You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Good pace, easy read, and was hard to put down for the most part. As always, King's imagery is fantastic and feels vivid in every sense. I felt the plot was predictable from about halfway through, and there were very few surprises left after that point. Having said that, the content was still entertaining to read the whole way through. There were definitely lulls in places, but overall it was an enjoyable book and left me wanting to progress in the series.
This book blew my mind. I gave it four stars because there were parts that were just a bit unnecessarily wordy and long-winded. But holy cow. A fun book.
And for the record, I am glad I read Salem's Lot first before reading this one.
And for the record, I am glad I read Salem's Lot first before reading this one.
It's so nice to be back at the main series, rather than wandering off on a million different tangents. Note to self: Focus more!
I liked how his was actually pretty focused, despite the length. We get some digressions, but for the most part, things are focused on the Wolves and the Rose. I've also become quite fond of the ka-tet by this point, so it was very nice to see them again. I did feel like the book dragged a bit toward the end, but not enough to be a huge detractor. Looking forward to the next in the series!
I liked how his was actually pretty focused, despite the length. We get some digressions, but for the most part, things are focused on the Wolves and the Rose. I've also become quite fond of the ka-tet by this point, so it was very nice to see them again. I did feel like the book dragged a bit toward the end, but not enough to be a huge detractor. Looking forward to the next in the series!
My Recommendation: This is absolutely worth the read. It wasn't as slow as Wizard and Glass, which was great. Each book, no matter the time between my reading (I read Wizard and Glass almost a year ago) stays fresh and comes back very quickly when I start the next in the series. I'm ready for Song of Susannah, but will give it some time before I dive right in.
My Response: In general, I am LOATHE to enjoy a book as slow as this, let alone a 7(+) book series, but this one is good, really good.
I think the biggest issue I have with this book is how quickly it ended. Some of this is of course due to the Amazon Kindle flaw of telling you have 8-10% left in the book when really you have 1-2% and the other 8-9% of those pages are bonus content. But, the rest of it has to do with this having the first true cliffhanger in the series. [This might not be true as I can't really remember the endings of the others, just they all blend together.]
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
My Response: In general, I am LOATHE to enjoy a book as slow as this, let alone a 7(+) book series, but this one is good, really good.
I think the biggest issue I have with this book is how quickly it ended. Some of this is of course due to the Amazon Kindle flaw of telling you have 8-10% left in the book when really you have 1-2% and the other 8-9% of those pages are bonus content. But, the rest of it has to do with this having the first true cliffhanger in the series. [This might not be true as I can't really remember the endings of the others, just they all blend together.]
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
I loved The Calla, it was an intresting place with a mysterious robot and a mysterious "always dark land". I can't help but feeling that it felt a little like the story of the Barony Of Mejis but in the present. It was a fun read and i am looking forward to continue the quest for the dark tower
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
More like a 4.5/5 but this was a very good read. Stephen King's Dark Tower continues to build steam and momentum as it heads closer and closer towards the end. There are plenty of references that were very much appreciated in this one, nods to Marvel Comics and Harry Potter - the novelty that to someone from the 1970s thought Harry Potter was a Marvel character was quite amusing, and the quote from one of my favourite movies, The Magnificent Seven, that opens the book was also much appreciated.
The worldbuilding continues to excel in this as King continues to expand the world and it's clear now that although the movie itself was enjoyable trying to cram the entire Dark Tower universe into 90 minutes was always going to mean that it would never fulfill its potential, but at least we're getting a TV series and Idris Elba aced it as Roland Deschain. There were a lot of similarities between this movie and this particular book so it looks like that they took at least a significant inspiration from Wolves of the Calla as well as the earlier books in the series. Whilst there are plenty more adventures to be told this book moves the plot forward successfully, at a quick pace that at the same time feels a bit too long. Thankfully it's an improvement on Wizard and Glass, book four.
The dialogue and dialect are something that many fantasy writers tend to struggle with but it comes natural to King's characters and doesn't feel forced at all. The characters themselves are incredibly memorable and well-developed, each having their own parts to play and it's not all just about Roland or Jake. Not having read the previous books in a while did affect some of my knowledge coming into this one but the refresher at the start was all that I needed and I was quickly caught up. Not quite my favourite entry in the series, good Stephen King is still good Stephen King, and I'm looking forward to see how he wraps up the series in the concluding two volumes.
The worldbuilding continues to excel in this as King continues to expand the world and it's clear now that although the movie itself was enjoyable trying to cram the entire Dark Tower universe into 90 minutes was always going to mean that it would never fulfill its potential, but at least we're getting a TV series and Idris Elba aced it as Roland Deschain. There were a lot of similarities between this movie and this particular book so it looks like that they took at least a significant inspiration from Wolves of the Calla as well as the earlier books in the series. Whilst there are plenty more adventures to be told this book moves the plot forward successfully, at a quick pace that at the same time feels a bit too long. Thankfully it's an improvement on Wizard and Glass, book four.
The dialogue and dialect are something that many fantasy writers tend to struggle with but it comes natural to King's characters and doesn't feel forced at all. The characters themselves are incredibly memorable and well-developed, each having their own parts to play and it's not all just about Roland or Jake. Not having read the previous books in a while did affect some of my knowledge coming into this one but the refresher at the start was all that I needed and I was quickly caught up. Not quite my favourite entry in the series, good Stephen King is still good Stephen King, and I'm looking forward to see how he wraps up the series in the concluding two volumes.
This book was a disappointment. So many pages wasted on an alcoholic Catholic priest. So many pages wasted on the dramas of hicks no one cared about. But by far, the biggest insult was the ending. 800 pages of bullshit for a 3-page shoot-out which simply takes place, simply IS, with only two casualties and in such lame conditions. The "Bad Guys" were by far the most disappointing element. Robots built in the shape of Doctor Doom (Marvel comics), wielding light sabers and fucking Quidditch Snitches? "Wolves of the Calla", you can go fuck yourself. I give this lame manifestation of literature 2 stars because of the scenes with Susannah (which were by far the best) and because the premise had so so so much promise. Sad it could not deliver...