The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7)
by Stephen King
List Price:
Our Price: $11.45
You Save: $7.50 (40%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.49 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen KingIllustrator: Michael Whelan
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2005-11-01
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 864
Publisher: Scribner
Book Reviews of The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7)
Book Review: An Excellent Conclusion
Summary: 4 Stars
In terms of the best volume as a whole, the high water mark of the series was book 4 (Wizard and Glass). Book 5 was an entertaining read, but it felt like a lengthy detour from the main story. Book 6, in my opinion, is almost completely unnecessary and mostly boring. The bulk of it deals with Susannah and the birth of her baby; a story that was much longer than it needed to be, and mostly tedious. The story in book 6 spills over into the start of book 7, which means that all the weaknesses of that story carryover into the final volume. Once that part of the story wraps up, book 7 begins to build momentum toward the conclusion.
The final half of the book; when the characters are directly on the road to the tower is intense and gripping adventure. I would say that it is a highlight of the entire series. The conclusion is powerful, and in the context of the entire series, it is very consistent with what we have learned about Roland and his world.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW
This is my list of pros and cons for book 7.
The negatives first:
Finishing up the tedious story from book 6 took up the first 150 pages or so, and this was the main weakness of this book.
The presence of Randall Flagg seemed pointless. Years ago Stephen King established Flagg as his primary villain, and his reappearance in book 3 had the potential for a tremendous confrontation between him and Roland. Unfortunately, he is almost non-existent in subsequent books. Then pops for a few pages in the final book to be quickly dispatched by Mordred. One gets the feeling that King forgot about Flagg completely, and then had to go back and tack on a death for him.
The appearance and death of Sheemie. Similar to the treatment of Flagg, Sheemie didn't get much to do in the story and his death also felt like an afterthought.
The positives:
Stephen Kings presence in the book was a fun touch. Given the multiple parallel worlds that exist in the Dark Tower's universe it would make sense that the writer would exist in his own story. King's presence was one of the few positives of book 6.
The funeral of Jake. The death of Eddie came suddenly and unexpectedly, but it was Jake's death and burial by Roland that really highlighted the bond between them and the tragedy of Roland's quest for the tower.
Roland and Susannah's journey through end-world was the highlight of the book. The difficulty, the loneliness and the knowledge that the tower is within their reach. It reminded me of the best parts from the first book. Roland's sadness when Susannah left him only punctuates his loneliness.
The death of Oy. With the final confrontation between Roland and Mordred approaching, it was obvious what Oy's fate would be. But the way it was handled so deftly and coming on the heals of Susannah's departure, made for one more moment of tragedy on Roland's road to the tower.
The conclusion: Roland is trapped in a karmic loop. The key is the journey, not the destination. This is true not just for the story, but for his life. Roland's unquestioning quest for the top room of the dark tower is not living, but simply an existence to reach an end point and everyone that comes across his path can be sacrificed for the tower. Consider that his battle to destroy the forces that would topple the tower was not because he wanted to save existence, but because he needed to save the tower for himself. Roland wants to restore the world he knew as a child, but he can't do that through any magic from the tower. As the last gunslinger, he has the ability to rebuild his world anew. To do that he has to realize that he must live for himself and for others, not for the tower. Roland is the tragic lone figure who must learn that he doesn't need the tower. At that point he will be free of it. The lesson is in the journey.
In the end, it was a fine conclusion to a great series.
Summary of The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7)
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. The final installment in the epic series that began 33 years ago with The Gunslinger, completes the quest of Roland Deschain, who works to outmaneuver the increasingly desperate acts of his adversaries.At one point in this final book of the Dark Tower series, the character Stephen King (added to the plot in Song of Susannah) looks back at the preceding pages and says "when this last book is published, the readers are going to be just wild." And he's not kidding.
After a journey through seven books and over 20 years, King's Constant Readers finally have the conclusion they've been both eagerly awaiting and silently dreading. The tension in the Dark Tower series has built steadily from the beginning and, like in the best of King's novels, explodes into a violent, heart-tugging climax as Roland and his ka-tet finally near their goal. The body count in The Dark Tower is high. The gunslingers come out shooting and face a host of enemies, including low men, mutants, vampires, Roland's hideous quasi-offspring Mordred, and the fearsome Crimson King himself. King pushes the gross-out factor at times--Roland's lesson on tanning (no, not sun tanning) is brutal--but the magic of the series remains strong and readers will feel the pull of the Tower as strongly as ever as the story draws to a close. During this sentimental journey, King ties up loose ends left hanging from the 15 non-series novels and stories that are deeply entwined in the fabric of Mid-World through characters like Randall Flagg (The Stand and others) or Father Callahan ('Salem's Lot). When it finally arrives, the long awaited conclusion will leave King's myriad fans satisfied but wishing there were still more to come.
In King's memoir On Writing, he tells of an old woman who wrote him after reading the early books in the Dark Tower series. She was dying, she said, and didn't expect to see the end of Roland's quest. Could King tell her? Does he reach the Tower? Does he save it? Sadly, King said he did not know himself, that the story was creating itself as it went along. Wherever that woman is now (the clearing at the end of the path, perhaps?), let's hope she has a copy of The Dark Tower. Surely she would agree it's been worth the wait. --Benjamin Reese
Horror Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Horror Books
Let the Right One In: A Novelby John Ajvide Lindqvist
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2008-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.99
Price in other shops:
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus: The 1818 Textby Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
University Of Chicago Press; Published: 1982-03-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.00
Price in other shops:
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (Oxford Bookworms S, Stage 4)by Robert Louis Stevenson
Oxford Univ Pr (Sd); Published: 1991-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.79
Price in other shops:
The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales (Oxford Books of Prose)Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2001-11-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $50.00
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3)by Stephen King
Penguin Audio; Published: 2003-08-26; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $149.99
![Thinner [UNABRIDGED] Image](/images/Thinner-UNABRIDGED-0140862668-X.jpg){kind=small}
Thinner [UNABRIDGED]by Stephen King
Penguin Audio; Published: 1996-09-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
The Crow: Temple of Nightby S P. Somtow
Harper Paperbacks; Published: 1999-11-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Brains: A Zombie Memoirby Robin Becker
Eos; Published: 2010-05-25; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.23
Price in other shops:
The Strain LP: Book One of The Strain Trilogyby Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Hogan
HarperLuxe; Published: 2009-06-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.45
Price in other shops:
Prince of Darknessby Barbara Michaels
HarperTorch; Published: 2005-04-26; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.58
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1)by Stephen King
Plume; Published: 2003-06-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.47
Price in other shops:
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3)by Stephen King
Plume; Published: 2003-06-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.96
Price in other shops:
The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, Book 2)by Stephen King
Signet; Published: 2003-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.26
Price in other shops:
Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4)by Stephen King
Plume; Published: 2003-06-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.99
Price in other shops:
Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5)by Stephen King
Pocket Books; Published: 2006-01-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.85
Price in other shops:
Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)by Stephen King
Scribner; Published: 2005-04-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.80
Price in other shops:
Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4)by Stephen King
Signet; Published: 2003-10; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.00
Price in other shops:
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Callaby Stephen King
Scribner; Published: 2005-01-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.40
Price in other shops:
The Dark Tower Boxed Set (Books 1-4)by Stephen King
Signet; Published: 2003-10-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.92
Price in other shops:
Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)by Stephen King
Pocket Books; Published: 2006-05-23; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.58
Price in other shops: