Please, no spoilers past where I talk about being in the series.
First, a little info:
I did attempt to read the series once before, but quit. I and my wife were reading them aloud, though, and we realized they do not read well in that way. We quit half-way through Book 2.
I have just finished book 1. Well, he is just meeting with the man in black. I read this once, so I remember what happens.
Yeah, I heard a bit about the ending, especially a major spoiler. I’ll tell you what I heard later. Otherwise, I am 100% unspoiled. I know nothing beyond the first book, really.
Anyway, I thought I’d create this thread to share my thoughts as I go along.
More to follow. I’d love any thoughts you have about what I’m thinking or what you were thinking as you went.
Yeah, I remember it pretty well. The Gunslinger treks across the land trying to catch up to the Man in Black. He finds and loses Jake.
It’s not great, but I am interested in the central mysteries. What is the Tower? Why does the Gunslinger feel a need to get there? Who is the Man in Black(or what)? Is the Gunslinger some kind of immortal or something? What happened to the world to make it the way it is?
I’m very curious about these things and will continue into book 2.
Oh, I might read other books between, so if this thread drops, I’ll just resurrect it when I’ve read a new book.
I’m a big fan of King. I’m not that crazy about the Dark Tower series, although he does a fine job with it. Fantasy’s just not my cup of tea, and the tale certainly does get weird.
However, the second book (The Drawing of The Three) is one of my all-time favorite King books. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I read the updated version not too long ago and don’t recall that there were any major differences. I think he stuck in a few references to the number 19, which becomes meaningful toward the end of the series.
The nature of these change pretty significantly from the original to the revised edition. I wouldn’t worry about it too much until it comes up. Don’t be surprised to see contradictions (that were later corrected).
If you read the very short prologue, you’re going to find yourself reading it all night long.
Yeah, you are very much reading the original version, which is good. From the Wiki, the biggest thing that I think you should know going forward (that was corrected and might be confusing if you read the books back to back) is that The Beast is The Crimson King. King changed that in the revised version. Otherwise the changes all seem fairly superficial.
I have read the series three times. And book IV a couple more times besides. In fact, I own III-VII in the signed/limited versions. So you could say I’m a fan.
In my opinion you are in for a fun ride. Book II is better than I. III and IV are amazing, and while V, VI, and VII are a bit bloated, there’s enough good stuff in there to keep you hooked. Plus, the ending is perfect. No other way to end it, really.
(And don’t get too caught up in the Walter/Marten thing early on.)
I know people really hated it at the time, but I think book IV is my favorite. I get why people were pissed when it came out, but I think it works really well and works particularly well right there in the middle of the series.
Of course it helps that I started reading the series only a year before book for came out, so I hadn’t waited for years and years only to get a flashback book.
That tears it, I am going to find my copy of the gunslinger when I get home and start reading the series again. (I know I said something similar earlier, but I was on the fence then).
Book I was enough to get me hooked, but until I got to the end, I kept doubting if the series was for me or not (being a HUGE King fan). I got to the end of Book I and luckily I had the foresight to have purchased The Drawing of the Three at the same time, and jumped right in after I set it down. Turned out to be my favorite of the series, and perhaps some of King’s best writing, IMHO.
Wasteland was fun, and I wasn’t expecting to like Wizard & Glass, but it turned out to be my next favorite in the series.
The rest after that felt a little rushed and slap-dashed compared to the first four, but as said, V through VII has more than enough to keep you intrigued. Some parts were surprisingly anti-climactic for me, and I felt King’s car accident affected him on such a profound level that it may have contributed to his inability to edit his bad ideas from his good; that or he’s just past his prime. Anyway, I was able to remain completely unspoiled for Book VII, and was immaculately pleased.
I’m reading quite quickly since I had read up to this point before. Thoughts/Questions:
I don’t get how they pull things back through to Roland’s world. He pulls the Tuna Fish sandwich through, but does this while acting as Eddie? I must have not understood how he did that. He got the hot dogs and Pepsi from him, too.
Minor point, but weird.
I like Eddie, so far.
I read as far as the Black lady joining them last time. I remember nothing about her…except that her name was Susannah and she was in a wheel chair. That’s it.
Once they recruit her, I’ll be totally past where I read.
Enjoying it way more this time. These books don’t read well out loud to someone else.
I may have been living under a rock, but this thread inspired me to look up the series on Wikipedia.
After King turned down Darabont, and J.J. Abrams/Damon Lindeloff passed due to exhaustion on Lost and understandable intimidation of fucking up the epic… Akiva Goldsman and Ron Howard are making a trilogy of the movies (and two seasons of television in between)?!
We’ve done a couple of threads on casting the tv series/movies if you want to look them up - some great suggestions in there.
There are a lot of people who don’t like the whole series, and tell you to stop after book three, I think it is, but I enjoyed the whole ride. Yeah, there were weak spots, but it’s seven freaking books - it can’t all be magic.
I guess I read this entire book before. I thought I’d only read half.
So Susannah and Eddie are married? She goes by Susannah Dean. Is she some kind of combo. between Detta and Odetta or is she just all Odetta(the good one)?
I thought the part with the police finding Roland and shooting at him and the whole wind up to Jack Mort dying was overlong. Only part of the first two books that seemed stretched.
Glad to see he got 200 shells for his gun. Should help resolve his extremely limited ammunition situation. I wonder if Eddie and Susannah will learn to shoot as well.
I wonder if he’ll ever get his fingers and toe magically healed. Dumb question, but definitely a wondering of mine.
Question I would not mind having answered(with minimal spoilage):
In the afterword, written in 1986, Stephen King says that the Wastelands tells half of their journey to the Tower, while Wizard and glass tells a back story.
Is that correct? 50% of the journey is in the Wastelands? Is the other half mainly told in Books 6 and 7, then? Seems like a lot to get through in one book.