Dark Tower Series

[ThorkinBarrimore]

I was just wondering what are your thoughts of

Stephen King's Dark Tower series? What was

your favorite book? Mine has to be a tie

between Book II The Drawing of the Three

and Book IV Wizard and Glass.

[The Fisher King]

Wow, Thorkin!!! Did you just decide to give me a Late Christmas Present??? LOL!!! :)

 

A Thread about DT Here!!!

 

I doubt it will get much traffic here, but I hope it does!!!

 

My second all-time favorite series ever.

 

I could go on for days. lol..

 

LOL.

 

The thing about the first four is, I honestly believe that each can be arguably seen as ''The Best'' of the first 4.

 

Books 5 -7 are still GREAT, but definitely reflect the change in times, the gap in writing and a bit of a rushed feel.

 

If you MADE me pick a Fave I might say 3. Just because it manages to cram SO Many different wonderful elements from the series into it, but done so in a non-rushed, beautiful, seemless way...King at his finest. King can be a lazy writer, imo, but he went ALL out on that one!!!

 

Of course, 4 had my all-time fave DT Character (aside from The Gunslinger himself, of course)...Eldred Jonas...LOVED Him Ha Ha!!!

 

Thanks again for This Topic Thorkin!

 

 

Fish

[Sirayn]

Crazy in love with this series.

[The Fisher King]

Thats Awesome, Sirayn!!!

 

Have you read em all???

 

I have the very first trade paperback they ever released the the first 5 chapters compiled (1981, I think, or thereabouts)...I Stumbled uppon it when I was LITTLE in my parents library and even though I didn't really understand it, the eerie, dreamlike quality of it drew me in.

 

Also, The Shootout in Tull is still maybe The TOP Scene of Overall BadAA$$ery ever written LOL!!!

 

 

Fish

[ThorkinBarrimore]

You're welcome!  ;D

 

Oh, Roland was definitely one of my favorites but

Eddy kept me laughing throughout the series!

 

Yeah, I think the car accident changed the last

few books. Book 5 was good with Father Callahan

but the last two books kinda tapered off. I enjoyed

every one of them, though. I even got all the

graphic novels. *I know, nerd alert*

[The Fisher King]

Yeah...the alst 3 were waaaaaaaaaaaaay different and slightly disapointing.

 

It was to be expected for many different reasons.

 

All 3 of 5 - 7 still had GREAT Moments and I loved them.

 

But man, ... DT 1 - 4 ...those 4 books are about as close to perfection of any 4 books of a series ever.

 

Book 5 though, did have one of my all-time ''Love To Hate'' characters though:

 

Andy...mainly because that darned robot was just SUCH a Huuuuuuge Bastard LOL!!!

 

...Oh, yes, Eddie Dean was classic, I agree.

 

 

Fish

[ThorkinBarrimore]

I remember King said that he wanted and ending

to his great series in large part because of Jordan

unfortunately leaving us before getting to see his

great work completed (at least in book form). The

car wreck&RJ seemed to remind King of his own mortality

and he rushed the last 3 books to get an ending.

 

I think there will be a new one out, between books 4

and 5 entitled The Wind Through the Keyhole.

 

I love when Roland uses Eddie at the end of book 2

and the cop sees the Terminator years later in theaters

and thinks he talked just like Roland did through Eddie.

That was some classic stuff. The Ted Brautigan and Dinky

Earnshaw from Low Men in Yellow Coats was

well done.

[The Fisher King]

Yes, it is CONFIRMED and I can not WAIT for the new DT ''Interquel'' The Wind Through The Keyhole!!!!!!

 

I knew King would not be able to stay away from Mid-World and those Blue Bombadier Eyes!

 

My BIGGEST letdown from all the ''Rushing'' through the last 3 was definitely the shortshrift that certain long-awaited key elements recieved in Book 7:

 

The journey through The Wastelands...Taheen...Flagg's Fate...The CK's True Nature, etc.

 

I actually approved of and understood the actual ''Ending,''

 

Also, the other thing I hated about the last 3 was the diversion from the main characters as King brought in all these other characters from other books that seemed like annoying filler (Patrick, Ted, etc).

 

Callahan too, fit this category, but I liked him, so, I'll be hypocritical on this one lol ;)

 

 

Fish

[ThorkinBarrimore]

LOL. Yeah, a lot of my friends were rooting

for Flagg to really get it. They knew him

from The Stand.  :D

 

I liked the ending as well even though I couldn't

resist writing my own. ^-^

[The Fisher King]

I Did that Too LOL!!!

 

 

Fish

[Owayn The Traveller]

ou learn something new every day . Another book yipes!

[Rufae]

I liked it up through the Wolves of the Calla, then it just gets weird. WHat was up woth writing himself into the story? And the whole Mordred thing... kinda let me down. Also the Crimson King at the end kinda sucked.

 

Which ending did yall like, the original or the alternate

 

Best characters were Roland and the Ka-tet. And Susan Delgado.

