Another thing that annoyed the hell out of me in the last book was Susannah’s ending. I felt it was out of character for her - I thought she would’ve seen Roland through til the end. I understand that Roland needed to go alone but the way King got rid of Susannah didn’t sit right with me. He should have just killed her off. I felt like he turned her into a petulant and cowardly character in the end after Eddie’s death.
I didn’t quite get that, either. At one point I recall the book saying something like, “ka working for her for a change” - maybe she was shunted off on a siding as her reward from ka for all her work up to that point (with the Tower really only wanting Roland, anyway).
This.
There was no way she was going in the tower anyway. That was for Roland only.
Well, if anyone would know…
I freaking loved this series and apparently am one of the few who actually liked his ending. I actually got a tingle down the spine as I read it. Not only “how else could he have ended it” but just really, “what a great ending”. My MIL would have hated it as she has been very vocal about not liking ambiguous endings to books - that’s why she didn’t like Cell.
Oy was the best and him dying was the hardest part of any book I have ever read. Ever. (My doggie Samson always makes me think of Oy.) I still tear up (even right now) thinking about Oy.
I don’t believe it was. There’s a couple different takes on the ending I find equally plausible:
- Roland repaired the Beam in that particular universe, so upon entering the Tower he got shunted to a different universe (with some minor changes, like the horn) in order to repair that Beam. Were the story to continue, it would be almost identical to the story that was written, except instead of one Beam still existing and about to be destroyed, there would be two Beams, with one about to be destroyed. He saves it, goes back to the desert, and then there’s three Beams. And so it goes until all the Beams are saved. The Tower is merely the connecting point in this take; it’s the Beams that matter, and Roland’s the only one who can save them because he’s so goddamned stubborn and determined to make it to the Tower.
- The cycle can only break when all of Roland’s ka-tet makes it to the Tower. The Beams or the Tower or whatever force drives this multiverse tries to engineer it through subtle touches, like giving the horn back to Roland and seeing how the quest transpires that way. Roland will always make it to the Tower, but his ka-tet is what’s important.
Personally, I favor #1. It’s the most consistent with the books and requires less supposition.
I consider myself a King “fan”, but to be honest, I began to leave the Gunslinger series when the “lobstrosities” appeared.
“did-a-chick”
The stories actually became a chore for me to read, so I applaud those of you who hung in there with Roland and King to the end.
Maybe I’ll go back to the beginning and try again one day, but meh, I don’t know. I kinda like the King who writes stuff like 'Salem’s Lot, The Stand, and The Shining.
Guess that “dates” me, doesn’t it?
Q
Interesting. My understanding of it was that it was a really depressing version of one of those “quest for the inner self” type things. He has to keep coming back until he reaches some milestone of personal growth. Each time he moves a bit towards his goal, things get a bit easier in the next round, which is why he has the horn for the next loop.
And for all those people who hate the death of Randall Flagg- time loops back anyway, so maybe he’s still alive in some other part of the King-verse.
I liked the ending, too. It reminded me of the ending to “Pet Sematary” -I didn’t actually like the ending, but it was the ending the story demanded. I really liked King’s point in the Coda or wherever - he just writes endings like putting on his pants - because he has to. These two were two of his better ones, though (in my opinion).
Eddie’s death was the hardest one for me - knowing he was a dead man lying there, yet he hung on for a few more hours - that just wrung me out. That’s when the bawling started and pretty much didn’t stop till the end.
So, maybe the point wasnt Roland getting back to the Tower in each loop - maybe he could have saved himself if he had saved Jake instead of letting him drop to his death. Maybe it was that simple.
Quasi, it wasn’t a chore for me - I relished each book.