# Stephen King Dark Tower Series - Opinions?



## Merlilu (Feb 23, 2010)

I've been a huge SK fan since his first book.  For some reason - I just couldn't get into the Gunslinger series, but as you know....the Kindle makes it very hard to resist the instant gratification thing!! Now, of course the whole series is available and I've been reading them one after the other.  I just started #4.  Anyone have any opinions on this series?


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## PG4003 (Patricia) (Jan 30, 2010)

I also am a huge Stephen King fan, but I also was unable to get into the Gunslinger series.  I tried reading some of them years ago and found they were not something I enjoyed reading.  I don't know what it was........they just seemed like "comic books" or something??  Are you enjoying them now?  Maybe I should try again.


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## shadowbandit (Nov 7, 2008)

I read them a few years ago and couldn't put them down. I thought it was some of his best work.


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## Blanche (Jan 4, 2010)

I tried several times to get into the books but they just did not grab me.  Then Stephen King came into town to promote one of his books and I attended the event.  I walked away with a smile on my face, a copy of his new book under my arm (my Pre-Kindle period) and a commitment to giving the Dark Tower one more try.  

I could not put them down once I got started.  I powered through all of the books in less than 2 months.  I was red-eyed from lack of sleep but couldn't wait to see what Rowland & Co. were going to face next.  The books had strong characters that were saddled with their own challenges and weaknesses which made it even more interesting.  Not only were you worried about the "bad guy" getting them, but you also had to worry if the character themselves wouldn't flip to the "dark side."  And, as usual, I loved the ties he creates in his novels to his former books.  These were fun to recognize and make you think back to the book -- IIf I remember correctly, there were several ties back to the book "Hearts in Atlantis."  I agree that it is one of his best works.  I just finished "Duma Key" last week.  Anyone else out there dreaming of big purple frogs with teeth?


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

I dearly love the Dark Tower series.  So much so that I have never taken longer to read a novel in my life as when I read the last one in the series.  I did NOT want the series to be over!  I even put it down for weeks at a time because I couldn't bear to think of it being finished, because I read the first in the series when I was pretty young, so I feel like I've known the characters for most of my life.  

You'll hear some say that they hated the ending, and I will say that I was completly shocked at the ending, but once I came to terms with it, I started all over at the beginning and read the entire series from beginning to end, and now find the ending to be very good.  FITTING, if that makes sense.  I won't say more because I'd hate to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the books, and I always have to peek at blacked out spoilers, so I don't like to use them.  

I don't have the Dark Tower series on my Kindle yet, but I will get them the next time I'm ready to read through the series.  It's been calling to me softly for awhile now, so I don't think it will be too long before that happens.


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## svsilentsun (Nov 24, 2009)

The Tower series started up in my teens. Already a big King fan, I lapped them up! But then he took a very loooong break from the Tower so when the next installment finally came out (I can't recall which book it was), I couldn't wait. It just never flowed for me again like the first installments did. Maybe it was because he said that he'd gotten so many fan complaints about finishing the series that he felt obliged to. That's as satisfying as getting married just cuz you're knocked up! But I still enjoyed them until


Spoiler



all the tie-ins with his other novels (and himself) began


. (I don't really think the blacked-out bit is a spoiler, but better safe than sorry.) Talk about 'jumping the shark'. At that point, it was a struggle for me to finish the series. In fact, it took years for me to finally read the last book. But the ending? Perfection!


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## JMelzer (Mar 21, 2010)

It took me three tries to get into them, but once I did, I was hooked. Loved it so much that I even went back and wrote a screenplay based on The Gunslinger, just as an exercise for myself. 

The Dark Tower captured my imagination like no other series ever has, including LOTR. Since it ended, I've been reading the comics and find them just as satisfying. 

