2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss Wizard and Glass by Stephen King, the fourth book of The Dark Tower series.


Pages: 845 pages


Length: 1 Month (March)


Participants: Trisha, Bailey, Alison.


Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Through Part Two, Chapter 6 Sheemie: (view spoiler)[ I am really enjoying this installment so far. I actually loved getting to see the termination of the ka-tet's journey with Blaine and how everything played out--also getting to see Eddie's character growth was amazing! As Alison said earlier, we are getting a lot more info about Roland in this one. It's so different to see this soft side of him that's infatuated with Susan and hasn't created his trademark hardened exterior yet. I feel like I've already learned so much about Roland's past and how it's led him to where he is now but I am nervous to see how Susan's part will come to an end. Also, I really could've done without that horrible 'proving honesty' part altogether and am not enjoying reading about Susan's promise to bear Mayor Thorin a child. Hate seeing women be treated like this even if it is fictitious :( I have my fingers crossed for her but I can't tell how it will all play out yet. (hide spoiler)]

Part Two, Chapter 10, Sections 6 &7: (view spoiler)[ This is hands down the most beautiful sex scene I have ever read from Stephen King and maybe even any other author. Oh Roland, how I only want the best for you 😢 (hide spoiler)]

Okay I've made a lot of progress since my last update but this book just keeps sucking me in and I have to keep reading! I'll try to section out some of my spoilers below so you can read them as you progress.

Interlude: (view spoiler)[ Rhea's character makes me so angry, which is kind of the point, but still. I was so relieved when Roland was able to save her from cutting off all of her hair and learn about what she experienced at Rhea's hut. As for the interlude, it was neat to see how time was allowing Roland to tell his whole story (at least up to this point) all in one night and get a glimpse into what is happening in the current time. (hide spoiler)]

Part 3, Chapter 4: (view spoiler)[ This chapter was both heartbreaking and uplifting? Not sure if that's the word I want to use but the point is I was glad to see Roland and Cuthbert work out their differences. The fact that Cuthbert intercepted that note from Sheemie even though he was angry with him, too, made me pretty happy... even if he did use it as an excuse to sucker punch Roland. When Roland cried Cuthbert's pardon my heart simultaneously shattered and was united 🥺 Then to see them team up and confront Rhea was too much to handle! I love the dynamic Roland, Cuthbert, and Alain have and this book is making me sad that the series doesn't take place during their upbringing/training. (hide spoiler)]

Part 3, Chapter 7: (view spoiler)[ I literally could not believe that Jonas' crew murdered Rimer and Mayor Thorin the day before the reaping. I was so shocked when I read that part. Then, of course, my heart broke again when I had to read about Roland, Cuthbert, and Alain being taken into custody by Jonas and crew. But at least Roland and Cuthbert got to make remarks to Lengyll and Jonas that struck a chord with them. I also could not believe that Jonas was an exiled gunslinger. I can't remember if that had been foreshadowed or not before this chapter, anyone else remember? (hide spoiler)]

I'm once again really enjoying this book and am both excited and nervous to finish it and see where we're taken from there. My plan is to finish this book in the first few days of April so I can start working on my quarterly challenges but I can't wait to read everyone else's thoughts as you all get into it!

I am going to start this by Friday! As for not being able to put it down, Bailey, my husband (who is a slow reader) finished this in a week 😱 He said he forgot how good it was! He is going to read “Wind Through the Keyhole” next (before “Wolves of the Calla”) 😊

I’ll start after the readathon unless my team finishes earlier than planned. Can’t wait to read all of your updates, Bailey!

Also, Alison, how has your husband rated/reviewed the books so far?

He has rated them all 5⭐️’s so far (except maybe “The Gunslinger)...but he is not a very picky rater AND a Stephen King Fan 😊 I think with each book we get into, I hear “Wow, I forgot how good this book was!”

