RATING: THREE STARS
Lying in a sheltered valley on the outer edge of Mid-World is Calla Bryn Sturgis, a quiet farming town that was forgotten by civilisation even when Gilead still stood and gunslingers policed the world in force. The valley is beautiful and serene, but it's overshadowed by Thunderclap - a towering mountain that is forever under storm and serves as the home for terrible evil.
Once every few generations, the Wolves ride forth from Thunderclap and sweep through the valley. Clad in green and riding grey horses, they are child snatchers and take one from each pair of prepubescent twins (which are the normal method of giving birth for the folken). The children are taken to the mountain and are changed there, returning months later as adults with simple minds and youthful natures.
When Andy, a robotic relic from the world before it moved on, foretells another coming of the Wolves, the denizens of Calla Bryn Sturgis decide that they've finally had enough and will not so willingly allow their children to be taken. But what can simple farmers do to resist such evil when their hands have only ever held hoes and churned soil? They can look to the ka-tet of gunslingers that have wandered into their lands for aid . . . but will Roland turn aside from his path to the Dark Tower?
The Good
Wolves of the Calla is as well written as any of the books in The Dark Tower and Stephen King has gone all out in creating a rich town and developing the lives and cultures of the farmers that live there. Calla Bryn Sturgis is like something plucked straight out of the historical Wild West as it was in real life and King has really managed to capture airs of anger and sadness about the evil of their children being stolen.
The book is also in 'real time' again and actively continues the series, which I really enjoyed. I did like Wizard and Glass, but the story of Roland's past went on for a bit too long and the quest for the Dark Tower barely advanced through the entire book! I think this would have been better as a companion to the series (like The Wind Through the Keyhole is) and it was nice to have the story moving forward again!
The Bad
Simply put, Wolves of the Calla started to get a bit weird and I feel that King is starting to over do the references to real life. I'm not going to give any examples since they would be spoilers, but you'll know what I mean when (and if) you read the book. King has begun to try too hard in his efforts to link the series with everything and his references to our world are becoming forced and over exaggerated now and are losing the subtly he had in the earlier books.
Other parts of the book began to get a little strange as well, with Susannah's storyline being the main culprit. I always felt that Susannah was one of the best characters of the series, but her scenes were a little cringing and convenient. Sadly, I think this trend is going to continue into the next book and I just hope King tones it down a bit!
My Thoughts
Without giving away spoilers, I can only say that Wolves of the Calla was a little strange and was slightly below the standard of the other books in The Dark Tower series. King has tried too hard to link events and characters to real life and the story does have a slightly 'cheap' feel to it in places. That being said, I still enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading Song of Susannah.
Showing posts with label The Dark Tower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Dark Tower. Show all posts
Friday, 5 September 2014
Monday, 31 March 2014
Wizard and Glass - Stephen King
RATING: THREE STARS
Although Wizard and Glass is the forth installment of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, it's actually more a back-story to Roland Deschain's life than a continuation of the overall tale. While Roland is sat around a campfire in a strange 'weak spot' between universes, he tells his companions of his first adventure as an anointed gunslinger and of Susan - the first and last love of his long, lonely life.
It's a story of honour and hardship, where Roland and his childhood friends Alain and Cuthbert desperately try to prove that they're true gunslingers in a world that is falling apart and sliding into decadence. But they're still little more than children and soon realise that they're out of their depth as they're caught in the schemes of men who are turning their backs on the Affiliation to side with John Farson - the so called Good Man and leader of the rebels that are bringing what remains of civilisation to its knees . . .
The Good
One of the best things about Wizard and Glass is being able to see Roland as a young teenager. He's not yet the cold and brutal killer he becomes in later life and is still full of youthful wonders and uncertainty. It's also interesting to read about how he's desperate to prove himself in the eyes of his friends and his father, which underlies many of his choices and actions.
I also especially enjoyed reading about Cuthbert and Alain, who've both been mentioned in previous books as Roland's oldest friends. Both boys feature prominently in the book and King has managed to write in a comfortable friendship where each knows and trusts in the abilities of the others. This really adds to their camaraderie and the concept that they've been training as gunslingers together for their whole lives.
Roland's back story is also pretty good overall, being exciting at the end and showing that he's already capable of killing and commiting the terrible acts he will come to do in later life. King also explains how he came to find out about the Dark Tower and why he's been seeking it with the single-mindedness of a madman ever since.
The Bad
Unfortunately, Wizard and Glass is a very slow book and is filled with a lot of waffle that doesn't really need to be in there. There are pages and pages filled with people talking and walking around and nothing much actually happens until the very end of the book. This is a shame really because it drags the story out and means that it's quite boring in places. It's definitely the least interesting of the Dark Tower books, despite the glimpse it gives into Roland's mysterious past.
My Thoughts
Overall though, Wizard and Glass is a good book. I enjoyed reading it (for the most part) and am glad that we've learnt a bit more about Roland's past - as well as finding out why he's seeking the Dark Tower! I'm definitely looking forward to the story progressing again in Wolves of the Calla and am hoping that it'll be back up to scratch and be a bit more exciting!
