Stephen King's Dark Tower series begins in medias res with The Gunslinger, in which the title character, Roland Deschain of Gilead, begins (or continues?) his quest across the known world in pursuit of the Man in Black. Over the course of seven books, we follow Roland through Mid-World as he painstakingly makes his way to the Dark Tower, in hopes of saving it from destruction. As Roland wanders the deserts, towns and widely varied regions of Mid-World, occasionally making stops in numerous versions of 20th century New York, he develops relationships with a diverse group of people, several of whom will become crucial to his mission. The story culminates in the final book, The Dark Tower.
A master of literary "web-weaving," Stephen King creates what is perhaps the most vague world in literature. Despite this intentional ambiguity, there is a certain order to things that makes complete sense to a Dark Tower reader. Nothing is left to chance but rather to ka -an idea similar to fate or destiny- that drives the plot in all seven volumes of the series. It is not only Roland's will that strengthens him on his seemingly impossible and perilous quest, but ka that leads him, step by step, along the way.
Because of this plot complexity, I feel fortunate enough to have begun reading this series after the final book had been published. The complicated nature of the Tower and the wild machinations of Mr. King would have buried me alive had I not been able to read the books one right after another. (Originally, they were released over the course of several decades. I began The Gunslinger in October 2010 and finished The Dark Tower in June 2012.)
A true epic, the Dark Tower series encompasses all of "the good stuff" found in a great story: action, adventure, romance (love of all kinds, really), mystery, suspense, love gained, love lost, folklore, fantasy, old west, science fiction, humor.... Although there is an element of horror to the series, readers would do well to remember that Stephen King is not categorically a "horror writer," a mistake I made when I read my first of his novels, The Shining (great book!). I myself am not a fan of slasher stories/movies, and found my understanding of his reputation to be tainted by that rumor. But I digress: while he has written some books that might be categorized this way, the Dark Tower series would not qualify as such.
However, as a result of the epic nature of the story, it does drag in a few places. Of course, all good literary climaxes need build up, and Mr. King does a fine job of keeping readers interested in the pages between the high points by gracefully interjecting moments of excitement and action during the lulls, most notably in the fifth book, Wolves of the Calla.
Something that will come as no surprise to King fans (but will frustrate new readers beyond belief!) is the notion that everything will be explained in due time. An idea may seem confusing in one book and by the time the final page has been turned, there is still no resolution. Rest assured, readers, everything will come together in the end. You might not like the final outcome, but it will indeed come together.
One thing the series certainly does is encourage readers to engage in other Stephen King novels and short stories, as he brilliantly weaves characters from other works in and out of this epic. (In fact, many of the worlds he creates in other works stem from the Dark Tower series.) Along the way, we meet Father Callahan and Patrick Danville ('Salem's Lot), Ted Brautigan (Hearts in Atlantis), the "low men" (various novels, including Hearts in Atlantis), the Turtle (It), The Crimson King (Insomnia), Randall Flagg (one of his many identities, The Stand), among dozens of others. King's introduction of these characters into the Dark Tower series is a delight - even if the characters themselves are anything but. On a more personal note, I felt like every time one appeared, Stephen King was nudging me in the ribs and saying, "See what I just did there?" It was like an inside joke, even though Habibi (my resident S.K. expert) was the one who usually told me, "Oh yeah, (character) is in (other book) ." Either way, it was always exciting to see the worlds so intertwined. I imagine it would be much more so for readers who had already met these characters in other books and perhaps had wondered at their respective fates.
Without divulging too much, I must say that I have mixed feelings on the ending. While well worth the journey, I couldn't help but feel the final outcome was somewhat contrived. With that, I will shut my mouth so as not to ruin it for you. Perhaps you will feel differently.
The Dark Tower series is unarguably a journey worth taking. There are few stories in which I can truly say, "I laughed, I cried, I sighed," but without a doubt, this epic brought out each of those responses in me. Roland and his ka-tet (you'll just have to read to find out what that means!) became some of my "literary besties" (shut up) and it was with a sense of regret that I closed the final book. It's time for me to go make new "friends" (I said, shut UP!) but the gunslingers of Mid-World will forever hold a special place in my heart.
