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View Full Version : 19-99 - so what?



Letti
01-15-2008, 12:12 AM
I might be insane but as I was reading the books I got more and more sure that it would turn out that it was Roland's 19th or 99th loop and that's why these numbers follow the ka-tet everywhere. (I had met some spoilers that's why I could think of it for long however I didn't finish the series yet.)
I was so damn sure about it and I felt some pride :rolleyes: as well that I could find it out by myself.
That's one thing that I was wrong because King didn't mention such things at all

BUT

did we get any answer why these numbers followed the ka-tet? Did I miss something? I was reading the last book so fast (when I strated to read it at last) that it might be possible I missed something but it's hard for me to believe it.

Do we know what this 19/99 thing was exactly?

Jean
01-15-2008, 12:17 AM
I don't think you are insane; the theory that it's Roland's 19th loop is time-honored (I first saw it offered by Taheen74 at .net, but it could have predated her) and looks pretty sound; at least I don't know of any better interpretation.

Letti
01-15-2008, 12:18 AM
And did we get any answer? Did King give any explanation in the books?

Dud-a-chum?
01-15-2008, 01:00 AM
I always thought that it was merely a twenty-three enigma type thing: Roland's world's number is 99, while the keystone world's is 19. (Or is it the other way around? I forget what Robin's concordance states and am too tired and lazy to go look it up, but you get my point)

The whole idea of 19 is that things can turn up in subsequent levels of the Tower in different forms, but still real as far as that particular world is concerned. (Alternate names on novels, movie and comic book characters being real in some worlds and fiction in other, etc.)

I may not be exactly right on that, but I'm pretty sure I'm at least on the right track with it.

Wuducynn
01-15-2008, 06:35 AM
The year the kas-ka Gan should have died...19 and 99. The Keystone Rose and Tower Keystone worlds ka's connected..

jayson
01-15-2008, 06:58 AM
Matt is right. The whole 19 and 99 thing was to point the Tet in the direction of the year of 1999 in the Keystone world [remember, Keystone world, keystone date of June 19, etc...].

Randall Flagg
01-15-2008, 07:08 AM
King penned the first words to the DT series on June 19, 1970.
King was struck and almost killed on June 19, 1999.
For those reasons, (and possibly others) the numbers 19 and 99 are highly relevant not only to King, but DT fans too.

Wuducynn
01-15-2008, 07:29 AM
I've got Number 99 of the Constant Reader sculpture :cool:

Mattrick
01-15-2008, 06:00 PM
HEY THE NUMBERS!!! FROM LOST

19+99=118 from the hatch, which the numbers add up to.

WHAT

Erin
01-15-2008, 08:22 PM
The Lost numbers add up to "108", not "118".

Mattrick
01-15-2008, 09:33 PM
it's an abbreviation....

god.

Letti
01-15-2008, 10:21 PM
King penned the first words to the DT series on June 19, 1970.
King was struck and almost killed on June 19, 1999.
For those reasons, (and possibly others) the numbers 19 and 99 are highly relevant not only to King, but DT fans too.

Thank you, Jerome. :rose:

Darkthoughts
01-16-2008, 02:44 AM
it's an abbreviation....

god.

118 is an abbreviation of 108? :ninja:

To The Dark Tower Came
01-22-2008, 09:04 AM
I've always wanted to know the significance to "Ka-Tet of the 99"

Maybe it was the name/number of Gunslingers who fought and died at Jericho Hill. Or maybe it was a bit of memory from previous cycles leaking into the one presented to us.

jayson
01-22-2008, 09:07 AM
or maybe it was to guide them to the year of 99 in which king had to be saved from the minivan. i think it says in WotC how many gunslingers were with Roland and Jericho Hill, and it was more than 99.

