New Stephen King book revisits Dark Tower 'verse.

[Maastricht]

I just got a mail from Amazon announcing the new Stephen King novel, " The Wind Through the Keyhole". I thought the King fans on the Dope would like to know.

Stephen King returns to the rich landscape of Mid-World, the spectacular territory of the Dark Tower fantasy saga that stands as his most beguiling achievement.
Roland Deschain and his ka-tet—Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy, the billy-bumbler—encounter a ferocious storm just after crossing the River Whye on their way to the Outer Baronies. As they shelter from the howling gale, Roland tells his friends not just one strange story but two . . . and in so doing, casts new light on his own troubled past.

In his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt-ridden year following his mother’s death, Roland is sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape-shifter, a “skin-man” preying upon the population around Debaria. Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, the brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast’s most recent slaughter. Only a teenager himself, Roland calms the boy and prepares him for the following day’s trials by reciting a story from the Magic Tales of the Eld that his mother often read to him at bedtime. “A person’s never too old for stories,” Roland says to Bill. “Man and boy, girl and woman, never too old. We live for them.” And indeed, the tale that Roland unfolds, the legend of Tim Stoutheart, is a timeless treasure for all ages, a story that lives for us.

King began the Dark Tower series in 1974; it gained momentum in the 1980s; and he brought it to a thrilling conclusion when the last three novels were published in 2003 and 2004. The Wind Through the Keyhole is sure to fascinate avid fans of the Dark Tower epic. But this novel also stands on its own for all readers, an enchanting and haunting journey to Roland’s world and testimony to the power of Stephen King’s storytelling magic.

[Alessan]

On the one hand, I’ve grown pretty tired of King in recent years.

On the other hand, Roland is a perfect hero - and the Dark Tower world is a perfect setting - for a series of unconnected Conanesque wandering hero-type stories. If that’s the route King wants to take, I’m all for it.

[Revtim]

Yup, I’ll read this or listen to it on my commute.

[Scumpup]

Roland’s side stories, I think, will prove better entertainment than the latter half of the original saga did.

[Dogzilla]

Can anyone tell me exactly where in the when is this one supposed to be set? This is like a side story giving us detail that was omitted in the original 1-7 DT series? A prequel? A sequel?

Also, early reviews would be much appreciated. I really hate the book I’m reading now, so I’m looking for something else and the new Charlaine Harris book isn’t out for another month or so.

[Great_Antibob]

@Dogzilla

Can anyone tell me exactly where in the when is this one supposed to be set? This is like a side story giving us detail that was omitted in the original 1-7 DT series? A prequel? A sequel?

Supposedly, it’s set between the end of “Wizard and Glass” when Roland and Co get to the ‘Emerald City’ and before they reach the Outer territories in “Wolves of the Calla”. Apparently, like “Wizard and Glass”, it involves Roland relating a tale out of his past.

From what I’ve read about it, it doesn’t really change the story but fleshes out some of the characters and the world.

[Neevil]

An interview with Stephen King by Neil Gaiman ran in the Uk’s Sunday Times this weekend. A copy can be found at the link below

http://www.discordia19.com/main/2012/4/9/neil-gaiman-interviews-stephen-king.html

In the article he mentions a novel he is working on at the moment - ‘Joyland’ about a serial killer in an amusement park. He also talks about a sequel to The Shining called Dr Sleep and there’s a little bit about the new Dark Tower book as well.

[XT]

Looking forward to the book, though I have to say I’d be happier if instead of setting it between Wizard and Wolves he had made the whole last book a dream sequence and rewritten it…or, maybe started things up again with the old crew as they turned out to be in their alternative realities, perhaps with less ‘they all die horribly and the quest never gets done’ theme from the original series. Still, will definitely be picking it up when it ships. Almost tempted to reread the series up through Wizard then read this one and then Wolves, but it’s like thinking about rereading the Game of Thrones series again…it’s almost physically painful to do because I know what’s going to happen, and a lot of it’s fairly disturbing.

-XT