The Dark Tower [No Spoilers]

[Asmadai]

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

I don't remember every reference, some mentioned above, however in IT (although its been a good 15 years since i've read it, i remember this part clearly cuz I was so 'wtf') I recall one of the children looking at a can of that turtle wax, then going into some trance and floating in space talking to a 'great turtle' for awhile.

Yeah, the Maturin definately had some things to do with IT, but he doesn't really ever make a true appearence in DT. More of a figurative cameo if you will.

If you are reading the Dark Tower, and haven't already, i'd definately pick up Insomnia. I never imagined in my life that a book about 70-80 year old people who couldn't sleep could end up being so kick ass.

[Eomer]

I remember hearing something about pennywise and charlie from IT somehow being intertwined into King's books too, was that Dark Tower or does that even exist?

Well, once you finish the series you'll understand much better how King's other works are connected with The Dark Tower. Saying much more gets into spoiler territory. Suffice it to say that the connections I was seeing in a lot of King's work left me wanting much more concrete interactions between the works than what they eventually turned out to be.

I'd say that It and Insomnia are intertwined with each other far more than The Dark Tower is with either of them. Hell, pretty sure there's references from those two in The Dream Catcher as well, something about going to the water tower that collapses in Insomnia near the end. But I could be muddling different storylines together. Pretty much any story in or around the fictional town of "Derry" are all interconnected. And that includes a lot (especially if you also include short stories and novellas). Needful Things, Tommyknockers, Hearts in Atlantis, and numerous others. But in the end, the connections mean little to nothing, they're worth no more than easter eggs or Bruce Campbell cameos. Fun, but pointless.

[Fammaden]

Originally Posted by TheOkapi

In my opinion, The Dark Tower series is the finest work man has done. It should be fucking launched into space, so when aliens find it, they read it and go "whoa, earth kicks ass".

Well, if I had to pick a scifi/fantasy/general fiction series for that honor I might go with the Dune chronicles first myself. I am just now starting on Wolves of the Calla though, so I can't call myself an authority. I can't believe I never read the series before this though, despite numerous recommendations and having read much of King's other work. I haven't been disappointed yet, though I can see why people might have to trudge through Wizard and Glass, especially after the first three. I really like all the King easter eggs too. They all seem to lead nowhere but I enjoy it, particularly since I like The Stand very much.

[Arbitrary]

I'm not really spoiling anything here but if you are super anal I wouldn't read my post.







Yeah, shoulda stopped when King said stop.

Looking back on what happens it all seems sorta anticlimatic.

EEEEEEEEEEEEE!

........right.

I think what bothered me the most was King sorta change the rules a bit along the way. It was so much easier when every book was just kinda about the Dark Tower or would somehow tie in at some point. Later on King backpedals on the groundwork he put down with Insomnia and now some stories are double fictional. See, Insomnia is "thin" but Salem's Lot is all fact and so is at least one story from Hearts in Atlantis. In the fictional multiverse some of these happened and some didn't and some stories just contain clues and blah blah blah you lost me.

Insomnia and IT both explain a ton of how the universe works and should have been granted the same status that Salem's Lot was. Every story should have. So many of the things he has written all hang together and to have to try and seperate what stories would be considered fictional by the characters from the Dark Tower and which are not is too fucking much work.

And to say that book 7 "ends" it is misleading. King can easily write two more full novels about side stories he just left hanging. He flat out says it as the narrator too. "And off they went through the door, but this story is about Roland and his Ka-Tet so we leave them" or something along those lines.

[Arbitrary]

Originally Posted by Eomer

But in the end, the connections mean little to nothing, they're worth no more than easter eggs or Bruce Campbell cameos. Fun, but pointless.

Here I am stuttering out a post, unable to explain what I mean and if I had just read back I'd have seen that Eomer put it perfectly.

Dick.

[Fammaden]

I know I will not be able to do this "stop reading when King tells you to stop" shit people keep mentioning. Is there anyone out there who actually did stop?

[Asmadai]

Originally Posted by Fammaden

I know I will not be able to do this "stop reading when King tells you to stop" shit people keep mentioning. Is there anyone out there who actually did stop?

Probably not, but seriously, you should stop when he says to. If you end up not being able to, please come back and post your anger after you read it.

Spoiler in Black: My friend had an idea, that King should write a Dark Tower 8, using the 8 as dual symbol to show the 8th book in the series, and as a symbolic 'infinity' symbol to show that the loop goes on for infinity. I agreed with him that it would be an idea, but that's more or less me just wanting to know what happens THIS time Roland gets to the Tower, since he actually has the Horn of Jericho or whatever it was called that he lost in the loop that we read through.

[xilsharn]

Wizard and Glass was my favorite as well; the entire Dark Tower series was fantastic and truly epic.

[Arbitrary]

Seriously stop reading when he says stop. Seriously. I'm actually going to say that continuing to read ruined the series for me.

Spoiler response to Asmadai

Now that he has the horn you'll get the identical ending as before minus the "here is another 6 pages that you shouldn't read" thing. He makes it, blows the horn, tower opens, the end, roll credits.

[xilsharn]

Originally Posted by Arbitrary

Seriously stop reading when he says stop. Seriously. I'm actually going to say that continuing to read ruined the series for me.

Spoiler response to Asmadai

Now that he has the horn you'll get the identical ending as before minus the "here is another 6 pages that you shouldn't read" thing. He makes it, blows the horn, tower opens, the end, roll credits.

At what point did he say stop reading?

[Ham n Cheese]

Wait he actually says stop reading? When?

[Njorls]

Originally Posted by Ham n Cheese

Wait he actually says stop reading? When?

Towards the end of the last book. He doesn't say to stop, but says if you go on you might be disappointed.

[TheOkapi]

At the end of the 7th book, there's a last chapter he says to not read. But he knows people will anyways.

Personally, I wouldn't have been satisfied if I hadn't read it, and I don't think I would have been if it had ended any other way

[Arbitrary]

Where you say? Spoiler.

Should you go on, you will surely be disappointed, perhaps even heartbroken. I have one key left on my belt, but all it opens is that final door, the one marked (misc symbols). What's behind it won't improve your love-life, grow hair on your bald spot, or add five years to your natural life span (not even five minutes). There is no such thing as a happy ending. I never met a single one to equal "Once upon a time."

Endings are heartless.
Endings are just another word for goodbye.

Now, if that isn't fucking being told to step then I don't know what is. I didn't listen and he was 100% correct. I was heartbroken. The lead up page to that final paragraph had my crying. Crying turned to anger in those last final words.

Just.
Fucking.
Stop.

[Wolfen]

I loved the series but it did drag at times. Book 4 is also my favorite. Many people hate the ending, but I really don't see how it could end any other way. I felt cheated at first, but after thinking about it, it makes sense to me.

This series is the first King books I ever read (listened to on audiobook, acutually), so I didn't get all the references to his other books.