I think that might have been correct at the time King wrote it, but the reality is that it didn’t work out that way. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn’t had the accident, but the plan for the series clearly changed after he got hit by that car.
BTW I really really liked the Wasteland when I read it the first time. To me it is the most like a Stephen King book of any of the series, and I mean that in a good way.
In distance, absolutely. Any more details, and you’ll be spoiled.
And yes, Susannah Dean is some kind of combo. 
**Wizard and Glass **finishes off the cliffhanger from The Waste Lands, *then *goes into the back story.
There’s still a bit of Detta in Susannah. She comes out from time to time.
If you thought a particular scene in Book II was overlong, I hate to see what you might think of the rest of the series. King is not known for brevity. I love his writing (usually) so not a problem for me, but he definitely exhibits diarrhea of the word processor from time to time.
But if you don’t love The Waste Lands, just quit. That book is all sorts of awesome. I’d say the same about **Wizard and Glass **(my fav) but there are folks that don’t like it at all. Funny to hear that, b/c many (MANY) of the die hard fans consider this their favorite. (As evidenced by yearly polls at the website dedicated to Dark Tower fans and King collectors).
Loved The Drawing of three. Favorite of the whole series.
Really, it was just the time Roland was being pursued by the police. It was about 15 pages and needed to be briefer than that.
I like the book quite a bit.
About 60 pages into the Waste Lands(book 3).
Forgive my stupidity, but I do have a question. Uh, I also don’t have the book right here, so I’m doing this off memory.
Uh, is their world flat? Or am I missing how these guardians indicate where the tower is.
Here is a drawing(not the one from the book) that is similar to what they showed.
The “lines” can be arcs that converge, like the dark lines on a basketball, but, mainly, it’s not important. I would say it is not 100% clear how the physical world that Roland is from is constructed, but it is pretty clear that not all the rules of physical matter that apply in our reality, apply in the reality of the Dark Tower.
The Guardians live at the end of their “line”, known as the Beam; a lot of different signals make clear where the beam lies, you can’t “lose it” by failing to walk in a ruler-straight line. Think of the Dark Tower as the magnetic pole: if you know how to look for it, you can never lose true north.
This was kind of what I was wondering. If the world was round, wouldn’t there be two poles? Two towers?
Anyway, forget it. If it isn’t important, I’m not worried about it.
Throughts:
I like seeing that Jake survived his encounter with Jack Mort(uh…had no encounter with Jack Mort) and that it is messing up Roland’s mind.
I also like that Jake is having mental problems due to him surviving his death.
I have to admit, I did not realize Jake was going to return. His death, in my opinion, was mainly to serve as an indicator that Roland does have emotions. I mean, he seems emotionless at times, especially in the first book.
I am liking book 3 and I am actually wondering about Roland’s past. I hope Wizard and Glass explains some of his history(which I heard it is).
Finished Book 3: The Wastelands
Weird that it is called the Wastelands and they only just got there at the end.
I liked everything pretty good, especially the drawing of Jake. It was very dramatic and worth the buildup.
Thoughts and questions(don’t need answers, thanks).
Very interesting to learn for sure that Roland and the gang are in a world that is…post technology essentially. Lud as a burned out modern city was very interesting. I wonder what could have happened? I wonder if what happened even plays a part of the story.
I guess the Dark Tower has come kind of illness or malfunction? Is this related to the Beast(Crimson King I’ve been told) who is in charge of it? Surprised we haven’t heard more about him. I wouldn’t have known he’s called the Crimson King if someone upthread hadn’t told me about it.
Glad I don’t have to wait years for a sequel. I’ll pick up Wizard and Glass once my library gets it in. I have it on hold, for now.
By the way, if you’ve read King’s IT, a huge chunk of what appeared to be total gibberish (the whole “The Turtle can’t help us any more” thing) should now pop wonderfully into focus. Especially given the bit where Stan(?) says something like how he can’t cope with weirdness and if he saw a beautiful rose in a vacat lot start singing, he’d go mad. 
I’m reading Wizard and Glass(book 4) now.
King mentioned that he felt book 3 had to end where it did, but I rather disagree. He should have resolved the “Blaine the Mono Riddle game” in Book 3 and had them end up…in Topeka…with the dead all around them from the super-virus. In an alternate 1986.
Would have been way creepier and cooler.
They are still in Topeka where I am now and the “flashback” story I have heard about has not begun. Please don’t spoil past the first few small chapters yet.
Just started the flashback sequence where Roland tells his past to the group.
I’ve been looking forward to this.
When you’re finished with the series you should read The road to the Dark Tower by Bev Vincent.
Well, it’s different so far.
I’m following the story fine, but it certainly isn’t what I expected and I definitely understand how people could be upset if they waited 6 years between Dark Tower 3 and 4.
I’m only up to the point where trouble is brewing between Roland/Alain/Cuthbert and the Coffin guys. Oh, and Roland loves Susan, which is a no-no.
Oh, and they just rode out to look at the thinnie…and it looks like there are too many horses/oxen.
That’s it, so far. And the witch had some kind of “orb of seeing” or something. It glows pink.
Neat, but different.
Speculation/Thoughts(1/2 through Wizard and Glass…just pass the interlude):
Please don’t correct any of my guesses, though feel free to comment on how you felt or if you agreed.
Roland will end up getting Susan, Cuthbert, and Alain killed…somehow connected to his love affair with Susan
Roland…is questing for the Dark Tower on the off chance that he can undo whatever tragedy he caused in this book? I wonder about that. With time travel and alternate universes, I guess anything is possible.
Cuthbert should have been funnier. He’s funny, but not as funny as I expected.
John Farson(who I think is the Good Man) is Walter/Marten/Randall Flag/R.F. and is using Reha of Oos to do his will.
This book took longer for me to get into it, but I am now liking it quite a bit.
Roland will kill the Coffin Guys(whatever their names are).
It’s interesting to see a failed gunslinger cadet(Jonas). I guess outer rim/edge policing is the only option left.
Anyway, this book is interesting, if very different and unexpected. I like it a lot, but not as much as book 3 so far.
As mentioned somewhat earlier, one of the things about the Dark Tower series is that is supposed to encompass most, if not all, of King’s other fiction. I don’t think this was really apparent in the first few books, but going forward look for references to King’s other works to start popping up.
To respond to your comment on Jake and Roland. I think Jake’s purpose wasn’t to show he had emotion, but to restore his emotion. At the beginning of the first book, Roland has burned out everything but purpose. He has sacrificed everything for his goal. Jake makes him question if he can even achieve his goal that way, or if the emotional connection is essential to the quest.
I’m pretty unfamiliar with King’s other works, actually, so I hope that doesn’t detract too much from it.
You don’t need to have read his other books to enjoy the Dark Tower series, but it is interesting to see the various crossovers. He even mentions in one of the books you haven’t read yet how it doesn’t matter.
