« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Stephen King's The Dark Tower  (Read 1210 times)

Offline Mellon Collie

  • Narrator
  • **
  • Posts: 229
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« on: August 04, 2004, 03:08:40 AM »
Has anyone read this series of books? There's six of them out and the series is comprised of seven volumes. I'm a little behind, I'm on five, The Wolves of the Calla, but I'm still anticipating the final volume, The Dark Tower. I'd greatly recommend these books to any fan of Westerns, Sci Fi, Horror, Romance, Fantasy, or Action fans.
Logged
"If practice makes perfect, and nobody's perfect, then why practice?"

Offline Memeslayer

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 9
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2004, 08:07:13 PM »
I've read all of them up to the sixth book. The first four are excellent and are definitely recommended reading. I wasn't very impressed with the latest two, though. The quality has gone downhill, and there's a major plot element that I feel is done poorly. I can't really say more without spoilers, though.
Logged

Offline Mellon Collie

  • Narrator
  • **
  • Posts: 229
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #2 on: August 07, 2004, 08:44:27 PM »
Can you elaborate on how you think the quality has gone downhill?
Logged
"If practice makes perfect, and nobody's perfect, then why practice?"

Offline Memeslayer

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 9
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #3 on: August 07, 2004, 09:42:24 PM »
It feels like the writing style is a bit less fluid and serious -- almost like a rough draft. I can't really put my finger on it, but there's something markedly different between the first four and latest two books. There's more and more reliance on repetition instead of new plot elements, and what new plot elements there are aren't(IMHO) well thought out or executed, although I can't talk about those without spoilers. The writing style is part of that, too. Maybe the best way of putting it would be to say that the atmosphere is different.
Logged

Offline Mellon Collie

  • Narrator
  • **
  • Posts: 229
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2004, 11:51:17 AM »
Hmmm, that makes me strangely curious. Maybe Stephen's getting too old for this lol.
Logged
"If practice makes perfect, and nobody's perfect, then why practice?"

Offline Memeslayer

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 9
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2004, 01:48:10 PM »
Previously, he had worked on the DT whenever he felt like it, and would take several years to complete a single book. In the concluding notes to "The Waste Land", he says something to the effect of "Well, I hate to stop things here[at a cliffhanger], but I know that I can't write any more of this right now". But SK wants to retire, and he wants to finish the DT first, so he promised the last three books within a period of about a year. I guess he just couldn't pull it off like he thought he could.
Logged

Offline Ozymandias

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 16
    • View Profile
    • http://www.livejournal.com/~ozymandas
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2004, 12:04:12 AM »
I don't think it's that King is trying to rush things.  He usually writes a book in a short period of time, even his best ones (The Stand comes to mind).  However, since the DT has been his life's work in a way, with EVERYTHING he writes tying into this one story, he's got a lot of ground to cover, and he's got to make sure he keeps all his thoughts straight.  It's not just proper continuity for 5 previous books, after all.

Except for his self-insertion into the plotline, I enjoyed 'Song of Susannah'.  It did what it had to do, and led up to the final chapter without boring the reader to tears.
Logged
In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away -- -
For the Snark was a Boojum, you see.

-The Hunting of the Snark (Carroll)

Offline Memeslayer

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 9
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2004, 12:18:28 AM »
Umm...spoilers? The original poster hasn't read Song of Susannah yet.

Actually, that one plot element right there pretty much killed the whole book for me.
Logged

Offline Ozymandias

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 16
    • View Profile
    • http://www.livejournal.com/~ozymandas
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2004, 12:41:38 AM »
Oops, sorry.  I was hoping I made the reference vague enough there.  However, the insertion first occurred in Wolves of the Calla, so I think I didn't give too much away.
Logged
In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away -- -
For the Snark was a Boojum, you see.

-The Hunting of the Snark (Carroll)

Offline Mellon Collie

  • Narrator
  • **
  • Posts: 229
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2004, 11:06:49 PM »
Quote from: Memeslayer
Umm...spoilers? The original poster hasn't read Song of Susannah yet.

Actually, that one plot element right there pretty much killed the whole book for me.


Thanks for your consideration, Memeslayer!  :P
Logged
"If practice makes perfect, and nobody's perfect, then why practice?"

Offline EmeraldTwilight

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 29
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #10 on: August 16, 2004, 06:41:55 PM »
lol I read up until Wizard and Glass and waited for years for the sequals. And than when they came I'm toobroke to get em. Figures.

I'll say this. I've read thousands of books, but the Dark Tower series ranks in the top 5 greatest works ever created.
Logged
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/774187/vandammeownsu.jpg)
I'm creative ^-^

Offline Mellon Collie

  • Narrator
  • **
  • Posts: 229
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2004, 02:33:24 PM »
Quote from: EmeraldTwilight
lol I read up until Wizard and Glass and waited for years for the sequals. And than when they came I'm toobroke to get em. Figures.

I'll say this. I've read thousands of books, but the Dark Tower series ranks in the top 5 greatest works ever created.


Well thats pretty lucky in my case cause I've read about ten books and the Dark Tower happens to be four of them lol. I guess i choose well?
Logged
"If practice makes perfect, and nobody's perfect, then why practice?"

Offline Ozymandias

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 16
    • View Profile
    • http://www.livejournal.com/~ozymandas
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #12 on: January 28, 2005, 05:54:35 PM »
Well, the final book, "The Dark Tower", has been released for a while.  I finally read it...an interesting ending to say the least.  I won't give away the ending, but let's just say you can tell it's a King book.
Logged
In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away -- -
For the Snark was a Boojum, you see.

-The Hunting of the Snark (Carroll)

Offline RaeG

  • Apprentice
  • *
  • Posts: 16
    • View Profile
Stephen King's The Dark Tower
« Reply #13 on: April 14, 2005, 09:42:55 PM »
I have read right up to and started reading book 7. I've actually started and stopped that book so many times. I'm actually afraid to finish reading it. For I feel the last two books came out WAY to fast. The story seems greatly rushed and I don't want to ruin the thought that it's not going to end "quite right" for my standards. But hey that's just me.

Sure i'm not one of those people that have been devoted to this series since "The Gunslinger" was released but, I feel 2 books in one year when there was sometimes 5/6 years between these books? There is no way it wasn't rushed.

I understand eagerness to retire, but some people have been waiting since the 70's for the end of this series, i'm sure some people would have been willing to keep on waiting :lol:

I'll probably pick the final book up again and actually read it to completion with due time, I guess i'm just not in a rush for that point to happen.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »