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March 20, 2019
Roland’s unending, life-defining, completely immersive, and totally mesmerizing quest for the Dark Tower continues. And as a bonus - Topeka, KS makes an appearance in King’s apocalyptic future vision! Shout out to Kansas!!
This series continues to amaze me and rattle my senses. Four books into the Dark Tower journey and I’m one million percent certain Mr. King is obviously one of a few authors we could easily call the greatest American writer ever. I know there are many talented authors out there. I LOVE Kurt Vonnegut too. King and a select few others are on a completely higher level. I know this because of the detail in these books, the indescribable imagination, the meticulous story craftsmanship...absolutely astonishing.
In Wizard and Glass, Roland the gunslinger and his traveling crew press onwards, seeking the Tower in order to save the universes from collapsing in upon themselves. Yes, that’s multiple universes, not just the one we live in. The universes all stack and overlay upon each other and the Dark Tower pierces through the heart of them all, locking them together and stabilizing the whole thing. Only the Tower is now failing and thus, all of existence is faltering. But...I give away too much already. Back to this book...
So there they are, in Topeka, KS, on a lonely stretch of highway (I-70 perhaps?!), in a desolate future, and the world around them is in a dreary state of danger and disarray. So they casually camp for the night. And Roland finally decides it’s time to tell his friends a story of his life--one that defines who he is and why the Dark Tower is his soul’s obsession. The tale lasts literally for the next 700 or 800 pages of the book. The telling of it basically IS the whole book. And this story from Roland’s youth is heart-breaking, exciting, relentless, suspenseful, daring, exciting, and terrible. The careful construction of this book reveals everything Stephen King is as a writer--a story told within an epic tale within a huge series of books. And it ALL ties together, ALL makes sense, ALL is excellently planned and masterfully executed.
When I think of how great these books are...and then think of all the other magnificent, best-selling, hollywood-blockbuster, multi-million dollar books this dude has created...it’s mind-boggling!!
So I can’t overstate this - the writing in this series is top shelf through and through. It’s sci-fi and adventure and drama, not horror at all. Though there are some creepy parts. You need to want to commit to a seemingly insurmountable quest yourself in order to give in to the Dark Tower series. But I’m telling you - if you at all like sci-fi, fantasy, apocalypse, or anything in and around those genres and you love phenomenal books, the Dark Tower series must stand tall as the something you have to conquer.
I will follow Roland to the end. It will take me many more months to finish these books, as it’s taken Roland a lifetime to be this close to completing his own quest. I’m fascinated, apprehensive, and excited to see where this journey goes. And I’m certain the conclusion--The Dark Tower itself--will be magnificent.
HAPPY SPRING AND HAPPY READING!
(Click below to read my thoughts on book 3 of this series, then at the bottom of THAT review you can journey back to my thoughts on the first 2 books. Or save time, just go get the books and start your quest now!)
The Wastelands (The Dark Tower book 3) Review
This series continues to amaze me and rattle my senses. Four books into the Dark Tower journey and I’m one million percent certain Mr. King is obviously one of a few authors we could easily call the greatest American writer ever. I know there are many talented authors out there. I LOVE Kurt Vonnegut too. King and a select few others are on a completely higher level. I know this because of the detail in these books, the indescribable imagination, the meticulous story craftsmanship...absolutely astonishing.
In Wizard and Glass, Roland the gunslinger and his traveling crew press onwards, seeking the Tower in order to save the universes from collapsing in upon themselves. Yes, that’s multiple universes, not just the one we live in. The universes all stack and overlay upon each other and the Dark Tower pierces through the heart of them all, locking them together and stabilizing the whole thing. Only the Tower is now failing and thus, all of existence is faltering. But...I give away too much already. Back to this book...
So there they are, in Topeka, KS, on a lonely stretch of highway (I-70 perhaps?!), in a desolate future, and the world around them is in a dreary state of danger and disarray. So they casually camp for the night. And Roland finally decides it’s time to tell his friends a story of his life--one that defines who he is and why the Dark Tower is his soul’s obsession. The tale lasts literally for the next 700 or 800 pages of the book. The telling of it basically IS the whole book. And this story from Roland’s youth is heart-breaking, exciting, relentless, suspenseful, daring, exciting, and terrible. The careful construction of this book reveals everything Stephen King is as a writer--a story told within an epic tale within a huge series of books. And it ALL ties together, ALL makes sense, ALL is excellently planned and masterfully executed.
When I think of how great these books are...and then think of all the other magnificent, best-selling, hollywood-blockbuster, multi-million dollar books this dude has created...it’s mind-boggling!!
So I can’t overstate this - the writing in this series is top shelf through and through. It’s sci-fi and adventure and drama, not horror at all. Though there are some creepy parts. You need to want to commit to a seemingly insurmountable quest yourself in order to give in to the Dark Tower series. But I’m telling you - if you at all like sci-fi, fantasy, apocalypse, or anything in and around those genres and you love phenomenal books, the Dark Tower series must stand tall as the something you have to conquer.
I will follow Roland to the end. It will take me many more months to finish these books, as it’s taken Roland a lifetime to be this close to completing his own quest. I’m fascinated, apprehensive, and excited to see where this journey goes. And I’m certain the conclusion--The Dark Tower itself--will be magnificent.
HAPPY SPRING AND HAPPY READING!
(Click below to read my thoughts on book 3 of this series, then at the bottom of THAT review you can journey back to my thoughts on the first 2 books. Or save time, just go get the books and start your quest now!)
The Wastelands (The Dark Tower book 3) Review