The Dark Tower (Dark Tower 7)

by Stephen King

book data

8,484 ratings, 4.13 average rating, 473 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		46%
4		29%
3		15%
2		5%
1		2%

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published

August 22nd 2006 (first published 2004) by Pocket

binding

Paperback, 1072 pages

characters

Roland Deschain, Jake Chambers, Randall Flagg, Roland Deschain, ...more

literary awards

British Fantasy Award for Best Novel (2005)

isbn

1416524525 (isbn13: 9781416524526)

description

At one point in this final book of the Dark Tower series, the character Stephen King (added to the plot in Song of Susannah) looks back at the precedi...more

[close] At one point in this final book of the Dark Tower series, the character Stephen King (added to the plot in Song of Susannah) looks back at the preceding pages and says "when this last book is published, the readers are going to be just wild." And he's not kidding.

After a journey through seven books and over 20 years, King's Constant Readers finally have the conclusion they've been both eagerly awaiting and silently dreading. The tension in the Dark Tower series has built steadily from the beginning and, like in the best of King's novels, explodes into a violent, heart-tugging climax as Roland and his ka-tet finally near their goal. The body count in The Dark Tower is high. The gunslingers come out shooting and face a host of enemies, including low men, mutants, vampires, Roland's hideous quasi-offspring Mordred, and the fearsome Crimson King himself. King pushes the gross-out factor at times--Roland's lesson on tanning (no, not sun tanning) is brutal--but the magic of the series remains strong and readers will feel the pull of the Tower as strongly as ever as the story draws to a close. During this sentimental journey, King ties up loose ends left hanging from the 15 non-series novels and stories that are deeply entwined in the fabric of Mid-World through characters like Randall Flagg (The Stand and others) or Father Callahan (Salem's Lot). When it finally arrives, the long awaited conclusion will leave King's myriad fans satisfied but wishing there were still more to come.

In King's memoir On Writing, he tells of an old woman who wrote him after reading the early books in the Dark Tower series. She was dying, she said, and didn't expect to see the end of Roland's quest. Could King tell her? Does he reach the Tower? Does he save it? Sadly, King said he did not know himself, that the story was creating itself as it went along. Wherever that woman is now (the clearing at the end of the path, perhaps?), let's hope she has a copy of The Dark Tower. Surely she would agree it's been worth the wait. --Benjamin Reese [close]

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08/30/07

Jason added it

Read in January, 2008

WARNING! THIS REVIEW IS FULL OF SPOILERS, ONCE YOU GET PAST THE PART "THE ENDING:". DO NOT READ ON UNLESS YOU WANT IT SPOILED FOR YOU! YOU WERE WARNED!

I finished the Dark Tower last night. I hadn't plannet to, I really needed to get to bed, but once I got so close, I had to continue.

Wow ... hard to find the words, really. (This email will likely be longish)

THE SERIES: I think the Dark Tower series is King's crowning achievement as a writer. He has ...more

Like this review? yes (7 people liked it)

3 comments

08/31/07

Andy rated it:

(review of isbn 5551376370)

bookshelves: horror-thriller

recommends it for: Anyone who wants to be let down hard.

Okay, I worked thru all seven of these "Dark Tower" Books because the first one was short and sweet and really caught my interest. And because they were "non-King-like" compared to his other books (which I don't particularly like). While a few of the books in this series are pretty good, they are hardly comparable to the Lord of the Rings, which I'm not a big fan of either. But I can tell really good story-telling from wandering around.
Of the previous six books in this...more

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08/01/07

Tommy rated it:

(review of isbn 0743254562)

bookshelves: stephen-king

Learned a valuable lesson with this book....never recommend a series to friends until it is finished.

I am one of Stephen King's 'constant readers.' Usually I am a big fan, and I've bought enough of his expensive hardcovers over the years that I'm perfectly comfortable throwing in my two cents about the dreadful way he ended The Dark Tower.

I'm applying that two stars rating to the last three books of the series, Wolves of the Calla, Song Of Susannah (UGH!) and this, The D...more

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09/22/07

Josh rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: Almost no one. Skip it and imagine your own ending

Wow, what a major disappointment. The first 4 DT books were great, and some of King’s best works. It's just too bad that King waited so damn long to finish the last 3, and also too bad that he seemed to be in such a rush to do so.

