Revival...do NOT open unless finished book! *SPOILERS*

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Dsudimack

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Nov 11, 2014
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I don't remember leatherheads being in Lisey's Story. :umm: Time for a re-read methinks.
From their description in UTD I've always felt The Leatherheads were
nothing more than "aliens", and the alien children were simply playing with the Dome for entertainment to watch these creatures (humans) that were alien to them suffer.
I think there was a part in the story where where Lisey enters that world and there are people sitting on benches or something with those leather masks.... I could be wrong... It's been years since I read that book... Maybe it was Rose Madder.
 

Moderator

Ms. Mod
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I was thinking of little sisters of alluria... Didn't the sisters come together out of a collection of ants? In Revival, it says that the people serve the ants, the ants serve the great ones.... Maybe the sisters were some of the great ones...
I just skimmed through Little Sisters of Eluria and could only find them described as bugs but never specifically ants unless I missed the reference. In my mind when I first read the story I imagined them looking like beetles. ;-D
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
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Kurben, I was wondering that a bit myself. I think on reflection he was very self aware of the Revs effect on him and on others. He also had his talks with the psychiatrists. Remember he had known the Rev longer that anyone. I actually had very little sympathy for the Rev. I think his faith must not have been very strong to have fallen away when his family died. I think his drug of choice was electricity. If he had not lost his family he probably would have continued to obssess over his experiments. He would have been driven one way or another to go further and further. The only time I felt sympathy for him was in giving the Bad Sermon.

I have to say I loved this book. I loved the feel of time passing. I loved the periods of normal interspersed with bits of weird. I know we've all ahd our share of King weird, creepy ans scary. I think this has one of the best major weird scenes. With woman who died from mad cow and what was seen. That left my head pounding in the best possible way. I'm going to hide this for a while so the re read is really fun.
 

Dsudimack

Member
Nov 11, 2014
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128
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Kurben, I was wondering that a bit myself. I think on reflection he was very self aware of the Revs effect on him and on others. He also had his talks with the psychiatrists. Remember he had known the Rev longer that anyone. I actually had very little sympathy for the Rev. I think his faith must not have been very strong to have fallen away when his family died. I think his drug of choice was electricity. If he had not lost his family he probably would have continued to obssess over his experiments. He would have been driven one way or another to go further and further. The only time I felt sympathy for him was in giving the Bad Sermon.

I have to say I loved this book. I loved the feel of time passing. I loved the periods of normal interspersed with bits of weird. I know we've all ahd our share of King weird, creepy ans scary. I think this has one of the best major weird scenes. With woman who died from mad cow and what was seen. That left my head pounding in the best possible way. I'm going to hide this for a while so the re read is really fun.
His faith must not have been strong to begin with if he was already reading the necronomicon (or the book it was based on) before they passed. And he must have read that before he cured Con.
 
Mar 12, 2010
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I have a question about Revival that i would like an opinion on. I loved the book but it was one thing i'm not sure i totally got. When the ending at Skytop takes place but then there is the aftermath. The Revs cures going mad and killing themslves and some others. But Jamie is basically OK. He has the talks with the psychiatris, true but he never even has urges to do things like all the other cured did. The only difference between him and them is that he was there, at the Skytop, when it happened. But i don't see why that should save him from any urges to kill, commit suicide or become really mentally ill (like his brother). Has i got it totally wrong? Did i miss something or whatam i overlooking? Opinions, Please!!!

I got the idea that people with illnesses that were the most severe and needed the most secret electricity were the ones more likely to commit suicide or become mentally unstable. Sooner or later, the rest followed - depending on how much secret electricity they'd received. Con was pretty old by the time his mind cracked. Mary's illness required the most secret electricity so...

I'd have to reread Revival to check my idea and I'm not ready to do that yet lol so for now it's just an idea :)
 

Dsudimack

Member
Nov 11, 2014
16
128
42
I
I got the idea that people with illnesses that were the most severe and needed the most secret electricity were the ones more likely to commit suicide or become mentally unstable. Sooner or later, the rest followed - depending on how much secret electricity they'd received. Con was pretty old by the time his mind cracked. Mary's illness required the most secret electricity so...

