Dark Tower: Finished
Total and complete spoilers ahead - absolutely do not read if you don't already know how this series ends.
So I finished The Dark Tower at 2:30 AM on Saturday night and it left me speechless. Not to mention slightly insane.
After I fished it, I went to bed (what people usually do before 2:30) and began hallucinating. You know those states of half-awake, half-asleep that you sometimes find yourself trapped in? Where your eyes are open but your brain has checked out? Well that was me for 2 hours after reading the last words of Roland's story. At one point I looked at the clock and it read 3:19 (19, mind you) and, with pounding heart, I seriously thought I was sleeping on the path of The Beam, in Mid-World, searching for The Dark Tower, just waiting for the sun to rise. Weird, I know.
No more late-night reading marathons for me. At least not for a while.
Those who have finished The Dark Tower cycle might (partially) understand my state of mind.
The final book is (Sadie, thanks for nailing it) devastating. And yet, it couldn't be any other way. I don't understand people who loathed this ending. SK has taken an insane amount of heat (as much heat as literary criticism can dole out, that is, which, in the big scheme, isn't much) for ending the series the way he did. I've heard words like Chicken, rushed, cop-out and more, thrown around and I don't understand what these people are thinking.
I'll try to sum up my feelings chronologically.
1) Callahan's passing.
Callahan was one of my favorite characters in the series and his end was hard but I loved it. I was nearly shouting, "Amen, brother!"
I won't forget his words:
Free at last, he thought. Free at last, great God Almighty, I'm free at last. Then: I believe this is redemption. And it's good, isn't it? Quite good, indeed.
2) Mordred's birth
Ugh. Gross. Mia, you have some issues. This scene had me on the edge of my seat. I was extremely affected by it and I'm not quite sure why.
3) Blue Heaven, and farewell Eddie
Eddie's end hit me from left field. I thought Jake was going to be the first to go. Eddie has been such a great character. From his fighting addiction to his (sometimes too-prevalent) sense of humor to his mental torment by his late brother, Henry. After his passing the story just descends into darker and darker territories. And I missed Eddie. The Ka-Tet was definitely broken.
On a side note, what's up with the booger eating in this section? SK, hello? Was making me gag really necessary?
4) Jake's End.
I really got broken up over this. I loved Jake.
5) The White Lands Of Empathica/Daneldo
Was Daneldo, IT? I've never read that book but from what I've heard, Daneldo seems to fit the bill. This scene was great. Quite creepy and out of the blue.
6) Tower Road
This section was heartbreaking for me. Roland's desperation as his final (human) companion leaves his side. (Patrick doesn't really count) The picture says it all. What a beautiful picture.
7) Mordred's End
Finally this little creep gets it. And the last member of the Ka-Tet leaves Roland. Poor Oy.
8) The Crimson King
Some people didn't really like how non-powerful The Crimson King seemed at the end, chucking Snitch's from the dark tower and ranting. I honestly didn't care. It fit into The Wizard Of OZ theme that runs through the book. The Wizard in the end is a bit of a humbug.
The final words of this chapter I'll never forget: Roland approaching the dark tower, calling the names. SK could not have written this any better. I got chills.
9) The epilogue
I didn't really like this part. It's going to be a bit weird in the afterlife, for Susannah isn't it? I mean now there's 2 different versions of her husband. How did the original Eddie feel? I know that this was SK's attempt to leave some of his readers with a happy ending but I didn't buy it. Eddie and Jake died and this doesn't change that.
But this is Roland's story and his end is the one I care about.
10) Coda
And it is devastating.
To all the fans who degrade this ending, you're nuts. The Dark Tower could not end any other way. It isn't happy but Roland's story did not warrant a happy ending. But there's hope. Cuthbert's horn and God's words that there's redemption in Roland's future.
Roland has sold his soul for the quest and such a man cannot see the face of God. And what else is the room at the top of the dark tower? King made this clear.
I think that Roland's perpetual journey is God's (Gan's) way of humbling Roland until he can be redeemed. Roland's arrogance to think that he can ascend to the holy of holies, the room at the top of the dark tower, is wrong. His demand that the dark tower open to him, is pride.
I believe that one day, Roland will not slay Allie in Tull. He won't let Jake fall. He will turn from the tower. He will be humbled. And then the door at the top will finally open to him and, as a man redeemed, he will see the face of God.
I truly loved Roland and his quest is heartbreaking. But I have the highest hopes for him.
So here's my reviews of all the books in order:
The Gunslinger
4/4 stars.
This one's hard to get into and the prose is, at first, a little hard to understand. But it sets the stage perfectly. Roland and his quest are laid bare. And the stakes are high.
The Drawing Of The Three
3/4 Stars
Here we meet Eddie and Susannah and, unfortunately, Detta Walker. Detta is probably the most foul-mouthed character I've ever read. She spews verbal sewage. A tense story to the end. Quite the page-turner.
A few nits though. I felt that parts of this book dragged and needed some editing. The chapters devoted to the mafia felt needless and I had to force myself to keep from skimming.
The illustrations also pale in comparison to the rest of the series.