S.K. announced on his website back in November that he does have another idea for a Dark Tower book, but it would be at least another 8 months before he could start writing it. No idea if it's tied to the same characters or not, but I already can't wait to slip back into that world. I may have to re-read them all again


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## Merlilu (Feb 23, 2010)

Thanks for your replies.  Starting #4 - have to say it's pretty darn enjoyable - haven't read anything but this in about 1-1/2 weeks.  It kinda grabs you and pulls you in.  All in all very glad I bought these and again, being able to read them one after the other is extremely satisfying.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

Some people dearly love the Dark Tower, but I'd probably say you should skip them. The first book was the product of a very young author and it shows; not bad, per se, just not a mature work. Books two and three were top notch. Book four was a slide backwards, but still OK. Book five was a stinky piece of poop to put it kindly. Books six and seven were a little better, but less the good.

Short summary:

Two great books
Two OK books
One really, really bad book
Two below average books

You can decide.

The problem stems from, as svsilentsun said before, when all the metafiction began. Metafiction is extremely hard to do right and will just not work for some readers. Ten years before Stephen King, the Mexican mystery author Paco Ignacio Taibo II did a similar trick with himself in the novel Some Clouds, but his metafiction was more ambiguous and subtle, where King lets everything spill out in an untidy mess.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

I loved the series; Wizard and Glass (I think!) was my least favorite, but overall the series was, IMNSHO, incredible.

It _really_ resonated with my son, as evidenced by what he got etched onto his chest:










Initially, I hated the ending...but after mulling it over, I don't think he could have ended it any other way, at least not for Roland. I wish he had handled the other characters differently, but he didn't consult me, so...


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## WilliamM (Feb 10, 2009)

i liked it up until Song of Susannah..it just got way too silly at that point for me


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## dnagirl (Oct 21, 2009)

Y'all are inspiring me to break out my Dark Tower books and reread them again.  I loved the series.  Thought it got a little slow in the middle couple of books, but all in all just adored it.


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

Thumper said:


> I loved the series; Wizard and Glass (I think!) was my least favorite, but overall the series was, IMNSHO, incredible.
> 
> It _really_ resonated with my son, as evidenced by what he got etched onto his chest:
> 
> Initially, I hated the ending...but after mulling it over, I don't think he could have ended it any other way, at least not for Roland. I wish he had handled the other characters differently, but he didn't consult me, so...


I agree with you about Wizard and Glass...my least favorite of the series as well.

That tat is AWESOME!

I agree with you 110% about the ending. Perfect, even if it makes me crazy.


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## redshift1 (Jun 20, 2009)

What's up with the sample? all you get is a forward by King. Nice It's available for King Fans but a real sample would be nice I wonder what prompted that decision.


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

redshift1 said:


> What's up with the sample? all you get is a forward by King. Nice It's available for King Fans but a real sample would be nice I wonder what prompted that decision.


I've found that with several books, not just King books. And cookbook samples are worthless. You don't ever get to see how the recipes might be formatted.


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## DL_Snell (Mar 20, 2010)

I read and reread the first three books when I was a kid. Loved them instantly. In fact, _The Gunslinger_ and _The Waste Lands_ are still two of my favorite books.

The rest of the series pales in comparison, and I predicted where King was headed with the nature of the universe by the end of _Wolves of the Callah_.


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## svsilentsun (Nov 24, 2009)

DL_Snell said:


> The rest of the series pales in comparison, and I predicted where King was headed with the nature of the universe by the end of _Wolves of the Callah_.


I saw it coming then too and just groaned. I hoped against hope I'd be wrong, but alas and alack.


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## laa0325 (Feb 21, 2010)

I enjoyed the series, but was very disgusted with how he ended it. What a cop out.  He ended the last book with a disclaimer about the ending and a warning to readers not to come to his house to complain, so he even knew it was lousy. It ruined it for me, and I've never read another of his books.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

[potential spoilers follow]

I'm very fond of the ending...both of them, actually. Let's face it, King did not want to write the second one. His entire series was based on the idea that the journey of the quest was all that mattered. The second ending, the one given after a pleading not to continue, basically reinforced this firm belief. The quest matters. The journey matters. Much of the Dark Tower series is actually based on old english poems and concepts (and not to mention Tolkien), which again emphasized the overall journey instead of some tidy little ending.

If you find yourself upset with the ending of the Dark Tower series, then I ask you, what would have been a better ending? A fade to black, revealing nothing about what is inside the tower (which I'm sure he was sorely tempted to do)? Roland saving the entire universe and becoming god? Finding some little wizard running the whole affair, who functions as god? I mean, it could have been much worse. Stephen King could have been inside waiting for him, which was my initial prediction.