Part 3, Chapter 10, Part 10: (view spoiler)[ The last few hundred pages of this book have been so emotionally taxing for me. I've been on an emotional rollercoaster that I didn't sign up for! Let me start by saying the 'premonitions'(?) Roland had when he was sucked into the wizard's glass were crazy! I loved seeing the connection made between the past and the present within this story. It definitely helps connect this story to what we've been reading so far with the series. To now know that Roland foresaw all of what has happened from The Gunslinger to now totally changes the game for me. And the fact that he was 14 when he discovered all of this information?! Are you kidding?! Now to part 10 of this chapter... I am a wreck after reading this. For Roland to have to choose between the love of his life who is carrying his child and The Dark tower in order to save the universe is such a massive weight that makes me sympathize for him even more. I was almost in tears after finishing this part, ugh. Although I haven't been able to put this book down once I pick it up, I will say that part 3 has definitely slowed me down due to the emotional toll it's taking with every big event.

TLDR-- I am a mess of emotions and may need counseling because of Stephen King. (hide spoiler)]

Alison wrote: "He has rated them all 5⭐️’s so far (except maybe “The Gunslinger)...but he is not a very picky rater AND a Stephen King Fan 😊 I think with each book we get into, I hear “Wow, I forgot how good this..."

I'm curious to know if your husband rated The Gunslinger higher after finishing the series and rereading it? I'm thinking maybe after having all the information before going in might have made me rate it higher.

Bailey, We were talking about this today (as pertaining to “Wizard and Glass”)...he said that he rated “Wizard and Glass” 4⭐️’s after his first read of it but rated it 5⭐️’s after this reread!
I just now asked him about “The Gunslinger” when i read your question...he said that even reading the Kindle edition where Stephen King added some parts to try to tie it in to the series better, he wouldn’t change his rating. Where I gave “The Gunslinger” 3⭐️’s, he gave it 4⭐️’s because “it is the beginning of the Dark Tower series” but he still “sees it as a book that a 19 year old wrote” 😊

Alison, he is so right! I agree with Bailey that since he is rereading the series, he obviously has more background, but even when he read it first, he rated it a solid 4 ⭐️s. He is seeing the book for what it actually is - a book by a 19 year old boy who was highly inspired by the likes of Tolkein and wanted to write something he would be remembered for. I used to have more 5⭐️ reads before I joined Goodreads and now I behave like a book critic on most days. Tsk!

I will definitely reread The Gunslinger once I'm done with all my planned reads.

I just finished it today and I am a broken mess. Ugh I loved this one. I think I'll pick up The Wind Through the Keyhole to read this month too since it's quite a bit shorter than this one and I have extra time from finishing it early. I'm excited to hear what you both think of this one once you start it!!

Wow, Bailey! I'm so excited now!!

My husband keeps asking me...”When are You going to start?!” 🤣 I am excited to get into this book too and can’t wait to read your spoilers, Bailey!! 📚🥳

I started!! I have had someone following me around the house asking “Have You Started Yet?!” 😳
I think after I finish this, I will try to fit in “Wind Through The Keyhole” before the next book...bring on the pages read!! 📚🥳

I am to Part 2, Chapter 6: Scheemie...I am following your spoilers, Bailey, and will to progress through the book so I can unlock your spoilers at the same time ;)

(view spoiler)[ I, too, was
1. Satisfied with the Ka-Tet's ending with Blaine and so enjoyed Eddie's part in it ("Why did the Dead Baby Cross the Road"...so great to see Blaine's brain fry at that joke and the others Eddie told :)
Notice that the final destination of Blaine was Topeka, Kansas...this reminds me of the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy!

2. Hated the "proving honesty" part with Susan and Rhea of the Coos! YUCK...and I guess this part was written to show how evil Rhea is but I didn't need so much detail!!

I am loving Roland's backstory and seeing him in his youth!! There are hints of the hardened man he is to become but it is nice to see teenager Roland in the throes of "first love"! However, could there be trouble ahead for him because the thoughts of Susan keep interfering with his purpose in Hambry?? I hope that his thoughts don't become clouded to the point of losing sight of why he is there/endangering his friends!
I am also loving seeing Alaine/Cuthbert and look forward to learning more about them!!

So Jonas is a gunslinger that didn't pass his test and got sent west?? By Cort's Father...that is who gave him his limp! Roland wouldn't have known Jonas because Jonas is pretty old but I think Roland has some suspicions about Jonas...
Jonas is underestimating Roland/Alaine/Cuthbert and think that will come to an end soon!