I actually did like #5. It didn't progress Roland's quest to the Tower much, but it was a good story . I quickly went to book 6 and found a fairly boring book, though at least it was shorter. Reluctantly, I picked up book 7. I got halfway through ...more Wow, what a major disappointment. The first 4 DT books were great, and some of King’s best works. It's just too bad that King waited so damn long to finish the last 3, and also too bad that he seemed to be in such a rush to do so.

I actually did like #5. It didn't progress Roland's quest to the Tower much, but it was a good story . I quickly went to book 6 and found a fairly boring book, though at least it was shorter. Reluctantly, I picked up book 7. I got halfway through and stopped. Many things were starting to frustrate me with it, and I had other things to read, so I put it on hold. For over two years. After reading the negative reviews I was considering never finishing it, and just leaving the series in my mind with what little sense of wonder and mystery it had left. Of course I picked it up again. I was right the first time.

*Spoiler warning. If you don't want to know what happens, please skip this.*

I really think that King copped out on this one. First off, Stephen King including himself as a series character was one of the worst things I have ever read. What a bunch of self indulgent crap! I really lost faith after reading that in book 6.

The Crimson King was hugely disappointing. Instead of the biggest bad guy in the universe, with the ability to topple the Tower and end all worlds, Roland gets to him and he’s a decrepit old Santa looking man pelting grenades at him and cackling madly. What?

Patrick the Artist: The biggest last minute “save my ass” plot device I’ve ever read. With the ability to draw things into and out of existence, this gives King free reign to get himself out of any plot holes he needs to, such as draw the Crimson King and then erase him, allowing Roland to get to the Tower without harm.

The Dark Tower: Well, it’s real. Does it hold the answer to all the world’s questions? Is there any explanation as to why it’s there or where it came from? Nothing of the sort. It is a monument to Roland and his life, each level containing a different piece of his life. What happens when he gets to the top? (this isn’t a joke, I promise you) He gets sucked back all the way to the beginning of the first book, forgetting what happens with a hint that this time around, things may be different (he was supposed to blow the Horn of the Eld at the base of the Tower, but lost it as a kid. This time he has it.) Did we really read through seven long books to find out that the next time around, in another seven books that don’t exist, Roland may succeed?

In a way, Stephen King reminds me a George Lucas. Lucas got so full of himself after the original Star Wars trilogy that he thought he could tackle another trilogy with no help in writing or directing it. He had complete creative control and there was no one to stand over his shoulder and say, "hey, this is kind of stupid. I don't think people are going to like it." And even if he did, would he listen to them? I think King has gotten to be almost the same way. He's one of the most successful writers on the planet, why should he ultimately care if people won't like this book. He even warns the readers before the last chapter to stop reading, because they will be disappointed, and to simply enjoy the book for the journey getting there. As if he were trying to make you feel bad for not liking his non-ending.

As you can see, I didn't like this book, almost solely due to the ending. As usual, King's prose is good, his characters (even Patrick) are well realized and loveable, and Roland's nearly endless journey is page-turning. There was so much potential here. But alas, this is what we have. Would I recommend the Dark Tower books to others? I would say read the first one, which could be a stand alone. If you want to read the whole series, than by all means do so, it's one hell of a journey, but with such an ending, I would almost rather not have made the journey at all.

(less)

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5 comments

05/02/07

Matt rated it:

Read in March, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

This seventh and final book of the Dark Tower series is utterly heartbreaking. After slogging through however many thousand pages and sharing all these moments with characters, I found myself attached to their fictional existence. I cared about them. So when all hell broke loose in this book, shattering their ka-tet, I was emotionally devastated. I cried, on more than one occasion. It's possible that I cried as much as I did because I was in a fragile state-of-mind at the time. But really,...more

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2 comments

09/17/08

Jennifer rated it:

Read in October, 2008

recommended to Jennifer by: non one; it's not worth it!

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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07/11/08

lisa rated it:

bookshelves: magical-fiction

Read in July, 2008

Ok, folks, so this isthe seventh and final book of Stephen King's Dark Tower series

It's a longie but a goodie. As is Stephen King's style, there is alot of seemingly unnecessary back-story at points. But, if you've made it to the seventh book of this fantasy/sci-fi/amazing series, you have no doubt become engrossed in the lives of Gunslinger Roland and his Tet and the book does not disappoint. There is plenty of gunslinging going on here, as well as the promise of twists, turns, an...more

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12/12/07

Ewa Manek rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy

Read in March, 2007

I'm just going to use this space as a general review of the series. I loved the first three books. I have read them several times and I love their atmosphere and...I suppose you could call it "grittiness." My enthusiasm started to wane around book 4, but I probably would not have been so down on the series if not for one thing - King deciding to insert himself into the story. (hopefully not too much of a spoiler - they introduced it in previous books and I believe it's part of the summ...more

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09/10/07

Jake rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy

It's not just the non-ending. Its the way he spends two books essentially stripping the series of everything good about it and replacing it with trite, poorly done, nudge nudge wink wink garbage.

