fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsbook review Stephen King The Dark Tower 7. The Dark Tower The Dark Tower by Stephen King

Stephen King’s concluding volume of The Dark Tower series, The Dark Tower, is nothing if not surprising. Since its release, fans have squabbled over whether King hits a homerun or hits the ditch in the final volume of what has been described as his masterwork.

Without giving away the ending, I think the resolution of The Dark Tower is fantastic.

When The Dark Tower opens, Roland and his posse of gunslingers have divided their forces. Susannah/ Mia is about to give birth to a chap, an entity somehow fathered by both Roland and The Crimson King. Randall Flagg is lurking in the shadows and character/ author Stephen King is about to be run down by a van. Both a rose and the Dark Tower itself need to be saved, not to mention the universe. It’s a pretty exciting set up for a concluding novel — one that King wastes no time resolving.

fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsInstead, the majority of The Dark Tower surprisingly leaves most of these old concerns behind to focus on a new stage in Roland’s quest to reach the Dark Tower. After six books, Roland is at last about to reach the Dark Tower. Ruthless and relentless, Roland has vowed to reach the tower for the friends and lovers that he has lost, sacrificed, and murdered. Nothing will stop him: not vampires, not gigantic worms that chase him through mountain tunnels, and certainly not a humanoid spider. If any of his friends die, will Roland stop to mourn for them? Probably not.

Like us, Roland is intent on reaching the Dark Tower.

However, what will it mean to finish this quest? What makes The Dark Tower novels impressive is the romance that King has lent to Roland’s quest. Only the broadest details of what the Dark Tower is have been given. Instead, King has built his Dark Tower almost entirely out of allusions and recollections. Readers, like Roland, simply trust that the destination will justify the journey.

Author

  • Ryan Skardal

    RYAN SKARDAL, on our staff from September 2010 to November 2018, is an English teacher who reads widely but always makes time for SFF.