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Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4)
by Stephen King, Dave McKean
by Stephen King, Dave McKean
Dan Schwent's review
bookshelves: western, plan-on-rereading-one-day, reread-in-2011, weird-western, 2011
Jun 03, 11
bookshelves: western, plan-on-rereading-one-day, reread-in-2011, weird-western, 2011
Read in June, 2011
After a riddle contest with Blaine the Mono, Roland and his ka-tet continue on their quest for the Dark Tower. While camping, Roland reveals the story of his youth and his first love.
The best part of this was Roland's backstory. You see that he wasn't always the killing machine he's become and learn a lot more of the backstory of the series as well. Astute Stephen King readers will appreciate the world they go through after entering the thinny.
The only complaint I have about this one is that I could have done without all the Wizard of Oz business. It seemed like he just slapped that on to wrap things up.
The 2011 re-read:
My opinion of Wizard and Glass has been colored somewhat by the passage of time. While I enjoyed the tale of Roland's first love and the confrontation with the Big Coffin Hunters, the flashback seemed about a hundred pages too long, like maybe Stephen King wasn't sure where he wanted the story to go next and decided to do some stalling.
That's not to say I don't like Wizard and Glass. It's just my least favorite of the first four Dark Tower books. It's still pretty good, though. The tension mounts as Roland and his young ka-tet head toward their inevitable conflict with the Big Coffin Hunters. It reminds me a lot of the battle between the Earps and the Cowboys in Tombstone.
The middle book of the Dark Tower is still a satisfying read, no matter what your opinion of the extended Flashback. Roland's back story makes him an even more tragic figure than before.
The best part of this was Roland's backstory. You see that he wasn't always the killing machine he's become and learn a lot more of the backstory of the series as well. Astute Stephen King readers will appreciate the world they go through after entering the thinny.
The only complaint I have about this one is that I could have done without all the Wizard of Oz business. It seemed like he just slapped that on to wrap things up.
The 2011 re-read:
My opinion of Wizard and Glass has been colored somewhat by the passage of time. While I enjoyed the tale of Roland's first love and the confrontation with the Big Coffin Hunters, the flashback seemed about a hundred pages too long, like maybe Stephen King wasn't sure where he wanted the story to go next and decided to do some stalling.
That's not to say I don't like Wizard and Glass. It's just my least favorite of the first four Dark Tower books. It's still pretty good, though. The tension mounts as Roland and his young ka-tet head toward their inevitable conflict with the Big Coffin Hunters. It reminds me a lot of the battle between the Earps and the Cowboys in Tombstone.
The middle book of the Dark Tower is still a satisfying read, no matter what your opinion of the extended Flashback. Roland's back story makes him an even more tragic figure than before.
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Reading Progress
| 05/31/2011 | page 1 |
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0.0% | |
| 06/02/2011 | page 515 |
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73.0% | "I'm hoping Susan won't die this time..." |
Comments (showing 1-7 of 7) (7 new)
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That makes sense to me. Driving gives you a lot of time to let your mind wander. It beats paying attention to the road. I-70 gets pretty bleak once you get past Columbia. King said Children of the Corn was inspired by a trip down I-70.
As a KC guy, I'd say that I-70 gets pretty bleak the further EAST you go of Columbia. (Kidding, kidding.) My wife is from St. Louis and has lived in Columbia, and she is going to be very upset when she reads that one.I also think that motorocyle tour of King's was the basis for Desperation. So more's the pity... Ugh.
You all are funny, LOL.I think I stopped reading the Dark Tower books after book 3, so I never got around to this one. No real reason I stopped -- I think I just started reading different types of books, and put King on the back burner for a while.
Maybe I should look these up again and give them a try?
A lot of people seem to stall on Wizard and Glass. If you can make it through, the other three Dark Tower books should be a breeze.
I have always suspected that after leaving Manhatten, King went east on I-70 on his bike to his next destination, and that the whole opening sequence of W&G was partially inspired by that. And of course, like anyone not from Kansas, he felt the need to insert that Wizard of Oz crap into it. Because, you can't tell a story set in Kansas, even an alternate universe version of Kansas from The Stand, without referencing that goddamn Dorothy. (Yes, I am a native Kansan, and I hate Oz with the white hot heat of the fires of hell itself. Not that I'm bitter or anything....)