I waited years to find out how this would all end and to get a hastily done, sloppily written, poorly thought out book, capped with a lecture on how endings suck, swiftly followed by a non-ending is in a lot of ways insulting. I understand King didn't have a lot of desire to finish the serie...more

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03/10/09

Astra rated it:

(review of isbn 0340827211)

bookshelves: loved

Read in March, 2007

Brilliant final

Some time ago I have written a review on Gunslinger then I have decided to refrain from reviewing the rest of the series until I have finished The Dark Tower VII.
Now, I have reached the destination. I have finished the last book in the saga. It was indeed a very long journey. It started almost 1 year ago. While reading the series I picked up a few more books to get a bit of a rest from the series (after the first 4 volumes), then I re-read Gunslinger and understood/...more Brilliant final

Some time ago I have written a review on Gunslinger then I have decided to refrain from reviewing the rest of the series until I have finished The Dark Tower VII.
Now, I have reached the destination. I have finished the last book in the saga. It was indeed a very long journey. It started almost 1 year ago. While reading the series I picked up a few more books to get a bit of a rest from the series (after the first 4 volumes), then I re-read Gunslinger and understood/liked it much more than when I read it for the first time. I have also read Salem's Lot and Hearts in Atlantis between volume VI and VII. I would suggest reading them after Wizard and Glass, book 4. It would make Father Callahan's story in Wolves of Calla, book 5 more interesting.

I didn't know what to expect from The Dark Tower VII. I have read too many negative reviews about S. King screwing it up completely and its ruined ending (as well as a lot of unsympathetic moaning about Wolves of Calla and Song of Sunnah). I don't know what everybody expected from the series. The ending is completely unpredictable and different from any other book I have ever read. It was certainly highly unusual... I still think it was interesting how he did it, by tying it into his view of the Dark Tower. Sure some people would like a more traditional finish but I think this particular ending is very good. As King said, it could not be different and the journey was fantastic as well.

When I finished the book, I felt a little bit disappointed by the ending, but why? I could not explain it to myself, so I re-read the last chapter (Coda/Found) the next day in the morning. Then I have done some thinking about it and the more I thought, the more I became convinced that the ending is brilliant?!
It is not a Hollywood happy end, but if it were anything like that it would have an artificial/contrived feeling to it. The ending as it is does feel very natural, very fit and thoughtful. I believe I quite like it, I almost love it.

Another thought have crossed my mind. I would like to re-read The Dark Tower in future. I know how it is going to end and still I would like to re-read the series. Moreover, I have this feeling right now, right after I finished the series vs. having the same feeling in 5 years time when I remember next to nothing. I wonder, what does it mean? There were many books I enjoyed and I liked their happy or not very happy endings. However, I didn't feel like I want to re-read them in order to go through all the details of the saga, to start the journey from the beginning.
I guess it is like The Lord of the Rings. We know the ending (actually we might hate it) but we would like to come back for details. I think it is a mark of a greatness of a book. I believe this is what makes a particular book/series outstanding.
Actually, I feel a little bit sad that I have so say Goodbye to Roland and his company with whom I spent almost a year.
I would definitely recommend the series to my friends.

A few more words about this edition. It has quite a few illustrations that help you to immerse deeper into an atmosphere of the book. I like the quality of this edition (good solid paper and even a bookmark :))(less)

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04/01/08

Jak rated it:

(review of isbn 0340836172)

Read in December, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

*Spoilers ahead so don’t read on if you’ve not finished the series***

I’ve given 5 starts as more for the series as a whole than DT V7 as a stand alone volume which I’d rate at 4.

I can understand why other reviewers have been left unhappy and unsatisfied but personally I disagree. I’ve no issue with sai King putting himself in the books and don’t think it was for his own ego. I think he used it as a practical demonstration that he doesn’t always know where th...more *Spoilers ahead so don’t read on if you’ve not finished the series***

I’ve given 5 starts as more for the series as a whole than DT V7 as a stand alone volume which I’d rate at 4.

I can understand why other reviewers have been left unhappy and unsatisfied but personally I disagree. I’ve no issue with sai King putting himself in the books and don’t think it was for his own ego. I think he used it as a practical demonstration that he doesn’t always know where the stories are going hence more being the vessel of Gan than the all seeing all knowing powerful God.

And the ending, upfront I’ll tell ya I loved it. I was concerned at how could you possibly end such a series that has taken so long to produce and captured so many hearts and minds. I also knew that what ever he did sai King was going to piss some people off. He was in an impossible situation and would not be able to please every one.

So Roland enters the room at the top of the Tower only to be cast back to the beginning of his quest (or at least when we joined him). Folks, ka is a wheel that just keeps rolling so it makes quite a deal of sense to start him all over again. I know I would have found it hard to swallow a ‘happily ever after’ ending.

There are some things I did not like though. The pacing of everything that comes after the death of Jake seemed very different and when we have followed Roland’s ka-tet fighting every single inch of their progress for Roland and Susannah to cover so much ground so quickly and with so little effort (comparatively speaking) just seems rushed.

Mordered, this is the being whose sole purpose for being brought into being was to kill Roland. He didn’t even get close and he never really posed much of a threat to any one (although he did get Oy). I thought the Greys and the Pubes represented a greater threat.

If Mordred was a let down the Crimson King was worse. This should have been the show down of show downs, a real High Noon experience yet it was limp and missing any great dram or impact. And his greatest threat was sneetches and possibly some other weapons? This is the Devil incarnate he should have better tricks up his sleeve than that.

For me the stand out ‘badies’ of the series were Blaine, Tick-Tock and Walter.

I didn’t mind the introduction of Patrick and his ‘deletion’ of the CK as a plot but felt the whole thing rushed and again limp and lacking drama which the final battle of such a great series deserved.

As I say it was not all perfect but I really enjoyed the series and all the books individually (v3 being my personal fav). I wonder if there was even one reader who took up sai King’s invitation not to read the end after Roland entered the Tower?
(less)

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02/07/08

Janice rated it:

Read in February, 2008

ok, holy fuck

this series, as a whole, has a lot of ups and downs. periods of good, fast-paced plotting and unique and exciting character development, surrounded by dull dull stretches of nothing much at all, and plot points that border on racism and homophobia thrown in every now and then for good measure. (japanese tourists with cameras, talking in broken, l-laden english? REALLY?) there is an unevenness brought on by the fact that some books have huge gaps between the time they...more

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01/05/08

Macie rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in December, 2007

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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08/02/07

Kellie rated it:

Read in September, 2007

I have read many books, and many book series. Some I liked, some I liked a LOT. This one I loved.

The Dark Tower, book VII, over a thousand pages long and still over too soon.

You'll wonder, as the series progesses, how there can *be* an ending. One that doesn't seem abrupt or unsatisfying, or cliche. How could Stephen King possibly end the epic in a non-predictable manner worthy of the series?

I'm always very careful not to give out 'spoilerish' information,...more

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07/03/07

Sarah rated it:

(review of isbn 1880418622)

Read in January, 2005

recommends it for: King fans, fantasy fans

The Dark Tower series is the linchpin to King's writing, just as the Dark Tower itself sits at the nexus of all the worlds. Reading the series adds a new depth to King's independent novels, from Insomnia to Salem's Lot to Hearts in Atlantis. Sometimes he tries a little too hard to make everything fit just right, but the Dark Tower series is unquestionably King's personal magnum opus.

In books 5-7, King is obviously making things up as he goes, introducing new random plot elements, lik...more

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12/09/07

Joshua rated it:

Read in January, 2007

Oh my. So disappointing. Uninspired characters invented just to cover plot holes and to get other characters conveniently out of the way may be fine for some, but not me. The one thing that did save this book for me was the Dark Tower itself.

*****SPOILER ALERT!!!*****

When Roland goes through the door, and the journey begins again, I was oddly satisfied. I had friends who were howling their discontent, but I feel that it makes a lot of sense. Since this ...more

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02/26/09

Dreadlocksmile rated it:

Read in February, 2007

Stephen King's novel "The Dark Tower" is the seventh and last instalment of the epic "Dark Tower" series. The novel runs for 683 pages out of the series total of 3712 pages. The book does not include an introduction like in some of the earlier instalments, but it does end with a final two page Author's Note that wraps up King's writing experience with the whole Dark Tower adventure. Again, the hardback version includes some full colour illustrations (twelve in total), this ti...more Stephen King's novel "The Dark Tower" is the seventh and last instalment of the epic "Dark Tower" series. The novel runs for 683 pages out of the series total of 3712 pages. The book does not include an introduction like in some of the earlier instalments, but it does end with a final two page Author's Note that wraps up King's writing experience with the whole Dark Tower adventure. Again, the hardback version includes some full colour illustrations (twelve in total), this time by Michael Whelan.

