The Dark Tower Boxed Set (Books 1-4)
by Stephen King
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Book Reviews of The Dark Tower Boxed Set (Books 1-4)
Book Review: And the gunslinger follows...
Summary: 4 Stars
With two recent Dark Tower releases and a forthcoming grand finale, fans of Stephen King's dark fantasy series may want to brush up on the first four volumes of the series. "The Gunslinger," "the Drawing of the Three," "The Waste Lands" and "Wizard's Glass" all have their individual flaws, but the overall effect is excellent.
"The Gunslinger" introduces us to Roland Deschain of Gilead, the last gunslinger of a long-dead land. The hardened cowboy/knight wanders through a wasted world, tracking a "man in black" who can help him find (cue ominous music) the Dark Tower. Along the way he finds Jake, a young boy who was killed in a car accident in our world. But in the name of his quest, Roland may be called on to sacrifice what he loves...
"The Drawing of the Three" kicks off mere hours after "Gunslinger" ends. Roland is sick, and being pursued by carnivorous "lobstrosities." But then he ends up transporting his mind into our world -- specifically, into the minds of junkie smuggler Eddie Dean, and legless civil rights activist Odetta Holmes (and her evil alter ego, Detta). Roland "draws" these two into his own world, but Eddie's withdrawal and Detta's malevolence might kill his quest before it even starts.
"The Waste Lands" begins with Roland tutoring Susannah (formerly Odetta/Detta) and Eddie in how to be gunslingers. But while the newlyweds are rapidly getting the hang of it, Roland is not doing well. Because of a paradox he created when he saved the boy Jake, his mind is starting to deteriorate. In Manhattan, Jake is suffering from the same thing. To save them both from madness, the gang draws Jake away from our world. But no sooner has he joined them than they come to a ruined city, with an insane mono train and a sinister figure following them...
"Wizard's Glass" opens with the gang (or ka-tet) riddling desperately against an insane train, which is on a suicide run. Eddie barely manages to defeat it with a bunch of stupid jokes, and the ka-tet continues their journey. Along the way, Roland tells them the story of his first love Susan Delgado, a beautiful girl who was promised to a dirty old man, and how he lost her when he was only fourteen. And the story is linked to what is ahead -- a person from Roland's past awaits them, along with the hard-won Wizard's Glass that destroyed Roland's family.
Stephen King is best known for being a horror writer, covering everything from evil cars to telekinetic high-schoolers. But "The Dark Tower" is a gritty fantasy with a few horror elements in it, and though it has some grotesque images, it's more fantastical than icky. Not to mention that it has homages sprinkled through it to "Lord of the Rings," the "Childe Roland" story, "The Wizard of Oz," and even King's own books.
King's writing is full of slam-bang action, even if it doesn't excel in the technical sense. And the gunslinger is an excellent lead character, a mixture of rock-hard determination and affection for his friends. Eddie comes across as rather annoying at times, but he's evidently supposed to; on the other hand, Susannah is remarkably complex with her double personality. And Jake serves as a surrogate son for Roland, while displaying his own brand of eleven-year-old toughness.
As the release date for "The Dark Tower" approaches, fans may want to brush up on this epic series, and newbies may want to find out more about it. Highly recommended.
Book Review: A Must Read Series
Summary: 5 Stars
Roland is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers. The world he lives in is quite different from our own, yet it bears striking similarities to it. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West, as well as bearing magical powers and the relics of a highly advanced, but long vanished, society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to either be, or be located at, the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have "moved on," and indeed it appears to be coming apart at the seams -- mighty nations are being torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish from the face of the earth without a trace, time does not flow in an orderly fashion; even the sun sometimes rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals, and even his age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.
This series was mostly inspired by the epic poem "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came" by Robert Browning, the full text of which was included in an appendix to the final volume. In the preface to the revised 2003 edition of The Gunslinger, King also identifies The Lord of the Rings, the Arthurian Legend, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly as inspirations. He identifies Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" character as one of the major inspirations for Roland. King's style of location names in the series, such as Mid-World, and his development of a unique language abstract to our own, are also influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's work.
The Dark Tower is often described in the novels as a real structure, and also as a metaphor. Part of Roland's fictional quest lies in discovering the true nature of the Tower. The series incorporates themes from multiple genres, including fantasy fiction, science fantasy, horror, and western elements. King has described the series as his magnum opus; beside the seven novels that comprise the series proper, many of his other books are related to the story, introducing concepts and characters that come into play as the series progresses.
