The King is Dead

[Qlippoth]

The other day, I was at the super wal-mart looking at the sixth Dark Tower book by Stephen King, and I came to the conclusion that the great writer had passed away before it was written. The first four Dark Tower novels were great, but then it got rediculous. I thought that the fifth one was bad enough, what with the deus ex machina, nonsensical pop culture references, and whatnot. Then I read the back of the sixth one, in which the characters meet Stephen King. It's like the really pathetic fanfics, where the writer inserts himself into his favored setting. Looking at this, and then remembering such classics as Pet Sematary and The Shining, I realized that the venerable author must have passed away several years ago, and someone must have acquired the rights to finish off the gravy train.

[King Hadas]

Thanks for ruining the suprise ending. JERK

[FS]

I have yet to read Dark Tower V because I refuse to buy a hardcover copy (and the paperback version seems to be getting pushed and pushed and pushed further ahead), but I've heard before that at one point in the books, they would meet King himself. I couldn't help but think of the episode of the most recent Spider-Man cartoon where he gets transported to a dimension where Spider-Man is a comic book character created by Stan Lee. Then Spider-Man webslings around New York for a while with Stan Lee in his arms and at the end of the episode muses on what a wonderful person he was. Granted, Lee probably didn't write the episode, but it both inevitably comes down to ego-dicksucking.

I think the problem is that King has become convinced, like so many of his fans, that the Dark Tower series is his greatest work, and this while still in the process of writing it. Plus, he's waited so long before continuing to write that he's lost touch with the world and the characters he started out with.

I still think the first three volumes are among his best works, the Waste Lands maybe being a little less. By then the clichéd dialogue started seeping through (characters ending just about every line with an affirmation), plus I hate the overused Lassie-like Oy. Wizard and Glass was pretty bad, in that it was one part overly elaborate Wizard of Oz reference and five parts hamfisted horseback romance with no sense of pacing. So, I'm cautious about the next two books. As for volume VII, I have some faith that he'll at least be able to bring it to a good conclusion, though that might change.

[sspadowsky]

Judge not, fuckers, until you've read them.

I just finished Part VII about half an hour ago. I'll give you no spoilers, not from V, VI, or VII. Of the whole series, the ones that center on Roland's world are invariably better. FS, I don't get your beef with Wizard and Glass. I've re-read that one a few times, and it's among my favorites. You're the literary version of Helm. :P

Here's how I can best sum it up:

Part V- Meh, but not bad..
Part VI- Markedly better than Meh.
Part VII- Will suck you in like a Times Square hooker.

I loved the ending, loved Part VII overall, and truly think The Dark Tower series is the crown jewel of his work. I've never had a story pull me in so completely, and I cared about the characters. That's what a good story does. You're free to disagree with me; you'll just be wrong.

[sadie]

i love the way he pulls details from one work to another, and he does a lot of that in the dark tower series. the first two were awesome. the third and fourth, i didn't find as excellent, but still they captured me for the length of time it took me to read them: not very long.

i, too, am awaiting the paperback version of V, but i'm not surprised to hear someone hates it or any of the others. even many hardcore king fans i know despise the dark tower series altogether. not i. :hat

[Ihach]

so far I've read up to six, and am still hooked on em. when i get a new one, its all thats in my head till im done reading it. sadly i wont have that much longer, as the last one is coming . Still, number 5, the Wolves Of The Calla, i really enjoyed, although at the time i found that the connections he drew between their world and ours kinda ominous (fears that were later justified). a cool story, i liked it alot. 6 I liked, maybe not as well, but still enjoyed. Especially the Mia plot, and the ending left me ready for the final book right then. so i guess i still love the dark tower, but three is still the best