Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5)

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Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower #5)

by Stephen King, Bernie Wrightson (Illustrator)

4.06 · rating details · 26,562 ratings · 765 reviews

Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, the DARK TOWER series is unlike anything you have ever read.

Here is the fifth installment, "one of the strongest entries yet in what will surely be a master storyteller's magnum opus" ("Locus").

Roland Deschain and his "ka-tet" a

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Mass Market Paperback, 925 pages

Published November 4th 2003 by Pocket

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Community Reviews

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Jul 24, 2011

Kemper rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: alt-universes, fantasy, 2011-r, sci-fi, time-travel, western, dark-tower

If someone would have told me back in the ‘90s that the way to get Stephen King to finish up the Dark Tower series quickly was to hit him with a minivan, I would have been on my way to Maine to rent a Dodge Caravan before you could say ’Bango Skank was here.’

Now don’t just read that, chuckle and think, “Oh, that silly Kemper is bitching about how long it took for King to write the Dark Tower series again.” No.

Hear me on this. Hear me very well.

I am not...more

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Jun 23, 2007

Dan rated it

· review of another edition

And so it was, three and a half years ago, that I stopped reading Stephen King altogether. Having begun him at age 12, and having read every single book up to that point, by my mid-twenties I was definitely reading his new stuff out of habit alone. But I was still looking forward to finishing the "Dark Tower" series.

And I never did. Because I read this book, which contains more filler than I thought you could put in 700 pages, and which confirmed that King had disappeared s...more

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Jun 24, 2009

Fanny rated it

Shelves: favorites

Although many readers of this series liked this volume the least, I found it to be the most moving and exciting of them all. It appears to be a departure from the path of the Beam but in truth it is just another part of the journey of the Ka-Tet and very much on the path to the Dark Tower, bringing them closer. It is well tied in to all the past books, and it is in this book that we meet Father Callahan, from Salem's Lot. It was while reading this book that I completely fell in love with the ...more

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May 01, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

Shelves: fantasy

The story continues.....wow does it. Okay this book is the one that seems at times to take itself a little less seriously yet still does it without once ceasing to be dark, depressing, and foreboding.

Actually a pretty good trick if you can pull it off.

This book continues King's "tying together" his multiverse, but with oh so much more. In this book we get not only parallels with other popular fiction...but comic books and even Harry Potter.... There's also a st...more

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Jan 05, 2008

D_Davis rated it

Shelves: weird-horror-urban-fantasy, favorites

My favorite book of the DT series.

Wolves of the Calla is the most mature book in The Dark Tower Series thus far. It has a sort of Eastern-Western vibe throughout, coming off like Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai filtered through Sergio Leone-tinted glasses with a touch of Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter thrown in for violent measure. The narrative is quite methodically paced with ample amounts of time given for the characters to grow and the readers to become emotionally involved in...moreMy favorite book of the DT series.

Wolves of the Calla is the most mature book in The Dark Tower Series thus far. It has a sort of Eastern-Western vibe throughout, coming off like Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai filtered through Sergio Leone-tinted glasses with a touch of Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter thrown in for violent measure. The narrative is quite methodically paced with ample amounts of time given for the characters to grow and the readers to become emotionally involved in the story as a whole. Which is a good thing too, because it is in this book that King clearly defines the direction the narrative is moving and gives us clues as to what the Dark Tower means to Roland and his ka-tet, as well as what this whole thing means to Stephen King, the real life author.

Much of the dialogue and focus in Wolves is about stories themselves. In the previous installments King had offered a wide array of homage’s and narrative crossings, but in Wolves King lays all the cards on the table. The first passage that struck me and made me realize where this whole crazy tale was pointing was at the bottom of page 40 when Roland, Eddie and the ka-tet are discussing different genres in fiction. In this passage Eddie explains the various genres to Roland and how the people of his world (Eddie’s world or a world that closely resembles ours) don’t like things jumbled up. We don’t like our stories to be like “stew” but we like horror to be horror, action to be action and so on. It is here that I first realized that King was not only talking about the story within this story, but he was also commenting on his own personal life and how it has become impossible to separate the two - his life is imitating his art and vise versa. This theory also touches upon something that I have been writing about recently in my newest film reviews.

In my reviews for Godzilla Final Wars and Seven Swords, I spoke of the preconceived notions fans have for their beloved genres. A film or book is more likely to be enjoyed and accepted if it follows these established genre convictions. However, when a film, or book, falls outside the boundaries of these genre boxes, it requires more of the audience’s attention as it challenges our sensibilities and the established genre norms. Usually films and books that test these norms wind up being cult classics that have a hardcore and very dedicated, albeit small, fan base; in turn this kind of entertainment often does not bode well with the mainstream. However, it is these genre-busting examples that set the standards and the new convictions for others to follow.

