Rating: 
Summary: Not bad but.....
Review: I was excited to read this book being a fan for years and years and I was interested in learning of all the connections, some I was aware of and many I was not. However, there were some errors, and as I believe someone else mentioned, if you haven't read the books, the endings are all revealed, all though somewhat simplified. This was the fundamental problem with the whole book, it read like a high school book report. What I did enjoy about the book was that it made mention of many stories I had read but forgot about and I plan on rereading most of them.
Rating: 
Summary: A comment from one of the authors, Hank Wagner.
Review: I'm one of the co-authors, so I have nothing but good things to say about the book. Don't take my word for it, however. Publishers Weekly liked the SKU, and so did the Library Journal, among others. But my favorite comments so far come from noted King scholar Stephen J. Spignesi, author of THE COMPLETE STEPHEN KING ENCYCLOPEDIA, THE LOST WORK OF STEPHEN KING, and THE ESSENTIAL STEPHEN KING. I'd like to share them with you.Stephen Spignesi on the SKU: A thought occurred to me while reading THE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE. It occurred to me that this book might be one of the single most important books about Stephen King ever written. Why? Because it not only proceeds from the assumption that King's work is worthy of intensive, comprehensive study, but it also puts his entire body of work within a specific context. It treats his lifetime of writing as a Master's Catalog of Art that can be looked at as a single entity, regardless of the varying degrees of excellence present in individual works. Beginning with the premise that all of King's work is intertwined in an intricate weave of overlapping narrative threads, with the world of the DARK TOWER as the linchpin around which everything else orbits, Wiater, Golden, and Wagner carefully prove their point, in an entertaining, intriguing, and, thoroughly indisputable way. Is there another 20th/21st century writer whose work is worthy of such deconstruction? Of course...but the names on THAT list are going to be John Irving, Tom Wolfe, Don DeLillo, Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, Thomas Pynchon, etc., NOT the best-selling "popular" writers that are often mentioned in the same breath as Stephen King and with whom he often shares spots on the best-seller lists. THE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE is as important a book as Douglas Winter's seminal STEPHEN KING: THE ART OF DARKNESS, which paved the way for the rest of us, we Chroniclers of the King. THE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE is a major contribution to the field of scholarship about King, and King's fans should be grateful that Stan Wiater, Chris Golden, and Hank Wagner - a truly talented and insightful drawing of the three -- have done the kind of work it took to research and write THE STEPHEN KING UNIVERSE. Hank Wagner back again: Be careful Steve, you'll turn our heads!
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not the best it could be
Review: If you need proof that this book is good, use me. I will read a novel cover to cover in a day or two, but I generally browse through nonfiction. I read the SMU cover to cover in two days. I'm a huge fan of all things King and was thrilled that some one put together a book that documents the connections in his works. There are a few problems I noticed. Typographical errors in a published work irritate me. It makes me think that it was just thrown together. Second, I too have noticed some dicrepancies. Like when referring back to Insomnia, Ed Deepneau's wife is called Natalie, who was really his daughter. Overall this is a good read, if only to re-familiarize yourself with his works, or to encourage you to read (or re-read) all of King's works. Of course it is more fun to discover the connections youself!
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Universe
Review: In his dozens of books, Stephen King has created a world like none other. Every book and every story are linked together to create a unifying world like none other in the world of fiction. Now, in the book The Stephen King Universe, three talented authors have collected all of King's work and have tried to show the link that ties them to one another. The book is great as a reference manual on King's novel and stories. Every book receives a brief synopsis with a description of the major characters as well as a film synopsis/analysis if it applies. Unfortunately, the book does have a few errors (like saying the the Black house - the next Talisman book - is actually the next Dark Tower Novel) but the book is mostly complete in describing the ties and links between the novels and films. Anyone who wants to learn more about the amazing world King has created should get this book. I enjoyed reading it and I'll keep it close whenever I'm reading a King novel.
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Summary: The book is great except...
Review: IT TELLS HOW EVERY BOOK UP TO DREAMCATHER ENDS! WHAT KIND OF A SICK SCHMUCK WOULD DO THAT! KING NEWBIES, DON'T BUY IT!
Rating:
Summary: The book is great except...
Review: IT TELLS HOW EVERY BOOK UP TO DREAMCATHER ENDS! WHAT KIND OF A SICK SCHMUCK WOULD DO THAT! KING NEWBIES, DON'T BUY IT!
Rating:
Summary: "Universe" helps settle an argument about "It."