Book Review: A monument in dystopian fantasy
Summary: 5 Stars
Stephen King's Dark Tower series is one of the boldest, most ingenious, and most dividing tales of our time. Taken as a whole, these four books are remarkably uneven. It becomes very obvious that they were written at very different times in King's life, and the tone of each is unique and (if you read them back to back) quite jarring. Characters, however, remain consistent, charming and fascinating, and Roland himself is one of the strongest icons that King has ever created. Considering that King is one of the best character authors of our time, this is quite a recommendation in itself. The thing that makes the Dark Tower the most rewarding to me, however, is the world building. You will come to long for Gilead, and to feel that the world that has "moved on" is a character in and of itself. The only similar series I can point to that has this effect, of a dying world that you actually desire, would be Middle Earth in Tolkien's Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. In my opinion these books go off the rails a bit whenever the action shifts to the "real world," and a poorly thought out Wizard of Oz motif goes nowhere. But the rest of the tale, especially book 4, is unforgettable. I should warn you that, true to this series's confounding nature, books 5-7 are wildly uneven and make books 1-4 look like a pre-planned masterpiece. But by that time, you'll be so invested in the characters, the world, and the overall adventure that you'll probably be dying to see this through to the end. Just for fair warning though, think of these not as novels, but as a long series of nights with a master storyteller. Sometimes you'll yell at him, or shake your fist, or even doubt where he's taking you; but every time he bids you goodnight, you'll be counting the hours until the next time. Is there any better recommendation I could give you than that? I don't think so. Like most friends, the "Dark Tower" King will infuriate you at times, but looking back, you'll wonder how you enjoyed your life without him.Book Review: SETH1SLAR
Summary: 5 Stars
this is a very great series. how ever do not be fooled....
the boxed set also includes Wizard and Glass. it includes the first four paperbacks in the series not just the first three.
i ordered these books for my mother after reading them myself and i made the simple mistake of reading the editorial review where the person clearly states only three books [not four] comes in this boxed set. so i ordered the fourth seperatly unaware that she would be getting two of the same title.
even though in the product description it accuratly says four books..... i failed to see this when i ordered them. so to everyone else the trouble of making the same mistake maje sure you look and know what your really getting. i didnt....and i bought and extra book on accident.
for anyone who is interested in getting these books for themselves or as a gift for someone else DO IT. i am almost done with the series myself and i am in awe of the depth of imagination and skill possesed by stephen king......or perhaps stephen king is just possesed....
but he really does have a way with words.. and although it is a very long series indeed,....those words are not wasted....
dont take my word for it though....i only hope to point people in the right direction and hope they read these great books..
lots of reviews i read are people either giving praise or slamming a product.....and always they are vague and in coherant.
and lots of times when ive read a book or seen a dvd i loved and someone slams it. it is obvious they did not understand it. i have no problem when someone at least understands something then doesnt liek it..... but im jsut rambling now.
stephen king does posses a true gift for story telling. and his imagination is both vast and varied. and so far in this series he has practically covered everything underthe sun.
Book Review: Unabashed fan of Mr. King
Summary: 5 Stars
I must say that for during the last 20 years I've read a great many of Stephen King's stories and I don't believe I've ever been disappointed. I made the mistake though of starting the Gunslinger series back in 1990 when I first arrived in Kentucky where I'd soon be starting school. I was bored and looking for something to do and I was immediately drawn to the first book not just because it sounded to be an interesting story but because it was from Stephen King and it was series. I figured that if I read the first one too quickly that I'd be able to start the next one and then I'd stop when school started.
Well, I was hooked. The story was amazing and when I read it I felt as though I'd fallen into the story and was riding along with the heroes. As often happens when I read I became totally engrossed in the tale, laughing and crying out loud during the highs and lows in the story. It was such a wonderful feeling but then I was at the end. Before I knew it and before school had started I'd read all there was to read of the series, which unfortunately I learned too late had not all been written. It would be nearly 14 before I'd be able to get to the end. During that time I read a few other stories from Mr. King and many others but I always found myself looking for the next book. When I heard a few years back that Mr. King had nearly been killed when he was hit by a car while walking near his home in Maine I was really scared. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to find out what happened and where the story ended.
Thank you Mr. King for the entertainment but I must say that I've learned something from all this. What did I learn from this story? Don't start a series until the series is done...