The Dark Tower

First off I hope everyone has noticed that I've added a few things to the blog. I thought it would be good to make a few lists on the sidebars to my favorite sites on the web and such.

One thing you will also notice is a new little blurb to the right entitled "What I'm currently reading". The name is self-explanatory so I wont bore you telling what you already know. But instead I'd like to tell you a little about the book itself and the series that it is a part of.

Most constant readers of Stephen King are already familiar with this series called The Dark Tower. But to my surprise I've met a few King fans who haven't read his "Magnum Opus". Usually when I ask why they say that they tried the first book and it wasn't like his other novels. A few others say that they don't like to read series of books that take more than one volume to tell the whole story. Whatever their reason they don't know what they are missing.

The Dark Tower series was inspired by the poem Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came written by Robert Browning around 1855. It tells the story of Roland who is questing to reach a dark tower and his adventures getting there. It is a very dark poem but full of rich descriptions.



Stephen Kings character, Roland, the last gunslinger is also questing to find a dark tower. It is a quest not only to save his world but ALL worlds. The first volume, The Gunslinger focuses mainly on the main character Roland and his pursuit of a villian called The Man In Black. Who also happens to be a villain a from a few of Kings other novels, The Stand, being one of them.



I think many readers are thrown off by the first volume because it feels a bit different than most of Stephen King's work. It's hard to explain but to me King's writing style is a bit different than his other books. However, starting with the second volume, The Drawing of The Three, Stephen's regular writing style seems to come through and if most readers make it here they're gonna get hooked on this series.



What is really amazing to me is that nearly EVERY book Stephen King has ever published ties into the Dark Tower in some way. It is my opinion that those who only read his other works can't fully appreciate what King has accomplished here. Even as early as King's second novel, Salem's Lot, directly connects to the Dark Tower so that I have to think that Mr. King was planning on creating this huge web of stories from the very start. Whether this was done consciously or subconsciously only he knows.

Recently, the final volume, The Dark Tower 7 was published. King had been very slow about putting these volumes out in the beginning. Usually only about 1 book every 5-7 years and this drove fans crazy! But a while back tragically, Stephen was severely hurt when he was hit by a mini-van when taking an evening stroll. This somehow make Mr. King aware of his mortality and his desire to finish the series, and he published the last three volume in rapid succession.



I've read almost all of Kings books and I can easily say that The Dark Tower series is by far my favorite. It is connected to so many of my other favorites such as It, The Talisman, Black House, Insomnia, Salem's Lot and many others. Even some of his short stories are indirectly connected to it. It makes me feel like I'm revisiting those other novels as well.



Another treat is that Marvel Comics has reached an agreement with King to publish a mini-series of comic books called The Gunslinger Born, that tell some of the back story of the main character, Roland. So for those fans saddened that the series is complete can revisit that world before the first book takes place.



Anywho, I've babbled along long enough about this for now so I'll shut up now.

What are you doing still here?

Go on, get out there and buy the first volume, you don't know what your missing!