The Dark Tower series does not follow genre convictions: it does not fit easily into any pre-configured genre boxes as it is equal parts drama, western, horror, action, and epic fantasy. King says in his book On Writing that when he does a book signing, or conducts a lecture/speech he likes to make his audience participate in an impromptu survey. He asks how many of them, by show of hands, have read one of his books. King says usually almost all of the hands go up. With hands raised, he asks them how many have read a Dark Tower book, and about half the hands go down. He then asks how many of those remaining have read the entire Dark Tower series, and yet another half goes down, leaving a quarter of the total audience. However, guess which books he gets the most passionate fan mail about? A’yuh, you guessed it, The Dark Tower series, thus proving, at least when King is concerned, my theory.

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full review @www.genrebusters.com(less)

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Jan 12, 2009

David rated it

I finished this 5th part of the 7 part saga last weekend. I think the reason I like Stephen King's Dark Tower series so much is that I basically don't like Stephen King's writing. And the Dark Tower is different from his usual horror-junked garbage. It's an epic tale that takes a rag-tag team of heroes through a fantasy adventure. Yes, there is the grim horror filled "Kingesque" style to it but even the master of horror himself will tell you that the Tower series is unlike his usual ...more

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Mar 15, 2011

Rhiannon rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of westerns, masochists

Recommended to Rhiannon by: Uwdave

Shelves: end-of-the-world, read-in-2011

It is as though Stephen King:
1. Took me out to an arid, deserted sepia-toned no-place
2. Lit a sputtering campfire that quickly faded to embers
3. Handcuffed me
4. Sat me down Indian-style across from him
5. Proceeded to narrate to me in a hoarse, bored drawl over a series of three-to-four weeks the world's longest, most uninteresting story while my head lolled back, my lips grew dry with thirst, and my bum ached

If this book had been written by any writer other tha...more

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Feb 09, 2011

± Colleen of the Crawling Chaos ± rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: dark-fantasy, weird

3.5

This is probably my second favorite of the series.

As with other books, most of the stuff that I like the best are little character things. Seeing a new side of Roland, Jake's moments of actually being a boy, and both Eddie and Jake's growth into and acceptance of their role as gunslingers, (and, of course, Oy and his particular antics). Susannah, and her role in things, remains my least favorite part of the tet.

I also like the parts with Callahan, and I e...more

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Jul 16, 2011

Dan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: western, plan-on-rereading-one-day, reread-in-2011, weird-western, 2011

The 2011 re-read:
Roland and his ka-tet of gunslingers ride into Calla Bryn Sturgis, a town with a problem. Once every generation, a gang of marauders called The Wolves ride out of Thunderclap and steal half of the town's children. The ones that return come back roont, or brain-damaged. Can Roland and the others stop the Wolves before Susan gives birth to the demon in her womb?

It was a long wait between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla. Was it worth it? Well, does a ho...moreThe 2011 re-read:
Roland and his ka-tet of gunslingers ride into Calla Bryn Sturgis, a town with a problem. Once every generation, a gang of marauders called The Wolves ride out of Thunderclap and steal half of the town's children. The ones that return come back roont, or brain-damaged. Can Roland and the others stop the Wolves before Susan gives birth to the demon in her womb?

It was a long wait between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla. Was it worth it? Well, does a horse piss where it pleases?

The main story of Wolves of the Calla is right out of The Magnificent Seven or Seven Samurai. The gunslingers ride into town, prepare the town, and settle the bad guys' hash. The secondary stories, of which there are several, are what make the book. You've got Father Callahan from Jake, Eddie, and Susannah's world and his fearsome burden, Black Thirteen. You've got someone in town helping the Wolves. You've got Roland and his arthritis. You've got Calvin Tower and the vacant lot containing the Rose. And most of all, you have Susannah's disturbing pregnancy.

The gang going todash was one of the more interesting parts of the book and something I'd forgotten about in the years since I read this book the first time. I devoured the book in a day and a half when it first came out so I must not have savored it. There were so many wrinkles to the story that I'd forgotten.

I love how the Man in Black doubled back and met Callahan at the Way Station while Roland and Jake were on in trail in The Gunslinger. In the revised edition of The Gunslinger, Roland contemplates putting his quest on hold for a few years and training Jake so he'd have another Gunslinger with him. Would they have met Callahan if they'd let the Man in Black get away? Tantalizing...

