Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series

Discussion in 'TMB Book Club' started by The Blackfish, Dec 10, 2012.

  1. KJROD20

    KJROD20 the ends will justify the means.
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    So I just finished and much preferred the 2nd half of the book. I'll dig into book 2 after Dark Matter.
     
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  2. Trip McNeely

    Trip McNeely Guys like us....we are a dime a dozen
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    Just finished The Waste Lands (Book 3) last night. So far I think the series is good, not great. I like the world(s) that King has created and the characters in the ka-tet are good. I'm going to take a break and pick it up in a month or two with Wizard and Glass.
     
  3. Celemo

    Celemo tell 'em Steve-Dave
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    You are pausing before the best book
     
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  4. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Started The Gunslinger yesterday.

    I'll post some thoughts as I go through the series. Looking forward to it.
     
  5. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    I'm about 10% into The Drawing of the Three.

    This took a turn.

    Roland is in the drug user's head right now.

    Also, tooter fish and lobstrocities.
     
    #105 Gonff, Jan 27, 2017
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2017
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  6. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    It's going to be hard not to call sandwiches popkins in the future
     
  7. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    A little over 50% through The Waste Lands.

    Not really a spoiler (at least, I don't think it is), but this quote gave me a strong Wheel of Time flashback.

    "Be of good heart and hold up your heads, for ye have lived to see the wheel of ka begin to turn once more!"

    Basically, it's: "The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass . . ."

    Quite nerdy, but that was my first thought.

    I like this one so far, but I think I prefer The Drawing of the Three right now. The pacing was better in that one; or perhaps I just preferred the main plotline. Either way, still enjoying it.
     
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  8. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    Ka-tet and Ta'veren always reminded me of each other somewhat.

    Also so jealous you're about to read Wizard and Glass for the first time.
     
  9. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    I can definitely see the parallels there as well.
     
  10. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    33% into Wizard and Glass.

    Love this one so far.
     
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  11. Celemo

    Celemo tell 'em Steve-Dave
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    Arguably my fave book of all time
     
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  12. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    About 90% through Wizard and Glass.

    Through Roland's flashback. Susan is dead.

    Holy shit. What a backstory.

    Zero chance I don't finish this today.
     
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  13. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    I read this when I was a teenager and was all in on the love story and it broke my heart when Susan died
     
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  14. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Yeah it's legit bummed me out. But it totally aligns with his current character so I was bracing myself for it.
     
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  15. TheGrifter

    TheGrifter It's a trick. Get an axe.
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  16. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Question:

    When should I read The Wind Through the Keyhole? I see it's listed as Dark Tower #4.5, but wasn't sure if it's best to wait until after reading the entire series or to go ahead and read it before Wolves of the Calla.
     
  17. The Blackfish

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    Doesn't really matter
     
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  18. Lawnole23

    Lawnole23 FSU Seminoles 2020 National Champions
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    I read it well after the rest of the series. Doesn't matter. Won't ruin anything.
     
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  19. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    OK, cool. Thanks. If it doesn't really make much of a difference, I'll probably just wait until after reading through the main series.
     
  20. Celemo

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    In the grand scheme of things, it changes nothing but I recommend reading 4.5 before 5 but that's just me.
     
  21. colonel_forbin

    colonel_forbin Well-Known Member
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    After 14 months of reading this series off and on, I finally finished.

    Good stuff. That coda did a number on me.
     
  22. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    Slowing slogging through the audiobook of wizard and glass. Great book, just no time for the audiobook.
     
  23. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    Slogging and a Wizard and Glass are two terms that should never be in the same sentence together
     
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  24. colonel_forbin

    colonel_forbin Well-Known Member
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    Wizard and Glass was definitely the best book in the series.

    I have had a couple friends ask me to describe this series, and it's pretty tough to sum this it up. It's all over the place and crazy as hell.
     
  25. The Blackfish

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    Yeah it's almost impossible to describe
     
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  26. Lawnole23

    Lawnole23 FSU Seminoles 2020 National Champions
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    I usually just say it's starts out amazing, then gets kind of weird and then you're thinking what the fuck happened.
     
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  27. TheGrifter

    TheGrifter It's a trick. Get an axe.
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    I'm actually really excited about the fact they're using the movie as more of a sequel to the series than a retelling.

    Hopefully we (finally) get a satisfying ending.
     
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  28. colonel_forbin

    colonel_forbin Well-Known Member
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    Hopefully it's loosely based and totally different than the "time is a flat circle" plot of the books.
     
  29. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Finished Wolves of the Calla.

    I already knew that he'd written himself into the series but that still doesn't change how odd it is. Pretty intrigued to see what comes of that. I can't think of any other series I've read where the author makes himself an actual plot point.
     
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  30. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    I finished Song of Susannah earlier today.

    I have no idea how to rate that one. Probably as a whole, near (or at) the bottom. But there were some parts I really liked. I enjoyed reading the journal entries at the end. I'm sure they were mostly fictionalized, but they were still interesting. I liked seeing how his mind works and the progression throughout his career.

    The Susannah parts started interesting but by the end, man, they got kind of strange. Rat people? The subplots as a whole were just ok. I found Roland & Eddie's chapters the most intriguing, which I suppose makes sense.

