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View Full Version : Ur **spoilers**



CyberGhostface
05-07-2010, 12:16 PM
So I didn't see any threads on this (but given the title, it's hard to do a full search). Originally, as you all know, it was a Kindle exclusive but they recently released it on audiobook for the rest of us. I finished listening to it yesterday.

For those who don't know, it's about a guy who receives a special pink Kindle that can essentially access books and stuff from millions of parallel universes--I.E. universes where Hemingway or Poe lived on and wrote more books, etc.

Anyway, the first chunk of the story really felt like King was shilling the heck out of the Kindle, and it got really annoying; how the main character was marveling at how inexpensive it was, how convenient, etc and how all the other characters are like "Cool, it's a Kindle!" I get that King is writing about the Kindle for the Kindle, but c'mon...

That being said, I really found the concept of what it would be like to view millions of parallel 'books' on the Kindle to be very fascinating. There's also a bit where they look at newspaper archives from alternate realities where different presidents got reelected, where Kennedy wasn't assassinated, etc. Really interesting stuff.

Anyway, the second half of the story takes a different turn, almost as if King felt he needed a more dynamic plot--so the Kindle also turns out to show newspaper articles from the future, which just so happens to show a tragedy that impacts the protagonist personally. So he decides to see if he can interfere with the future. It was very exciting but felt a bit disjointed from the first half.

Finally...for all you DT junkies, there's a fair amount of Dark Tower references. :rose: At first, it's vague (to non DT readers, I guess) where there's an image of a Tower surrounded by roses.

At the end, however, it gets pretty heavy--creatures that are obviously meant to draw similarities to the Low Men (they are even called Low Men in Yellow Coats at one point) appear because the protagonist messed up with reality with his Kindle. But if these ARE Low Men, then that makes little sense--the Low Men in this story are horrific creatures, but are still trying to preserve the order of reality. Now, if I'm correct, wouldn't the Low Men from the Dark Tower series be AGAINST such a thing?

So there's a number of lines such as "Everything serves the Tower", etc. I admit that I had a bit of a fangasm here but in the end I don't felt the story needed them.

So, overall, I guess I'd give the story a 7 or 8 of 10. Despite King's blatant shilling of the Kindle, it was an interesting story with some fascinating ideas.

mae
05-07-2010, 01:40 PM
Without being facetious, I don't think King purposefully pimped the Kindle at all in this story.

disel24
05-07-2010, 02:22 PM
If I remember correctly there are some Taheen or Low Men that serve the White.. I don't remember where I read that but I do recall something along the lines of not all of them working for the Crimson King....

Plus, playing devil's advocate, if this happens after a certain point in the series, wouldn't it be in the interests of those Low Men to serve?

CyberGhostface
05-10-2010, 12:02 PM
Without being facetious, I don't think King purposefully pimped the Kindle at all in this story.

Considering how much how he's raved on end about the Kindle for Entertainment Weekly, it doesn't seem out of the question that he'd intentionally pimp it for a story about it.

Gris
05-11-2010, 05:06 AM
I also felt that he was heavily complimenting the Kindle at the beginning. He even worked in the anbgle of the Kindle being a gadget that is perfectly suited for an Academic Technophobe to use.

That aside, because I really didn't care when reading it (as a pdf, not on kindle), I thought the story was great. It does go right along with the idea of different levels of the tower leading to an infinite number os possible past and futures. I thinkt he story was really well written overall, and entertaining.

WeDealInLead
08-16-2011, 10:46 AM
I liked the story until Low Men showed up. I feel the same way about these two specific Low Men as CGF. Too forgiving, too reasonable and just plain unnecessary to the story. They're basically a cop out so King wouldn't have to think of an actual ending.

flaggwalkstheline
08-16-2011, 11:45 AM
sounds kinda like a digital spin on the word processor of the gods

WeDealInLead
08-17-2011, 11:32 AM
Word Processor is more to the point and more cohesive. UR is basically telling you don't mess with the time paradox or Low Men will come to take away your Kindle and will let you off with a warning. There, that's the whole story.

Brainslinger
06-30-2014, 05:41 PM
If I remember correctly there are some Taheen or Low Men that serve the White.. I don't remember where I read that but I do recall something along the lines of not all of them working for the Crimson King....

Plus, playing devil's advocate, if this happens after a certain point in the series, wouldn't it be in the interests of those Low Men to serve?

I wondered at their apparent protection of reality too. and I wondered if these ones served the other side... but then I read about the badges that looked like red eyes. Yeah, these guys serve the Crimson King, or at least used to.

You'd have thought they would welcome a paradox to help bring down the Tower, but maybe they want the Tower brought down in their own schedule without wild-cards out there helping. (Not that I think the Tower was in much danger from being brought down by paradoxes. ) I think their role of 'paradox police might have just been a ruse, anyway, so they can get their claws onto this interesting new gadget...