What is with all the undercurrents in Hambry? While Roland was meeting the Sheriff, he could see the false smile on his face! Maybe everyone in town either view these boys as spoiled rich kids being punished or suspect they are more than they seem!

Notice the piano player at the Traveller's Rest is named Scheb!! This is the same Scheb (only younger) that was the piano player on "devil weed" that was playing in the bar in the town of Tulle in The Gunslinger!! Didn't he play "Hey Jude" in Tulle also?
My husband says that King added the fact that Roland recognized Scheb in "The Gunslinger" in the revised edition of the book in order to tie "The Gunslinger" more into the series...all the more reason to reread "The Gunslinger" after this series is done to catch more additions!! ;)

I DO NOT like Aunt Cordelia!!

The Thinnys...so interesting!! I don't exactly understand what they are but imagine the sound of them sound like nails on a chalkboard!

Also, what is the globe that was given to Rhea of the Coos for safe keeping? It glows with a rose light and I initially suspected that the Rose associated with The Dark Tower was in it but I changed my mind and now think it is some sort of evil thing! I hope it destroys Rhea of the Coos (she is becoming obsessed with it) because she is evil too! :) (hide spoiler)]

Onto more of this book...you are right, Bailey, it is hard to put down!! :)

Alison wrote: "I am to Part 2, Chapter 6: Scheemie...I am following your spoilers, Bailey, and will to progress through the book so I can unlock your spoilers at the same time ;)"

Even though this book is long it goes by fast!

(view spoiler)[ My face actually looked like this --> 🥺 any time I was reading about Roland being 'soft'. It's so different seeing this phase of development where he had to learn all this stuff at only age 14.

I thought the piano player from The Gunslinger had the same name but I couldn't remember for sure! It's so cool how these little Easter eggs are hidden within the books and definitely gives more reason to reread in the future!

I also hated Aunt Cordelia and how awful she is to Susan. But Rhea is still worse for me.

The thinny is something I also have a hard time imagining. Even with the descriptions from Eddie and others I am still struggling to coming up with a mental image. Hopefully this is something we'll learn more about! (hide spoiler)]

I finished...and now I have a book hangover!! I am going to start The Wind Through the Keyhole this week
(view spoiler)[ According to my husband, who just read it after "Wizard and Glass", Roland is still young and the story follows Roland after he/Alain/Cuthbert return to Gilead after the events in Mejis... (hide spoiler)]

Sorry this is long but I had a lot of thoughts while reading this book :)

I am going to follow Bailey's spoilers to make the break down of this book easier to follow:

Part Two, Chapter 10, Sections 6 &7: (view spoiler)[ Stephen King can certainly write...I read romance novels and just the atmosphere of Roland and Susan getting together is superior to many romance novels I have read!! Maybe it is the tragic air that surrounds these two..."so they were joined and so were they doomed..." I feel for older Roland looking back on his 14 year old self! I just want to hug him.... (hide spoiler)]

Interlude: (view spoiler)[ Rhea just keeps getting worse and worse, IMHOP...You are right, Bailey, She is definitely worse than Cordelia!! I keep wanting Roland/Susan to defeat Rhea but she is so sneaky/underhanded!! UGH!! I hope she gets hers by the end of the series...or in another book King wrote!!
I do like the jump back to the present...it kind of gave me and everyone in the story time to catch their breaths! It was interesting to wonder how time was actually moving and I like how you state, Bailey, that this was allowing Roland to tell his whole story! (hide spoiler)]

Part 3, Chapter 4: (view spoiler)[ The dynamic between Roland/Alain/Cuthbert is wonderful...they are the Ka-tet when Roland was younger! I do believe that even though Roland was in throes of first love and his thoughts were always on Susan, he did, in fact, have his head about him as to the boys mission...what turned out to be a mission...their journey and stay in Mejis certainly wasn't what their fathers had expected it to be! What the boys were uncovering in Mejis was totally unexpected...Stephen of Deschain thought he was sending Roland down to Mejis to get him out of the way of Marten!
However, when Cuthbert confronts Roland, he makes Roland wonder whether his thoughts have been clouded! I still think that Roland always thought one or two steps ahead and had a plan in mind to defeat Jonas/Latigo even while being obsessed with Susan...
I love the interaction between Cuthbert and Scheemie!!

