Started: August 17
Finished: August 18
Notes: There are three reasons I am reading this novel now: 1.) I am woefully behind on my King reading, and at one time I had read practically everything by the man; 2.) I am a fan of King's Dark Tower series and this book is a followup to that; 3.) I've been telling myself all year I will read more fantasy, but I keep getting distracted by other material, and while this isn't exactly straight fantasy, the Dark Tower series is King's own unique form of epic fantasy with elements of horror and even the occasional touch of sci-fi thrown in.
Mini review: It was very nice to venture back into the world of Roland Deschain, like visiting with old friends. One of the things I like about King's fantasy is that, for me, it brings a sense of wonder I see rarely in most fantasy literature nowadays. Some would find this book annoying as it is a story inside a story inside a story, not an unknown tact for King, but I've always felt King does this well, perhaps even better than any other author I've read, and I'm one who usually does not enjoy flashbacks or stories within stories. Is this King's best work? Probably not, but it's still pretty darn good, and it was nice to see fantasy literature with a sense of honor and gentleness about it.
I know a lot of folks who like the Dark Tower series. I tried the first one many years ago now and just couldn't get into it. I should probably retry it. Might have been just the timing.
ReplyDeleteCharles, I understand. For me, the series did not really kick in until the third book, so I was glad I stuck with it. Apparently King went back and did a major reworking of the first book, so it might be stronger now. The series definitely has its ups and downs, with books 3, 4 and 7 being my favorites, though I'd likely have to include this new one. The series, being written over nearly four decades, often comes with a different approach or style for each of the novels, though the last three are pretty much similar in tone as King wrote them right after one another in order to finish things up.
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