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wcrobi 's review for:
The Dark Tower
by Stephen King
Do ya ken?
Friends, this is craziness. I don't think I actually expected to fully understand (or appreciate, heck, even like!) the metafiction that King tied in with these last three installments of the Dark Tower. However...
Something about the metafiction passed a critical juncture, about the time a certain trio encountered Roland on his quest for the Dark Tower. Then it just... clicked. Something in my brain went: "Huh. Yeah, that works." And ka rolled ever onward.
Let me just itemize this review, since there is very little chance that I can coherently pull all of my thoughts together otherwise. Spoilers ahead.
2) While I'm on the subject, let me just say that all of the characters' endings befitted their story arcs. Yes, even Walter, Mordred, and The Crimson King. I don't know how else to explain it, but it makes sense that for the whole span of the series, we have been told that the world had moved on, that, somehow, the good was seeping out of it drop by precious drop. Still, ka is a wheel, and it makes sense that the "boogey-men" who previously put up so much of a fight to Roland and his ka-tet would, at the end, be overcome by their pretensions, their hubris, and their... well, their egos. Through little to no effort on Roland's behalf, these evil boogers were carried away, swept away, (erased away?) through nothing but ka.
3) Well, almost nothing but ka. We had a few sacrifices along the way.
a) Walking a little after finishing this book, it makes sense that the deaths of Jake, Eddie, and Oy might be so frustrating to some. We walked so long with them, saw them grow, change, love, and suffer alongside each other. And Eddie... POOR Eddie! He just gets shot by a villain who Roland didn't quite kill? He did all that work, and an almost-dead wanna-be Christian bumbo pops a bullet through his head? REALLY?
b) Yes, really. For ka is a wheel. Just like all the boogeymen got erased (chased?) away, so too must the ka-tet break. And, for how much I cared about the characters, part of my grief was that their deaths didn't have the glory they deserved. But they died well. And they lived well after, do ya ken?
4) Like I mentioned in the Song of Susannah review, I think that the best parts of the book were the moments that Roland and his tet were in End-World. Stopping the Breakers, walking across Empathica, and finally getting to the field of roses. Still, the sequence beginning with Roland and Jake exiting the door Sheemie made and ending with Roland reuniting, alone, with Susannah was very well written. The illustrations in this book were also phenomenal additions to this section which, to be honest, brought tears to my eyes.
5) Another piece that surprised me is that Roland and Susannah, even through to the very end, never stopped encountering new and unexpected enemies on the final trek to the Dark Tower. Whether it be slimy many-eyed tunnel monsters, shape-shifting vampires, the elements and cold itself, there were always new, fresh, horrifying monsters lying in the shadows at every turn. One fantasy series I love is the Earthsea Cycle, because Ged, the (often) main character always had to battle not only fantastical beasts and sorcerers, but also his own exhaustion and sense of inadequacy. I think that Roland shows a similar exhaustion, filling out the "type" of the exhausted hero, driven on not because of a deep desire to fulfill his quest, but a need. And beyond even Ged, Roland shows an uncontrollable compulsion to reach his goal. He literally could not be stopped... if you didn't read the Coda DOUBLE SPOILERS...
6) There is likely much more to say, but MAN, this was a ride. I'll end by saying that this book series has given me a LOT to chew on (#ripcallahan). I think that this will end up being one of those series that I think about for a long, long time, and I will still be unweaving the significance for a longer time than I may even remember all of the details and tales. But... say it with me... ka is a wheel, friend. And it continues to turn.
Say thank ya.
Friends, this is craziness. I don't think I actually expected to fully understand (or appreciate, heck, even like!) the metafiction that King tied in with these last three installments of the Dark Tower. However...
Something about the metafiction passed a critical juncture, about the time a certain trio encountered Roland on his quest for the Dark Tower. Then it just... clicked. Something in my brain went: "Huh. Yeah, that works." And ka rolled ever onward.
Let me just itemize this review, since there is very little chance that I can coherently pull all of my thoughts together otherwise. Spoilers ahead.
Spoiler
1) Callahan, you BEAST! The beginning of this novel feels almost like a different world from the very end. Still, the scene with Jake and Callahan fighting the low-men, the Taheen, and the vamps in the Dixie Pig was nothing short of legendary. It is scenes like this that kept me going with the Dark Tower series, and one of the reasons I liked Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla so much. His death was so... appropriate to his character.2) While I'm on the subject, let me just say that all of the characters' endings befitted their story arcs. Yes, even Walter, Mordred, and The Crimson King. I don't know how else to explain it, but it makes sense that for the whole span of the series, we have been told that the world had moved on, that, somehow, the good was seeping out of it drop by precious drop. Still, ka is a wheel, and it makes sense that the "boogey-men" who previously put up so much of a fight to Roland and his ka-tet would, at the end, be overcome by their pretensions, their hubris, and their... well, their egos. Through little to no effort on Roland's behalf, these evil boogers were carried away, swept away, (erased away?) through nothing but ka.
3) Well, almost nothing but ka. We had a few sacrifices along the way.
a) Walking a little after finishing this book, it makes sense that the deaths of Jake, Eddie, and Oy might be so frustrating to some. We walked so long with them, saw them grow, change, love, and suffer alongside each other. And Eddie... POOR Eddie! He just gets shot by a villain who Roland didn't quite kill? He did all that work, and an almost-dead wanna-be Christian bumbo pops a bullet through his head? REALLY?
b) Yes, really. For ka is a wheel. Just like all the boogeymen got erased (chased?) away, so too must the ka-tet break. And, for how much I cared about the characters, part of my grief was that their deaths didn't have the glory they deserved. But they died well. And they lived well after, do ya ken?
4) Like I mentioned in the Song of Susannah review, I think that the best parts of the book were the moments that Roland and his tet were in End-World. Stopping the Breakers, walking across Empathica, and finally getting to the field of roses. Still, the sequence beginning with Roland and Jake exiting the door Sheemie made and ending with Roland reuniting, alone, with Susannah was very well written. The illustrations in this book were also phenomenal additions to this section which, to be honest, brought tears to my eyes.
5) Another piece that surprised me is that Roland and Susannah, even through to the very end, never stopped encountering new and unexpected enemies on the final trek to the Dark Tower. Whether it be slimy many-eyed tunnel monsters, shape-shifting vampires, the elements and cold itself, there were always new, fresh, horrifying monsters lying in the shadows at every turn. One fantasy series I love is the Earthsea Cycle, because Ged, the (often) main character always had to battle not only fantastical beasts and sorcerers, but also his own exhaustion and sense of inadequacy. I think that Roland shows a similar exhaustion, filling out the "type" of the exhausted hero, driven on not because of a deep desire to fulfill his quest, but a need. And beyond even Ged, Roland shows an uncontrollable compulsion to reach his goal. He literally could not be stopped... if you didn't read the Coda DOUBLE SPOILERS...
Spoiler
... and it did bring him to ruin - a hell of his own, long creation. For ka is a wheel, friend.6) There is likely much more to say, but MAN, this was a ride. I'll end by saying that this book series has given me a LOT to chew on (#ripcallahan). I think that this will end up being one of those series that I think about for a long, long time, and I will still be unweaving the significance for a longer time than I may even remember all of the details and tales. But... say it with me... ka is a wheel, friend. And it continues to turn.
Say thank ya.