Review: Pennywise does live, after all. I've had an occasional argument with people over my theory that King is working on a meganovel that will ultimately tie his previous works together. As support, I called attention to a brief mention in "Dreamcatcher" of Pennywise the Clown, the central villain of that King classic, "It." It is waved off, as just one of the mentions King makes of characters from previous works. Now don't get me wrong; ordinarily I'm all for turning the other cheek. Except... I'm right. "The Stephen King Universe" is not so much a companion piece to King's writings as it is an examination of the links between his fiction. "Universe" operates on the theory that King is working on a meganovel that will ultimately tie his previous works together, using the penultimate King tale, "The Dark Tower" series. Wiater and company uncover connections between books that you'd never suspect existed (Cujo may pop up in "Needful Things," while a character in "Misery" may have known someone from "It" as a child, to name just two). Everything (novel, short story, screen adaptation, e-book) before "Dreamcatcher" is examined in depth, while the histories of popular King towns like Derry, 'salem's Lot and Castle Rock are written out in a grand fashion. A character mention here, a throwaway line there - they take on more meaning in "Universe." The authors of the book also compile nifty thumbnail sketches of key characters in the novels. From "It": IT (aka MR. BOB GRAY, PENNYWISE THE CLOWN): "...In 1958, It is confronted and defeated by a group of small children calling themselves the Losers Club... In 1985, It is apparently killed by the Losers Club, now adults. It may still be alive, however." The whole book is a must-have for King fans, and those interested in looking more closely at his works. The authors' obvious enthusiasm for the author shines through, and is contagious. It's the kind of in-depth examination typically reserved for that which is consider a literary classic. The only difference is that this is something everyone can enjoy. And if you're still not convinced that the Ultimate Stephen King Novel is on the way, consider this quote from the Man himself about "Dark Tower" heroic gunslinger Roland, which appears on the back cover of "Universe": "I am coming to understand that Roland's world actually contains all the others of my making."
Rating:
Summary: Long Time King Fan
Review: Riddled with factual errors, this book makes me wonder if the authors went back and researched any of the stories or just relied on their memories. Case in point: The authors have Johnny Smith meeting Greg Stillson (Dead Zone) as the latter is running for president as a third party candidate, which is quite a bit different than what actually happened. They also claim that the car accident is what gave Johnny his sbilities, ignoring the fact taht Johnny himself realizes that his winnign streak with the carnival Wheel of Fortune happened before the accident. These kind of errors are found throughout the book. Personally, whwen I read a book that does not get the simple facts right, I can not put much faith into anything I read in it. Basically this is a collection of very brief plot synopses with out much new thought (although they do make an interesting correlation between the Talisman and the Dark Tower). There is no delving into symbolism or real analysis. All in all, a disapointment.
Rating:
Summary: A definitive, comprehensive and accessible reference
Review: Stanley Wiater, Christopher Golden, and Hank Wagner successfully collaborate in The Stephen King Universe to present the first examination of the totality of Stephen King's fiction to the reading public in general, and students of King's literary style in particular. Here examined are all the ways in which King's plots and characters, conflicts and themes intertwine in his short stories and novels. A definitive, comprehensive and accessible reference, The Stephen King Universe also includes the movies, teleplays, and television miniseries that King has authored. This impressive and seminal work is a "must" for the legions of Stephen King fans, as well as 20th Century American literary scholarship.
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Summary: At last a guide, and a map.
Review: Stanley Wiater, Christopher Golden, Hank Wagner are quite overwhelmed with their entreprise : to describe the Universe of Stephen King's fiction. But they do a marvelous job at it, even if some purists may find some mistakes, contradictions, etc. Each entry gives you a general presentation of the work, then a presentation of the characters and finally eventual adaptations to the screen. They also include in their work (which is not an encyclopedia) the works that were only produced for the screen, like The Golden Years and Cat's Eye They try, everytime it is possible to connect the characters, places , situations and artifacts from one book to the others. That is where the purists find some mistakes or misleading elements. But, as far as I know it is the first time such a book is published in such a format, in such length, hence in such usefulness, not only for Stephen King fans or addicts, but also for those who consider Stephen King's multimedia fiction as a social, cultural, and even political phenomenon that has to be studied in depth, in its plots, in its style, in its cross references. And it is not a simple compilation if not piling up of raw data, as so many other attempts amount to. No reference given here by me. Let me regret one thing though : the sources are not given, and that is a shortcoming. Stephen King always or nearly always works from a « model », a starting block that is a prompter : a film, a book, a situation (from the news for instance), and it would be interesting to show how on some themes he does not distanciate himself from the general principles of the model (Vampires are beasts that have to be destroyed, except in the long short-story « Popsy » where the vampire is actually a justice-maker and with a family structure behind : grandfather and grandson), to show too how on some themes, like Extraterrestrials, he takes a stand between two models and chooses the urban paranoid one : destroy them to the last. Where are the Encounters of the Third Type ? I will regret, for example too, that they do not study the rock and roll quotations in Christine. They are the reference used by King and they are meaningful and significant. A last remark : works are not in chronological order, neither of their actual writing nor of their publishing. This is also a handicap for those who want to understand the evolution of King's art and influence. An essential book nevertheless. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
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