Instead, the story continues, only with the slightest deviation to suggest that just maybe Roland's near-eternal quest might be nearing an end. Ka is a wheel, right?

David Dalglish

p.s.

Oh, and they're making a movie based on the books. Could be rather interesting.


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## Thumper (Feb 26, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> Ka is a wheel, right?


Which is why is why I finally caved into the reality that he could not have ended it any other way...


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

Thumper said:


> Which is why is why I finally caved into the reality that he could not have ended it any other way...


I'd argue the series never ended. You could put book 7 down and pick up book 1 and read with almost seamless transition.

David Dalglish


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## cheerio (May 16, 2009)

I love King and cant wait to get this


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> I'd argue the series never ended. You could put book 7 down and pick up book 1 and read with almost seamless transition.
> 
> David Dalglish


And therein lies the beautiful perfection of the ending! I did EXACTLY that after I came to terms with it.


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## yogini2 (Oct 27, 2008)

I bought the series one after the other the first year I had my Kindle.  By the end, the characters were so  real, I was hoping to run into them on the street so I could talk to them and see how they were doing.


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## lindnet (Jan 25, 2009)

Ok, I think you have convinced me to try the Dark Tower series again.  I am a die hard SK fan and have most of his stuff in DTB's.  Including The Green Mile in the 6 little installments.  I have the first 4 of the Dark Tower and just couldn't get into them.  But now I'll try them one after another and see if I like them better.  It's been years since I read them, so maybe I'll feel differently now.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

The Gunslinger, while appealing, is also the hardest to get into for a lot of people. Try to be patient with the story, and enjoy what's happening at the moment and not worry about where it's going or how much is left.

David


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## SimonWood (Nov 13, 2009)

I like the series especially the 1st three books.  My wife loves the series,so much so, she won't read the last book.


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

SimonWood said:


> I like the series especially the 1st three books. My wife loves the series,so much so, she won't read the last book.


Oh, please tell her to fear not! I didn't want to read the last one, either...and I usually read very fast, and I took 3 months to read the last one for that very reason. But the ending is so very perfect...


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

I've read one book in the series, can't say that it had my interest like other books by King.


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## Jesslyn (Oct 29, 2008)

I loved this series and by the end of it ended up with at least 2 1/2 copies of the whole thing.  I will be buying my 3rd copy for the Kindle.  It made me like it so much that I ended up trying more of his 'non-Stephen King-y' books like Eyes of the Dragon, The Green Mile and the Talisman, all of which are now firmly in my favorites list.


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## ScottLCollins (Dec 7, 2009)

One of my favorite series of all time. Personally, I loved the ending. Some of the books were better than others, but at no time did I feel like putting a book down and not picking it up again. I really enjoyed the appearance of characters from his other novels.


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## vickir (Jan 14, 2009)

I was so hooked — now forgive me for this — that when I heard King was hit by a vehicle my first thought was that the series would never be finished!! I know. I'm sorry. But that ending!!! I screamed.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

At the risk of being burned at the stake for heresy, I got about 40% into _The Gunslinger_ before I quit, which is further than I've gotten into any other Stephen King novel I've tried (maybe 2 or 3 others, including _The Stand_). Technically the writing is OK, but I just never seem to care about what's happening nor about any of the characters. I thought I might get into the Dark Tower stuff since supposedly it was more fantasy and less horror, but that still did not get me past the "I don't care" issue. But I guess I've gotten pretty picky in my old(ish) age and just don't have the patience to read anything that does not have me really caring about what happens to the characters.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

NogDog said:


> At the risk of being burned at the stake for heresy, I got about 40% into _The Gunslinger_ before I quit, which is further than I've gotten into any other Stephen King novel I've tried (maybe 2 or 3 others, including _The Stand_). Technically the writing is OK, but I just never seem to care about what's happening nor about any of the characters. I thought I might get into the Dark Tower stuff since supposedly it was more fantasy and less horror, but that still did not get me past the "I don't care" issue. But I guess I've gotten pretty picky in my old(ish) age and just don't have the patience to read anything that does not have me really caring about what happens to the characters.


