Stephen King's The Dark Tower Series

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

  1. GrizzliesDrew

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    Ok...just finished Wolves of the Calla. Everyone has said Song of Susannah is terrible. Do I HAVE to read it or can I get by with just reading a summary on Wiki and then move to The Dark Tower?
     
  2. Celemo

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    if we had to read it, you have to read it
     
  3. GrizzliesDrew

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    Are you saying this as dinh?
     
  4. RonBurgundy

    RonBurgundy Well-Known Member

    I wiki'd parts that were too boring to read
     
  5. The Blackfish

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    It's short just read it
     
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  6. GrizzliesDrew

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    Gotta say, I enjoyed S of S more than the first 2/3rds of Wolves.
     
  7. GrizzliesDrew

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    Little over half way through the last book. Man, King really, really, really hated the guy who hit him.
     
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  8. Celemo

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    Fucking A right he did
     
  9. BrickTamland

    BrickTamland You're not Ron...
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    Having finished The Wizard and the Glass, should I read Wolves of the Calla or Wind Through the Keyhole next?
     
  10. GrizzliesDrew

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    Just finished the series. What the fuck, Suse?

    [​IMG]
     
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  11. Gonff

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    Doesn't really matter. I read Wind Through the Keyhold after Wizard and Glass, but it's basically a stand alone. It's a quick read
     
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  12. GrizzliesDrew

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    Just read the spoilers a lot of you have written and I mostly agree....

    I LOVE the loop. That is a great way to end. I totally agree that the villains are complete afterthoughts, and the one who posed Roland the most actual danger was a fucking standup vampire.

    But the thing that pissed me off the most was Suse going "Peace out! Gotta go. Good luck dealing with Modred without me. Hope Oy doesn't needlessly die because of that.

    P.S. I'm taking your father's gun without permission and I'm gonna throw it in the trash."
     
    #162 GrizzliesDrew, Jul 29, 2017
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2017
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  13. GrizzliesDrew

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    Also, anyone else picture this:

    [​IMG]
    When they imagined the Crimson King?
     
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  14. Fusiontegra

    Fusiontegra My life is dope and I do dope shit.#SparedByThanos
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    Restarting this series. My dad owned every King book written when he died in 2007 and when I decided to read the series the first time in 2005, he told me to read the way it was written - always be reading something else. I thought about doing only King books during the read through, but could never decide on what, so I just picked up random things.

    10 years since my dad died and inspired by the movie release, I'm doing the same thing. I remember the overall arch of the story, but I'm excited to genuinely feel like I'm reading it for the first time in certain spots.
     
  15. Fusiontegra

    Fusiontegra My life is dope and I do dope shit.#SparedByThanos
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    Echoing this. Started Wizard and Glass last night and I know Wind Through the Keyhole was intended to be between 4 and 5, but I’m guessing it’s not particularly important to the overall story if I wait?
     
  16. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    You can wait. Doesn't have any impact on the main story
     
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  17. BrickTamland

    BrickTamland You're not Ron...
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    Read it after WatG, as its really short. Very nice respite from the 800 pagers.
     
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  18. Celemo

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    Agreed
     
  19. BrickTamland

    BrickTamland You're not Ron...
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    Currently flying through WotC, really liking it. WatG was excellent in retrospect, think I just didn’t give myself the initial time to get into it deep enough at the start.
     
  20. Lucky24Seven

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    About half way through the last book. :ohdear::embarrassed::tebow:
    Eddie, no! Eerie how he dies much like Cuthbert. Seems like they were similar characters in different times. Also seems like Jake has some parallels with Alain.
     
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  21. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    How would we even know? That jackass Stephen King spent about two sentences on Cuthbert and Alain then drones on for books about shit like Type 1 and Type 2 vampires. Where's the book where we get to read about Roland at the height of his powers, not super young or missing fingers?
     
