Dark Tower discussion

Post your Dark Tower thoughts here.

I finished The Dark Tower last night. Yeah, I jumped the gun but it couldn't be helped. The deaths were just as painful the second time through.

Upon the suggestion of tens of people who rant and rave about The Dark Tower series, my group of friends decided to read it together. I just finished The Gunslinger, and I can't tell you how disappointed I was.

I thought it was simply ok (2 stars). I found the entire novel to be extremely ambiguous -- there were so many things that King wasn't clear about. For example, why is the gunslinger chasing the man in black in the first place? What did Roland have to do with the cook being hanged? What is ka? Why do gunslinger apprentices have to meditate on the faces of their father?

I realize that this is a series and that the answer to these questions may probably be found somewhere in the other 4,000 pages of the series. But I read somewhere that The Gunslinger can be read as a standalone novel. If this is true, then I expect some very disappointed readers who aren't interested in reading the rest of the series.

I intend on reading the other six books, I just didn't think this was a fantastic start.

Phillip wrote: "Upon the suggestion of tens of people who rant and rave about The Dark Tower series, my group of friends decided to read it together. I just finished The Gunslinger, and I can't tell y..."

I don't think this can be read stand alone. I can tell you I read book 3 first and loved it without question the events of book 1 and 2. And I did start in order after that.

I can also tell you when I read it that it was plainly clear what Roland's involvement with the cook. You must have missed it. When I read it I recall just inferring Ka to be their religion and that face thing a saying like OMG or mind your manners or respect your dead or some such. Just their lingo. The man in black however ... keep reading.

The Gunslinger was revised a few years back to blend with the rest of the books more. The original version was more stand alone than the revised version. It is a great series. It actually took listening to the audio for me to get into it.