Although Wizard and Glass is the forth installment of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, it's actually more a back-story to Roland Deschain's life than a continuation of the overall tale. While Roland is sat around a campfire in a strange 'weak spot' between universes, he tells his companions of his first adventure as an anointed gunslinger and of Susan - the first and last love of his long, lonely life.
It's a story of honour and hardship, where Roland and his childhood friends Alain and Cuthbert desperately try to prove that they're true gunslingers in a world that is falling apart and sliding into decadence. But they're still little more than children and soon realise that they're out of their depth as they're caught in the schemes of men who are turning their backs on the Affiliation to side with John Farson - the so called Good Man and leader of the rebels that are bringing what remains of civilisation to its knees . . .
The Good
One of the best things about Wizard and Glass is being able to see Roland as a young teenager. He's not yet the cold and brutal killer he becomes in later life and is still full of youthful wonders and uncertainty. It's also interesting to read about how he's desperate to prove himself in the eyes of his friends and his father, which underlies many of his choices and actions.
I also especially enjoyed reading about Cuthbert and Alain, who've both been mentioned in previous books as Roland's oldest friends. Both boys feature prominently in the book and King has managed to write in a comfortable friendship where each knows and trusts in the abilities of the others. This really adds to their camaraderie and the concept that they've been training as gunslingers together for their whole lives.
Roland's back story is also pretty good overall, being exciting at the end and showing that he's already capable of killing and commiting the terrible acts he will come to do in later life. King also explains how he came to find out about the Dark Tower and why he's been seeking it with the single-mindedness of a madman ever since.
The Bad
Unfortunately, Wizard and Glass is a very slow book and is filled with a lot of waffle that doesn't really need to be in there. There are pages and pages filled with people talking and walking around and nothing much actually happens until the very end of the book. This is a shame really because it drags the story out and means that it's quite boring in places. It's definitely the least interesting of the Dark Tower books, despite the glimpse it gives into Roland's mysterious past.
My Thoughts
Overall though, Wizard and Glass is a good book. I enjoyed reading it (for the most part) and am glad that we've learnt a bit more about Roland's past - as well as finding out why he's seeking the Dark Tower! I'm definitely looking forward to the story progressing again in Wolves of the Calla and am hoping that it'll be back up to scratch and be a bit more exciting!
Monday, 9 December 2013
The Waste Lands - Stephen King
RATING: FOUR STARS
With the help of Susannah Walker and Eddy Dean, his newly formed posse of gunslingers, Roland Deschain continues his search for the Dark Tower. His quest takes the group deep into unchartered forests and rolling hills, where they are confronted by a terror from the world before it moved on – a guardian of the Old Great Ones. Roland knows that the risk the guardian poses it great, but it protects one of the twelve beams and he knows he may have finally found a path to the Tower itself.
But things are never as easy as they seem and even if they manage to defeat the guardian, they will still have to pass through the war-torn ruins of Lud. The ancient city, once a gem of a bygone and more civilised age, is all but a wasteland itself and serves as the gristly battlefield for the centuries old war between the Greys and Pubes. Terrible drums play a dirge for their countless fallen and Roland suspects that he will need all of his wits to see his companions and himself safely to the other side – wits that he knows he doesn’t have as his mind fragments and he descends into madness as the result of changing his own timeline. He must save the boy to save himself – he must draw Jake into the desolated ruins of his world . . .
The Good
With its stunning backdrop and harrowing storyline, The Waste Lands did not disappoint me as the third instalment to The Dark Tower. Stephen King’s mind has continued to astound me as his story grows ever more complex and his famous ability to write has produced a book that is next to impossible to put down!
The Waste Lands is exciting and fast paced, containing flash fire scenes of violence that come out of nowhere (in much the same manner as HBO’s Boardwalk Empire) and cringing scenes of horror that made me want to put it down as much as it made me want to blitz ahead! And, in addition to this, King has continued his masterful development of his characters so they almost seem like real people that I really engaged with.
The Bad
I really have nothing to fault with The Waste Lands!
My Thoughts
The Waste Lands really begins to develop King’s Dark Tower multiverse and finally begins to explain some of the tragedy that has befallen Roland’s world. As I have discussed above, the book is both exciting and harrowing and is a fantastic instalment of a series that deserves all of the praise it gets. I thoroughly recommend The Dark Tower to fans of both fantasy and horror (as it’s not a fantasy in a traditional sense so you might enjoy even if you typically avoid the genre), which will undoubtedly prove to be an enjoyable and valuable use of your time!
With the help of Susannah Walker and Eddy Dean, his newly formed posse of gunslingers, Roland Deschain continues his search for the Dark Tower. His quest takes the group deep into unchartered forests and rolling hills, where they are confronted by a terror from the world before it moved on – a guardian of the Old Great Ones. Roland knows that the risk the guardian poses it great, but it protects one of the twelve beams and he knows he may have finally found a path to the Tower itself.
