The Dark Tower

slayer81

Legendary pimp, slayer of evils
I've just started reading The Dark Tower by Stephen King. Anyone else read this series? So far, very impressive, very descriptive and easy to envision. A lot of reading ahead of me, but it will be a great way to kill time while waiting for new Berserk releases.
 

Vampire_Hunter_Bob

Cats are great
slayer81 said:
I've just started reading The Dark Tower by Stephen King. Anyone else read this series? So far, very impressive, very descriptive and easy to envision. A lot of reading ahead of me, but it will be a great way to kill time while waiting for new Berserk releases.

I've read the Gunslinger, but I haven't read the others. I've heard it's great all the way up untill the very end. I don't know why, but that's what I've heard.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I still remember Wally telling me to give the Gunslinger a try, and I certainly don't regret it. I've read 'em all (though not the dozens of supposedly connected stories) and more or less enjoy them. It's a good series to love, and to love to hate. They're very different book to book, so you can absolutely love one, hate the next, and love the one after.

Vaxillus said:
Stephen King tends to bore me, I don't understand why he's so popular.

Yeah, he definitely can get into some long descriptive passages, if you know what I mean, especially his recent works. I'm a bigger fan of his shorter and oldschool stuff. Try The Gunslinger, even if you're not a fan of his other work, it's not like his other work.
 

Vaxillus

The one and only severed head
Griffith No More! said:
Yeah, he definitely can get into some long descriptive passages, if you know what I mean, especially his recent works. I'm a bigger fan of his shorter and oldschool stuff. Try The Gunslinger, even if you're not a fan of his other work, it's not like his other work.
Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely pick that one up.
 

slayer81

Legendary pimp, slayer of evils
Yeah, so far I am about 1/2 of the way through the Gunslinger and I think it is really good. From what I have heard from a couple of my friends that have read the whole series, King started out being very descriptive at the beginning and, around book 4 or so, he just tossed all that out the window and cut to the chase. Nevertheless, I still really like it so far. :badbone:
 
I've read The Gunslinger,The Drawing of the Three, and The Waste Lands for what I've read of it it's not to bad a series not great but not bad at least as far as Stephen King goes. I've never been a huge fan of Stephen King but a friend of mine suggested it and he's given me some good reading recommendations before so i figured I'd give it an honest chance. Ill most likely end up going to Barnes & Noble sometime to snag the other books in the series.

Probably after i finish re-reading the wheel of time again.
 

Kompozinaut

Sylph Sword
Its sad that I've been lurking these boards for whats nearing on 3 years now and this is the discussion that sparks my interest in posting.

However, I'm somewhat of a fanboy of the Dark Tower series. Its quite the epic tale, though, the ending didn't leave me with enough closure when I first finished the books, but now I've grown to really like it and I think its actually a fitting end in some ways.

I will say that out of all seven books The Gunslinger is by far and away my favorite followed closely by Wizard and Glass.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
I've read the first four books over 10 years ago, and the last 3 as soon as each came out. I've also read most of the connected stories. I like the series, but I think it underdelivered compared to what it was meant to be, especially in the last 3 books. It's probably just a matter of King promising so much, delaying it for so long and then rushing it out, but I wasn't satisfied by the turn things took with Wolves of the Calla. Basically my expectations weren't met; it wasn't as epic and all-encompassing as it could have been to me. I didn't hate the ending, but it didn't blow me away either. Then again, I wasn't always happy with the previous books either I guess. :void:

Beherit_Collector said:
I will say that out of all seven books The Gunslinger is by far and away my favorite followed closely by Wizard and Glass.

Same here. It's the first story King ever wrote and I think it's the best. Well, along with The Mist. :SK:
 

Aeglos

Avatar made in mspaint
Aazealh said:
It's probably just a matter of King promising so much, delaying it for so long and then rushing it out, but I wasn't satisfied by the turn things took with Wolves of the Calla.

That about sums it up for me too. There were GREAT parts in the last books and I enjoyed them a lot, except maybe the last one; The Dark Tower, which was supposed to be the book just didn't deliver. It could have been made into two more books easily, and all the weird plot twists made me feel like I was reading Harry Potter. The ending is very fitting though, no complaints there.

Despites it's flaws it's very well worth the read.
 

slayer81

Legendary pimp, slayer of evils
shadar logoth said:
I've never been a huge fan of Stephen King but a friend of mine suggested it and he's given me some good reading recommendations before so i figured I'd give it an honest chance.