Letti
01-22-2008, 09:10 AM
I've always wanted to know the significance to "Ka-Tet of the 99"

1. Maybe it was the name/number of Gunslingers who fought and died at Jericho Hill.
2. Or maybe it was a bit of memory from previous cycles leaking into the one presented to us.
I don't think it's possible because in this case Roland should have known the meaning of the number 99. But he didn't know it. He used it he saw it everywhere but he couldn't put its meaning into words.
If I remember well.
2. More possible.

zadok
01-22-2008, 11:06 AM
King penned the first words to the DT series on June 19, 1970.
King was struck and almost killed on June 19, 1999.
For those reasons, (and possibly others) the numbers 19 and 99 are highly relevant not only to King, but DT fans too.

See "On being 19" at the beginning of The Gunslinger. He was 22 when he began writing it in 1970. But how do you know it was June 19th?

zadok
01-22-2008, 11:18 AM
I've always wanted to know the significance to "Ka-Tet of the 99"

Maybe it was the name/number of Gunslingers who fought and died at Jericho Hill. Or maybe it was a bit of memory from previous cycles leaking into the one presented to us.


Jake said it, Roland didn't know what it meant at the time.

jayson
01-22-2008, 11:28 AM
I've always wanted to know the significance to "Ka-Tet of the 99"

Maybe it was the name/number of Gunslingers who fought and died at Jericho Hill. Or maybe it was a bit of memory from previous cycles leaking into the one presented to us.


Jake said it, Roland didn't know what it meant at the time.

True that, though Jake could have picked it up through the touch.

To The Dark Tower Came
01-22-2008, 11:28 AM
Jake said it, Roland didn't know what it meant at the time.

I don't have the books with me. After I finished I loaned them to a friend, but didn't Roland whisper it for Jake to say to the assembly?

Letti
01-22-2008, 11:29 AM
For my part I don't remember anything like that.
(But it doesn't mean anything my memory is not the best.)

zadok
01-22-2008, 11:45 AM
Jake said it, Roland didn't know what it meant at the time.

I don't have the books with me. After I finished I loaned them to a friend, but didn't Roland whisper it for Jake to say to the assembly?

Nope. Jake just blurted it out.

zadok
01-22-2008, 11:47 AM
I've always wanted to know the significance to "Ka-Tet of the 99"

Maybe it was the name/number of Gunslingers who fought and died at Jericho Hill. Or maybe it was a bit of memory from previous cycles leaking into the one presented to us.


Jake said it, Roland didn't know what it meant at the time.

True that, though Jake could have picked it up through the touch.

Jake seemed to be privvy to many things after getting run over...the 1st time.
:beat:

ATG
01-22-2008, 07:14 PM
Invert the first number and go karma sutra!
69

To The Dark Tower Came
01-23-2008, 07:24 AM
Invert the first number and go karma sutra!
69

oh baby...bokka chicka wow wow

Ka-tet
02-23-2008, 01:26 PM
I recently put a friend onto the dark tower(he finished the serise recently) and the other day we were discussing the meaning of 19? When we thought about it we realised that...there was no explanation ><

Are we just not looking hard enough?

alinda
02-23-2008, 02:01 PM
Here ya go.....bumpity bump!


King penned the first words to the DT series on June 19, 1970.
King was struck and almost killed on June 19, 1999.
For those reasons, (and possibly others) the numbers 19 and 99 are highly relevant not only to King, but DT fans too.

Letti
02-24-2008, 12:09 AM
You are right, there is no explanation but still there are answers. Linda has just showed you one.

jayson
02-24-2008, 05:52 AM
but there was a reason...

the Ka of the Rose's world was 19
the Ka of the Tower's was 99

together they make 1999, the keystone year in the keystone world with the keystone date of june 19th to save king. it was all about saving king.

Ka-tet
02-24-2008, 05:54 AM
A little light has been shed on this.

Thankee

/k/ommando
04-16-2008, 07:36 PM
Adding to the idea that the 19 signified his nineteenth pilgramage... What if he had to make 99 trips? Just a little idea to chew on, it's late here and I can't seem to expound on it more.

LadyHitchhiker
04-22-2008, 01:48 PM
I like that idea.