wrote something about a gas station "where that Duchamp boy worked until he died in that car wreck" or something like that.

He also makes a reference to Cujo in THE BODY--basically how Chopper was the most feared dog in the area until Cujo came along. That might be the one you're thinking of instead of PET SEMATARY, but I haven't read that one in so long...he might have referred to Cujo in both books.

[DrHerbertWest]

Awesome. I had no idea.

[Spacevis]

http://www.horrorking.com seems to have quite an impressive list of characters that appear in more than one story

[_pi_]

This is one of the reasons I love King so much - reading his body of work is like stepping into a familiar world!

[JW77]

Yeah, pretty much every Stephen King short story and novel takes place in the same "universe."

Derry and Castle Rock -- where a lot of King's novels take place -- are both fictional towns that coexist in Maine.

Even "The Stand" (where an event causes the world to end around 1991) and "Eyes of the Dragon" (a fairy tale) share characters and wrap into the larger tapestry.

The lynchpin that holds everything together is the Dark Tower (which is a seven part series in its own right).

[Cujo108]

Off the top of my head, Cujo is also referenced in The Sun Dog and Mrs. Todd's Shortcut. Night Surf deals with the same flu epidemic as The Stand. This is one of the things that makes King's work so endearing.

[Paff]

Yeah, I definitely remember a reference to "that time Joe Camber's dog Cujo went crazy"

Although I'd ask the library for my quarter back on Insomnia. That was a terrible book. Not sure if Steve-o changed, or I did, but that was a chore to read.

Still, I'm waiting for Lamp Monster. That's the one where the couple is attacked by a......um......Lamp Monster.

[Workshed]

Night Surf deals with the same flu epidemic as The Stand. This is one of the things that makes King's work so endearing.

I love that short story. I read it before The Stand, and when I finally got to The Stand, I was like, "Ohhhh...." Good stuff.

[betterdan]

Check out the characters in Desperation and The Regulators.

[Fistfuck]

In Night Shift there's a short story taking place after Captain Tripps.

Also, Gage Creed is played by Stephen King in the TV adaptation of the Shining.

[_pi_]

Although I'd ask the library for my quarter back on Insomnia. That was a terrible book. Not sure if Steve-o changed, or I did, but that was a chore to read.

Couldn't agree more. I usually love everything King writes, but Insomnia was boring as hell. It took me forever to finish it. In retrospect, though, there are some very memorable chapters. It's been a few years since I got through it, but I remember some stuff from it very vividly.