People say that the long flashback in Wizard and Glass fleshed out Roland's personality. I'd say watching Roland interact with the people of Calla Bryn Sturgis in this book went a lot farther in showing what kind of man Roland was before the world moved on.

I can't really say much more for fear of giving too many things away to people who have never read it. If you like the Dark Tower, this one is probably in the top three books of the series.(less)

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Jan 26, 2012

Mnava rated it

· review of another edition

Allora, iniziamo subito con il dire che non sono ne un detrattore ne un fan sfegatato di Stephen King. Ho avuto il mio periodo "King" in cui mi sono letto diversi suoi libri, alcuni con piacere, altri meno. Quello che penso è che questo autore abbia uno stile di scrittura davvero molto leggero e fluente, in grado di farti mandare giù praticamente qualunque cosa senza neanche accorgertene. A questa sua grandissima dote si aggiunge il numero impressionante di libri che ha scritto durante...more

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Jan 05, 2011

Brian rated it

· review of another edition

Series: 5/1/2005 8/10

The Dark Tower series is Stephen King's magnum opus. It ties together a lot of his books. The gunslinger, Roland, is an interesting character and so is the world the series is set in. I've really enjoyed the early books, re-reading them many times. I thought the series ended kind of weakly though. But then again, it would have been difficult to live up to expectations.

For more info, check out:</b>
Official Stephen King page
Stephen King FAQ
Fan site
Dark Tower site
Dark T ...more

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Feb 28, 2009

Dreadlocksmile rated it

Stephen King's novel "Wolves Of The Calla" is the fifth instalment of the seven part epic "Dark Tower" series. The novel runs for 611 pages out of the series total of 3712 pages. The book starts off with King's `final argument' which is the last introduction to the books for the series. There's also a two page `afterword' at the end giving the reader a little more insight into the writing of the book. As in all of the other `Dark Tower' books, the large version includes colou...moreStephen King's novel "Wolves Of The Calla" is the fifth instalment of the seven part epic "Dark Tower" series. The novel runs for 611 pages out of the series total of 3712 pages. The book starts off with King's `final argument' which is the last introduction to the books for the series. There's also a two page `afterword' at the end giving the reader a little more insight into the writing of the book. As in all of the other `Dark Tower' books, the large version includes colour illustrations by Bernie Wrightson that depict scenes within the tale.

Taking off from where we left the last instalment "Wizard And Glass", the book takes a while to really get going. King spends a long time setting the scene again, no doubt aware that when the book was first released there had been a six year gap between the two novels. Once the plot finally begins to take shape, King builds on the suspense of the battle that will inevitably take place. A whole host of new and uniquely interesting characters are introduced throughout the novel, drawing the reader deeper into the strange atmosphere of Mid-World.

From "Wizard And Glass" the reader has now found a new and deeper love for the character of Roland, which King utilises with developing on the characters little traits and quirks. As the storyline builds, King carefully weaves in clever sub-plots that incorporate some of his other previous novels. This, as I'm sure you are by now aware, has been a recurring theme within the "Dark Tower" series, but never so dominating as within this book.

The tale mounts to its final conclusion, which although short, delivers an action packed climax that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Yet again, the novel closes on a dramatic cliff-hanger, setting the reader up for the next part of this epic adventure "Song Of Susannah".

All in all, I found the book an enjoyable read from start to finish, but unlike previous instalments, the story-line seemed to weaken somewhat through the middle. King is a writer who certainly likes to write for pages and pages simply setting a scene. For me this ended up with each chapter seemingly over padded, which on occasion made the novel seem to loose itself. Nevertheless, the novel was certainly a good read.(less)

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Dec 30, 2008

Ryan rated it

· review of another edition

Here we are introduced to the people of Calla Bryn Sturgis and how the wolves come and steal one of their pair of twins. We also learn how Balazar is trying to buy the vacant which Calvin Tower owns and who is also the owner of the Resturant of the Mind. Pere Callahan a father/drunk from Eddie's time, is the preacher here and he is also in possesion of Black Thirteen, one of the glass balls of the Rainbow. This ball when open takes you through the "Unfound Door" at Doorway Cave. This b...more

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Jan 26, 2012

Angela rated it

Just finished...WOW! I so love Stephen (even tho I was cursing him several times during this book) -- Anyway, I started reading these again because my honey is reading them, and is on the third book, and I can't let him finish and get to THE DARK TOWER before me!! I started these when they first came out, and then when the last three came out in quick succession I just wasn't in a questing mood.

