Helpful Score: 2
Wizard and Glass.... this is one murderously long book.
I'm a fan of the DT series, and I nearly ditched this 700pg beast at least 3 times while I plodded through it. The repetition is almost physically painful. About 300 pages are entirely unnecessary and do nothing to move the story forward, they - in fact - keep jerking it backwards in a one step forward, two steps back fashion.
Some have recommended reading a synopsis of the flashback section (which is 80% of the book, or so) - and I tend to agree with them. Its a shame, because a decent story is buried in there, but mining it out is torturous. In the afterward - Stephen King says he lost track of whether it was a good book or not about halfway through writing it. I say: No Shit.
Whomever his editors were on this outing did him no favors by not pointing out how he was holding his fan's feet in the fire.
All that said - you almost can't skip it in order to continue forward. This book bridges a long time away from the series for SK into the last years of its writing, which were executed in a comparable feverish speed (the author's brush with mortality rearranging his priorities somewhat).
I feel glad to be done with it. Very glad. I'm not happy with the resolutions, either. All involve vague magic and characters reappearing in overly-convenient ways. Please let the last 3 be much much better than this... I've more or less been saving them to enjoy, because I understand it won't last forever. Now I have no interest in parsing them out - because, while reading this book - the notion of the series lasting forever was hell on Earth.
I'm a fan of the DT series, and I nearly ditched this 700pg beast at least 3 times while I plodded through it. The repetition is almost physically painful. About 300 pages are entirely unnecessary and do nothing to move the story forward, they - in fact - keep jerking it backwards in a one step forward, two steps back fashion.
Some have recommended reading a synopsis of the flashback section (which is 80% of the book, or so) - and I tend to agree with them. Its a shame, because a decent story is buried in there, but mining it out is torturous. In the afterward - Stephen King says he lost track of whether it was a good book or not about halfway through writing it. I say: No Shit.
Whomever his editors were on this outing did him no favors by not pointing out how he was holding his fan's feet in the fire.
All that said - you almost can't skip it in order to continue forward. This book bridges a long time away from the series for SK into the last years of its writing, which were executed in a comparable feverish speed (the author's brush with mortality rearranging his priorities somewhat).
I feel glad to be done with it. Very glad. I'm not happy with the resolutions, either. All involve vague magic and characters reappearing in overly-convenient ways. Please let the last 3 be much much better than this... I've more or less been saving them to enjoy, because I understand it won't last forever. Now I have no interest in parsing them out - because, while reading this book - the notion of the series lasting forever was hell on Earth.
Helpful Score: 2
Another chapter in the quest for the Dark Tower. This book delves more into the young life of Roland answering many unanswered questions as to what makes him the way he is. The group is really starting to come together in this one as well, and it leaves you wanting to learn more about what will become of them.
Helpful Score: 2
Stephen King's finest writings are of the Gunslinger series. Period.
Helpful Score: 2
Wizard and Glass.... this is one murderously long book.
I'm a fan of the DT series, and I nearly ditched this 700pg beast at least 3 times while I plodded through it. The repetition is almost physically painful. About 300 pages are entirely unnecessary and do nothing to move the story forward, they - in fact - keep jerking it backwards in a one step forward, two steps back fashion.
Some have recommended reading a synopsis of the flashback section (which is 80% of the book, or so) - and I tend to agree with them. Its a shame, because a decent story is buried in there, but mining it out is torturous. In the afterward - Stephen King says he lost track of whether it was a good book or not about halfway through writing it. I say: No Shit.
Whomever his editors were on this outing did him no favors by not pointing out how he was holding his fan's feet in the fire.
All that said - you almost can't skip it in order to continue forward. This book bridges a long time away from the series for SK into the last years of its writing, which were executed in a comparable feverish speed (the author's brush with mortality rearranging his priorities somewhat).
I feel glad to be done with it. Very glad. I'm not happy with the resolutions, either. All involve vague magic and characters reappearing in overly-convenient ways. Please let the last 3 be much much better than this... I've more or less been saving them to enjoy, because I understand it won't last forever. Now I have no interest in parsing them out - because, while reading this book - the notion of the series lasting forever was hell on Earth.
I'm a fan of the DT series, and I nearly ditched this 700pg beast at least 3 times while I plodded through it. The repetition is almost physically painful. About 300 pages are entirely unnecessary and do nothing to move the story forward, they - in fact - keep jerking it backwards in a one step forward, two steps back fashion.
Some have recommended reading a synopsis of the flashback section (which is 80% of the book, or so) - and I tend to agree with them. Its a shame, because a decent story is buried in there, but mining it out is torturous. In the afterward - Stephen King says he lost track of whether it was a good book or not about halfway through writing it. I say: No Shit.
Whomever his editors were on this outing did him no favors by not pointing out how he was holding his fan's feet in the fire.
All that said - you almost can't skip it in order to continue forward. This book bridges a long time away from the series for SK into the last years of its writing, which were executed in a comparable feverish speed (the author's brush with mortality rearranging his priorities somewhat).
I feel glad to be done with it. Very glad. I'm not happy with the resolutions, either. All involve vague magic and characters reappearing in overly-convenient ways. Please let the last 3 be much much better than this... I've more or less been saving them to enjoy, because I understand it won't last forever. Now I have no interest in parsing them out - because, while reading this book - the notion of the series lasting forever was hell on Earth.
Helpful Score: 2
I have been wondering what happened to Cuthbert, Alain and Susan. Now in this 4th installment of the Dark Tower I got my answers. I thought it was a very gripping book and finally answered a lot of questions that I have been wondering. I won't go into it to let it be a surprise but it is a "must need to read" if you have read the first three. - One of my favorite series