I love how King mixes in references to stories/movies that have inspired him:
Arthur of Eld and Excalibur: This goes without saying who this refers to!
Romeo and Juliet: I see this in the love story of Roland and Susan
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: All the serapes/sombreros, etc create the mood of this movie! Also Roland's piercing blue eyes remind me of Clint Eastwood's eyes in this movie!
Wizard of Oz: The present tense Ka-tet (who are on a quest like Dorothy and her friends in Oz) are traveling the turnpike in Kansas (which is like the yellow brick road) towards this glass tower that shines in the distance (is this where the Wizard is)??
(hide spoiler)]

Part 3, Chapter 7: (view spoiler)[ I did not see the murder of Thorin and Rimer by Jonas' crew coming...Jonas did this to draw Roland out/frame him...it was his big play in his "game of Castles" with Roland. I liked how a "dark cloud" followed Jonas after Roland told him about his past and being sent west (and being defeated by Cort's father)! Foreshadowing at its best, right?! I think Roland has some kind of "sight" or else he is just extremely intuitive! "The soul of a man such as you can never leave the west"...I clapped when Roland said that!!

Bailey, Yes, Jonas' past was talked about before Part 2, Chapter 6: Scheemie...I think when King was first introducing Jonas and was describing his limp! He wrote that Jonas' leg was severely injured by Cort's father and Cort's father defeated him and sent him west...thus not becoming a gunslinger at all! Jonas was a failed gunslinger ;) Maybe that is why it was so hard for him to believe that a 14 year old (Roland) could be a gunslinger?!

All the underhandedness of the town...UGH! Thorin was not quite involved (he was too obsessed with Susan) but Fran Lenglyll/Sheriff Avery/Kimber etc deserve every bit of what is coming to them from Roland/Alain/Cuthbert...
(hide spoiler)]

Part 3, Chapter 10, Section 5: (view spoiler)[ Roland in the Glass...he isn't looking INTO the Glass, he is IN the Glass!! That Glass is Evil and when anyone is looking into it, all I can think of when I start reading about it is "My Precioussss"!! Note all the things swirling around him: Scheb/Susannah's wheelchair/Rhea (cackling "I'll Get You My Pretty")...these all connect past and present events in Roland's life! This is what set him on the path to the Tower BUT it mislead him into thinking that Susan would be fine/be happy in life without him and that, to me, is so Tragic! (hide spoiler)]

Part 3, Chapter 10, Part 10: (view spoiler)[ The Battle of Mejis...what a ride it was!! I loved reading about the unfolding of the events and my palms were sweaty/I was on edge the entire time while reading! Again, Roland shows his planning of events and the execution of the boys to attack the large party of men was fabulous!! Citgo/the Tankers got blown up, Jonas got his (yes, you Creep, the 14 year old Gunslinger bested You...WOOHOO!), Latigo got his (wow, just the vision of riding into that Thinny and not being able to get out :0 )
The tragic part was the fact that Rhea was able to see the path that Susan would take in her escape and set Reynolds on her! I dreaded reading about Susan's fate :( Poor Roland...he was mislead by the Glass and believed that if he left Susan and set out on the path to the Dark Tower, she would be OK...sigh!
(hide spoiler)]

Last Section: All God's Chillun's Got Shoes...thoughts after reading this section:
(view spoiler)[ We went back to the present after Roland's story was complete and it emotionally affected everyone! Can you imagine the impact of looking back on the 14 year old Roland's life/love and how his life was shaped after the events in Mejis? I am so so glad to have a book about Roland's early life!

Meanwhile, the Ka-Tet continue on the turnpike to the Glass Tower, put on the red shoes provided for them (by Whom?? The Wizard in the Tower??), click their heels and go to meet the Wizard!
We learn that Roland looked into the Glass 3 times after leaving Mejis and saw 1. the Tower and the fact that he should set his path on the quest to find the Tower, 2. what happened to Susan and 3. the plan to assassinate his father and who was the one assigned to do the dirty deed...and Boy, that was a surprise to me when I read about it! Gabrielle, Stephen's wife?!!!

When all of the Ka-Tet looked into the Glass and saw what happened when Marten tricked him into the room to see his mother once he was back in Gilead, that cemented their Ka and the fact that they would stay on the path with Roland!

We learn that Roland knows what happened to Reynolds...and a just ending it is! To be hanged for a bank robbery...that isn't a glorious ending for Reynolds! Coral Thorin got killed in the shoot out in the bank robbery...so she moved on from Jonas and hooked up with Reynolds, which seems like the way it should have played out for her!

We learn that Cordelia died before the bonfire had burned out (from a "brain fire") but I believe, in the end, watching Susan burn was too much for her...maybe she realized how awful she had been to her niece/regretted her part in Pat Delgado's death?

The Glass Tower with the Wizard in it: Interesting that the banners flying above the Tower have the symbol (the open eye) of The Crimson King on them! This book is the first mention of the Crimson King...is he the endgame along with the Tower??

I loved the description of the Glass Tower with all the colors/organ pipes/Big Glass Throne, etc....
I also loved the imagery of the Wizard using smoke/booming voices to make himself seem bigger.

One thing I am totally confused on: are Marten/Flagg/Walter different people or manifestations of the same person?? I am assuming he/they are working for the Crimson King and trying to thwart Roland's path to the Tower! That is why Marten targeted 14 year old Roland in the first place...he drew Roland into the room with his mother to make Roland mad enough to test to be a gunslinger! I think Marten thought Roland would fail at that but he didn't so Stephen Deschain sent Roland with his 2 friends to Mejis to get him out of Marten's path! Does Marten have any vision that Roland might save the Tower and so is trying to get him to set aside his quest to reach the Dark Tower? I guess we will read more about this as the series goes on...:)
(hide spoiler)]

Stephen King's Afterword
(view spoiler)[ I really liked reading King's afterword! To realize that he initially wrote the story of Roland becoming a Gunslinger and ending up in the whore's room in 1970...then in 1996 writing about the next morning when Stephen Deschain shows up rustle Roland out of the whore's bed and send him to Mejis...that took a long time for the story to come together in King's mind! He stated "although 16 hours pass in between the 2 occurrences in the world of the story, 26 years pass in the life of the story teller"! He writes that "suspense is easy for me to write, love is hard" and "Roland's love for Susan Delgado (and hers for him) is what was told to me by the boy who began this story"...and I am assuming that was Roland. Very impactful Afterword for me :)
(hide spoiler)]

Alison wrote: "I finished...and now I have a book hangover!! I am going to start The Wind Through the Keyhole this week
[spoilers removed]

Sorry this is long but I had a lot of thoughts while rea..."

I’m so glad you enjoyed this as much as I did!!

(view spoiler)[ This is my understanding of the Marten/Flagg/Walter situation: Marten Broadcloak is the man Gabrielle Deschain (Roland’s mom) cheated on Stephen Deschain with. He is also a wizard and now goes by the name Flagg. Walter is the man in black that Roland was following in the first book and was seen briefly in Wizard and Glass. I think this makes Marten/Flagg and Walter two different people because Walter died at the end of The Gunslinger whereas Marten/Flagg is still alive. I think Wizard and Glass set us up to learn more about Flagg and what his part is in the story. His motives confuse me and I can’t tell if he’s trying to stop Roland from saving the Tower or just wants to ruin his life for other reasons.

Also, do you remember what happened to the Tick-Tock man at the end of this book? I’ve forgotten already 🤦‍♀️ (hide spoiler)]

Bailey ✰ wrote: "Alison wrote: "I finished...and now I have a book hangover!! I am going to start The Wind Through the Keyhole this week
[spoilers removed]

Sorry this is long but I had a lot of tho..."

(view spoiler)[ Tick-Tock man was discovered behind the curtain by Oy (The Wizard/Flagg set him up to seem like the real Wizard but Oy found him) Tick-Tock was ordered by the Wizard to kill the Ka-Tet and went for the machine gun that he had propped up beside him but Eddie and Susannah shoot and kill him. (hide spoiler)]

Alison wrote: "Bailey ✰ wrote: "Alison wrote: "I finished...and now I have a book hangover!! I am going to start The Wind Through the Keyhole this week
[spoilers removed]

Sorry this is long but I..."

Thanks for the refresher! If you want to we can share our thoughts about The Wind Through the Keyhole in this thread, too. I thought it was closer to 300 pages but turns out my copy is closer to 500 😳 Which means I've barely scratched the surface with the 50 pages I've read lol.

First update on The Wind Through the Keyhole:

As it so happens, I was using the wrong edition of this book on goodreads so my copy is actually 300 pages.

The Skin-Man Part 1: (view spoiler)[ So far this book is really reminding me of Wizard and Glass because of the storytelling aspect. It’s been really interesting to see the differences in dialect and lifestyle between the people from Mejis and Debaria. The world building that Stephen King has done in the series is immaculate. One thing that this story is reminding me of is the show Being Human because of the werewolf like similarities with the skin-man. That show also talked about how there are people that don’t realize that they’re werewolves and how their behavior changes once they figure out that they are a werewolf. Whenever Roland was helping little Bill remember what he saw it reminded me of the show Criminal Minds whenever they try to help victims remember crimes that they witnessed.
The relationship between Roland and Bill makes me wonder if Roland is in the back of his mind thinking about the child that he was due to have with Susan. Roland just really seems to care about Bill and I wonder if it’s because he’s thinking about how if things had gone differently he would be a father soon. I’m curious to see everyone’s thoughts about this.
(hide spoiler)]

Also, @Trisha, have you started Wizard and Glass yet? Can’t wait to see what you think about it!!

@Bailey...so glad that your Kindle edition is only about 300 pages instead of 500! It looks like Wolves of the Calla is close to 900 pages so we have another Chunker to read! King's world building is so good, tho, that it flies by fast (IMHOP :)

In The Wind Through the Keyhole, I read up to Part 2(?) "The Wind Through the Keyhole" also and here are my thoughts:
(view spoiler)[ I agree, Bailey, that this is like a continuation of Wizard and Glass because Roland is telling stories again...which I love!! :) This is a story within a story, which surprised me because I thought that there were 2 different stories in this book! I should have known because my husband read this before me and talked a little bit about it (he really enjoyed it, BTW ;)
This is giving us a bit more background as to what happened to Roland after he returned to Gilead from Mejis (and the loss of Susan). So far, he hasn't dwelt on that too much but perhaps he is thinking of his unborn child when he deals with Bill?? Poor Bill....to have lost his father and witnessed such a gruesome scene! Hopefully the Sheriff of Debaria will take him in and raise him!
It will be interesting to see how the werewolf/man is singled out....

Jamie De Curry is introduced as Roland's companion on this quest and I take it he trained with Roland under Cort?? What happened to Cuthbert and Alain (are they on a different quest and that is why they are not with Roland)?

I haven't seen "Being Human" and will have to look that up! :)

So Debaria is more of a rough outpost/mining town than Mejis! Mejis reminds me more of southern AZ/Texas/Mexico and Debaria reminds me of Colorado/California mining towns in the 1800's ;)

I loved the "starkblast" and how it comes up on the Ka-Tet so fast and furiously! I am assuming that the "starkblast" figures into "The Wind Through the Keyhole" story because Roland says that he "should have recognized Oy's reaction to the upcoming storm (it was tickling the back of his mind but he didn't put 2 and 2 together until the old man at the ferry said the storm was coming). I am interested to see how it figures into the next story!
I used to live in Phoenix, AZ and when I was reading about the starkblast, it reminded me of the "haboobs" (walls of red dust that would move in before a monsoon) that would come through in the summertime...we wouldn't have a drop in temperature like the starkblast but the haboobs would surprise people on the highways (it would be like driving through a thick wall of red dirt...you couldn't see very far and would have to pull off the road and wait it out :)
(hide spoiler)]

Alison wrote: "@Bailey...so glad that your Kindle edition is only about 300 pages instead of 500! It looks like Wolves of the Calla is close to 900 pages so we have another Chunker to read! King's wor..."

(view spoiler)[ Alison, that is so cool to hear about how you've experienced something similar to what we're reading about in this story! And I love your interpretation of Mejis and Debaria and it makes so much sense now.

As for Cuthbert and Alain, I remember when Roland was talking with his father about sending him on this trip and Steven said that he had "work for Laughing Boy and Thudfoot right here". I wonder if this "work" is ever returned to in the story. While I would love to read more about Cuthbert and Alain it is cool to see his relationship with another person he grew up with.

I am also really feeling for Bill and can't imagine what it would be like to witness something like that. Hopefully his story has a good end! (hide spoiler)]

As soon as I finish this book I'll move on to Wolves of the Calla to try and get a head start. I have a 4 week class in May so I'm going to have a lot going on next month!

I finished The Wind Through the Keyhole a couple days ago and am just now posting my thoughts (Spring has Sprung here and I can't resist being outside ;):
(view spoiler)[ I really liked this story within a story!! I think that I enjoyed the story of the Wind Through the Keyhole more that the Skin Man story about Roland and Jamie going to Debaria and trying to find the man who changed forms and killed people.

I would say that the Wind Through the Keyhole was almost like a fairytale...who knew Stephen King could write fairytales! :) I did take some notes while reading this:
1. The Covenant Man was The Man in Black/Randall Flagg/Martaen Broadcloth! While I was reading his description, I had a vision of an old cartoon character: Snidley Whiplash...here is an image of him (of course the Man in Black is much paler and taller/skinnier but this is what I thought of :)

https://rockyandbullwinkle.fandom.com...

I loved how Tim outwitted The Covenant Man in dealing with the tiger! He didn't shoot the tiger like The Covenant Man expected (thus killing Maerlyn... The tiger ended up being a bewitched Maerlyn!) but took the key and let the tiger out of the cage...way to go, Tim!!
Maerlyn describes The Covenant Man as "being only capable of little magic and long life...there is one far greater than he and when that one (the Red King...so the Crimson King??) points his finger, Broadcloth scurries" So Randall Flagg is The Crimson King's minion....

So my husband and I discussed Tim and we think that Tim, as a gunslinger, may help Roland in this quest of the Dark Tower OR appear in future books?? I, certainly, would love to read more about Tim and what happened to him after this book!! There are a couple things that we think point to this:
1. While under the cover with the tiger during the stark blast, Tim dreamed of riding the wind and a huge ebony Tower and thought "I will go there someday"...
2. Maerlyn says to Tim: "...nor will I be the last one you serve in your life. That's only the first gun (the four shooter that the Widow gave Tim before he went back into the forest) you wear, and the lightest..."
3. Roland revealed in the Skin Man Part 2 (after the Wind Through the Keyhole part) that Tim Ross later became a gunslinger known as Lefty Ross (because he always wore his gun on his left side) and then known as Tim Stoutheart. Tim was also one of the very few who became a gunslinger even thought he was not descended from the proven line of Eld...
4. My husband thinks we see Tim in future books but he isn't sure he is remembering that correctly...:)

One quote I loved: "Time is a keyhole, sometimes we bend and peer through it. And the wind we feel on our cheeks when we do-the wind that blows through the keyhole-is the breath of the living universe"

I felt that this book ended a bit abruptly but I think it was wonderful to see more into Roland's life and hear more of his storytelling! In the end, he forgives his mother, also, so that was a fitting ending!
(hide spoiler)]

Hi both, sorry I had been missing in action. I haven't been in the right state of mind to do any reading this last couple of weeks. My father-in-law tested positive for Covid-19 and was severely ill and even though we didn't get the approval to fly back to India, we (my husband and I) were managing everything virtually. Honestly, haven't slept properly in days now. He is recovering now so I could return to work today and get online here on goodreads.

I'm yet to pick the fourth book, will do so as soon as I can, follow it with The Wind Through the Keyhole and then join you both for the fifth book. I am so sorry about the delay!

Trisha wrote: "Hi both, sorry I had been missing in action. I haven't been in the right state of mind to do any reading this last couple of weeks. My father-in-law tested positive for Covid-19 and was severely il..."

No need to apologize!! Just glad to hear from you and that things are looking up. Wizard and Glass was a pretty quick read for both of us despite its length and The Wind Through the Keyhole isn’t a required addition to the storyline if you don’t want to read it. Totally up to you though!

@Trisha…so glad to hear that your Father-in-Law is on the road to recovery now (so sorry He was so sick 😣) Take Your time and enjoy the book…can’t wait to hear what you think! 😊

I'm moving this topic to the May Buddy Reads folder so that I have an extra month to read this book; this will now be archived with the rest of the May reads.