Anyway, a few thoughts from the novel -- don't look if you don't want to see ANY spoilers (...more

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Jan 11, 2012

Mick rated it

Wolves of the Calla picks up at a much quicker pace then probably any of the other books in the Dark Tower series so far. SK drew heavy inspiration from Kurosawa's Seven Samarai and the American remake, Magnificent Seven. So in many ways, this tale takes on a common story the Western genre, but SK also puts his own horror slant to it, keeping it fresh. While this is the longest book in the series so far, it doesn't feel like it drags as much as some of the others. SK has created a heightened...more

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Jan 01, 2012

Ricky Ganci rated it

· review of another edition

It’s the beginning of the end for Roland, and also something that I’ve been waiting for since beginning of this series: a hook into King’s other novels, and, if nothing else (and there is much else), WotC serves to make me want to read ‘Salem’s Lot. With Donald Callahan and the finding of an actual copy of that novel in the plot of this one (how weird is that), we begin to grow towards a plot conclusion that somehow involves Stepehen King himself…or something. The mention of him seems to indic...moreIt’s the beginning of the end for Roland, and also something that I’ve been waiting for since beginning of this series: a hook into King’s other novels, and, if nothing else (and there is much else), WotC serves to make me want to read ‘Salem’s Lot. With Donald Callahan and the finding of an actual copy of that novel in the plot of this one (how weird is that), we begin to grow towards a plot conclusion that somehow involves Stepehen King himself…or something. The mention of him seems to indicate that that will be the case, and I can’t help but notice King’s affection for playing with words (Cal Tower, Calla Bryn Sturgis, Father Callahan) that perhaps there is some strange connection between what’s going on with the Crimson King and Stephen King the author…is that a stretch? Perhaps, but it’s one I’m comfortable making here. The action sequence and the shootout in the Calla was perfect…it was everything that it needed to be. Domination on the side of the gunslingers, total destruction on the side of the Wolves. A lot of stuff remained unresolved, but we got a step closer to North Central Positronics and the Sombra Corporation, and pulled Calvin Tower back into the thick of the story, as he just had to be with a name like Tower. So far we know this: that NCP and Sombra exist in both (or even more) worlds, and that the Dark Tower is affecting both, or has done so. To what extent remains unclear. The chap is growing, and Susannah (has become? is becoming?) and Mia have taken Black Thirteen and left, which plotwise functions as the perfect hook to draw the reader seamlessly into the next book. Roland is approaching the Dark Tower—that much is clear—and he and his ka-tet are going to face some pretty excting challenges in the coming books. It’s shorter, I think, to keep a list of the plot arcs that have been resolved than to list the ones that still have yet to be resolved (and if King doesn’t resolve them, I’m going to be extremely angry), but even those still are nebulous in their resolution and could be revisited with respect to the ultimate: Roland and his Dark Tower.(less)

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Aug 06, 2011

Paul Kowalski rated it

If the last volume, "Wizard and Glass" showed the birth of a Gunslinger, "Wolves of the Calla" gives us the best look at what sort of role the Gunslingers must have played in the world before it moved on. On their inexorable march toward the Tower, we find Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy passing through Calla Bryn Sturgis, a town in need of help...the sort of help one can get from a group that only deals in lead.

For generations, the Calla folken have seen their childre...more

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Jul 27, 2011

Becky rated it

· review of another edition

Another very entertaining and gripping book in the Dark Tower series. Roland and his ka-tet arrive in the town of Calla Bryn Sturgis weeks before masked raiders called Wolves are due to raid the town and abduct one child from each set of the town’s twins (twins being the norm in that part of the world). As is their duty as gunslingers, our heroes offer the town aid and succour in what is essentially a classic western. But there are several interesting sub-plots going on at the same time. Father ...more

