Help | I Need Dark Tower Advice: The Wind Through the Keyhole

As some of you may know, I've been slowly making my way through Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. The last Dark Tower book I read was book #4 Wizard and Glass.

Earlier this week I was browsing Goodreads, and I noticed this after the title of The Wind Through the Keyhole:

(The Dark Tower #4.5)

Wait... what?

So I read the description for The Wind Through the Keyhole:

From Stephen King's Official Site

Dear Constant Readers,

At some point, while worrying over the copyedited manuscript of the next book (11/22/63, out November 8th), I started thinking—and dreaming—about Mid-World again. The major story of Roland and his ka-tet was told, but I realized there was at least one hole in the narrative progression: what happened to Roland, Jake, Eddie, Susannah, and Oy between the time they leave the Emerald City (the end of Wizard and Glass) and the time we pick them up again, on the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis (the beginning of Wolves of the Calla)?

There was a storm, I decided. One of sudden and vicious intensity. The kind to which billy-bumblers like Oy are particularly susceptible. Little by little, a story began to take shape. I saw a line of riders, one of them Roland’s old mate, Jamie DeCurry, emerging from clouds of alkali dust thrown by a high wind. I saw a severed head on a fencepost. I saw a swamp full of dangers and terrors. I saw just enough to want to see the rest. Long story short, I went back to visit an-tet with my friends for awhile. The result is a novel called The Wind Through the Keyhole. It’s finished, and I expect it will be published next year.

It won’t tell you much that’s new about Roland and his friends, but there’s a lot none of us knew about Mid-World, both past and present. The novel is shorter than DT 2-7, but quite a bit longer than the first volume—call this one DT-4.5. It’s not going to change anybody’s life, but God, I had fun.

-- Steve King

You can guess my question right? Which one should I read next?

I've been under the impression (aka my own assumption) that I was to read The Wind Through the Keyhole once I reached the end of the series. If The Wind Through the Keyhole is considered #4.5, should I read The Wind Through the Keyhole next instead of The Wolves of the Calla?

What would you do if you were me?

Stephen King Challenges and a Readalong

11/22/63 READALONG

First off I want to point out a readalong for 11/22/63 over at Feeding My Book Addiction. It will take place this month (January), so if you are like me and you have Stephen King's latest tome sitting on the shelf, join us! There will be two posts:

Post One: Saturday 1/14/12 Covering Parts 1-3 (approximately 350 pages in the hardcover edition)

Post Two: Tuesday 1/31/12 Covering Parts 4-6 (approximately 500 pages in the hardcover edition)

You can get all the details and sign up here.


THE STEPHEN KING PROJECT

Natalie over at Coffee and a Book Chick has recently become a fan of Stephen King. As you can imagine, she now wants to get her hands on more of his books. She has joined up with Kathleen from Boarding in My Forties to host The Stephen King Project.

Stephen King movie adaptations count as well, but you should post more book reviews than movie reviews.

I'll be joining in with my review of 11/22/63, and any success that may come from The Dark Tower Reading Challenge I will detail below this one.

You can find all of the details regarding The Stephen King Project here.


THE DARK TOWER READING CHALLENGE

Leighanne's Lit is hosting The Dark Tower Reading Challenge. Some of you may remember I was making my way through The Dark Tower series at the beginning of last year. I'm currently stuck somewhere within The Wolves of the Calla.

I've been pretty open about my struggles with The Dark Tower. I did enjoy The Drawing of the Three, but my journey for The Dark Tower has not been an easy one.

According to Goodreads I have read 42 Stephen King books. Reading The Dark Tower is more of a Stephen King completist goal for me.

If The Dark Tower has eluded you and you want to take up the journey with me, you can find all of the details for The Dark Tower Reading Challenge here.

Book Review | Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King

I'm making my way through Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

Wizard and Glass is the fourth book in the series.

Book Description

The end is near.
Start at the beginning.

The Dark Tower saga builds to an explosive climax...

Wizard and Glass picks up where The Waste Lands leaves you hanging - in the clutches of Blaine the Mono. The action of the speeding train soon turns to a love story as we flashback to Roland's first love. I didn't realize what was missing from the first three books until I found it in the fourth - Stephen King makes me squirm. Rhea the witch makes me squirm.

I'm happy to be reading this series. I feel pretty certain I won't recommend it to someone who isn't already a Stephen King fan, but I do feel it is a must read for fans who haven't yet experienced the quest for The Dark Tower. I'm looking forward to continuing on with Wolves of the Calla.

⭐⭐⭐★★
3/5 Stars

Have you given The Dark Tower series a try yet?

Additional topics of interest:
Book Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
Book Review: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King
Book Review: The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King

Book Review | The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower #3) by Stephen King

The Waste Lands is the third book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

Book Description:

Roland the Gunfighter and his two companions continue the quest for the tower at the portal of all the worlds...in this third volume in the epic that continues to dominate the bestseller lists.

The Waste Lands continues the ka-tet's journey toward The Dark Tower.  Roland is going a little crazy (as am I the reader) trying to mentally handle the conflicting events between book 1 and book 2.  The mental instability does draw to a close (for all of us involved), however, and our quest continues through Mid-World.

This was not a remarkable book, in my opinion, but a satisfying read in my own journey toward The Dark Tower.  I'm still quite invested in these characters, and this book brings about a wonderous addition to the ka-tet in the form of an intelligent doglike "billy-bumbler" named Oy.

The Waste Lands does end on a cliffhanger, so I would recommend having The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass in a short queue.

⭐⭐★★★
2/5 Stars

Let me hear your thoughts on The Waste Lands and The Dark Tower!

Additional topics of interest:
Book Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King
Book Review: The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King
Book Review: Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King

Book Review | The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower #2) by Stephen King

The Drawing of the Three is the second book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

Book Description:

The Man in Black is dead, and Roland is about to be hurled into 20th-century America, occupying the mind of a man running cocaine on the New York/Bermuda shuttle. A brilliant work of dark fantasy inspired by Browning's romantic poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came".

It took about ten years for me to pick up another Dark Tower book after not enjoying The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger.  I'm really glad I gave the series another try.  (See my Gunslinger post for more details.)

The Drawing of the Three is Roland's journey to (and through) three different doorways to another time and place.  I learned in book 1 that you never can guess what's going to happen with this series.  This remains true throughout Drawing of the Three - from Roland's injuries on the beach to the experiences that lie behind each doorway.

In this quest, we meet the unforgettable characters that will accompany Roland on his quest for the Dark Tower.  The ka-tet.

So far this is my favorite of The Dark Tower books.

⭐⭐⭐★★
3/5 Stars

Are you a Dark Tower fan?

Additional topics of interest:
Reading: Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King
Book Review: The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King

Book Review | The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower #1) by Stephen King

Source: personal purchase. This is a review of my reading experience.

The Gunslinger is the first book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series.

This heroic fantasy, set in a world of ominous landscape and macabre menace, features one of Stephen King's most powerful creations-The Gunslinger. The book opens with "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.".  (A favorite quote among Dark Tower fans.)  The Gunslinger follows Roland's journey across the desert searching for the man in black.

I have no other way to say it, but I didn't particularly like this book.  I felt lost, I felt confused.  I felt disappointed by acts I did not know would serve a purpose later in the series.

This book seems to be either the start or the end of most readers' Dark Tower journey.  I read this book about 10 years or so ago, and I didn't give it another try until just a few months ago.  I'll talk more about the second book in the series this week, but I will say I was glad to pick the series up again.

If you would like to give this series a try, but you find you are just not getting in to or enjoying The Gunslinger - skip it.  That's sounds kind of crazy, but it's actually not crucial that you read it.  Book 2 begins with an "argument" containing the only information you need to draw from book 1.  My honest recommendation would be to read The Gunslinger's wikipedia page and start with book 2.  Someone suggested to me that The Gunslinger would be a good read at the end of the series rather than the beginning.  I find that to be a fair recommendation.

The artwork for this book was done by one of my favorite artists: Michael Whelan

⭐⭐★★★
2/5 Stars

Have you read any of King's Dark Tower books?  I'd love to hear from you!

Additional topics of interest:
Reading: Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King
Fantasy Book Reviews

Reading: Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower #4) by Stephen King

I'm currently reading Wizard and Glass - the fourth book of The Dark Tower series. I'll spend the next few days or so discussing the first three books, but I'm starting with the fourth one since it's my current read.

A short book description from Amazon:

The end is near.
Start at the beginning.

The Dark Tower saga builds to an explosive climax...

I cannot think of "Wizard and Glass" without thinking of the hundreds of commercials I saw for the Stephen King Book Club back in the day. If you joined, you got Wizard and Glass... (queue infomercial music) for FREE!

I understand it was a long wait between Dark Tower books. That's a wonderful thing about visiting old series, you can read them without the wait!

This book finds the Ka-tet at the hands of Blaine the Mono and a riddling contest. It's a chunky read; I'm hoping to learn more about our gunslinger, Roland in this one.

Are you a King fan? Have you read any of the Dark Tower books? Let me know!