A detour to Calla Bryn Sturgis *****

Stephen King has said that of all the books he has written, the Dark Tower is the most important and deeply meaningful work he has produced. Reading each successive volume, I can see that this is increasingly true. The series seems to be the summing up of his writing career by incorporating many of the characters, story lines, philosophies, mythologies, and literary inspirations of his previous works into this single far-reaching fantasy universe. This fifth installment more strongly than ever incorporates such references, including Salem's Lot, The Stand, Hearts in Atlantis, and many others. He also includes references to a myriad of books by other authors besides the obvious Tolkien. I found allusions to the works of L. Frank Baum, J.K. Rowling, Richard Adams, and even Marvel Comics.
I will not provide a detailed recap of the story here since so many other reviewers have already done so. What I will attempt to do is explain why I give Wolves of the Calla only 3 stars, as well as to list its strengths and weaknesses. The story of the residents of the Calla and their joining forces with Roland's ka-tet to vanquish the wolves deserves 5 stars. There is intrigue, town politics, an ominous threat hanging over the twin children of the residents, and an exciting battle between Wolf and man. The personalities of the townsfolk, who are divided in their opinions of whether to fight or submit to the wolves, are well developed, as is that of the enigmatic Andy the Messenger Robot. King has done an excellent job developing the mythology and culture of the "folken" of Calla Bryn Sturgis. The reader is treated to a realistic and colorful portrayal of their language, culture, festivals, music, and traditions. After finishing the story, I felt that I had actually taken a trip there and met its inhabitants.

Where the story line falls short, and earns the book only 3 stars, is the middle half of the novel, where there is a lot of travel to the New York of 1977 and many side narratives about the pasts of several of the protagonists. The travel, sometimes performed involuntarily through a mystical "todash" and sometimes voluntarily through another magical doorway, leads to efforts to protect the rose of previous episodes from harm. Not only is all this back-and-forth action distracting, but the ka-tet's dealings with the owner of the lot upon which the rose grows, and with the hoodlums who threaten him, is tedious. Also in this middle half is an excessive amount of tale telling about the pasts of several of the characters. Pere Callahan's tale is essentially a sequel to Salem's Lot, and has no place here.

The illustrations have added a lot to the cost of the book, but little to enhance the story. I give one star to these illustrations. Granted, Roland's Mid-World is a gloomy place, but these paintings are too gloomy and colorless. Every character is depicted as sinister. They all look physically mangy and stringy, even the good folken of the Calla.

Although I prefer King's horror fiction to his Dark Tower epic, being an ardent King fan I feel duty-bound to read the entire story - all seven volumes worth. Besides, I do want to know how Roland and his ka-tet manage to save Mid-World from the evil of the Dark Tower. Reading the entire magnum opus does require a large commitment, since the story, when completed, is projected to weigh in at more than 3,500 pages. Needless to say this volume of the series should not be tackled unless you have already read the previous volumes, and thus it is best left to the diehard Stephen King or Dark Tower fans. Of course this installment will leave the story, and you, hanging in midair. But have no fear... the last two volumes will be released before year's end.

Eileen Rieback

(from amazon.com)