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A review by mrbananacheeks
The Dark Tower by Stephen King
5.0
“Ka is a wheel.”
Early in the series, Roland is warned that the top floor of the Tower is empty. That’s partly true. But it also contains the entire series itself.
This book was long, sad, and powerful. All but the original ka-tet survive for what could be close to a happy ending, but the idea of Susannah going to some version of NYC that Jake and Eddie live in made me pretty emotional while driving. Even during that moment, when I believed that Roland’s story would end with the doors of the Tower closing behind him.
In a book where they literally save the life of Stephen King, and a moment of deus ex machina where SK literally writes in notes to a character, the inclusion of Patrick at the end felt a little cheap. But I can’t imagine that there would be very many satisfying endings to such a long series. The joy is in the journey, after all.
Amazing how we can read thousands of pages while wishing along that our “hero”, gets to the Tower, climbs the stairs, finds peace at the top, and maybe becomes whole again. And feel so disappointed when SK leaves us hanging; telling us to stop reading. Then Roland opens the last door, and sees nothing but the desert and cold campfire in front of him that the first book begins with; forced to go to the Tower again and again, with this next time maybe being different, with hints provided by the Tower itself that he immediately discards from memory once he steps through completely.
So I dream of a tale where he is simply content with disposing of the Crimson King and finds his way to NYC with his ka-tet. Though SK has made it clear that reading each of his books is one of the Tower, I am sad to finish it. Maybe we’ll get more, maybe not. But for now, every time someone starts reading the series, we’ll have to be okay with the greatest opening line of a book, and greatest final line of a series:
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”
Long days, and pleasant nights.
Early in the series, Roland is warned that the top floor of the Tower is empty. That’s partly true. But it also contains the entire series itself.
This book was long, sad, and powerful. All but the original ka-tet survive for what could be close to a happy ending, but the idea of Susannah going to some version of NYC that Jake and Eddie live in made me pretty emotional while driving. Even during that moment, when I believed that Roland’s story would end with the doors of the Tower closing behind him.
In a book where they literally save the life of Stephen King, and a moment of deus ex machina where SK literally writes in notes to a character, the inclusion of Patrick at the end felt a little cheap. But I can’t imagine that there would be very many satisfying endings to such a long series. The joy is in the journey, after all.
Amazing how we can read thousands of pages while wishing along that our “hero”, gets to the Tower, climbs the stairs, finds peace at the top, and maybe becomes whole again. And feel so disappointed when SK leaves us hanging; telling us to stop reading. Then Roland opens the last door, and sees nothing but the desert and cold campfire in front of him that the first book begins with; forced to go to the Tower again and again, with this next time maybe being different, with hints provided by the Tower itself that he immediately discards from memory once he steps through completely.
So I dream of a tale where he is simply content with disposing of the Crimson King and finds his way to NYC with his ka-tet. Though SK has made it clear that reading each of his books is one of the Tower, I am sad to finish it. Maybe we’ll get more, maybe not. But for now, every time someone starts reading the series, we’ll have to be okay with the greatest opening line of a book, and greatest final line of a series:
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.”
Long days, and pleasant nights.