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Apr 04, 2011

Angela rated it

Shelves: favorites, permanent-collection

"Time is a face on the water," stretching and contorting reality as gunslingers Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake and their talking pet "billy-bumbler" Oy continue their quest to prevent the destruction of the Dark Tower and, consequently, save all worlds from Chaos and the Crimson King's evil, red-eyed glare. Roland-the primary hero of King's epic tale, the first volume of which appeared in 1982-and company momentarily fall off the "Path of The Beam" to help the reside...more"Time is a face on the water," stretching and contorting reality as gunslingers Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake and their talking pet "billy-bumbler" Oy continue their quest to prevent the destruction of the Dark Tower and, consequently, save all worlds from Chaos and the Crimson King's evil, red-eyed glare. Roland-the primary hero of King's epic tale, the first volume of which appeared in 1982-and company momentarily fall off the "Path of The Beam" to help the residents of Calla Bryn Sturgis, a farm town. But as Dark Tower fans know, everything follows The Beam, so what looks like a detour may really serve the will of "ka" (destiny). Roland and his posse learn that every 20-odd years the "Wolves" kidnap one child from each set of the Calla's twins, bring them to the Tower and, weeks later, send them back mentally and physically impaired. Meanwhile, back in 1977 New York City (the alternate world of Roland's surrogate son, Jake), bookstore owner Calvin Tower is being threatened by a group of thugs (readers will recognize them from The Drawing of the Three, 1987) to sell them a vacant lot in midtown Manhattan. In the lot stands a rose, or rather the Rose, which is our world's manifestation of the Dark Tower. With the help of the Old Fella (also known to 'Salem's Lot readers as Father Callahan), the gunslingers must devise a plan against evil in both worlds. The task, however, is further complicated as Roland and his gang start noticing behavioral changes in wheelchair-bound, recovered schizophrenic Susannah. As the players near the Tower, readers will keep finding exciting ties between the Dark Tower universe and King's other books, with links to Black House, Insomnia, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Stand, `Salem's Lot and Hearts in Atlantis. The high suspense and extensive character development here (especially concerning Jake's coming-of-age), plus the enormity of King's ever-expanding universe, will surely keep his "Constant Readers" in awe. (review obtained from Amazon)

This may be one of the best novels Stephen King has written. Well done, Mr. King. Well done, indeed.
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Feb 08, 2011

Books-treasureortrash rated it

Shelves: reviewed

Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes

This book deals primarily with the Gunslingers working with the towns people in the hopes of saving the children of the Calla from the “Wolves”. Once a generation the "Wolves" come to steal half the children and send them back “roont”. When the children are returned, they are mentally retarded to the point where they can barely do much for themselves. They also grow to become giants and in the process they suffer great pain. They have short...moreBook Review: 3 Treasure Boxes

This book deals primarily with the Gunslingers working with the towns people in the hopes of saving the children of the Calla from the “Wolves”. Once a generation the "Wolves" come to steal half the children and send them back “roont”. When the children are returned, they are mentally retarded to the point where they can barely do much for themselves. They also grow to become giants and in the process they suffer great pain. They have short lives and when they pass away, they also suffer great pain.

While they are working on a plan, there is derision and divisiveness within the town. We get to know the town folk and we learn more about our characters, although there is not a lot of character development. But there is a climax building up to the point of the arrival of the wolves and the story Stephen King weaves is told very well and it is extremely interesting. There are also a couple of other storylines going on simultaneously which keeps things intriguing.

It is interesting to note that the main character from Salam's Lot, Callahan reappears in this book as a preacher known as the “old fella" and this book ties Salam’s Lot to the Gunslinger’s quest in a very interesting manner. I really enjoyed reading this book as well as all the previous books in this series. The story is masterfully told, it was particularly touching to read about Jake’s challenges between his loyalty to his new friend and his gunslinger duty. It is fun to read how the people of this town talk with “the thank-ye big, big” (as they say in the Calla.) The big battle scene at the end was exciting but pretty straight forward without any surprises.

Although this book did a good job of resolving the Calla’s problem with the wolves, it did not do a good job of resolving the other story-lines which were unfolding at the same time. This book ended with a cliff-hanger. I personally prefer a book that ties up all the story-lines by the end of the book, so in this area the book fell short for me. For this reason and for the way the wolves were dealt with at the end of the book I gave the book a 3 Treasure Box rating.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story, but please read the prior books first as this book is not really a stand-alone book. If you enjoy reading fantasy/science fiction books then you will definitely enjoy this book since it has a bit of both within it.

For my full review go to: http://books-treasureortrash.com/?p=1032 (less)

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Dec 07, 2010

Jeremy rated it

· review of another edition

At this point, we find out from Mr. King that he already has the last 2 books rough drafted as well as number 5 completed. This story seems to be the place where certain earlier works of his start having small relevance to the Dark Tower story. Works such as Salem’s Lot. No big deal if you haven’t read it before as they do recap it, but if you don’t want the Lot story ruined for you, it may be a good idea to get that out of the way first.

This one seemed a bit slow, having to read at le...more

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Oct 25, 2010

Neil Crossan rated it

Dear Courageous Author:
If you’ve spilled your creative bucket a few a years ago, but feel you have to go through the motions because your fans demand a conclusion to Roland’s adventures I understand that. But that’s not an excuse to write a 15lb 700+ page time waster and then charge me $35 for it and then at the end ask for a charitable contribution. No it isn’t.
Mr. King you’re the man. You have 3 books in my all time lists (The Stand, The Shinning & Night Shift) but this book ...more

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Jul 06, 2010

Jerry rated it

· review of another edition

With warts and flaws, Fifth in Dark Tower series thrills!