By now, you will be completely submerged within the Dark Tower series. With this final book you will be hoping for all the loose ends to tie up nicely together and Roland to finally make it to the Dark Tower itself. It's been a long journey to this final book, and like me, you will feel very attached to all the characters involved. King acknowledges this sympathy that readers will have with the characters and uses it with full force from the very beginning of the novel to produce a final book that delivers a hefty impact throughout.

From the very beginning of Roland's epic journey the tension has constantly spiralled upwards towards this grand finale that each reader will have been picturing in their heads for the last 3000 pages or so. King keeps up the tension within this final novel, picking up the pace as we draw closer to the conclusion.

I won't ruin the ending for anyone who hasn't yet made it there, but I can see why many readers either loved the outcome or hated it. We all knew that King was never going to write a simple ending to the series, and I'm sure that the vast majority of readers would not want that. I personally thought that it ended in a well thought out way, doing the whole series justice. Obviously this has not been the same opinion as many others have, but I think that those who have read the whole series will agree that this book as a whole is a very well written and enjoyable read.

King does bring all of the plot lines in together, neatly weaving them into a final pathway that ultimately ends with the Dark Tower. Each of the previous books is brought in to this final tale, showing their place with the adventure and plotting out a map of Roland's life.

Fiction and reality are again brought in to question within the novel, allowing the reader to feel perhaps even more a part of King's Dark Tower world. Once again, we are shown King's literary career, as many of his previous pieces of work become interlaced with the series.

At the end of it all, I was left feeling entirely satisfied with what I had spent so long reading. For me, everything was wrapped up in a fashion that kept me guessing throughout. The plot held twists and turns, with suspense and building tension, along with great characterization and a heart wrenching storyline. I would very happily recommend the entire series to anyone who is at all interested in giving them a read. I just wish that it wasn't all over now...

As a final thought...I wonder if they will ever make the series into films. I hope to god that they don't choose Mick Garris to direct them if they do!(less)

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02/21/09

Paranoid Jack is currently reading it

bookshelves: currently-reading

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Let's face it. Even if you're a huge Stephen King fan (like me) and have read most of his works... you don't always like their endings. At least not all of them. This seems to be the biggest gripe for those who post of the few forums I frequent. And believe me I know just because they didn't like it doesn't mean I won't.

Most of his novels end well in my opinion but then there are those few stories with the over the top anti-climatic endings. Like IT... and a few others I have forced ...more

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02/18/09

Rachel Gilbert added it

Read in January, 2009

(I skipped writing individual reviews for book 4-6, since I was reading the whole series back-to-back where one book ends and the other begins became quite blurred!)

This series was, while entirely enjoyable, thoroughly exhausting! Each book gets longer as each detour on the path to the Tower gets more complicated! This is one epic journey...
I was supremely impressed with how King wrote himself into the story! I had really expected the worst, for it to be cheesy and egotistic...more

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01/22/09

Sean added it (review of other edition)

Has a copy to sell/swap

recommends it for: tower readers, eight graders that are into fantasy

To quote Larry David, "eh".

Reading it just to finish it, honestly.

Not that I am too good for SK, but the series disappointed me----in execution.

SK is so good at hinting at things...but has achieved so much success at belaboring language to detail teeth, or bullets, or tentacles, gliding into flesh to sink against bone while people scream, then drop dead, spraying blood...that it is almost as though he does not believe in being that ...more

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polls

Which is your favourite book in Stephen King's Dark Tower Series?

The Gunslinger

6 votes, 15.4%

The Drawing of the Three

6 votes, 15.4%

The Waste Lands

4 votes, 10.3%

Wizard and Glass

12 votes, 30.8%

Wolves of the Calla

7 votes, 17.9%

Song of Susannah

1 vote, 2.6%

The Dark Tower

3 votes, 7.7%

39 total votes

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quotes from this book

"'My friend wants to get moving and so do I,' Eddie said. 'We've got miles to go yet.' 'I know that. It's on your face, son. Like a scar.' Eddie was fascinated by the idea of duty and ka as something that left a mark, something that might look like decoration to one eye and disfigurement to another. Outside, thunder cracked and lightning flashed." More quotes...