The Dark Tower is the final volume in Stephen King’s 34 years in the writing septet with which it shares its title. Not only does the book complete the 3000-plus page quest, but also weaves together much of King’s fiction from his entire career. It is, as King notes in his afterword, as much the summation of his own journey as it is of the last gunslinger, Roland Deschain.
The story continues directly from the end of Song of Susannah, but this time is much more of an epic fantasy than a surreal metafiction (a word King tells us he hates, but is stuck with). Roland finally reaches The Dark Tower, but getting there is a wonder in itself, a bleak and often tragic tale with King pulling no punches as the small band of warriors find their destinies. There is more action and excitement, suspense and adventure than in the two proceeding volumes--from desperate chases to battles with a giant spider--while the tone is often melancholy with the remorseless of fate. King works within the patterns of the great fantasy epics, from the Arthurian legends to The Lord of the Rings and his writing is as beautiful as it is unsparingly graphic. The final 100 pages are simply breathtaking in their perfect dark beauty. Doubtless the meaning of it all will be debated for decades to come, with some loving the ending, others feeling let down. But the result is an immensely bold piece of work which avoids the clichés of stock heroic fantasy while completely fulfilling the series’ atavistic promise. One thing is certain, the final pages will make many readers head straight back to the first volume, The Gunslinger to make the journey all over again.--Gary Dalkin
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Brilliant final Some time ago I have written a review on Gunslinger then I have decided to refrain from reviewing the rest of the series until I have finished The Dark Tower VII.
Now, I have reached the destination. I have finished the last book in the saga. It was indeed a very long journey. It started almost 1 year ago. While reading the series I picked up a few more books to get a bit of a rest from the series (after the first 4 volumes), then I re-read Gunslinger and understood/liked it much more than when I read... more info
You come so far why not come a little further So after almost a year of reading the Dark Tower Series the final book was released and this wasn't a small book by any means. I seen people love or hate this book mainly because of the ending. I loved the ending! Everything else in this seris has been so fresh, new, different, exciting, mind bending, pushing boundaries of writing .... I could go on for a while. Why spoil it with and they all lived happily ever after non sence. This book is an excellent end to an excellent series and completes... more info
Great journey and amazing story I must say, i'm sad that it's over. it has taken me quite a few months, a bit at a time. The whole story was great.... this book was very good. cause the emotions that king brought out were that of a rollercoater... it was really happy at times. very tense...and really sad. (had a lump in my throat at times) Everybody moans that the ending isn't like every other typical story ending... everyone expects a perfect fairytale ending.... life isn't perfect and thats what makes this ending great. if... more info
good......but the contradiction.... it is good, and that's a relief. i read Wolves, Susannah and Tower in one sprint after years of hating Wizard and Glass. The final 3 work well, curiosity is constant and the characters are well drawn - and thankfully King even remembers to explain the Insomnia link that had been bugging me since about 1997. what goes wrong? The Crimson King needed more legs, the Turtle could have done with a little more breakfast and the finale - though it didn't annoy me as much as some it does horrifically contradict... more info
