Review: The Dark Tower

The Dark Tower by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Re-read 10/17:

Well folks, I now mourn the loss of Roland's journey to The Dark Tower for the third time.

This series in no way diminishes over time or with multiple reads. Everything is so real and vibrant, and there's so much detail that you're bound to remember different things through each read. I'd forgotten so much of this one that there was still a lot of anticipation for things to come. Almost the entire first half of the book had been relegated, in my mind, to the previous book. (view spoiler)[(Thus, I thought my bereavement was drawn out across two books - I can't decide if I'm glad or not that it was only one). (hide spoiler)]

We begin immediately where Song of Susannah left off, and jump straight into action. There is so much diversity in storytelling throughout this mammoth book that it's almost a whole series on its own. We jump around all over the place and, knowing this is the final chapter, suddenly all bets are off. It adds a whole new thrill.

Okay. Here we go. (view spoiler)[ Losing Callahan was sad but I was okay with it - he hadn't been around all that long anyway and he wasn't getting any younger! But damn, losing Eddie that way ... you know how sometimes books make you feel strong emotions where you get all choked up in the throat, your face goes warm, your lip quivers a little as you press them together in a tight line and your eyes start to sting? NOT EVEN CLOSE. I generally do not cry but even knowing what was coming, I once again BAWLED LIKE A BABY for Eddie. Gushing torrents of tears. And Jake, my fave, so soon after! My heart was ripped out and shredded and tossed onto a garbage heap, and then Garbage Man comes along and the scraps of heart get squeezed until there's nothing left. And then of course Oy goes and sits by his grave all devastated and I'M DONE. I had to give myself time to recover. AGAIN.

I knew Susannah was the next to go, but I'd forgotten how. Now I can see why - her departure was such an anti-climax in comparison! But hey, Sai King would hate to let you think a piece of your heart escaped intact so let's just SKEWER OY LIKE A SHISH-KA-BOB.

I felt so much pain reading the deaths of these characters. You really come to love them after 6 books (or 7, in Jake's case) so the loss is quite physical. I don't even cry in movies but this series works its way into my cold heart every damn time. I love and hate it at the same time for that. (hide spoiler)]

That being said, the period of travel towards the end, (view spoiler)[after Roland and Susannah are reunited (hide spoiler)] does get a little dull at times. I mean, some seriously freaky sh*t goes down thanks to Mordred (view spoiler)[the Evil Spider-Child of All Nightmares (hide spoiler)]but then it's back to more trekking and details about snow and stuff. Ehhhhhh just get to the damn tower already please!

Honestly this is just such a complex story and woven with so many different threads - to me it is easily King's best work. This is quite simply a tour de force and easily one of the best series I've ever read in my life.

Now about that ending.

(view spoiler)[It's another love/hate thing for me. Because I hate the idea that Roland is doomed to repeat his whole sordid adventure over and over for all eternity (not to mention re-live the loss of his friends) but I also found it to just be ... fitting. I remember being angry the first time I read it - the whole, 'WTF?!' rage breaking out, but it's just because I really felt for the guy. But I also like the idea of redemption, and that maybe this time around things will be different. If King wrote this entire series again with a just few variations I would probably still read it. The journey to the Dark Tower is ongoing. (hide spoiler)]

Such an incredible highlight of my lifetime of reading, and King at his most impressive. A worthy conclusion to one of the most epic series ever written.

***
Original (delayed) review:

This was an epic conclusion to possibly the best series I've ever read. I loved every second. King so cleverly weaves everything together, and it certainly makes me want to read his entire collection of work before re-reading, so that I can pick up every single reference. The characters and their adventures had me on the edge of my seat, and this final chapter is a worthy conclusion. Even at its mammoth size I was hooked the entire time. Brilliant. And that ending! (view spoiler)[God I felt so much for Roland! It was such a fitting ending but god it broke my heart!! (hide spoiler)]

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