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OUTSTANDING!!! King's Best Novel!! *****
"Wizard and Glass," Volume IV of Stephen King's fantasy/western "Dark
Tower" series is even better than the three books which preceded it. I
didn't think it would be possible to top "The Wastelands," Book III, but
King has accomplished the task with great elan. The author's tremendous
talents and consistency as a writer are evident here. I can only advise
the reader not to begin this novel during a busy period in your life, as
it will cause you to miss all sorts of deadlines. I really found it
difficult to put this page-turner down.
The novel opens with a wrap-up of the cliffhanger which began in Book
Three, where bizarre Blaine, the psychotic, riddle-loving monorail tries
to take the stoic Gunslinger and his companions on a suicide trip to a
terminal destination. Given the dark humor, it's a really fun ride. The
band of four...and a half, the Gunslinger, Eddie, Susannah, Jake and their
talking dog-like pet, Oy the Bumbler, disengage from the wreckage of
Blaine, and continue along the path of the Beam toward the Dark Tower.
They finally take a rest, around a campfire, while Roland narrates the
details of his quest, the whys and wherefores behind his decision to take
this particular course. He tells the tragic tale of his lost love, Susan,
and his beloved friends and companions Cuthbert and Alain, who all formed
a magnificent Ka-tet, (King's word for a group of people drawn together by
fate). These characters have been brought up in prior novels and all
played a formidable role in Roland's past life...one which will haunt him
to the ends of the changing world. "Wizard and Glass" is more a
traditional fantasy novel than the other, more darkly fantastic books in
the series. The forces of magic aren't often on the side of Roland and his
friends, so they must rely on their wits or their weapons instead.
Roland's father, the best Gunslinger who ever lived, sent him away from
the Inner Baronies and looming danger, with his closest friends Cuthbert
and Alain. All were disguised and took aliases. They arrived at their
destination, the small seaside town of Hambry, in Mejis, on the outskirts
of Mid-World, ostensibly to count the taxable goods for the Affiliation.
The trio discovered that there was trouble brewing here also, worse than
that in Gilead. They were in much more danger in the Barony of Mejis than
they would have been staying at home. The town's officials had secretly
defected to the side of John Farson, "The Good Man," whose armed
revolution was gradually destroying the world. Farson's group planned to
use oil wells and refineries, built during the long-ago Age of the Old
Ones, to create gasoline to power weapons of war. These relics of the
past, and other resources, lay right outside Hambry. Cut off from
communications and support, Roland, Cuthbert and Alain were up against
powerful adversaries, men of evil and ill will, as they attempted to foil
the plot.
On their first night in Hambry, Roland met beautiful Susan Delgado, just
sixteen, a year or so older than he. The two fall deeply in love.
Unfortunately she had been coerced into giving her promise to the
lecherous, aging Mayor to be his future lover, (and future mother of his
child - he hoped). His wife had been unable to bear him children after 40
years of marriage. Susan was unable to break the contract without staining
her family's honor. The young lovers entered into an illicit affair - one
which endangered the lives of them all.
It is difficult to summarize the richly detailed and intricate plot of
"Wizard and Glass" and do it justice. The characters, major and minor, are
outstanding - they just come to life on the page. There's the ancient
witch who becomes addicted to Farson's pink crystal ball, and whose hatred
for Susan will prove to be disastrous for the Ka-tet; Jonas the failed
gunslinger, banished to the West long ago, and his two cronies - all in
Mejis to do Farson's work; Cordelia, Susan's deranged aunt who is eaten up
by jealousy, guilt and her own pettiness; Sheemie, who is devoted to
Cuthbert for saving his life, and proves to be loyal and courageous - an
honorary member of the Ka-tet. And, of course there's young Roland, the
newly made Gunslinger, who longs to lead his friends with honor and be
worthy of his father's name; Alain, serious, noble and gifted with the
Sight; Cuthbert the cutup, who is so like Eddie; Susan, a strong young
woman, with her dream of first love finally realized, and so much to lose.
King demonstrates a huge talent for creating a wide variety of characters
and weaving them into a credible community. His narrative is rich in vivid
detail and the pace is fast-going enough that I had a problem deciding
where to pause. Ultimately, the reader is given an understanding of why
Roland is the man he is. And this is a good place to acquire it. Roland,
while never unsympathetic, has always seemed a bit too stoic - a hard,
ruthless, unsentimental man who will kill for his cause.
I think this is Stephen King's best book ever, and certainly one of the
best novels I have read in a long time. One of the high points, for me, is
the way the author brings in characters and themes from his other books,
pointing out to the reader that the figures of evil in all his work are
the same throughout - no matter what their names. Whatever the storyline,
the purpose of total destruction remains consistent. It may have taken the
author a long time to get this book out, but it is sure worth it. "The
Dark Tower" is really Stephen King at his best and most ambitious. He
examines here, in this extraordinary epic, the importance of mythology,
and of the quest, in man's life! Very highly recommended!
Jana L.
Perskie "ceruleana"
(from amazon.com) |
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After 694 pages, The Tower is only inches closer ***
As well written and compelling tale as it is, Stephen King's fourth novel in the
proposed seven book Dark Tower series will probably disappoint as many readers
as it satisfies. After resolving the cliffhanger ending of The Wastelands and
treating us to an alternate dimension of The Stand, King shifts gears. Most of
Wizard and Glass is Roland telling a campfire tale of how he met his One True
Love, Susan Delgado, and how she became one of the many ghosts that haunt and
drive him him in his quest to right the slowly toppling Tower. While the yarn is
a fine and beautifully textured one that creates a magical land that marries the
gritty Spaghetti Western Mythos, made famous by Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood,
with the noble myth of King Arthur, Merlin, and his Knights of the Round Table
with an awe inspiring narrative surety, the story feels needless. Long time
readers of the series may squirm even as King delights with this tragic tale set
in a Barony a long time ago and far, far away. Some readers, like this one, may
wonder why King is wasting so much time telling a story he has already spoon fed
to us through hings and flashbacks in previous novels. Mayhap the tale needs to
be told so Roland's new prentices will have a needed wedge between them, or have
knowledge of their leader that strengthens their some times fragile ka-tet, for
a future battle. I do not know, I am not Stephen King and have no clue what
direction the final books will take. All I can say is that, right now, as fine a
piece of fantasy writing that it is, Wizard and Glass seems a poor choice for a
mid-series coffee break. The story feels far better suited for a Dark Tower
prequel series than for the main series itself, so I'm docking it a star, while
still recommending it to both fans of epic fantasy as well as to King's beloved
Constant Readers.
Chadwick H.
Saxelid "Bookworm"
(from amazon.com) |
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