  22. Lucky24Seven

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    In the comics and graphic novels it explains about his other ka-tet and the Battle of Jericho Hill. There are snippets of the story in the main Dark Tower series. Still pretty amazing on what he can do with his left hand in the novels, though. We got a small taste during Wizard.
     
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  23. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    Just trotting out my general bitching again. King hooks you by hinting around about this bad ass crew of gunslingers then spends 7 books never filling in the details. It'd be like if a football team gave a great RB a few carries in the first quarter and you watched the rest of the game and never saw him touch the ball again.

    Run the damn ball Stephen!
     
  24. Lucky24Seven

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    Yeah, Song of Susannah was pretty bad in comparison to the rest of the series. Glad things are happening in the last novel.
     
  25. The Blackfish

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    Leave Damien Harris out of this
     
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  26. Fusiontegra

    Fusiontegra My life is dope and I do dope shit.#SparedByThanos
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    I was just about to tag the Bama fanbase.
     
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  27. BrickTamland

    BrickTamland You're not Ron...
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    I really like Song of Susannah :welpseeyalater:
     
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  28. Fusiontegra

    Fusiontegra My life is dope and I do dope shit.#SparedByThanos
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    Finished tonight. I intended to finish about 4 months ago, but shit happens. Too tired for thoughts. This a reminder to post them tomorrow.
     
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  29. Fusiontegra

    Fusiontegra My life is dope and I do dope shit.#SparedByThanos
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    Okay, so.

    I mentioned when I started the series that I'd wanted to finish it before the end of last year. That didn't happen. I read other things, started a new job, basically just didn't make time. As a result, I read the series over about 9 months, and in retrospect, I think I'm actually glad I took my time. I felt like Roland as the book came to an end, grizzled and relieved to be ending my quest.

    As many have said, WatG is one of the best books I've ever read. The flashback that takes up 75% of that book burns so quickly. I still enjoyed Wolves, though it started a little slow, and I even liked SoS for the most part. The highs of Dark Tower were really good, but agree with most of the low points.

    - I didn't have a problem with Walter getting got by Mordred. That scene was gruesome, even if a bit anticlimactic.
    - I didn't mind Red Daddy getting got by the Artist, although it was telegraphed the moment he wiped the cancer from Susannah's face
    - Mordred's death was the worst to me. It expectedly ended in Oy's death, but was otherwise a little hollow.
    - I'm okay with King being an integral part of the story. Roland's quest was his quest to finish the story, and I think it was great the way the story relays what King believes about writing - that sometimes you're guided by something other than your own mind

    A couple questions that will hopefully reignite some discussion:
    -Do you wish you hadn't read the Coda? Would you rather have ended the series with Roland walking into the tower and the 3 being reunited in some fashion in NY?

    -If King rushed the end, and it's easy to argue you think he did, I don't think it was for fear of time...I think he was worried about losing the voice of the characters. Losing a feel for their world and story, and being unable to capture the recklessness with which he started the story 30 years prior to finishing it. Unless he found a strange bit of random inspiration, I don't think he could now write a story of young Roland that would do him justice.

    -Regarding the movie, which I saw, having not been very far into the series. Forget for a moment that it left a lot of be desired, and instead think that King himself said that it wasn't a retelling, but a continuation. Roland's last journey to his Tower because he now has the Horn. The breakers are saved in a different manner, Flagg is killed in a different manner(perhaps a more fitting one for many)...is the story of the movie, not the telling of it, but the actual events, a good beginning of a real ending for Roland(which will never be finished because the movie sucked and didn't get followups)?

    -And lastly, did his journey occur the same way every time? If so, does that mean Susannah has always been a person of two worlds, since she was pulled from one, and always ended up in another? Or is Roland's journey different every time? Does he never find Jake? Are Susannah and Eddie different companions in each journey? Also, the non-coda ends with King saying he knows not where the Artist ended up...is that because he has to "reset" to kill the Red King again, when Roland next passes? Is the Red King reborn?

    I know a lot of people wanted a real ending for Roland - victory, death, whatever. Something with finality, but I really like the ending we got. The journey was great, I say thank ya.