The Wastelands
4/4
Great expansion of Roland's world. Jake's story is great, Lud is nightmare-ish, and Blaine... What can you say? Perfect.
Wizard and Glass
4/4
Probably my second-favorite of the series.
I thought I was going to dislike Susan (the usual spunky /hero that is really nothing but a good-looking jerk) but King wrote her in such a way that I ended up loving her. She is a real 16-year-old rather then a caricature. Cuthbert is a wonderful character too, as is Alain. I loved every page dedicated to them.
This story is made all the more tragic because you know it isn't going to end well. Susan will die in fire, Cuthburt will die laughing and Alain will die under his friend's guns. Of course, only Roland will go on.
My only problem with this book is the illustrations. Man, do they stink.
Wolves of the Calla
2/4
Maybe it was King's post-accident rust, but this one didn't have a good aftertaste. A page-turner the whole way, building to a climax. But I just didn't love it as much as the others (sorry, Sadie). A good book nonetheless.
Song of Susannah
3/4
This book seems to be the breath before the plunge. The final layers of SK's universe are being peeled back and the last pieces moved into place.
The ending in The Dixie Pig makes this book for me.
The Dark Tower
4/4
King saves his best for last. This is my favorite of the series. It doesn't get any better than this. A tragic and fitting conclusion to the series.
This is such an amazing cycle. I'll never forget Roland and his friends. There will always be a gunslinger wandering, in the back of my mind, looking for a dark tower that stands at the center of all worlds. I hope and believe that one day the door at the top will open to him and he will finally rest.
So I finished The Dark Tower at 2:30 AM on Saturday night and it left me speechless. Not to mention slightly insane.
After I fished it, I went to bed (what people usually do before 2:30) and began hallucinating. You know those states of half-awake, half-asleep that you sometimes find yourself trapped in? Where your eyes are open but your brain has checked out? Well that was me for 2 hours after reading the last words of Roland's story. At one point I looked at the clock and it read 3:19 (19, mind you) and, with pounding heart, I seriously thought I was sleeping on the path of The Beam, in Mid-World, searching for The Dark Tower, just waiting for the sun to rise. Weird, I know.
No more late-night reading marathons for me. At least not for a while.
Those who have finished The Dark Tower cycle might (partially) understand my state of mind.
The final book is (Sadie, thanks for nailing it) devastating. And yet, it couldn't be any other way. I don't understand people who loathed this ending. SK has taken an insane amount of heat (as much heat as literary criticism can dole out, that is, which, in the big scheme, isn't much) for ending the series the way he did. I've heard words like Chicken, rushed, cop-out and more, thrown around and I don't understand what these people are thinking.
I'll try to sum up my feelings chronologically.
1) Callahan's passing.
Callahan was one of my favorite characters in the series and his end was hard but I loved it. I was nearly shouting, "Amen, brother!"
I won't forget his words:
Free at last, he thought. Free at last, great God Almighty, I'm free at last. Then: I believe this is redemption. And it's good, isn't it? Quite good, indeed.
2) Mordred's birth
Ugh. Gross. Mia, you have some issues. This scene had me on the edge of my seat. I was extremely affected by it and I'm not quite sure why.
3) Blue Heaven, and farewell Eddie
Eddie's end hit me from left field. I thought Jake was going to be the first to go. Eddie has been such a great character. From his fighting addiction to his (sometimes too-prevalent) sense of humor to his mental torment by his late brother, Henry. After his passing the story just descends into darker and darker territories. And I missed Eddie. The Ka-Tet was definitely broken.
On a side note, what's up with the booger eating in this section? SK, hello? Was making me gag really necessary?
4) Jake's End.
I really got broken up over this. I loved Jake.
5) The White Lands Of Empathica/Daneldo
Was Daneldo, IT? I've never read that book but from what I've heard, Daneldo seems to fit the bill. This scene was great. Quite creepy and out of the blue.
6) Tower Road
This section was heartbreaking for me. Roland's desperation as his final (human) companion leaves his side. (Patrick doesn't really count) The picture says it all. What a beautiful picture.
7) Mordred's End
Finally this little creep gets it. And the last member of the Ka-Tet leaves Roland. Poor Oy.
8) The Crimson King
Some people didn't really like how non-powerful The Crimson King seemed at the end, chucking Snitch's from the dark tower and ranting. I honestly didn't care. It fit into The Wizard Of OZ theme that runs through the book. The Wizard in the end is a bit of a humbug.
The final words of this chapter I'll never forget: Roland approaching the dark tower, calling the names. SK could not have written this any better. I got chills.
9) The epilogue
I didn't really like this part. It's going to be a bit weird in the afterlife, for Susannah isn't it? I mean now there's 2 different versions of her husband. How did the original Eddie feel? I know that this was SK's attempt to leave some of his readers with a happy ending but I didn't buy it. Eddie and Jake died and this doesn't change that.
But this is Roland's story and his end is the one I care about.
10) Coda
And it is devastating.
To all the fans who degrade this ending, you're nuts. The Dark Tower could not end any other way. It isn't happy but Roland's story did not warrant a happy ending. But there's hope. Cuthbert's horn and God's words that there's redemption in Roland's future.