But things are never as easy as they seem and even if they manage to defeat the guardian, they will still have to pass through the war-torn ruins of Lud. The ancient city, once a gem of a bygone and more civilised age, is all but a wasteland itself and serves as the gristly battlefield for the centuries old war between the Greys and Pubes. Terrible drums play a dirge for their countless fallen and Roland suspects that he will need all of his wits to see his companions and himself safely to the other side – wits that he knows he doesn’t have as his mind fragments and he descends into madness as the result of changing his own timeline. He must save the boy to save himself – he must draw Jake into the desolated ruins of his world . . .
The Good
With its stunning backdrop and harrowing storyline, The Waste Lands did not disappoint me as the third instalment to The Dark Tower. Stephen King’s mind has continued to astound me as his story grows ever more complex and his famous ability to write has produced a book that is next to impossible to put down!
The Waste Lands is exciting and fast paced, containing flash fire scenes of violence that come out of nowhere (in much the same manner as HBO’s Boardwalk Empire) and cringing scenes of horror that made me want to put it down as much as it made me want to blitz ahead! And, in addition to this, King has continued his masterful development of his characters so they almost seem like real people that I really engaged with.
The Bad
I really have nothing to fault with The Waste Lands!
My Thoughts
The Waste Lands really begins to develop King’s Dark Tower multiverse and finally begins to explain some of the tragedy that has befallen Roland’s world. As I have discussed above, the book is both exciting and harrowing and is a fantastic instalment of a series that deserves all of the praise it gets. I thoroughly recommend The Dark Tower to fans of both fantasy and horror (as it’s not a fantasy in a traditional sense so you might enjoy even if you typically avoid the genre), which will undoubtedly prove to be an enjoyable and valuable use of your time!
Monday, 16 September 2013
The Drawing of the Three - Stephen King
RATING: FIVE STARS
Whilst I wasn't especially impressed with The Gunslinger (which was good, just not that good), I found The Drawing of the Three to be absolutely enthralling. It was both trippy and exciting, and Stephen King has really managed to make Roland Deschain’s character come to life in its pages as he continues to quest towards the Dark Tower.
The Drawing of the Three picks up right where The Gunslinger leaves off, setting the scene on the desolate beach where Roland falls asleep at the end of its predecessor. This beach actually proves to be one of the major settings for the story and is much more than what it appears at first glance. As Roland journeys down it, close to death, he finds three mysterious doors that lead to another world…
Through each of these doors are challenges and tests. Challenges that Roland has never faced before. Challenges that he can’t fail at if he is to ‘draw the three’ and survive to finally lay eyes on the Dark Tower.
The Good
The Drawing of the Three managed to captivate me right from the beginning and completely sucked me in. in fact, I was unable to put the book down once I began reading it and actually finished it within a week (although it’s taken me far longer than that to actually get round to writing this review)! Its pages are packed with action, but it was more than that which made it so good – it is the weird, almost trippy story that King has thought up. It’s pretty unique and has really begun to show the complexity of King’s ‘macroverse', which will undoubtedly prove important for the books to come.
I really liked the new characters who have made appearances in the book as well. They are realistic, highly flawed and are extremely enjoyable to read about. King has done a fantastic job developing them and I found that I had very little difficultly thinking of them as real people. As always, King has researched the underlying facts of book well, and I was really able to understand the characters backgrounds and views on life.
The Bad
I actually have very little to fault with The Drawing of the Three. If I have to make one comment though, I would say that some of the language becomes a little difficult to understand at times. Basically, King describes many scenes using the voice of a highly stereotyped black woman from a run-down ghetto in America. Now, this might just because I am English and am not that familiar with all of the slang and terminology used, but some of it got quite difficult to follow!
My Thoughts
The Drawing of the Three is undoubtedly one of the best books I have read in a while. Do not ‘forget the face of your father’ – either read this book or begin the series.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
The Gunslinger - Stephen King
RATING: THREE STARS
Beginning with a short story that debuted in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1978, The Gunslinger is the first instalment of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series; telling the tale of Roland Deschain as he pursues a mysterious man in black across a bleak, post-apocalyptic world in his search for the fabled Dark Tower.
But chasing the man in black, who always seems to be a step ahead of him, is easier said than done and Roland must overcome many obstacles if he is to succeed in his quest. And as if walking a path fraught with violence and hardship isn't bad enough, Roland also bears the burden of being the Last Gunslinger of Gilead – all that remains of a once great and noble people. Obviously, the weight of this is crushing and it drives Roland to be suspicious of making some much needed friends as he struggles through the danger of King’s vivid and scenically stunning world.
My Thoughts
As with A Dance with Dragons (featured below), I read The Gunslinger a while ago now and many of its finer details have become slightly hazy. Despite this, I can remember that I enjoyed reading the book and recommend The Gunslinger as a fine (albeit somewhat quirky) example of epic fantasy. In fact, many people go as far as saying that The Dark Tower series is King’s best work, which is obviously a flattering testament to The Gunslinger as a book and suggests more than I can that you should consider giving it a go!
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