    Tagging some of the regulars from this thread.

    Celemo TC The Blackfish RegimentML
     
    #179 Fusiontegra, May 14, 2018
    Last edited: May 14, 2018
  30. BrickTamland

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    Just finished book 7, having dragged it out over the past two months. I’ll echo a lot of the sentiments about a lackluster ending.

    However, I don’t think endings have ever been a strength of King’s. Relatively speaking, this ending is above average for him.
     
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  31. BrickTamland

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    Finally going to watch the movie now with zero expectations other than seeing some of these characters brought to life.
     
  32. Lawnole23

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    I had no problem with the ending of the series. I did not enjoy how he got there especially in the last book.

    I was most interested in Lud and what happened in the past.
     
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  33. TheGrifter

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    Confirmed Amazon is going to adapt Wizard and Glass for their series.

    :chatzy:
     
    #183 TheGrifter, Feb 7, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2019
  34. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    [​IMG]
     
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  35. Codename Duchess

    Codename Duchess Well-Known Member

    I hope they scrapped their plans to tie this series to the "movie" and use this to start over. While starting it off with W&G here wouldn't be my ideal adaptation I'm happy they're at least adapting my favorite book in the series.

    I also hope they kicked Akiva Goldman's ass to the curb on this.
     
  36. Celemo

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    I'd like to think that with maybe a 10-12 episode series going 60-90 minutes per episode might be adequate time to establish the foundation of the DT universe. W&G makes sense. Establish Gilead and the gunslingers, Man in Black is introduced, Roland earns his guns, gets sent to Mejis, blah blah blah, gets new objective: find the Dark Tower. Seems pretty easy
     
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  37. TheGrifter

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    I usually like my books/shows to be pretty linear. I don’t mind flashbacks, but entire books or seasons breaking the narrative in the middle tend to annoy me. Wizard and Glass is certainly the exception to that rule.

    Like Celemo said, they can establish the DT Universe. Show watchers don’t tend to be as patient as book readers when it comes to getting answers in regards to what is going on in the world and with the characters. W&G builds the world, establishes Roland, Man in Black, and why Roland hates him so much.

    Plus they’re going to be wondering what happened to Alain and Cuthbert. :tebow:
     
  38. Codename Duchess

    Codename Duchess Well-Known Member

    Didn't say it wasn't a good way to start the series. As you pointed out it's a good way to establish the main parts of the universe. I just prefer being introduced to Roland as the broken man who only has one purpose. TheGrifter is right about show watchers being impatient which is why adapting the show based on book order isn't a good idea.
     
  39. TheGrifter

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    Feel like this is almost certainly going to cross over with Dark Tower.

    Seems like the place kids go to be turned into Breakers.
     
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  40. TheGrifter

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    [​IMG]
     
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  41. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
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    Stephen King's The Eyes of the Dragon Aims to Be Hulu's Answer to Game of Thrones

    Fans looking for a fantasy show beyond the final episode of Game of Thrones may be in luck, as Hulu is currently set to adapt a bestselling fantasy novel by Stephen King.According to Deadline, Hulu will develop a pilot based on The Eyes of the Dragon, King's 1984 fantasy novel, which tells the story of two brothers, and a struggle for control of the kingdom of Delain.

    Deadline reports Seth Grahame-Smith (Lego Batman Movie, It) is serving as showrunner. Grahame-Smith is also set to write the first episode, and will executive produce alongside Bill Haber (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow), Roy Lee (It), and Jon Berg (Aquaman).
     
  42. Gonff

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    I mean I guess they're similar in that they're both fantasy. But that's about it
     
  43. Clown

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  44. Celemo

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    Please let this be good
     
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  45. Constant

    Constant Meh
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    62841327.jpg
     
  46. BP

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    Amazon somehow gonna make Roland unlikable
     
  47. Celemo

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    ok fine...please let it be better than Wheel of Time
     
  48. The Blackfish

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    Dutch Hill Mansion best be scary af
     
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