A master of literary "web-weaving," Stephen King creates what is perhaps the most vague world in literature. Despite this intentional ambiguity, there is a certain order to things that makes complete sense to a Dark Tower reader. Nothing is left to chance but rather to ka -an idea similar to fate or destiny- that drives the plot in all seven volumes of the series. It is not only Roland's will that strengthens him on his seemingly impossible and perilous quest, but ka that leads him, step by step, along the way.
Because of this plot complexity, I feel fortunate enough to have begun reading this series after the final book had been published. The complicated nature of the Tower and the wild machinations of Mr. King would have buried me alive had I not been able to read the books one right after another. (Originally, they were released over the course of several decades. I began The Gunslinger in October 2010 and finished The Dark Tower in June 2012.)
A true epic, the Dark Tower series encompasses all of "the good stuff" found in a great story: action, adventure, romance (love of all kinds, really), mystery, suspense, love gained, love lost, folklore, fantasy, old west, science fiction, humor.... Although there is an element of horror to the series, readers would do well to remember that Stephen King is not categorically a "horror writer," a mistake I made when I read my first of his novels, The Shining (great book!). I myself am not a fan of slasher stories/movies, and found my understanding of his reputation to be tainted by that rumor. But I digress: while he has written some books that might be categorized this way, the Dark Tower series would not qualify as such.
However, as a result of the epic nature of the story, it does drag in a few places. Of course, all good literary climaxes need build up, and Mr. King does a fine job of keeping readers interested in the pages between the high points by gracefully interjecting moments of excitement and action during the lulls, most notably in the fifth book, Wolves of the Calla.
Something that will come as no surprise to King fans (but will frustrate new readers beyond belief!) is the notion that everything will be explained in due time. An idea may seem confusing in one book and by the time the final page has been turned, there is still no resolution. Rest assured, readers, everything will come together in the end. You might not like the final outcome, but it will indeed come together.
One thing the series certainly does is encourage readers to engage in other Stephen King novels and short stories, as he brilliantly weaves characters from other works in and out of this epic. (In fact, many of the worlds he creates in other works stem from the Dark Tower series.) Along the way, we meet Father Callahan and Patrick Danville ('Salem's Lot), Ted Brautigan (Hearts in Atlantis), the "low men" (various novels, including Hearts in Atlantis), the Turtle (It), The Crimson King (Insomnia), Randall Flagg (one of his many identities, The Stand), among dozens of others. King's introduction of these characters into the Dark Tower series is a delight - even if the characters themselves are anything but. On a more personal note, I felt like every time one appeared, Stephen King was nudging me in the ribs and saying, "See what I just did there?" It was like an inside joke, even though Habibi (my resident S.K. expert) was the one who usually told me, "Oh yeah, (character) is in (other book) ." Either way, it was always exciting to see the worlds so intertwined. I imagine it would be much more so for readers who had already met these characters in other books and perhaps had wondered at their respective fates.
Without divulging too much, I must say that I have mixed feelings on the ending. While well worth the journey, I couldn't help but feel the final outcome was somewhat contrived. With that, I will shut my mouth so as not to ruin it for you. Perhaps you will feel differently.
The Dark Tower series is unarguably a journey worth taking. There are few stories in which I can truly say, "I laughed, I cried, I sighed," but without a doubt, this epic brought out each of those responses in me. Roland and his ka-tet (you'll just have to read to find out what that means!) became some of my "literary besties" (shut up) and it was with a sense of regret that I closed the final book. It's time for me to go make new "friends" (I said, shut UP!) but the gunslingers of Mid-World will forever hold a special place in my heart.
A quick guide of each volume within the Dark Tower series:
- The Gunslinger
- The Drawing of the Three
- The Wastelands
- Wizard and Glass (Anouchka's favorite!!!)
- Wolves of the Calla
- Song of Susannah
- The Dark Tower**Stephen King recently published an eighth book, The Wind Through the Keyhole. To my understanding, this one stands alone (though I personally imagine it would be best read after the entire series). Chronologically, though, it is a flashback and goes between volumes four and five. I look forward to reading it very soon!
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