11/22/63 ******Spoilers!!!

[Heather19]

Yeah, I know you don't trust my opinion But you really need to read it! And to me the story isn't about time travel and saving Kennedy. That's just the backdrop for the real story.

[mae]

And to me the story isn't about time travel and saving Kennedy. That's just the backdrop for the real story.

Exactly.

[DoctorDodge]

If the fact that about 97 percent of the posters on this board, King fans, the general public, and literary critics have highly highly praised this book isn't enough for you to give it a shot, then I don't think anything will.

See, that's almost offputting in itself: I haven't seen anything this hyped up since, well, Avatar. As a result, I'll be expecting one of the best King books ever written and probably won't be able to judge it on its own terms.

Yeah, I know you don't trust my opinion But you really need to read it! And to me the story isn't about time travel and saving Kennedy. That's just the backdrop for the real story.

Maybe once the hype's died down, certainly. Which should be pretty easy: I'm in the middle - well, first quarter - of Game of Thrones atm, so it'll be a while before I get the chance to read any other book.

[mae]

It's not hype. Hype, to me, is unsubstantiated. This novel has received very well argued positive reviews.

[Jean]

What do you think about my thoughts Jean? I really don't think the world falling apart was do just because of Kennedy being alive. I think had some other significant event changed the same thing would have happened, and other catastrophic effects would have followed.

Why, of course; but I think King didn't handle it right, the picture just isn't plausible. Whenever I read King mentioning any world event, I can't expel from my thoughts the picture of a globe of America standing on his desk.

DD: the world declining is only one minor thing, not in any way the focus of the book. I think you should read it (maybe not right now, since there's a lot of wonderful books you got to read first; but you should read it anyway. The story itself is wonderful, it is one of the best stories ever.

Yeah, I know you don't trust my opinion But you really need to read it! And to me the story isn't about time travel and saving Kennedy. That's just the backdrop for the real story.

This, yes.

[DoctorDodge]

Why, of course; but I think King didn't handle it right, the picture just isn't plausible. Whenever I read King mentioning any world event, I can't expel from my thoughts the picture of a globe of America standing on his desk.

I really laughed out loud at that statement, because it really is too fucking true. Still, it's an American writer, so I can't be too surprised. Just like a lot of "world events" in British scifi shows usually only seem to take place in London unless an American broadcaster funds it.

DD: the world declining is only one minor thing, not in any way the focus of the book. I think you should read it (maybe not right now, since there's a lot of wonderful books you got to read first; but you should read it anyway. The story itself is wonderful, it is one of the best stories ever.

Yeah, I know you don't trust my opinion But you really need to read it! And to me the story isn't about time travel and saving Kennedy. That's just the backdrop for the real story.

This, yes.

Ok, well I'll eventually get round to reading it. However, Heather recommended it, so I'll put it near the back of the list. (Yes, I still haven't forgiven you for Carnivale yet, or for thinking that Zagreus wasn't near total self indulgent shite! )

[Heather19]

Well in that case I take back my recommendation! Now you can hurry up and read it

[DoctorDodge]

No, you told me how much I'd enjoy Carnivale, and I told you how much you'd enjoy Withnail & I, and we both found the other's recommendation ultimately boring. Once you've made a recommendation, you can't take it back, dem's da rulez!

[Heather19]

Hey, I never said you'd like it, just that you had to read it!

[Tik]

Maybe this was just me but when I read about the green/yellow/black card men in the book, I couldn't help but think that maybe we were seeing agents of the Great Old Ones Imperium (from the DT novels) for the very first time in person.

[TCCBodhi]

It's possibly been mentioned elsewhere, but I think I may have found this more interesting in the "JFK Lives" modern time is the disasterous results had come as a result of whatever future decisions would have been made by him, rather than it being the more supernatural "butterfly effect" time earthquakes and yellow card men. In other words, the only supernatural event could have been simply the doorway to the past and the story as a whole would have been more

I personally admire JFK a lot but I would have been fascinated by the butterfly effect of his future decisions that were never made. Unintended consequences of those decisions could have led to the destroyed world of the last bit of the book without resorting to the supernatural ripping of the world. Just imagine if the Cuban Missile Crisis incident had played out differently, or if he hadn't been alive during THAT crisis. The world as we know it would be quite different just from that event, let alone several potential terms and a lifetime of decisions from him.

I still enjoyed the book more than any other non-DT book in the last decade or more but I was just a little bit unsatisfied with the ending section.

[Jean]

I think I may have found this more interesting in the "JFK Lives" modern time is the disasterous results had come as a result of whatever future decisions would have been made by him, rather than it being the more supernatural "butterfly effect" time earthquakes and yellow card men.

Yes.

[Squidward]

Literally just finished 11-22-63 and I have to say that I throughly enjoyed it. I felt quite emotional by the end, always a good sign when a book or film's ending stays with you.

[Merlin1958]

Literally just finished 11-22-63 and I have to say that I throughly enjoyed it. I felt quite emotional by the end, always a good sign when a book or film's ending stays with you.

I'm with the squid!!!!

[John_Kenton]

Let me start by saying I enjoyed this novel immensely, although I was surprised of how much the love story dominated parts of the book. As with most of the more recent novels (eg Lisey's Story), I found myself enjoying the book for King's use of the written word as well as for pace, character, or plot.

It definitely made me decide to browse the alternate history genre in the next couple of months. As for Kennedy, there are lots of interesting speculations around, eg http://www.impeachjfk.com/. And then there is that book by Jeff Greenfield that I might just read next month: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9...ything-changed.

[Garrell]

Basically King snuck in another "love story". Only this time I fell in love with the characters in the story, one of his best Take out the love story aspect and it was still great!!!!!!!!

[Steve]

11/22/63 was King's finest book since It, easily. And no wonder -- it seems King put himself back in that mindset when he revisited Derry in 1958. The Jodie story was some beautiful stuff, and the Jake-Sadie relationship was the best developed love story King has written in ages, if not ever. Loved the nod to James Ellroy's superior Underworld U.S.A. trilogy, and the last scene had me in tears. I do, however, wonder what might have been, as King himself wrote:

I'd like to tell a time-travel story where this guy finds a diner that connects to 1958... you always go back to the same day. So one day he goes back and just stays. Leaves his 2007 life behind. His goal? To get up to November 22, 1963, and stop Lee Harvey Oswald. He does, and he's convinced he's just FIXED THE WORLD. But when he goes back to '07, the world's a nuclear slag-heap. Not good to fool with Father Time. So then he has to go back again and stop himself... only he's taken on a fatal dose of radiation, so it's a race against time.

[mtdman]

Doing a re-listen to the book right now. I so dig this book.

[noal]

Just finished last night!

I enjoyed the book and found the story interesting but some of the Dallas parts did drag slightly.
The Oswald family parts I didn't really care for but I wouldn't say I disliked them.
A bit fantastical? Probably, but I like the book and really wanted them to get together at the end; sod the end of the world!

[Ben Mears]

Doing a re-listen to the book right now. I so dig this book.

Same here. I believe it is one of his best.

[shaneo]

Reading this one right now.

[Zone88]

n00b here..
a longtime SK reader since '84
with pet semetary and the gunslinger
and have read all his books

and I consider this one
one of the finest EVAR!!1!

[kirin]

reading it right now been good so far he just got a beating and is having memory problems so farish through.....

[Jean]

kirin!!!

I hope you won't disappear again, post something else!

[kirin]

Something else !