    One to go.
     
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  31. ukcats8

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    This is where the series lost me. So much potential....
     
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  32. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    Am 60% through, want to click this spoiler a lot
     
  33. The Blackfish

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  34. Lawnole23

    Lawnole23 FSU Seminoles 2020 National Champions
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    I had the same thoughts reading it. Loved the series until finishing that book and then just sat there wondering what the fuck he was doing with the series.
     
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  35. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    30% into The Dark Tower

    Man this one's weird so far. Not a big fan of the taheen subplot or baby Mordred. And after all that buildup for Flagg/Walter, that's how he goes out?

    Hope it picks up soon
     
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  36. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Finished The Dark Tower today.

    My thoughts are all over the place. I'll try and post something tomorrow but

    I really disliked how he handled Flagg/Mordred/Crimson King. They all felt underwhelming to me
     
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  37. Codename Duchess

    Codename Duchess Well-Known Member

    Easily my biggest problem with the series. Really bad.
     
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  38. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    Go back and read the first post in the thread.

    Oh and Stephen finishes
     
  39. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    I am through #6 and 10% through #7. Song of Suzannah gave me this weird flashback to the last couple of seasons of Lost. As in, cool foundation in earlybook/seasons, great writing early, has me hooked, and then suddenly starts throwing weird shit at the wall to try and explain all the cool mysterious shit that was created in prior seasons/books.

    Hopefully 7 wraps things up better than Lost did
     
  40. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    I agree with most everything posted in this thread. 1 was good, 2 and 3 were excellent, 4 was one of the best books I've ever read. 5 was solid but nothing spectacular, 6 was pretty rough, and while 7 was better, it had extreme highs and lows for me. I strongly disliked the first 25% or so (basically the opening in the Dixie Pig), then enjoyed it up until they got to the Dandello scenes. Got kind of weird, then the Mordred/Crimson King ending was really disappointing.

    Strangely enough, I didn't find the repeating doorway ending that surprising. It wouldn't have been my preference, but my gripe with the antagonists is much bigger.

    I could see myself rereading the first 4. I would be surprised if I ever do a complete reread, though.
     
    #140 Gonff, May 30, 2017
    Last edited: May 30, 2017
  41. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    Book 7 complete. Really, really disappointed with almost everything in the last book like the Joe Collins encounter, wasted traveling chapters to build tension, Crimson King and his end, every single thing about Mordred, everything in this book with Walter... but the coda ending was perfect. Really don't like the way King telegraphs bad stuff coming, I understand he does it to build tension, but it really spoils the suprise chapters in advance (like telegraphing the alkali smell when he walks into the tower, you immediately get warned something bad is upcoming, or him telling you a character is going to die, or it will be the last words X character will ever hear from Character Y, etc).

    I will say, I really hated injecting himself as a character, I thought it was incredibly awkward and out of place, and the repeated Deus ex machina was a big net negative for me, especially with the random magical artist at the end.

    Even bigger beef is him randomly jumping into omniscient author voice intruding into the narrative to interject something, I thought the only time it worked was to introduce Roland and the Artist coming up to the tower. Otherwise I thought it was too heavy handed and didn't fit the rest of the series narrative flow.

    Series book ratings out of 10:
    The Gunslinger - 6.0
    The Drawing of the Three - 6.5
    The Waste Lands - 7.0
    Wizard and Glass - 9.0
    Wolves of the Calla - 8.0 (I guess I'm weird that I liked this book in this thread)
    Song of Suzannah - 5.0
    The Dark Tower - 6.5

    I will admit book 1 was really not great for me and took me awhile to appreciate the series, I think I would rate #1 higher on reread.
     
    #141 RonBurgundy, Jun 13, 2017
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2017
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  42. Celemo

    Celemo tell 'em Steve-Dave
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    I liked the Wolves of The Calla for the most part...however not a huge fan of the Todash shit
     
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  43. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
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    I too like WotC
     
  44. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    I audiobooked the series and the voice acting was amazing, especially for all the Boston accents and Rhea of the coos. Having the Mejis and mid world vocab in my ears for ~200 hours Has led my to mentally speak it all the time. Say thankya. Thankee sai. Thankya big big! O Discordia. Come commala.
     
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  45. GrizzliesDrew

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    Soooooo...just started these last week. Bout to pick up with Wastelands next. It is my understanding the next 2 books are going to be awesome and then it is going to start sucking. Is this correct?
     
  46. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    5 is still solid. 6 is a struggle. 7 is all over the place as far as strengths and weaknesses.

    Wizard and Glass is incredible
     
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  47. Celemo

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    O Discordia!!!!!
     
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  48. Lawnole23

    Lawnole23 FSU Seminoles 2020 National Champions
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    Wolves of the Calla was fantastic for most of it. It's been so long since I read the series but I loved the whole series until:

    They get to the barracks where the people with mental powers are working on breaking the beams. He just lost me there was waiting on something epic and it's just some people.
     
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  49. GrizzliesDrew

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    Reading Wizard and Glass right now. Just finished reading about Roland's "reaping"

    Holy shit! :ahh::banderas::chrispaulnoooo:
     
  50. GrizzliesDrew

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    Good God! That's Randall Flagg's music!!
     
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