Dark Tower (spoilers for the whole series)

[Nonny]

MrsAxilla

I finished Wolves of the Calla a couple of days ago and just got started on Song of Susannah. Wolves was soooo long and kind of tedious compared to the other books, so I'm glad to see Song is coming in at under 400 pages. 

The whole mixing in of 'Salem's Lot and Father Callahan's story started off as interesting, and then got weird when they found the book and he starts getting freaked out about not being a fictional character, and who is this Stephen King jerk.  I know from the library page's synopsis they'll be exploring this more in Song, but does it get less weird?  Because right now it seems kind of awkward.

[MrsAxilla]

I think SoS is the weirdest book, by far. It all comes together in the last book, though.

[aurora]

Yeah, I have to agree that SOS is weird and I didn't like it as much as Wolves or Wizard. But, still totally worth reading to get to the end.

I still haven't read Salem's Lot but I kind of liked the intertwining, and I think it was fun that King wrote himself into the book.

[Nonny]

I'm about 1/4 of the way through SOS now, and I'm laughing about Susannah/Mia controlling people with the little turtle. I want a little scrimshaw turtle.

[Nonny]

I'm about to embark on the last book!

The last chapter with Stephen King re-writing the story of when he got hit by a car was a little sad/weird.  I have to wonder if his wife had been harassing him about walking that stretch of road.

I found this book more interesting than Wolves, mostly because it was shorter, and it felt like the pacing was a little better.

[aurora]

Feb 22, 2015 0:20:29 GMT -5 Nonny said:

I'm about to embark on the last book!

The last chapter with Stephen King re-writing the story of when he got hit by a car was a little sad/weird.  I have to wonder if his wife had been harassing him about walking that stretch of road.

I found this book more interesting than Wolves, mostly because it was shorter, and it felt like the pacing was a little better.

Yeah, that was bizarre but interesting.  I had read his essay about the accident a long time ago so I don't remember the details, but what I did remember matched.

[Nonny]

I finally finished last night!  It's been a very long journey reading all 4000+ pages (not including the peripheral books that I've read in the past, but not as part of this series read).

I can't say I was surprised Eddie got killed during the battle when they were freeing the Breakers, because I've kind of been waiting for him to die the whole series.  I also wasn't surprised that Jake took the bulk of the car accident to save SK, but I was disappointed that Roland wasn't there when he passed.  Oy made it further along than I thought he would and his death was by far the saddest for me, especially when Roland goes to see him after Mordred is dead and Oy speaks one last time.  Poor little billybumbler!  I do like that it's said Oy will join the rest of the ka-tet in the alternate NY in the form of an odd looking dog, because then he gets the "happy" ending to reunite with Jake, just like Susannah gets to reunite with Eddie.

Having the ending be Roland restarting his quest again fit well with the whole "Ka is a wheel" theme during the entirety of the series.  I'm not quite clear if he's reliving his whole life each time (because in his "second" go around now he has the horn that Cuthbert dropped), or if he's starting over at the long palaver with Walter each time.  It doesn't really matter, and him having to relive it fully each time is kind of the more tragic ending (especially having to relive things like Susan's death and killing Gabriella again and again).

Dandelo is the same kind of creature as Pennywise in It, right?  It's been a long time since I read It. If that is the case, then that also makes the ending of It less lame.

I feel like now having read this series, I get Stephen King as a writer a little more.  The Coda chapter where he talks about how it's the journey not the conclusion that makes a story what it is, explains a lot about how many of his books end.

MrsAxilla
aurora
@vicmo

[MrsAxilla]

When I finished DT, I was dying for another book! I really want to know what's different each time Roland goes through the story and what the significance of the Horn is! I also ugly cried when Oy died. So, so sad!

[aurora]

Nonny, yeah for making it through!

It's been a couple of years now, I think, and maybe it's time for a re-read, but I don't remember this at all: "I do like that it's said Oy will join the rest of the ka-tet in the alternate NY in the form of an odd looking dog, because then he gets the "happy" ending to reunite with Jake, just like Susannah gets to reunite with Eddie." It does make sense that they die in the end, though, because the hero has to continue his quest alone.

As one who is frequently unhappy with SK's endings, I think that the questions raised by Roland re-starting his quest make the Dark Tower's ending way better than most. It's the perfect balance of question and answer for this story, I think.