Stephen King's "Dark Tower" Series

To dismiss the flagrant genius of Stephen King is to ignore some of the richest, most imaginative fiction of post-modern American literature. Lying at the heart of his enthusiastic canon, which boasts over 50 titles, is The Dark Tower series - an 8-book magnum opus whose girth is hardly indicative of its ambition or its success. It even ties together several of his best books (Salem's Lot, Hearts in Atlantis, It, The Stand) and a few of his less notable novels (Desperation, Insomnia, The Eyes of the Dragon) into a stunning uber-narrative with shared characters, settings, and concepts. It also makes use of literary milestones like The Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, and the poetry of T.S. Eliot and Robert Browning. If you consider yourself above reading King, for there are many who stupidly assume they are, then I suggest a serious reeducation is in order. Start here.  There are no spoilers in the following paragraphs, I assure you.

- The Little Sisters of Eluria (1998): We'll start chronologically not in terms of publication, but rather story. This one, notably appearing in King's 2002 short fiction anthology Everything's Eventual, introduces us to Roland Deschain of Gilead, our protagonist for thousands of pages to come. Perhaps more importantly, however, it introduces us to his quest: Roland seeks the Dark Tower, a structure that both contains and sustains the essence of all existence. In his novel Hearts in Atlantis, King describes it as the "still spindle" around which all worlds and dimensions spin, so let's think of it thusly. At this point, we're not quite sure of the purpose of this quest (is the tower in danger? Is it falling? What?), only that Roland is alight with altruistic intent. The setting is an eccentric place called Mid-World, which exists somewhere in the periphery of Earth, with appropriate and ironic overlaps sprinkled throughout.

(*whew*) Okay. Now on to an actual review.

This is an incredibly enjoyable story, defined by its swift pace and measured horror. Both of these indispensable elements stem from King's iconoclastic re-imagining of classic vampire mythology, and his ability to drop Roland squarely therein. While this might not be one of the more memorable entries in the series, it does a fine job making the outlandish seem grounded, which is a mentality you'll need to hang onto in order to effectively enjoy the books to come. Final Grade: B

- I: The Gunslinger (1982): "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." With this simple lyricism, so officially begins The Dark Tower series. Already familiar with Roland and his mission, we now learn that he is a "gunslinger" - an oddly fitting blend of wild west cowboy and mid-evil knight - who upholds order and justice throughout the rapidly disintegrating Mid-World. We also meet a villain called "The Man in Black." Anarchistic, demonic, playful, and wholly unsettling, this antagonist is arguably the novel's best attribute. For the record: this character is also the villain of The Stand and The Eyes of the Dragon. Didn't I say there'd be overlaps with some of King's other novels?

But recurring characters notwithstanding, there's plenty to enjoy here: the prose is clear and efficient, the plot is uncomplicated, and the characters are engrossing. At times you'll probably feel buried beneath an avalanche of unanswered questions, loose ends, and esoteric jargon. This might be the book's only condemning quality, but it's a big one. Final Grade: B+ 

- II: The Drawing of the Three (1987): Picking up exactly where its predecessor left off, this second Dark Tower novel is easily the quirkiest in the series, typified by drastic changes in character, setting, pacing, and overall tone. Where The Gunslinger presents a quaint story with a simple structure, Drawing illustrates the outer limits of King's expansive imagination, memorable for the characters it introduces (Eddie the junkie, Detta/Odetta the psychotic, and Jack Mort the sociopath) and the narrative chasms that span between them. Each page feels like it's screaming, cluttered and disjointed and utterly inescapable, as King bounces us from one setting to another, one character to another, one extreme to another. Lots of people claim that this is the best book in the series. But for me, the bipolar madness is distracting and, well, maddening. I like it, however only begrudgingly. Final Grade: B- 

- III: The Waste Lands (1991): In all sincerity, you'll be hard pressed to find a novel as taut with excitement, as steeped in character drama, as lofty with creativity, or as sharpened by horror as The Waste Lands. Personal favoritism notwithstanding (and, with all confidence to the affirmative, this one certainly is), this is one of the best novels I've ever read, with King making full use of his many talents in order to achieve the sublime. There's not much I can actually say about this one, as it's so steeped in its own mythology that to utter even a passing triviality could reveal some pretty serious plot points. But, I will say that the new characters are captivating - from tenacious Oy to menacing Blaine - and the grand finale in the deserted cityscape of Lud is breathtaking. This is a highpoint in King's career; as grandiose as 11/22/63, as scary as It, and as intimate as The Green Mile. The Waste Lands are hardly a waste. Final Grade: A+ 

- IV: Wizard and Glass (1997): ...and then there's book 4, Wizard and Glass. A friend of mine has stated on more than one occasion that he thinks this is the high-water mark of the series.

Suffice it to say, I seriously disagree.

While this certainly isn't a bad novel, nor even the worst Dark Tower episode, I can't help but be annoyed by it. Firstly, it's long. Real long. Like, 800 pages long. Second, it's slow. Real slow. Apart from the very beginning and very end, which are fantastic, the middle 600ish pages inch by, your eyes trudging a Dickensian march to the end just for the sake of getting there. Third, the entire premise of the book is focused on Roland's past. This would be okay, perhaps even riveting, if not for the bloated dramatic irony King slathers across each sentence. Honestly, you know the ending well before it comes to fruition.

Don't get me wrong, this book is not without its charm. There are some very nice moments of suspense and (surprisingly) romance. And the beginning and end act like grand parentheses for the "main" story, and are truly excellent. All in all, it's more or less decent. Final Grade: C

- The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012): At first, the idea of this novel made me balk. What? King is going to write another Dark Tower book, and shove it between books 4 and 5? The series was finished almost a decade ago - why do we need this?

And yet, after reading it, I cannot be happier. The Wind Through the Keyhole is a terrific yarn, one that feels most appropriate near the swirling glow of a campfire and roasting slowly-blackening marshmallows. It is a modest fairytale, framed within the context of the Dark Tower journey. Once again, Roland is relating a story to the series' other main characters (slightly reminiscent of, dare I say, Wizard and Glass), only this time King gets it right. The tale is uncomplicated, lean, and splashed with latent possibility. Maybe most fascinating of all, is that in the midst of Roland's story, he begins telling another to run alongside it, bridging the gap between fiction and reality, drawing parallels between them and finding truth in fantasy. This is a terrific book, and could possibly be read without reading any of the others. Although I have a strong inclination to forbid this, I cannot resist saying "Go for it, anyway." This is a wonderful story. Truly wonderful. Final Grade: A+ 

- V: Wolves of the Calla (2003): This is the novel where things get really interesting. Because of this, it also marks another "I-can't-mention-too-much-of-anything-without-giving-things-away" moment. Sorry. What I can say, is that this is another marvelous entry in the overall series. Essentially, Roland and company are charged with protecting a small borderland town (near the black expanse of devastation known as "Thunderclap," which holds the Dark Tower) from hordes of terrifying creatures known as "The Wolves," who raid and plunder their village every few decades. In the village, you get to know an assortment of intriguing minor characters, the best of all being Father Callahan - one of the protagonists from Salem's Lot.

Honestly, this is just a fun read; teeming with plot, and blossoming with new characters, threats, and challenges. It's also, maybe, one of the weirdest books I've ever read. Seriously. Somehow, this book wraps Marvel Comics, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Stephen King himself all into the narrative. But it's great. The ending is awesome, and will leave you unable to restrain yourself from starting in on book 6. It doesn't have quite the success of Waste Lands or Keyhole, but it gets the job done with absurd action and surreal storylines. Final Grade: A- 

- VI: Song of Susannah (2004): Well, here we are on the precipice of finishing this epic series, and we have a stinker. Yep - it's not really a good entry at all. This one actually borders on bad, which really bothers me. (*sigh*) I guess you can't win 'em all.

Song of Susannah is a muddled mess, a disjointed array of plots, subplots, characters, and revelations that will make you confused, annoyed, and bored. Thankfully it's not a total wash, for there do exist a few enjoyable moments, notably a few intriguing action scenes. But all in all, it's not good. As readers, we finally get some things clarified about Mid-World and Roland's quest, but they shed more darkness than light, necessitating ubiquitous rereading and scanning missions until the words stop making sense and it all becomes a nauseous blur. Yeah, it mostly coasts along on its brevity and goodwill established from previous entries. Maybe I'm being a little too harsh, but honestly, this book is an absolute step down from the rest of the series. Yuck. Final Grade: C- 

- VII: The Dark Tower (2004): Fortunately, with great relief, I am here to tell you that the final installment in the series is very, very good. Great, even. Drama and action abound, with tension strangling you from paragraph to paragraph. The resulting catharsis is darn near excruciating (you will cry...at least once), but invigorating. Again, you encounter a number of characters from other King novels, like Ted from Hearts in Atlantis and Patrick Danville from Insomnia. These cameos never feel forced, either. They just slot right in like they were meant to be there. It's fantastic.

Here at the end of the series, the settings are grander than grand, the conflicts more insurmountable than ever, and it all equals a tremendously satisfying reading experience. It's not as much fun as some previous entries, and this blatant absence can sometimes generate more pain than enjoyment, but this is probably the only detrimental element of the novel. Fans and readers are known for having mixed feelings about the ending (the ending ending, hidden in the afterward), but I absolutely adore it. It just feels...right. Like coming home. Final Grade: A+