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garbgini's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bergsteiger's review against another edition
3.0
King started to get back into his groove here. Unfortunately it felt like a repeat of the Wizard and Glass, just moved ahead a few years with different accents. That's not entirely fair, but let's just say it took me a while to get over the middle book of this sprawling epic. Our heroes manage to save the town of Calla Brynn Sturgis from its generational catastrophe that appears regularly, but in the process experience some lossed of their own. Great set up for the book that follows.
joanne_needle_13's review
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
caden_t5052's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
draven_deathcrush's review against another edition
i'm probably going to continue this next month and just try to finish off the series next month!
bigoletuna's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
smithjasont01's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
"Graves come later. Just remember, it's the winners who dig them"
What's more western than a small town in trouble hiring the help of a band of gunslingers? Back on the path of the beam Roland and company come across a small town that every generation has a wolf problem. Only these wolves take children. While they come back they are broken and dumb, only living a few years afterwards. This time however most of the town is willing to fight as long as the gunslingers are their by their side. The Ka-tet also needs assistance in saving the rose back in NYC and get it through the help of a dark object in the procession of Father Callahan after his own tale and doings in Salems lot. Through all this Susannah is struggling with the pregnancy of a child who is not her own as well as a personality dedicated to the child.
While this has tones of western elements Sci fi is on full display here with robotic lights saber wielding wolves, high tech surveillance and more. There is time travel as the tet goes back and forth between the Calla and NYC a few times in their attempts to protect the rose at all cost. And then there is Andy the messenger robot orchestrating it all but for who?
Eddie and Jake have a ton of character development in this book. Eddie becoming a bad ass in his own right, the scene of him protecting Calvin Tower is the highlight there. Jake has to come to grips with losing his childhood and stepping into adulthood in a big way. He on his own finds out who is behind the wolves. But then in the battle suffers a big loss. Roland shows more of his humanity both in an emotional state as well as how he is getting older and will need to rely on others more and more. Only Susannah feels like she takes a step back as she has to deal with a new person in her head and is thus sidelined for a large portion of the book.
While not a major advancement toward the tower this book was a fun read none the less.
What's more western than a small town in trouble hiring the help of a band of gunslingers? Back on the path of the beam Roland and company come across a small town that every generation has a wolf problem. Only these wolves take children. While they come back they are broken and dumb, only living a few years afterwards. This time however most of the town is willing to fight as long as the gunslingers are their by their side. The Ka-tet also needs assistance in saving the rose back in NYC and get it through the help of a dark object in the procession of Father Callahan after his own tale and doings in Salems lot. Through all this Susannah is struggling with the pregnancy of a child who is not her own as well as a personality dedicated to the child.
While this has tones of western elements Sci fi is on full display here with robotic lights saber wielding wolves, high tech surveillance and more. There is time travel as the tet goes back and forth between the Calla and NYC a few times in their attempts to protect the rose at all cost. And then there is Andy the messenger robot orchestrating it all but for who?
Eddie and Jake have a ton of character development in this book. Eddie becoming a bad ass in his own right, the scene of him protecting Calvin Tower is the highlight there. Jake has to come to grips with losing his childhood and stepping into adulthood in a big way. He on his own finds out who is behind the wolves. But then in the battle suffers a big loss. Roland shows more of his humanity both in an emotional state as well as how he is getting older and will need to rely on others more and more. Only Susannah feels like she takes a step back as she has to deal with a new person in her head and is thus sidelined for a large portion of the book.
While not a major advancement toward the tower this book was a fun read none the less.
briandemarco_97's review against another edition
5.0
Excuse me while I hyperventilate in a corner.
The Dark Tower is without a doubt one of the best fantasy series I've ever had the pleasure of taking in. No, strike that. It's one of the best SERIES, period. I cannot heap enough praise onto these books. It is fantasy and sci-fi with a western flair, pulled off in a manner that only Stephen King could make work. It is wholly original, inventive, and fucking awesome.
For me, the series has only gotten better since book one, and a serious argument can be made for this being the best one yet. Wolves of the Calla finds our heroes thrust into helping a small town in the outskirts of a dark and threatening land against a team of "wolves" who come once a generation to steal the children of the town. What at first seems like it will be a great big side quest ends up advancing the story along quite well, with the introduction of Father Callahan, the disgraced priest from another King book, "Salem's Lot" (that's right folks, it's multiverse time), and a woman named Mia, who may or may not be having a demon baby.
Everything that makes the series great is here in full, with pretty much none of the weaknesses. It's beautifully paced, tense and suspenseful to the last page, and ends on such a killer and out of nowhere twist that I would actually kill someone if they stood between me and the next one.
Perhaps one of the best things about "Wolves of the Calla" for me was the inclusion of Father Callahan. It's something only an author would think of - "hey, whatever happened to that minor side character from my second book I wrote almost thirty years ago?" But King works the character into the story so expertly you never think to doubt his being there. His story of what happened to him after his exit from Salem's Lot was one of the highlights of the book, and I have Stephen King to thank for introducing me to the song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John.
But of course, I expect nothing less from the master of the craft these days. A wonderful story, rich and full characters, and some good tunes worked into the narrative. Go, read "The Dark Tower" series. Even if you don't love it, it's an experience you won't ever forget. I cannot recommend these books enough.
The Dark Tower is without a doubt one of the best fantasy series I've ever had the pleasure of taking in. No, strike that. It's one of the best SERIES, period. I cannot heap enough praise onto these books. It is fantasy and sci-fi with a western flair, pulled off in a manner that only Stephen King could make work. It is wholly original, inventive, and fucking awesome.
For me, the series has only gotten better since book one, and a serious argument can be made for this being the best one yet. Wolves of the Calla finds our heroes thrust into helping a small town in the outskirts of a dark and threatening land against a team of "wolves" who come once a generation to steal the children of the town. What at first seems like it will be a great big side quest ends up advancing the story along quite well, with the introduction of Father Callahan, the disgraced priest from another King book, "Salem's Lot" (that's right folks, it's multiverse time), and a woman named Mia, who may or may not be having a demon baby.
Everything that makes the series great is here in full, with pretty much none of the weaknesses. It's beautifully paced, tense and suspenseful to the last page, and ends on such a killer and out of nowhere twist that I would actually kill someone if they stood between me and the next one.
Perhaps one of the best things about "Wolves of the Calla" for me was the inclusion of Father Callahan. It's something only an author would think of - "hey, whatever happened to that minor side character from my second book I wrote almost thirty years ago?" But King works the character into the story so expertly you never think to doubt his being there. His story of what happened to him after his exit from Salem's Lot was one of the highlights of the book, and I have Stephen King to thank for introducing me to the song "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" by Elton John.
But of course, I expect nothing less from the master of the craft these days. A wonderful story, rich and full characters, and some good tunes worked into the narrative. Go, read "The Dark Tower" series. Even if you don't love it, it's an experience you won't ever forget. I cannot recommend these books enough.
harrymclellan's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0