 

 

[Hallow]

Spoiler alert

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brilliant series, liked the ending, although the crimson king was a massive let down. Writing himself in seemed a tad egocentric, but it was interesting. Book 7 actually made me cry, Eddie's death, Jake's death and Oy's reaction to it and of course Oy sacrificing himself for Roland.

 

Anyone have a favorite quote from the series? Mine is definitely, "First comes smiles, then lies. Last is gunfire" - Roland of Gilead.

[Kati]

I read it a long time ago and I think I will have to read it again. I had been a big Stephen King fan for a long time, but for some reason never was interested in reading the DT series. When I finally did read the DT series it was interesting to keep seeing familiar characters from the other novels I had read and found this very enjoyable. I kept waiting to see more "old friends".

My fav character would be Roland and Mia hehehehe

[randalthorr]

Started Gunslinger two nights back and am about half way through the draw of three. Nothing like I have ever read previously. I was expecting a Wild West themed fantasy with fancy one liners and the like. And then a few pages in, I wondered WTF is being communicated here. And strangely I couldnt simply stop reading it either. Though I wouldnt say I got a complete grasp of all that was said in The Gunslinger, I was blown away while reading the discussion between R and the BM, since it struck almost home with some of my manic brain storming in the past. Lol. It was as if someone so beautifully put into word what I could only think.

 

 

[rygar]

Incredible series - fell in love with them a long time ago and have re-read them numerous times.

 

I like Wizard and Glass the best and there are no clunkers in the series whatsoever.  My order changes all the time but I think

 

1 - Wiz and Glass

2 - Dark Tower (VII)

3 - Gunslinger

4 - Wolves of the Calla

5 - Wastelands

6 - Drawing of the Three

7 - Song of Susanna

 

Personally, I think they are all truly great and ranking them gives the impression that SofS might actually be a bad, when it isn't.

 

Interesting to compare to WOT, really completely different types of books that each have their pros an cons.  I like think I am a DT fan first, but i think that is just nostalgia.  I have read those books form the beginning, and they played a role (albeit small) in shaping me as a person.  Funny to write but true.

 

I fell in love with WOT very late in the game, after Book 10 was written.  So, in short - WOT is a better, more in depth series.  But stranded on an island, I might still choose DT.

[randalthorr]

I have very similar feelings for WOT. It was the very first fantasy themed series I read as an adult, apart from Harry Potter and the like when I was younger. And it had a solid role in shaping me out into who I am, and I believe, every book good or bad plays a part. The ones who made the deepest impressions were Lan and Aviendha.

[papertiger]

So...who would in a fight? Lan or Roland? Also consider Oy vs. Bela.

[randalthorr]

Wow, WOw really. I mean really. I wonder why I hadnt read the series before this point in time. Im still yet to finish the last 100 pages of book six and then comes seven. But wow. This stuffs the stuff of all stuff. Im still amazed that someone was actually able to communicate all of that. I can imagine how Stephen would have imagined it, but to actually write it. I would give anything to feel what he felt, that inspired him to write the series, but I am afraid I would go insane. lol, its wierd but I had to say it.

[StringWinder]

The Dark Tower is one of my all time favorites.  The concept is so intense.  I knew ever since insomnia that patrick would have a part to play in it.

 

I have actually borrowed one of Mearlyns Rainbow in a story I am writing. 

 

The graphic novels are awesome!!  I can't find the batle of Jericho Hill (i don't even know if it's out yet)  but the Fall of Gilead was messed up.  Even though I knew everyone would die, it was still hard to see.

 

and how cool is ot that excalaber was melted down into revolvers!

 

The other thing I found really interesting was that the Bends o' the Rainbow were actually like magic lamps in the fact that they all have a genie in them.  Well, I assume they do, seeing as how the grapefruit was shown to have a djinni in it.  but it was real cool to see there was an entity controlling all the visions people see in them.

 

And to see roland shoot his mom!!!

[The Fisher King]

DT - My Ranking:

 

1 - 4 = Epically BRILLIANT

 

5 Good read. Good book. Not great. Not brilliant. But GOOD ... End of the book gets weird and begins the downward slide.

 

6 - Well written but short and boring and strayed off topic. Kinda a rip off.

 

7 - Moments of brilliance and poignance surrounded by a total mess with absurd events towards the end and some conclusions to some long-running arcs that are pretty much a letdown.

 

JMOs!!!

 

 

Fish

[Val Mickey]

Book 1 was exceptional. The feel of the first book was lost by the second and ...

 

Everything else was rubbish. Good in parts, in a King-kind of way.

 

I'll now crucify myself b'fore y'all stone me.

[The Fisher King]

I won't stone you - I WILL Disagree with you though :)

 

 

Fish

[Rufae]

Keep in mind that Book 1 was largely written 20 years prior to the rest of the books. They kinda staggered out. It was not until recently that he pushed to finished the last 3 or so.

 

That explains the difference in style and quality IMHO.

[Val Mickey]

Yes, it does. If he'd continued in that vein, the series would have been in the Greats - instead of good King fiction.