That is basically what happened with me. The same friends that recommended TDT were the ones that introduced me to Berserk to begin with, so as time has passed, I have come to trust their tastes.
 

slayer81

Legendary pimp, slayer of evils
Well, I finished The Gunslinger, which wasn't bad, and I'm about 1/2 way finished with The Drawing of the Three, so far so good there also. I heard JJ Abrams was supposed to be directing a movie adaptation of the Dark Tower, too. I hope they don't try to cram all of it into one or two films. Really, the only way they could go about it, in my mind, is sort of a LOTR-type deal, where they do a trilogy of three hour long movies. What about you guys? Have you heard anything about it?
 

Godred

Once sent from the Golden Hall.
For some reason I've felt more of a connection with The Dark Tower series than any other books I've read. My most favorite was The Drawing of the Three. I kinda wish they would of made the comic book series out of The Gunslinger other than The Wizard and Glass :( Don't get me wrong, good comics.. but I would of loved to have seen one of the other books in comic book form.
 

KazigluBey

Misanthrōpos
I read the first book in the series but I just wasn't that impressed. I've tried hard to like Stephen King's works but he just doesn't appeal to me.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
If you didn't like Gunslinger, I definitely wouldn't keep reading if I were you.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
If you didn't like Gunslinger, I definitely wouldn't keep reading if I were you.

I don't know, if you don't like The Gunslinger, maybe you WOULD like the rest. =)
 

slayer81

Legendary pimp, slayer of evils
I am about 1/3 of the way done with Wolves of the Calla now, and so far so good. Has anyone heard any news of the movie? They are apparently doing a very good job of keeping the cast a secret...
 

Bunnet

Gender is our true trap
Godred said:
For some reason I've felt more of a connection with The Dark Tower series than any other books I've read. My most favorite was The Drawing of the Three. I kinda wish they would of made the comic book series out of The Gunslinger other than The Wizard and Glass :( Don't get me wrong, good comics.. but I would of loved to have seen one of the other books in comic book form.
That was indeed my favorite work from him. I don't know guys I really enjoy the Dark Tower series but then I'm always about mixing it up. I think it get sort of boring when you are reading and 'oh Mr. Magic just cast a spell' but instead if they see something like 'oh Mr. Magic is eating those kids testicles in order to get to the underworld and open dimensional portals by binding their souls to mutated dogs' I mean its the way the write brings up. Anyone can write anything however not anyone can make any writing look good or excellent. I think King makes concepts that otherwise would be dis-carted into books and generally their good. That impressive by itself.
 
I read the first 2 graphic novles I have not seen the real books. I think the gns are pretty good my only complaint is the english used in it its kinda wierd not sure if anyone knows what I am talking about but to me it was alittle hard to understand but pretty good over all.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451658907/ref=s9_newr_gw_g14_ir02?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-4&pf_rd_r=1T9TSVF1A882CAQ2C7SE&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470939031&pf_rd_i=507846

For those discovering the epic bestselling Dark Tower series for the first time—and for its legions of dedicated fans—an immensely satisfying stand-alone novel and perfect introduction to the series.Beginning in 1974, gaining momentum in the 1980s and coming to a thrilling conclusion when the last three novels were published in 2003-2004, the Dark Tower epic fantasy saga stands as Stephen King’s most beguiling achievement. It has been the basis for a long-running Marvel comic series.
Now, with The Wind Through the Keyhole, King has returned to the rich landscape of Mid-World. This story within a story within a story finds Roland Deschain, Mid-World’s last gunslinger, in his early days during the guilt-ridden year following his mother’s death. Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, a “skin-man,” Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast’s most recent slaughter. Roland, himself only a teenager, calms the boy by reciting a story from the Book of Eld that his mother used to read to him at bedtime. “A person’s never too old for stories,” he says to Bill. “Man and boy, girl and woman, we live for them.”

Sure to captivate the avid fans of the Dark Tower epic, this is an enchanting introduction to Roland’s world and the power of Stephen King’s storytelling magic.

...What the hell?
 
StephenKing.com:

"Dear Constant Readers,

At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking-and dreaming-about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard and Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the beginning of Wolves of the Calla)?

There was a storm, I decided. One of sudden and vicious intensity. The kind to which billy-bumblers like Oy are particularly susceptible. Little by little, a story began to take shape. I saw a line of riders, one of them Roland's old mate, Jamie DeCurry, emerging from clouds of alkali dust thrown by a high wind. I saw a severed head on a fencepost. I saw a swamp full of dangers and terrors. I saw just enough to want to see the rest. Long story short, I went back to visit an-tet with my friends for awhile. The result is a novel called The Wind Through the Keyhole. It's finished, and I expect it will be published next year.

It won't tell you much that's new about Roland and his friends, but there's a lot none of us knew about Mid-World, both past and present. The novel is shorter than DT 2-7, but quite a bit longer than the first volume-call this one DT-4.5. It's not going to change anybody's life, but God, I had fun."

Sounds like he said whatever and just decided to publish some more random shit.
 
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