We're coming down to the end of Stephen King's lifetime seminal work, the seven-book Dark Tower series, featuring Roland the Gunslinger and his companions, in their quest to reach the Dark Tower and save the world. These books are not typical King horror -- rather an epic saga thousands of pages long set in a multi-world fantasy land where almost anything imaginable can happen. 2003's entry "Wolves" is Book 5, leading...moreWith warts and flaws, Fifth in Dark Tower series thrills!

We're coming down to the end of Stephen King's lifetime seminal work, the seven-book Dark Tower series, featuring Roland the Gunslinger and his companions, in their quest to reach the Dark Tower and save the world. These books are not typical King horror -- rather an epic saga thousands of pages long set in a multi-world fantasy land where almost anything imaginable can happen. 2003's entry "Wolves" is Book 5, leading to a whole book published earlier this year about companion Susannah (#6), with the final work to come late this year according to the author. The books have been spaced out since the early 1980's, so thankfully a rather long introductory section serves as a bit of a review/synopsis for those of us whose memories are no longer that stout!

King's writing is as fine as usual; we particularly enjoyed the scene setting in the early part of the book and the action of the latter part of the book -- most of which is dedicated to the main plot of how the gunslinging quartet of Roland, Jake, Eddie, and Susannah save a little town ("Calla") from some "wolves" that attack every generation or so, robbing the town of half its offspring, then sending the kids home mentally deranged. The fight with the wolves had the predictable outcome, yet it was still anxiously awaited and satisfying.

Unfortunately, the mid-section of the book suffers from bloated background story-telling, much of it about Father Callahan, the priest from "Salem's Lot" who goes on to become a drunk and a vampire killer among other wanderings through time and space. Especially he and Jake slip back to modern times in New York City to help a bookseller stave off some bad guys in yet another side tale that caught our interest. Moreover, quite a few of King's other characters (such as the "Regulators" and the "Low Men") from other novels got brief mention. Like his movies, even the author himself got a quick cameo!

We enjoyed the positioning of this book and its main storyline, not that it moved our fearless quartet much closer to the tower. Even the middle part had some interest, and we found ourselves turning pages at a pretty good clip. We suppose King's efforts are long since beyond much editing, but it seems a little crisper story told in about 200 pages less would just about been perfect. But -- not bad as is! Enjoy.
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Jun 23, 2010

Daniel Stafford rated it

· review of another edition

My favorite thing about this series is how the style changes with each book. This one is no exception, of course. Here you have the most "Wild West" of the series. By that, I mean that a band of gunslingers is called upon to protect a township from the invading forces of bandits that take what they want from time to time. Me not being a fan of Western Films can really only quickly recall one reference: The Three Amigos.

Even though King does not explore it as well as other o...more

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Sep 20, 2009

Katie rated it

Potentially my favorite book of the series so far. There were many times when I wished the characters would just get on with their quest instead of spending an entire book on just one episode of their journey, but the novel turned out to be a slow-burner that was well worth the wait.

Things I didn't like:
- **SPOILER ALERT - skip to next bullet point to avoid** Once the main characters figured out that the wolves were robots, the reader should have been told. We were in their poi...more

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Aug 13, 2010

Jason rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book, like Wizard and Glass has a story that can almost be read by itself, but it's so interwoven with the bigger plot that I definitely don't recommend starting here. There are just too many side notes and references to other things that it would lead to confusion. I've always felt that the last 3 books of the series make one story itself, but there's a separate story included in Wolves of the Calla which, oddly enough, involve the Wolves of the Calla. This book sets the stage for the f...moreThis book, like Wizard and Glass has a story that can almost be read by itself, but it's so interwoven with the bigger plot that I definitely don't recommend starting here. There are just too many side notes and references to other things that it would lead to confusion. I've always felt that the last 3 books of the series make one story itself, but there's a separate story included in Wolves of the Calla which, oddly enough, involve the Wolves of the Calla. This book sets the stage for the final acts which are played out in the last two books, though. I think the reason for this is due to Stephen King's real life auto incident where he got hit by a vehicle while taking a walk. He realized he wasn't going to live forever, and went ahead and finished up the series he started 20 years before. This was the first volume after the accident, and the other two followed soon after. Gone was the several year wait between volumes.

So, what's great about this book? Roland dances the commala, and we get a gem of a line involving the store owner Eben Took who "was coming off as a shithead, which wasn't surprising. Took clearly was a shithead." Also, this book brings Father Pere Callahan, the alcoholic priest from Salem's Lot, into the series along with his anti-abortion views which create a lot of trouble for Roland and friends in the remaining books. He also has a great quote when discussing his alcoholism, and it's one that's always stuck with me. "Later it all became simpler. Later he came to understand that he wasn't drinking too much because he was spiritually unsettled but spiritually unsettled because he was drinking too much. You wanted to protest, to say that couldn't be it, or not just that, it was too simple. But it wasthat, just that." (And here's the zinger that's always stuck. -JLP) "God's voice is still and small, the voice of a sparrow in a cyclone, so said the prophet Isaiah, and we all say thankya. It's hard to hear a small voice clearly if you're shitass drunk most of the time." This book brings Stephen King himself into the story, just as he is, and also introduces Mia: daughter of none, mother of one, and gives poor Susannah a fourth personality for her Multiple Personalities Disorder (this was written back before the name changed to Dissociative Identity Disorder, I think). Throw it all together, and you have a Hell of a start to the final acts of this series, not to mention a good stand alone story as well.(less)

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Jan 24, 2011

Becky rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, dark-tower, fantasy, horror, vampires, stephen-king, 2011, multi-dimensional, mystery-and-thrillers, religion-related, reviewed

For a long time, this was my favorite book of the series. I love it, the way it just ratchets up the tension, bit by bit, and how we get to know these people, this town and the horror that they have lived with every generation for over 100 years.

This is where the series really becomes amazing. I love Drawing of the Three and The Wastelands, but Wolves of the Calla takes these characters that we've had several books' worth of time to get used to and shows us each of them in a differe...moreFor a long time, this was my favorite book of the series. I love it, the way it just ratchets up the tension, bit by bit, and how we get to know these people, this town and the horror that they have lived with every generation for over 100 years.

This is where the series really becomes amazing. I love Drawing of the Three and The Wastelands, but Wolves of the Calla takes these characters that we've had several books' worth of time to get used to and shows us each of them in a different light.

I love how gentle Roland can be, and is, when he's dealing with the Calla kids. I love how hard Jake is when he learns a secret that could tear a friendship and a family and a community apart. I love how ruthless Eddie is when he stands to protect the weak. These people are no longer just characters that think they could be gunslingers one day, they ARE Gunslingers. They all, each on their own, prove that, and the way they do gives me shivers.

I love progression of the story in this one, and how the threads are all starting to come together. You might think that this is a little late in the game, for things to only start coming together in book 5 of a 7 book series, but believe me, the journey here is as important as where we're going, if not more so. It's the journey, and the traveling companions, that I love more than anything.

I listened to the audio of this book again, and this one was read by George Guidall. In some ways, I preferred his reading to Frank Muller's, but in many others, I thought it was inferior.

I loved, LOVED, Guidall's Roland. I'm not sure just how to explain it, but rather than making Roland sound like Christian Bale's Batman voice, he sounds mature, strong and sure. He sounds like Roland. I always thought that Muller's Roland was a bit too growlly and drawly. But Guidall's was damn near perfect.

Unfortunately, it was quite the opposite with Eddie. Muller's Eddie was perfect. The way Eddie (through Frank) said "Rolund" was perfect, his Brooklyn accent (to my ears anyway) was perfect. Guidall's Eddie sounded like... Joe Pesci almost. High-pitched, nasally, annoying. I got used to it as I went along, but I found myself missing Muller's Eddie. A lot.

Susannah and Jake were OK. I thought that they sounded a bit too similar, and Callahan a little too elderly and feeble, but I can live with those. I did quite like the Calla accents though, especially Rosalita. He voiced her quite differently than I heard her (although I never really gave her much accent in my head, she was just kind of Generic Side-Character Female Voice), but I thought Guidall did pretty well with her accent.

Overall, I thought that Guidell did a good job, but if I could have Guidell's Roland and Muller's Eddie, I could die happy. :)(less)

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Jun 16, 2011

Karina Halle rated it

After taking a full-year (and then some) to slog through Wizard and Glass, I finished the equally epic and large Wolves of the Calla in a couple of days. Aside from the Wastelands, Wolves is the only other Dark Tower book that I could dare call addicting...and ludicrous. But addictingly ludicrous.
I don't think I can say too much about it without giving away some of the secrets, but King has definitely outdone himself here. Not only does he introduce some vivid and memorable characters from...more

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Jan 24, 2010

Ject Toons rated it

Shelves: novelas-cuentos-ficción

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. //THIS REVIEW IS IN SPANISH\\

El quinto volumen de las aventuras de Roland Deschain y su ka-tet en el extraño universo de Mundo Medio y en busca de la Torre Oscura (el soporte de todos los mundos) puede ser clasificado como “bueno”. Sin embargo no está a la altura de los primeros tres libros de la serie. Inclusive el cuarto (al menos hasta la mitad) es una muy buena lectura.