Roland can be a bit tough to like, especially in The Gunslinger, where he's just a caricature of Clint Eastwood. The more likable characters don't really show up until The Drawing of the Three.

And please, no burning-at-stake here, especially for not liking Stephen King. I'd say he's one of the old grand masters now, but that hardly means everyone must like him.

David Dalglish


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## NickSpalding (Apr 21, 2010)

I saw this topic and so _very nearly _ resisted the urge to make a post. You see, for me The Dark Tower was an all encompassing love affair that ended (as so many do) in tragedy and mourning...

I read Gunslinger in 1986 and waited feverishly for the rest of the series over the next 19 (sic) years. I've been a huge King fan since the age of ten and adored how so many of his books tied into The Dark Tower...which I still regard as being the largest, most complex and far reaching fantasy series ever written (yes, waaay bigger that Tolkien).

But...Dark Tower is a series written by two men.

Stephen King pre 1999 accident and Stephen King post 1999 accident. The first four books are sublime. The last three descend from average into woeful. Everyone speaks of the ending (and boy does it deserve speaking about) but there is much wrong with the concluding chapters (IMO)...that are too numerous to go into now.

It's such a pity and strangely...it's also entirely understandable. You can almost see the psychological effect King's near death experience had on him when you compare books 1 to 4 with 5 to 7 The man was obviously traumatised by it and while I was angry (actually....that doesn't describe it...I know, let's go with _spitting bloody mad_) when I finished the last book, I am now a lot calmer about the whole thing. I understand why The Dark Tower ends the way it did, I just think it's such a pity that idiot smacked into King on that road and robbed us of the ending we deserved (and I believe to this day King wishes he could have delivered).

Still...I'd recommend reading it to anyone, regardless of how it ends.

There are moments where the story transcends the narrative and those moments are more than worth reading the cycle for.

...and I still pray one day that Roland reaches the tower, winding his horn...

thankee sai


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## VanillaEps (May 5, 2010)

I started the series a few months ago.  The Gunslinger was a very difficult book for me to read, but I insisted on finishing it because I was dedicated to reading the series.  I am now in the 5th book of the series.  Most people don't like the tie-ins to his other books, but I love it!  Having read Salem's Lot and The Stand, I welcomed the references in the Dark Tower series.  My favorite book so far seems to be everyone's least favorite - Wizard and Glass.  I enjoyed reading about Roland's past and the experiences that ultimately shaped his character thus far.  

Looking forward to finishing up the series soon.


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

I've read the entire series a few times straight through (and the first 4 books a lot more than a few times while waiting for the last 3) and I have decided to start re-reading the series.  Just started reading The Gunslinger today.  

Feels like coming home.


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## Virgoddess (May 1, 2010)

You guys are inspiring me to try again. I have the first of the series on my Kindle, but gave it a rest. People keep telling me to try again, that it gets better. I love King, and The Stand is my #1 favorite book of all time. So, guess I'll give it another shot.


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## Magenta (Jun 6, 2009)

I read the first three books as they were published... LOVED them.  Then I lost track of the next editions.  When I discovered he finished the series and they are all available for the kindle I bought them all.  

Re-reading the first three again was great... I still liked them as much as I remembered... now working my way through the 4th.  

Keep in mind the early part of the series were written when he was VERY young.  In the kindle edition, he even writes a forward describing his process of looking at the work again.  It took him years to finish.  Not that he was working on them the whole time, but he put them aside entirely.

So, you basically a "different person" has started and finished the series.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

I loved the Dark Tower series. Couldn't wait for the next book every time (and there were some long waits there, too).

But ***SPOILER ALERT***


Spoiler



I hated the ending. We go through seven books and YEARS of waiting and he ends up right back in the beginning of Book 1. PPPBBBLT!


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

David McAfee said:


> I loved the Dark Tower series. Couldn't wait for the next book every time (and there were some long waits there, too).
> 
> But ***SPOILER ALERT***
> 
> ...


So you thoroughly enjoyed the entire series, and at the time you were enjoying it, you had no clue what was in the Tower and what would happen when he arrived, right?


Spoiler



So King, when he reached his ending, basically pointing his finger at the very beginning of the series and said, "This is the point, this was the reason for the series, not some arbitrary ending."



I respect the heck out of him for it.

David Dalglish


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

I'm surprised that so many people hated the ending.  I thought it very fitting.  However, I loathed all the other crud that came after book.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> So you thoroughly enjoyed the entire series, and at the time you were enjoying it, you had no clue what was in the Tower and what would happen when he arrived, right?
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I dunno, David. It just didn't work for me at all. Nope. Didn't like it.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

David McAfee said:


> I dunno, David. It just didn't work for me at all. Nope. Didn't like it.


Hrm. Some of those books in the series were pretty hefty, especially hardcover. I wonder if I beat you over the head with one enough you'll agree with me....

Just kidding. I think you're in the majority in not liking the ending. I may just have a man-crush on Stephen King, so I let it slide and accept what he tried.

David Dalglish


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

My head is pretty hard, man. Ask my wife. You're likely just to damage your books.


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## travelgirl (Sep 22, 2009)

David McAfee, please PLEASE go back and black out your spoilers!!  Let's not ruin it for anyone who hasn't finished it, like it or not.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

travelgirl said:


> David McAfee, please PLEASE go back and black out your spoilers!! Let's not ruin it for anyone who hasn't finished it, like it or not.


Done. Sorry. I didn't know how to do that until just now.


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## MenderofRoads (May 9, 2010)

I'm about 73% done with the final book in the series. Like many others, I thought some of them were excellent, while some were less so.

I'm surprised that there were a few people above who mentioned hating Wizard and Glass. That may actually be my favorite of the series. I guess I found the history that spawned this quest more interesting than the quest itself. I also found the beginning of the first one very intriguing


Spoiler



but I was put off after Jake died and was greatly disappointed in Roland's meeting with the man in black


.

One thing that's always annoyed me about the series is the "language" of his other worlds. It often felt overdone or forced to me. I don't think it really added much to the stories at all, and it seems to get worse as the series progresses.



Spoiler



I also agree with the people who were annoyed with how he inserted himself and his other stories into the series so much. All of that could have been accomplished without using himself or his books... just come up with a fictional author if that story element is really necessary.



Eddie and Susannah really, really started to annoy me with some of their commentary. What did it add? After multiple books (and long ones at that) I don't need pages filled with one liners to reinforce the idea that Eddie's a joker, and I felt like some of the Odetta/Detta dialect just fell flat.

Overall, a series worth reading, but it could have been much better. I actually feel like it should've been Jake's story more than Roland's. As it is, it's almost like reading Lord of the Rings with Aragorn as the primary protagonist in place of Frodo.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

MenderofRoads said:


> Overall, a series worth reading, but it could have been much better. I actually feel like it should've been Jake's story more than Roland's. As it is, it's almost like reading Lord of the Rings with Aragorn as the primary protagonist in place of Frodo.


In a sense, this is King's the Lord of the Rings. He's said so himself. And I felt Wizard and Glass was a bit forced, but probably because I loved the earlier wasteland and grim apocalyptic stuff so much.

David Dalglish


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## MenderofRoads (May 9, 2010)

I know.  That's why I made the comparison.  It's an attempt at a classic monomyth/heroic journey type story, but misses the mark.  The elements are more or less there, but not put together well in my opinion.


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

Actually, WIZARD AND GLASS is one of my favorites, too, along with THE DRAWING OF THE THREE.


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## ScottLCollins (Dec 7, 2009)

THE DRAWING OF THE THREE was definitely one of the best of the series.


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## AreaKode (Jun 2, 2009)

"The Gunslinger" was a hard book to get into. It took me three tries, but I'm a huge King fan, so I decided to buckle down and get through it. I'm currently 18% through book 6 ("Song of Susanna"), and I'm loving the series. I've thought about trying another book in between Dark Tower books, but by the time I get to the end of one, I just have to know what happens next.

"Wizard and Glass" is definitely my favorite so far. About 85% of the book is dedicated to Susan, Roland's long lost love (briefly mentioned in the first book). It was the first book King did after his long break in between the books.

"The Gunslinger" is my second favorite. Besides "Wizard and Glass," it's the best insight into Roland's head and getting to know who he is and what he stands for.

I've read a few spoilers (mostly on accident) about how the series ends, and although it sounds like a disappointing ending, I can't wait to finish. I'm gonna have to go back and reread at least the first book once I'm done just to see how it is now that I know everything I know about the gunslinger.


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## blackbelt (May 4, 2010)

This series is, IMO, one of King's best.  I remember that it actually made me get teary when Roland lost some of his fingers.  I was just so invested in his character that I got lost in the tragedy of the moment.  And it's amazing because it's actually the drawing together and culmination of the mythology that King has woven through many of his works, in which a walking stranger and a Dark Tower is present in many (see, e.g., The Stand, Dragon Eyes, The Talisman).  Must read stuff.  The graphic novels are good, too.

- Michaelbrent Collings


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## Lyndl (Apr 2, 2010)

Half-Orc said:


> I'd argue the series never ended. You could put book 7 down and pick up book 1 and read with almost seamless transition.
> 
> David Dalglish


Exactly! I thought the ending was perfect! I can't think of a better one.


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## OliverCrommer (May 17, 2010)

I think he's a good writer in general, but unfortunately, his Dark Tower series just didn't capture me.


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## MetalDragon (Mar 27, 2010)

SK fan here also but have not read The Dark Tower yet.

Tommyknockers was my favorite King book yet. The movie stuck and did not do justice to the book. Why do they use 70% gore and 30% character content for the movies when the opposite is truer to the book? I guess just because people pay to see it that way. 

Taken the Dark Tower plunge now. Just bought all the kindle books except the last one. Got VII DTB from book sale for 50 cents.


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## A_J_Lath (Jun 6, 2010)

I loved the series; loved the ending. There was a kind of subtle awe about the fact that this massive quest was probably just a tiny part of a massive, probably infinite, cycle.

One thing I didn't like though:


Spoiler



Randall Flagg dying in such a wussy way. I mean, c'mon...


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

I m currently engaged in my sixth time through of *The Dark Tower * series. I am a hugh King fan, but this series is his opus magnum and is so rich in language and imagery, I can't enough of it. It has surplanted my annual read of *Lord of the Rings*, and my bi-annual read of *The Harry Potter * series, but has not surplanted my annual translation of the *Tao Teh-ching*.  I am three quarters through *Wizard and Glass*. *Wolves of the Calla * is my favorite (and coming up). I'm dancing the _camala_, come reap, if God wills it, they'll water.

Thankee sai.
Edward C. Patterson


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## LoriAnderson (May 2, 2010)

It took me three tries to get through the very first book, but once I slogged through it, I enjoyed the others. There were parts that threw me off, but I'm glad I finally made it!

Lori Anderson
http://www.prettythingsblog.com


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

_The Gunslinger_ is different in many respects fom anything else King has written. His vocabulary level is top-shelf (or as he says in _On Writing_, from the top of the tool box). It betrays his English teaching stint at the University of Maine, Orono, and the book was started about then. Of course he revised it twice (it started out as several shorter stories published serially), the second time in 2003 to match the last book in the series, where he also included the famous 19 intoduction, which appears in the reprints of the first 4 books. He later wrote _The Little Sister of Eleuthia_, a interim scene which could have fit nicely in the first book, but is published in _Everything is Evenutal_ (a story which stars Dark Tower character Dinky). There is much Dark Tower material from _The Stand, Insomnia, Desparation, Hearts in Atlantis _ and _Black House_, and others (including his YA tale _The Eye of the Dragon_).

Ed Patterson


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

The series would have been very different if Steve finished it earlier, but as it turns out it covers a lifetime, and the fact that ideas and philosophies change as we age. He wouldn't have been such an active character if he finished it before he was almost killed by that van. The series started as a young writer doing a fantasy take on westerns to an older one thinking about mortality and responsibility and family. I liked that the whole series ended with the first line of the first book, so you know the quest is a cycle.


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