Roland has sold his soul for the quest and such a man cannot see the face of God. And what else is the room at the top of the dark tower? King made this clear.
I think that Roland's perpetual journey is God's (Gan's) way of humbling Roland until he can be redeemed. Roland's arrogance to think that he can ascend to the holy of holies, the room at the top of the dark tower, is wrong. His demand that the dark tower open to him, is pride.
I believe that one day, Roland will not slay Allie in Tull. He won't let Jake fall. He will turn from the tower. He will be humbled. And then the door at the top will finally open to him and, as a man redeemed, he will see the face of God.
I truly loved Roland and his quest is heartbreaking. But I have the highest hopes for him.
So here's my reviews of all the books in order:
The Gunslinger
4/4 stars.
This one's hard to get into and the prose is, at first, a little hard to understand. But it sets the stage perfectly. Roland and his quest are laid bare. And the stakes are high.
The Drawing Of The Three
3/4 Stars
Here we meet Eddie and Susannah and, unfortunately, Detta Walker. Detta is probably the most foul-mouthed character I've ever read. She spews verbal sewage. A tense story to the end. Quite the page-turner.
A few nits though. I felt that parts of this book dragged and needed some editing. The chapters devoted to the mafia felt needless and I had to force myself to keep from skimming.
The illustrations also pale in comparison to the rest of the series.
The Wastelands
4/4
Great expansion of Roland's world. Jake's story is great, Lud is nightmare-ish, and Blaine... What can you say? Perfect.
Wizard and Glass
4/4
Probably my second-favorite of the series.
I thought I was going to dislike Susan (the usual spunky /hero that is really nothing but a good-looking jerk) but King wrote her in such a way that I ended up loving her. She is a real 16-year-old rather then a caricature. Cuthbert is a wonderful character too, as is Alain. I loved every page dedicated to them.
This story is made all the more tragic because you know it isn't going to end well. Susan will die in fire, Cuthburt will die laughing and Alain will die under his friend's guns. Of course, only Roland will go on.
My only problem with this book is the illustrations. Man, do they stink.
Wolves of the Calla
2/4
Maybe it was King's post-accident rust, but this one didn't have a good aftertaste. A page-turner the whole way, building to a climax. But I just didn't love it as much as the others (sorry, Sadie). A good book nonetheless.
Song of Susannah
3/4
This book seems to be the breath before the plunge. The final layers of SK's universe are being peeled back and the last pieces moved into place.
The ending in The Dixie Pig makes this book for me.
The Dark Tower
4/4
King saves his best for last. This is my favorite of the series. It doesn't get any better than this. A tragic and fitting conclusion to the series.
This is such an amazing cycle. I'll never forget Roland and his friends. There will always be a gunslinger wandering, in the back of my mind, looking for a dark tower that stands at the center of all worlds. I hope and believe that one day the door at the top will open to him and he will finally rest.
1 Comments:
I love your review of this, Levi. Your take on Roland's pride and the reason he is not allowed into "the throne room" so to speak, is something I have not thought of before. I'm disappointed you didn't feel the need to call me and be comforted through the deaths. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised that you were not reduced to a puddle on the floor. I needed some serious 'scooping up' and I needed a hug. My mom, the wonderous, generous person she is, bought the whole series in hard back and each time she got the lastest edition, she let me read it first.
So I was all alone. I couldn't go through the deaths with anyone and Dan didn't understand. He was laughing at me when I was bawling on the couch over Oy's death. I burst into tears and Dan said, "What is the matter with you?" I screeched," He killed the stupid dog, Oy!" Then I wailed and sobbed and left the book on the floor for a few days.
I cried in bed when Eddie died. They were those silent, choking tears. I cried for at least an hour like that. Then there was Jake and the scene on the road. There was Jake's broken body and Oy's reluctance to leave the site of the grave. Writing this now, I'm welling up.
I don't think people understand. These characters have been in my life for a little over 10 years. I read the first book when I was a freshman in highschool. I was 15. I stole it without my mom knowing I had it. She didn't know I had sarted the series until I was forced to ask her when the next book would be out. It seemed like a lifetime before Wizard and Glass came. Maybe that's why I love it so much, because King made me hungry for it. I had waited three years. Then Wolves of Calla came out in '03. Hello?! Wizard and Glass was 97 and five years later!!
Gah!
Anyhoo,
I'm waiting until it feels right, but I'm going to read at least the first four books over again. It's been such a long time and I'm a different person than I was then.
Nice review Levi. I'm so glad you enjoyed this series. I almost was certian you would. Your insight on these books has proved to be quite enlightening, I must say. I really like that you think Roland will one day, turn and give up the quest. That would be nice. My mom was sad. She doesn't like to think of Roland bringing the same ka-tet back into the whole thing over and over again. She always feels sad for Jake. I told her that they know it's their destiny. They always talk about how they feel they have been here before or something looks familier. The experience a kind of de ja vu all the time. They know. I'll tell her your idea that one day, perhaps it WILL end.
Thanks levi!
~Sadie
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