Dark Tower Series - Stephen King

lordgoat

Reactions etc.

IceHawk

I was very impressed with it, overall. I started it after wizard and glass was written and before wolves of the calla, so I had to wait for the last three books. There's some saying that King shouldn't have put himself as a character in the books, but I thought it was an interesting turn. All the characters were really well developed, and over the course of the 7 books King had ample time to acquaint us with their characteristics. I have to say that

King did away with the supporting cast very casually. Particularly Eddie. His death seemed almost incidental, when he would have been the character with whom I would have empathised most.

One thing I will say. At the end of The Dark Tower, I wish I hadn't read the extra chapter, even though I would probably do it again.

meldrew

I enjoyed it overall but some of the later books seemed overlong as if he was trying to drag the series out

tHE vAGGABOND

series peaks in the middle books, and tails off with the latter books imho

28064212

Thought they were brilliant, this millennium's LOTR. Includes the best opening line ever. I'm glad I read the extra chapter, I thought it was one of the few ways to exit with real credibility.

IceHawk's spoiler: I thought that was deliberate to emphasise how important getting to the end of the quest was to Roland, and a demonstration of his lack of humanity. It added a sense of real urgency to the chapters which followed. IMO.

Nimrod's Son

I've read the first four and after a slow start, it picks up. It's a decent enough read, Wolves Of The Calla up next. You find yourself getting very curious as to how it will all finish the more you read I find.

lordgoat

I read the first book in mid nineties and had to wait for each one... and in the end there's alot i like and a bit i don't dislike, but in any series of its size there will be alot of gripes.

John

The Gunslinger is still probably one of my most favourite books ever. I've read that about ten times (the later books a few times less, only once so far for the last three). I thought it grew patchy at the end but it was still great. I'll have to read it all again over the next year (if I ever get the first three back from the person I lent them to).

As for it being up there with LOTR, I have to disagree. I love the Dark Tower to bits but it's still no LOTR.

lordgoat

John2 wrote:

As for it being up there with LOTR, I have to disagree. I love the Dark Tower to bits but it's still no LOTR.

pah, thankfully there's ony one of them

Morrigan

Jaysus I forgot about the Dark Tower series... I started reading it over 10 years ago (the first couple of books were on sale in the pound shop!) and was enjoying it well enough - but it just didn't seduce me enough to continue with the entire thing... I didn't empathise with any of the characters, and it seemed like a bit of a vanity project for King. I prefer his short stories, anyway...

Scruff

I loved it. Have been reading it for the last few years and had to wait for the last 3 books each time. I think its King's swan song, the way it pays homage to all his other books and acts as a connection between them.

I initially didnt like the idea of placing himself in the book but i think it really worked as the series progressed. I really felt the deaths of Jake, Eddie and even Oy which really impressed me as ye dont always get that no matter how much time u invest in a book\series.
I really didnt want to read the last chapter cause i'd guessed what was going to happen and didnt want to be right. It made me sad but it was the proper ending for Roland.

Hile Gunslinger!

/edit
added spoiler tags as i took this thread to be a discussion for people who had finished the series. sorry!

John

Egads man, use the spoiler tags! There might be people who haven't finished the series reading this!

Nimrod's Son

Scruff, thanks for posting that. :rolleyes:
/Slow hand-clap

lordgoat

Nimrod's Son wrote:

Scruff, thanks for posting that. :rolleyes:
/Slow hand-clap

ah dude, that's harsh, bite that guys face off

gogo

Am dudes am I missing something here - what extra chapter?
I read and loved the dark tower, I am a hugh King fan and just loved the way it tied all his other books together, dying to start it again but really wonder if the fact that i know the ending will ruin it for me.

Scruff

lordgoat wrote:

ah dude, that's harsh, bite that guys face off

thanks

gogo

think they are on about the last chapter where you find out what happens to Roland cause before that Stephen Kings says dont read the next chapter if you want to have a happily ever after ending for Roland in your own imagination

Nimrod's Son

Is it just me or is Wolves Of The Calla mostly redundant?? That entire story could've been fit into two chapters, not 800 pages. It wasn't as if there was a whole lot of action in it either and

That battle with the Wolves was a massive disappointment and I'm told that many of the characters you meet in Calla Bryn Sturgis don't feature again in the series

. WTF? Very disappointing.

BolBill

Can anyone PM me with the order I should start reading this series of books. Thanks.

Nimrod's Son

I'll just post it here instead:

The Gunslinger
The Drawing Of The Three
The Wastelands
Wizard And Glass
Wolves Of The Calla
Song Of Susannah
The Dark Tower

Get crackin'!

John

And possibly read Insomnia, The Stand and the two books he did with Peter Straub during your Dark Tower experience. They all tie in with The Dark Tower story (lots of his other books do too but these are the ones worth reading).

Nimrod's Son

John2 wrote:

And possibly read Insomnia, The Stand and the two books he did with Peter Straub during your Dark Tower experience. They all tie in with The Dark Tower story (lots of his other books do too but these are the ones worth reading).

What about Salem's Lot? I haven't read that one but it seems to have a significant bearing on the series....
Definitely read The Stand though, great stand alone book.

John

Oops! Forgot, read Salem's Lot too!