I'd have to reread Revival to check my idea and I'm not ready to do that yet lol so for now it's just an idea :)
There was a part where the book quoted something saying that anyone who knew the truth about what came after death would loose their mind... Jamie said that the only thing keeping him sane was the thought that the other world could be a second illusion.
 

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Ms. Mod
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Hey... Do you remember why Jamie called the Rev his fifth business?
The term comes from a novel by the same name written by Robertson Davies in which he writes: "Those roles which, being neither those of Hero nor Heroine, Confidante nor Villain, but which were nonetheless essential to bring about the Recognition or the dénouement, were called the Fifth Business in drama and opera companies."
 

Haunted

This is my favorite place
Mar 26, 2008
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The woods are lovely dark and deep
I don't remember leatherheads being in Lisey's Story. :umm: Time for a re-read methinks.
From their description in UTD I've always felt The Leatherheads were
nothing more than "aliens", and the alien children were simply playing with the Dome for entertainment to watch these creatures (humans) that were alien to them suffer.

As soon as the vision of naked people and the ants herding them appeared I thought of UTD plus the reference to more powerful others.
 

king4aday

Well-Known Member
Apr 22, 2013
53
155
I have a question about Revival that i would like an opinion on. I loved the book but it was one thing i'm not sure i totally got. When the ending at Skytop takes place but then there is the aftermath. The Revs cures going mad and killing themslves and some others. But Jamie is basically OK. He has the talks with the psychiatris, true but he never even has urges to do things like all the other cured did. The only difference between him and them is that he was there, at the Skytop, when it happened. But i don't see why that should save him from any urges to kill, commit suicide or become really mentally ill (like his brother). Has i got it totally wrong? Did i miss something or whatam i overlooking? Opinions, Please!!!

Ed, his psychiatrist, and antidepressants were also crucial in his ability to remain, somewhat together, but mainly it was what he saw behind death's door that kept him from killing himself.

I think having known there were ants involved (by Hugh's descriptions and those Jamie saw come out of the cake) Jamie should have brought some Raid to the party in the end of the book and used it rather than a gun. That was a bit of a let down that bothered me having a single shot whither this thing. Everything else at the end was creepy but the giant ants did not do it for me. Other than that I loved the story, and most of all, I had fun reading it.
 

king4aday

Well-Known Member
Apr 22, 2013
53
155
I finished Revival yesterday. I enjoyed it. It's so early after release, I don't really want to say too much. One thing I will mention is this: Maybe it's just blatantly obvious to some, but I found it a nice subtle reference that the maiden name of the Mary character's mother was Shelley. Nice touch SK, especially given that character's role in the story.

And don't forget, Mary's son's name was Victor. Another nod to Shelley's Frankenstein.
 

kingricefan

All-being, keeper of Space, Time & Dimension.
Jul 11, 2006
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I just skimmed through Little Sisters of Eluria and could only find them described as bugs but never specifically ants unless I missed the reference. In my mind when I first read the story I imagined them looking like beetles. ;-D
Michael Whelan illustrated them as beetles, so there must be something somewhere in LSOE where it says what they looked like? When I read the story that is how I pictured them. I'm too tired to look it up right now.
 

Dsudimack

Member
Nov 11, 2014
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Hi, would someone please explain how Jamie was the 'conduit' for the lighting? Thank you.
If you've read the shot story Everything's Eventual, or the Shining (Danny) Stephen has these characters with this power that lets them tie in with the Beam (the dark tower). In DT, these people are recruited to actually destroy the beam in a way. I think Jamie is one of these characters. He's not powerful just because he's been touched by the 'secret electricity,' but because he has a touch of the 'shine,' and can act as a sort of black hole to the secret electricity. Which I think is like the todash.
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
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NJ
I finished Revival yesterday. I enjoyed it. It's so early after release, I don't really want to say too much. One thing I will mention is this: Maybe it's just blatantly obvious to some, but I found it a nice subtle reference that the maiden name of the Mary character's mother was Shelley. Nice touch SK, especially given that character's role in the story.
Also...

Mary's son's name is Victor. :wink: