Alonzo, I have added the spoiler warning to the excerpt, so that no "Dark Tower virgins" will innocently walk into your review...

Excellent thoughts, Alonzo.

I found Wizard & Glass to be frustrating at the time I read it, largely because it is a step-back from the up-front narrative of the story. I was also jarred -- at first -- by the invoking of other stories/characters from King's universe. Now, however, I see W&G as a wonderful standalone story, and I am really in awe with the way the Tower was used to tie together much of King's fiction.

I had the unfortunate task of waiting desperately -- often for years -- for the next book to come out. Therefore, I agree with your assessment regarding the Calla: it was a wonderful re-framing of the "actual" story. We had it made it from Blaine the Mono to the Calla, and we were ready to roll forward once again. I wouldn't be surprised if King saw it in much the same way.

I thought the conclusion of the story was satisfying, an amazing feat to pull off after such a long journey. It was really nifty that the Susannah storyline got to end on a cheery note while Roland's was dark and mysterious. Roland and the Tower stayed with me for weeks after I read the last lines.

Luckily, I had the revised version of Book I (The Gunslinger) to go back to and I really did feel like I was continuing the journey like that old wheel of ka.

Have you read the revised Gunslinger, Alonzo? If you haven't, I highly recommend it. To me, it read in parts like an appendix to Book VII -- the revision sets a lot in motion and offers clues that will only make sense after you've completed the entire series.

To Eric:

I just checked the list of revisions to The Gunslinger and am pretty sure I listened to the revised version this second time around. I am tempted to read it again, though, to tie the ending back to the beginning (and on and on and on...)

That's a nifty little guide -- I had to pull myself away from it before I got sucked in too far!

Well done Alonzo. I was toying with doing something in recognition of the final book in this series. I too was happy with the ending, as much that he pulled it off (I was afraid for him, failing, after such a lengthy journey) as with the greatness of of the final concept. I feel that The drawing Of The Three was by far the strongest book in the series, followed by The Waste Lands. The story of Susan from Wizards of Glass gets better with every reading, and is a masterpiece of storytelling. The final conflict, the riding down of the cavalry headed for the oil tanker "To Me Gunslingers! Hile! Take No Prisoners!" sends goosebumps up my arms.

Like Eric, I waited out the series a book at a time, and we were damn near denied the final two by King's unfortunate run in with an asswipe driving a van.

Also, at the end of The Wolves Of Calla, where he prints his diary, about his drinking, and about his death... Oh Discordia! Brilliant, fantastic vision.

Great stuff. He's the real deal, and my life is far richer from reading his work.

I missed out on #5 and #6, skipping directly to the finale when it came out and I happened to be in the library the day it hit the shelves. This was definitely King's Magnum Opus, and a labor of love, I thoroughly enjoyed the book I did read in the series, and I am sure to revisit it again. I loved that King droppd in referncs to so many of his other works, and revisited whole characters as well.

I have a correction: My report of Frank Muller's death is greatly exagerated.

Muller actually sustained a serious brain injury in a motorcycle accident in 2001 and it is uncertain whether he will ever do audiobook narration again because of it. Info here. Just wanted to clear that up.

Yes, good catch, Alonzo. Hopefully Muller will one day be able to be back at it.

It's highly unlikely Mr. Muller will ever work again, unfortunately.

Thanks for posting links to my book on your blog, by the way!

My pleasure, Bev. I started reading it after I finished volume seven over the weekend. Great stuff.

Nice wrap-up, I really liked the series and thought it was fascinating to see the changes in King's perspective that came out after the accident. I had hoped to see a stronger tie in of the links established in The Talisman and Black House (If you haven't read those, you might consider taking a look to round out your Dark Tower experience). There's another series of books I enjoyed that I found very similar to the Dark Tower series called the Otherland series by Tad Williams. It's more in a cyberpunk vein but is similarly epic and also provides an interesting view of storytelling and archetypes.

I loved the Black House and Plan on re reading the Talisman some day. I read it when it first came out years ago but it is one I may re read again. I read the first three of the Black Tower series and may go back to the third one and read it. I will get the whole series as i have a daughter that I know will love it.

Talisman is among King's best while Black House was merely good, in my opinion. That said, the Dark Tower tie-in in the latter is very cool.

Don't forget Hearts In Atlantis, a great book in its own right, and it gives you the history of several of the characters in the final dark Tower book. The story "Hearts In Atlantis" is one of his finest novelets imo, and will get you playing MS Hearts for a while.

The novella Hearts in Atlantis is fantastic -- you're right, Bennett. It's almost required reading for any Dark Tower fan. I was disappointed that any DT talk was avoided in the film version, though I can understand how it would be difficult.

And it put me onto "96 Tears," by ? and the New Mysterians. I listened to it non-stop for a week after first hearing it.

I didn't see the movie, didn't think it was just the story Hearts In Atlantis, set in the Maine college during the Vietnam war.

Not sure why I've held off watching it. Probably not wanting the greatness and the images from King's novella :-] corrupted in any way.

Should I fear this?

Oh, I should have mentioned: the film version of Hearts in Atlantis is based upon the novella, Low Men in Yellow Coats. So it's not about the card playing days but about Ted Brautigan and his young friend.

The movie is good and has much more of a Stand By Me feeling than anything DT, sci fi, or fantasy-related.

While The Stand remains my singular favorite work of King's, the combined DT series (and all the various tie-ins to his other works) holds a very special place in my heart.

Randall Flagg (aka the Walking Dude, the Man in Black, Walter O'Dim, John Farson, Marten Broadcloak, etal) is without a doubt my favorite character of all.

Remember, all things serve the beam.

I'm with you on The Stand and DT, copygold.

And RF -- it's difficult to come up with a weirder, funnier, or more sinister bad guy... especially in his Stand incarnation.

That illustration of RF, resurrected, at the end of The Stand... it was the revised, expanded paperback edition, at any rate... was haunting and magnificent. I still remember it, all these years after first seeing it.