Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4)
by Stephen King
List Price:
Our Price: $5.39
You Save: $3.60 (40%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.21 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen KingEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-10
ISBN: 0451210875
Number of pages: 752
Publisher: Signet
Book Reviews of Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4)
Book Review: One of the great love stories....
Summary: 5 Stars
So. Now that we've put three books behind us, and sit at the pivot of the series, it is time that we settle down and have ourselves a little palaver about Roland, the Gunslinger.
We know little about this man, the protagonist of our epic series. We know he's a hard man, the kind of man who can cross deserts, brave oceans, and kill entire towns if need be. We know he's a dedicated man, who will follow his quarry wherever they may flee to. We know he is single-minded, the kind of person who would allow an eleven year-old boy to fall to his death if that meant getting another foot closer to his precious Dark Tower. He is a hard man, Roland Deschain is. He is the Gunslinger.
But who is he really? Who was he before he started on this mad quest for something that may or may not exist? How did he get set on this path that could determine the fate of worlds, this quest that led to the deaths of everyone he ever loved? Who is he?
Well settle down, boys and girls, because this is where we get to find out. In between destroying a sentient monorail at a rigged game of riddles and facing off against the darkest Dark Man there is in a mock-up of the Palace of the Emerald City, Roland tells his ka-tet the tale that shaped him and set him on his path. It is a tale that begins with his entry into manhood - a trial by violence where he bested his teacher, Cort, in a duel to the pain, and ends with Roland's soul nearly destroyed.
Roland and his companions, Alain and Cuthbert, have been sent by their fathers to the most out-of-the-way place they know - a small village called Hambry in the Barony of Meijis. Their alleged purpose is to count things, more as a punishment than a mission. They seem to be three boys who got into trouble, and who now must pay by spending their summer doing menial work. They don't want any trouble, and they hope that no one will give them any.
That's the story, anyway. In reality, they're looking for evidence of the workings of John Farson, also known as The Good Man, who is leading a popular revolution against the established order in Roland's home country, In-World. Hambry has an oil field, the work of the Great Old Ones, which is known to locals simply as "Citgo" Should Farson get enough oil - and the means to refine it - he will be able to revive ancient war machines and bring death to all of In-World. With Roland, Alain and Cuthbert as spies for the Affiliation, the Gunslingers in Gilead hope that they can stall, if not stop, Farson's rebellion.
That would have been great if only Roland Deschain hadn't met Susan Delgado, the daughter of a deceased horse-breeder and soon to be the promised girl of the mayor of Hambry. As soon as they meet, their destiny is clear: it is true love. No more able to stand against their fate than a tree in a whirlwind, Roland and Susan do as all young lovers have done, and risk discovery and death in the process. In every corner there are those who would stand against them: Susan's spinster aunt, Cordelia, who hopes to make some money selling her niece off to the mayor; the Big Coffin Hunters, three mercenaries who work for Farson and who mean to see every last drop of oil gets in his hands; and Rhea of the Cöos, a horrible witch who possesses a crystal orb that lets her see all the malicious things that people do. Against these arrayed forces, Roland and his friends must not only foil the plans of John Farson, but also escape Meijis with their lives.
With the first, they are successful. With the second, not so much.
Dark Tower fans that I have talked to generally agree that this is the best book of the seven, for many reasons. First, we get to see Roland before he became all tall, gritty and scary. We see him as a callow youth, a boy of fourteen who is in way over his head, tackling responsibilities that would be better handled by a grown man. They're on the losing side of a terrible war as it is, as they're up against the combined cunning and guile of some very bad people. In many cases it is luck as much as skill that leads them to their eventual victory.
What's more, we get to see Roland in love, and this is really where King shines in this book. He says in the afterward that he was dreading writing this book, mainly because he knew that he would have to portray teenage love - first love - in a realistic fashion, which can be hard to do when you're several decades removed from being a teenager. All the madness that comes with teen love - the longing, the furtive trysts, the absolute certainty in what you are doing and that no one can stop you. The way that the person you're in love with is all you can think about, and the only thing you want is to be with them again, if only for a moment. The way you freely and willingly lose your mind for love.
It's something which, thankfully, we grow out of as adults. Frankly, if I ever felt like that again, I'd probably throw myself under a train.
King has done a fantastic job with the relationship between Susan and Roland - it's as realistic as he can make it, without being mawkish and overly romantic. We are never allowed to forget that, like so many doomed lovers before them, they are risking everything with their love - their mission, their friends, and their lives - and we know that even the slightest misstep can mean disaster. Mixed with the other, more adventure-driven elements of the plot, it's incredibly tense, and it's handled very well.
The romance aside, there are some wonderful characters in this book, and as is the case with so many Stephen King novels, the best ones are the bad ones. Susan's aunt Cordelia is a bundle of jealous paranoia, and you can feel her mainspring winding up every time she shows up on the page. Eldred Jonas is a laid-back killer, an old man who has buried countless young men, and means to bury Roland and his friends. And Rhea is just palpably foul. You can almost smell her when she shows up, which is a great accomplishment - and you can't wait to see her again.
As an aside, Marvel Comics has been doing comic book stories of Roland's youth, and the first one re-tells this tale. It's called The Gunslinger Born, and while it's not bad, there is a certain emptiness to it. It's not easy to compress hundreds of pages of character and plot development into a seven-issue comic series. I don't know how it would read to someone who hasn't read this book, but to me it looked like it was missing a whole hell of a lot....
As I said, this book is the pivot on which the series turns, and it is essential to understanding Roland. We have to know who he was and how he became who he is. While there are still questions to be answered, and stories to be told, the big story is out. Now he and his ka-tet can continue in their quest for the tower, confident that they know a little more about this man who yanked them from their worlds into his. For us, the character and his world become richer, more full of meaning. Things that we might not have thought about in the first few books become more meaningful, and we can better appreciate the history of his dying world. Most importantly, we can begin to understand why it is so important that he find the Dark Tower, and we pray that he knows what to do when he gets there.
"I'll pay ye back. By all the gods that ever were, I'll pay ye back. When ye least expect it, there Rhea will be, and your screams will break your throats. Do you hear me? Your screams will break your throats!"
- Rhea Dubativo of the Cöos
Write your own review
Summary of Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, Book 4)
Roland and his band of followers have narrowly escaped one world and slipped into the next. There Roland tells them a tale of long-ago love and adventure involving a beautiful and quixotic woman. And they will be drawn into an ancient mystery of spellbinding magic and supreme menace.
Frank Muller, the recognized virtuoso of audiobook narration (The Green Mile, The Shawshank Redemption), takes on Stephen King's Goliath tale of sorcerers, time travelers, and sci-fi love. Totaling more than 27 hours and spanning 18 cassettes, Wizard and Glass requires the listener to love Muller's Hannibal Lecter-like voice--either that or suffer in audio hell for the equivalent of three full working days. While some might find his breathy staccatos irritating at best, others will find his voice the perfect accompaniment to King's creepy characters and nightmarish plots. (Running time: 27 hours, 18 cassettes)
Literature & Fiction 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 Literature & Fiction Books
Little Womenby Louisa May Alcott
Scribner; Published: 1986-06-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.49
Price in other shops:
The Killing Groundby JACK HIGGINS
HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS LTD; Published: 2007; Hardcover; Book
Saving Fish from Drowningby Amy Tan
4th Estate; Published: 2005; Paperback; Book
Life Expectancyby Dean Koontz
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2005-08-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Constant Princessby Philippa Gregory
Touchstone/Simon & Schuster; Published: 2005; Hardcover; Book
Wolf of the Plains (Conqueror, Book 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harper; Published: 2007; Paperback; Book
Saharaby Clive Cussler
Harper Collins Pb; Published: 2005-03-21; Paperback; Book
Perelandra (Cosmic Trilogy)by C. S. Lewis
Voyager; Published: 2005-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.64
Price in other shops:
The Lord Of The Rings: Part 2 The Two Towersby J. R. R. Tolkien
Harper Collins Publishers; Published: 2001; Paperback; Book
Red Marsby Kim Stanley Robinson
Trafalgar Square; Published: 2001-06; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)by Stephen King, Darrel Anderson
Donald M. Grant/Scribner; Published: 2004-06-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.88
Price in other shops:
The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7)by Stephen King
Scribner; Published: 2005-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.88
Price in other shops:
Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6)by Stephen King
Scribner; Published: 2005-04-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.79
Price in other shops:
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 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:
Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5)by Stephen King
Pocket Books; Published: 2006-01-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.86
Price in other shops:
The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, Book 3)by Stephen King
Signet; Published: 2003-09; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.20
Price in other shops:
The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, Book 7)by Stephen King
Pocket Books; Published: 2006-08-22; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.27
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: $5.57
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: