'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Moderators: Brad D, Annie, Jonah, BookhouseBoyBob, Ross, Jerry Horne

IcedOver
RR Diner Member
Posts: 464
Joined: Sun Mar 26, 2017 1:31 pm

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by IcedOver »

I'm late to the party on this. I was going to rewatch the series and read this book before watching the new show. However, watching the show itself will take me into next week, and the book a lot longer. I wanted to watch the premiere sometime next week. Would you say it's important to read this whole book before the new series, or is it more of a standalone deal?
I DON'T FEEL GOOD!!!!!
User avatar
Mr. Reindeer
Lodge Member
Posts: 3680
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

IcedOver wrote:I'm late to the party on this. I was going to rewatch the series and read this book before watching the new show. However, watching the show itself will take me into next week, and the book a lot longer. I wanted to watch the premiere sometime next week. Would you say it's important to read this whole book before the new series, or is it more of a standalone deal?
It's really tough to say before having actually seen the series, but I'm inclined to say the latter. The book has some intriguing stuff, mostly rooted firmly in distant history. When it comes to the "present" of the original series (and very sparse references to events that occurred after Episode 29), the book seems to almost willfully defy continuity with the existing canon. Some have speculated that this hints at alternate realities in the show. The book's dubious canonicity makes it tough to even decide what its relationship to the show, new or old, is, until we've seen the Return (and possibly even until we've read the Final Dossier). All I can say with certainty is the vast majority of the events and themes dealt with feel far more Frostian than Lynchian, and for that reason I doubt much of it will directly bear on the new show. That's not a knock on the book, which I liked, and the series may prove me wrong.
User avatar
Saturn's child
RR Diner Member
Posts: 403
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2016 4:38 pm
Location: Blue Mountains

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by Saturn's child »

IcedOver wrote:I'm late to the party on this. I was going to rewatch the series and read this book before watching the new show. However, watching the show itself will take me into next week, and the book a lot longer. I wanted to watch the premiere sometime next week. Would you say it's important to read this whole book before the new series, or is it more of a standalone deal?
It's hard to say how prominently Secret History lore will figure in the new series, & ditto how much will be standalone vs. important... Judging when/how much to read also depends on how you value tie-in material (The Secret Diary, My Life, My Tapes, &c); does it significantly enrich the show's world for you? I'd say you'll be fine reading the book after the premiere (something to keep your mind in Twin Peaks while waiting for the next parts to air!), however Frost had this to say in a recent interview:

“Particularly at the mythological level, I was guided by some of the areas that we delve into in the new show. Without going into any detail, a rigorous examination of the book will not hurt your appreciation of what’s to come.”

I'm going to re-read at least significant portions before the premiere, but -- as they say -- your mileage may vary! :)
User avatar
Saturn's child
RR Diner Member
Posts: 403
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2016 4:38 pm
Location: Blue Mountains

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by Saturn's child »

Mr. Reindeer wrote:All I can say with certainty is the vast majority of the events and themes dealt with feel far more Frostian than Lynchian, and for that reason I doubt much of it will directly bear on the new show.
Very much agreed.
User avatar
Mr. Reindeer
Lodge Member
Posts: 3680
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

Another continuity error, for whoever was keeping that list: Garland says Doug's remains were scattered near the area where he saw the giant & the owl by Pearl Lakes as per the instructions in Doug's will (p. 341), then later says Doug left no instructions on disposing of his remains because he thought he would live forever, and Dwayne suggested the scattering (p. 358).
User avatar
teddyleevin
Roadhouse Member
Posts: 33
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2017 9:53 am
Contact:

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by teddyleevin »

Has anyone looked through the book with 3D glasses on? There's something peculiar about the colors at play.
4815162342
RR Diner Member
Posts: 137
Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2014 9:46 am

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by 4815162342 »

Curious about Pearl Lake vs Pearl Lakes, both are used in the series. Seems like a continuity error. The book uses Pearl Lake. How many lakes are there?!
dronerstone
RR Diner Member
Posts: 494
Joined: Tue Oct 06, 2015 12:31 pm

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by dronerstone »

teddyleevin wrote:Has anyone looked through the book with 3D glasses on? There's something peculiar about the colors at play.
Yes, this has been done before! There's been some talk about it on here, use the search function and see if you missed some. :)
Enjoy,
User avatar
Rudagger
RR Diner Member
Posts: 357
Joined: Thu Apr 30, 2015 6:29 pm

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by Rudagger »

I think it would be interesting to get a list going of genuine connections between the book and the new series now, as it seems there are quite a few. Not sure if they go in this thread though, as it is probably spoiler free (might be worth making a new separate topic for that).
User avatar
dreamshake
RR Diner Member
Posts: 129
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 6:04 pm

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by dreamshake »

I was thinking about making this post too. I'll just spoiler tag for now
Spoiler:
The Box in NYC and the being inside it are similar to what Nixon, Gleason and Dougie see in Miami
Bad Coop and Briggs meeting at the end of the novel is mentioned by Bobby
Wally Brando mentioning Lewis & Clark and the first Caucasians to set foot in the area around Twin Peaks
NewtoTwinPeaks
Roadhouse Member
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Jan 04, 2017 7:18 am

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by NewtoTwinPeaks »

How essential is this novel to watching the third season? I'm not sure I'll have the time to purchase and read the full thing, so I was curious. Is there an online article that summarizes some of the important points? If not, I guess I'll just have to see the show and go from there :)
Greenwill100
New Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:46 am

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by Greenwill100 »

So far we have seen several references to items in "the Secret History" in Season 3. Whether it is essential to the show yet is uncertain but definitely it has relevance
User avatar
Panapaok
Bookhouse Member
Posts: 1025
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 9:07 am

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by Panapaok »

I don't think it's essential to read before you watch the new series but it certainly enhances the experience when you catch all the references from the book.
This is - excuse me - a damn fine cup of coffee.
Greenwill100
New Member
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:46 am

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by Greenwill100 »

dreamshake wrote:I was thinking about making this post too. I'll just spoiler tag for now
Spoiler:
The Box in NYC and the being inside it are similar to what Nixon, Gleason and Dougie see in Miami
Bad Coop and Briggs meeting at the end of the novel is mentioned by Bobby
Wally Brando mentioning Lewis & Clark and the first Caucasians to set foot in the area around Twin Peaks
Spoiler:
the ghostly figure in the cell next to Bill Hastings could be one of the 19th century drifters who disappear near Glastonbury Grove-perhaps the original form of BOB as some have speculated ?
User avatar
dreamshake
RR Diner Member
Posts: 129
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 6:04 pm

Re: 'The Secret History of Twin Peaks' novel by M. Frost 10/18

Post by dreamshake »

Greenwill100 wrote:
dreamshake wrote:I was thinking about making this post too. I'll just spoiler tag for now
Spoiler:
The Box in NYC and the being inside it are similar to what Nixon, Gleason and Dougie see in Miami
Bad Coop and Briggs meeting at the end of the novel is mentioned by Bobby
Wally Brando mentioning Lewis & Clark and the first Caucasians to set foot in the area around Twin Peaks
Spoiler:
the ghostly figure in the cell next to Bill Hastings could be one of the 19th century drifters who disappear near Glastonbury Grove-perhaps the original form of BOB as some have speculated ?
just creating a thread for this in the season 3 forum so we don't have to keep spoiler tags
Post Reply