Good lord - 6 years since I've been on Ciao! Well, let's see if I can start my crazy rantings again....
Good lord - 6 years since I've been on Ciao! Well, let's see if I can start my crazy rantings again... :)
Member since:23.07.2001
Reviews:29
Members who trust:28
This should be in the FANTASY section!!! I refused to read this series at first, being a die-hard King fan I was extremely taken aback at his movement into what at fist glance is a completely different genre. Then, as any King reader will know, most of his works do have an alarming amount of BIG imagination and fantasy mixed up with all that horror.
So, at the airport, quite recently having been dissapointed to find that the book I truly wanted was nowhere to be seen, I purhased the first three books in the series (I read far too much when I have time on my hands!). I began with complete mistrust and was, I reluctantly admit, a bit smug when I found that the book didn't grab me straight away - this was probably because unlike his other books King lets the landscape and what it is saying envelope the reader first, instead of just setting the background as a chracter introduction. But then I forgot my bias
outlook and REALLY read it.
When you forget his previous work you are immediately rewarded with a descriptive narrative that literally washes you in the feel of the landscape, atmosphere and essence of Roland the gunslinger. The entire first chapter has no dialogue - and doesn't need it either. You come away from the book almost smelling the tobacco on Rolands Clothing and feeling the dryness of the desert so much you feel the need to moisturise!! Forget about a rich plot, the descriptive quality of the writing is brilliant in portraying everything and nothing. By this I mean that King has managed to let the reader take in everything without molly coddling them, without straying from the idea of desolation, lonliness, vastness and unforbidding backdrop of the desert.
The short, blunt use of dialogue when it does occur goes even further to reminding the reader of the hard men of the Western films - where you see gunslingers making all communication through a twitch of the fingers around a gun holster or a sideways apraisal of 10 adversaries.
We are treated to an honesty from Roland which is better than most leading characters. It is a brutal honesty which would rather let the boy, Jake, who he has befriended die than miss out on the chance to learn more and further his quest. Thank goodness we DON'T get another mamby character that throws his 'holy grail' away by coming over all heroic and saving someone only to find that he wins his prize after all because he is so damn good! I'm fed up of that Hollywood approach, and King delivers this refreshing wake up brilliantly. You hope deep down that he saves the kid, but on another level you would have lost respect for Roland if he had.
The flash backs Roland has of his past are intirgueing and a little confusing, if you imagine yourself a little desert crazy though (as Roland would be), it all seems perfectly acceptable. The insights to his childhood remind you of medaevil times but the fact that they have guns is a concept I found hard to accept because in my mind it just didn't fit. This was entirely my fault as I was binding myself SO strictly by my idea of history rather than embracing King's idea of this other world. So again, I stopped being a stick in the mud and got on with it. After a while I really enjoyed having my memory and idea of history challenged like this.
The first introduction to the Man in Black was a bit of a let down because I initially imagined a more noble villain with his own code of honour. However the more I read of this character the more I prefered the way he actually is! Both sinister and sickening he also lured the reader into wanting more information instead of completely repelling them.
By not being greedy and making the books progressively larger as they continue I think that King introduces his fans succinctly to the series. By making it short to start with we are encouraged to appraise the book quickly and decide if we need to read the next one - and I can assure you that you do!
A great series, perhaps not for ALL King die-hards but definately something that die-hard fantasy readers shouldn't turn their nose up to!!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I'm a huge fan of Stephen King have not started the dark tower series yet but could be a great reading project over the summer, good review(-:
PieOPah 15.07.2004 23:53
I must say that the Dark Tower series is up there with my favourite books. Just a shame that the series is coming to an end (BRING ON 'THE DARK TOWER')
tazzy232 07.11.2001 20:29
I've just purchased the series of the 'Dark Towers' today, and was wondering as to what sort of storyline I would be treated to. After reading you great op, I feel that I will not be disappointed.
The final volume sees gunslinger Roland on a roller-coaster mix of exhilarating triumph ... more
and aching loss in his unrelenting quest to reach the dark tower. Roland's band of pilgrims remains united though scattered. Susannah-Mia has been carried off t...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Different style from King and an interesting storyline Disadvantages: Fantasy, even post-Lord of the Rings, is still not everyone's cup of tea
very helpful by (94%):
helpful by (6%):