He aprendido a no querer leer un libro por las “reseñas” que Publishers Weekly o el New York Times p...more//THIS REVIEW IS IN SPANISH\\

El quinto volumen de las aventuras de Roland Deschain y su ka-tet en el extraño universo de Mundo Medio y en busca de la Torre Oscura (el soporte de todos los mundos) puede ser clasificado como “bueno”. Sin embargo no está a la altura de los primeros tres libros de la serie. Inclusive el cuarto (al menos hasta la mitad) es una muy buena lectura.

He aprendido a no querer leer un libro por las “reseñas” que Publishers Weekly o el New York Times ponen debajo de las sinopsis. De hecho creo que son reseñas, en cierto modo, compradas. Es muy importante que, si compran la edición que yo poseo de este libro (DEBOLSILLO, 2006) no hagan caso al comentario en negritas al final de la sinopsis.

Como el resto de los libros de la Torre Oscura, “Lobos Del Calla” no es un libro de terror. Vamos, ni siquiera sigue el estilo normal de los escritos de Stephen King. Claro que hay un par de detalles en cuanto a descripciones de asesinatos y matanzas que te pueden revelar el curioso estilo del autor. Cuando comencé a leer el libro esperaba algo parecido a “Tierras Baldías”, algo que se alejara un poco del pésimo final encontrado en “Mago y Cristal” (o “La Bola De Cristal”). Sin embargo me doy cuenta de cómo King flaqueó por segunda vez en sus esfuerzos por hacer de La Torre Oscura una serie épica. Este volumen, que además de relatar una muy corta pelea contra los abominables robots de Tronido, los Lobos (que roban a un mellizo de cada casa del pueblo de Calla Bryn Sturgis cada veintitantos años), hace una extraña mescolanza entre el universo de un libro previo del autor (“El Misterio de Salem's Lot”) y el universo de La Torre Oscura. Esto me demuestra, una vez más, que en realidad lo que le gusta hacer a Stephen King es una clase muy rara de conexiones entre personajes, lugares, historias y universos. La aparición del padre Callahan es de vital importancia para la historia y está, realmente, muy bien adaptado al resto del universo que nunca debió haberle correspondido. Pero aquella rara costumbre del autor de meterse a sí mismo en sus historias me sigue sacando de onda. ¿Dejar a uno de sus personajes con un problema existencialista justo al final del libro? ¿Sobre todo a un personaje que ha sufrido tanto? Qué poca madre. No me molesta en un sentido estricto, pero... chale. En fin.

La historia es en general buena, como la del resto de los libros de la serie. Digo, a pesar de que la calidad de los volúmenes esté disminuyendo (muy a mi pesar), la historia general es buena. King sigue atrapándome (y confundiéndome) con los sucesos que acontecen alrededor de Roland, y me muero de ganas de saber qué sucede en “Canción de Susannah” (el sexto volumen, por supuesto). Pero debo ser honesto y crítico y dar a este libro la calificación que se merece. Le falta chispa al libro y no es, como la mayoría de los seguidores de las aventuras de Roland habrán notado y como mencioné al principio, como el resto de la serie. Ya veremos qué sucede después.

Saludos,
Ject.(less)

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Nov 16, 2009

Kerry rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: audiobook, fromthelibrary

Wow, so good. One of my favorite volumes of one of my favorite book series narrated by my absolute favorite audiobook narrator. It's wonderful to have "cry your pardon" become the most natural thing in the world to say, for a few weeks again.

If you've read this book already, you should see if you can get ahold of this, because it was a good book, right? And George Guidall is (as always) amazing.

I want an Oy.

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About Stephen King

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent...moreLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Stephen Edwin King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his parents separated when Stephen was a toddler, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of the elderly couple. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He and Tabitha Spruce married in January of 1971. He met Tabitha in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University of Maine at Orono, where they both worked as students. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many of these were later gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.(less)

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“No one ever does live happily ever after, but we leave the children to find that out for themselves.” — 104 people liked it

“It was the possibility of darkness that made the day seem so bright.” — 78 people liked it

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