The Dark Tower: to Read or Not to Read

[Drew]

A friend recently lent me the first book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I finished it a while ago, and now he wants to know if I want to read the next one. The thing is, I really didn't like the first book. I'm not sure if I should bother reading the next one. My wife thinks I should give it a chance, based on things she's heard from others (the first book is different from the rest, the series gets better, etc.) and the fact that two of my friends say the books are really good.

I generally like King, but don't know about this series. I found the first book very confusing and, when I did figure out what was going on, I didn't like it. I'm not a fan of post apocolyptic stuff generally, I don't care for sci-fi, and I really don't like the sci-fi/fantasy mix this book seems to be. My fear is that these books may get better, but they'll turn into a type of book I just don't care for...and thereby waste precious reading time.

Have any of you read the Dark Tower books? Are they worth getting into?

 

[JoeGKushner]

I'd wait until the whole thing was out. He rewrote almost the whole first book and I understand that he did little tweaks with the second book.

Wait for the whole thing and knock yourself out. I stopped at book IV because I was either going to wait to day until the whole series came out or read the whole thing at once since a) I'd forgotten much of the book and b) he rewrote some of it.

 

[Drew]

But I'm wondering if I'm wasting my time even reading this series. I found the first book sort of jarring, and I didn't care for the psuedo sci-fi/fantasy blend it seemed to be. Is the first book a good indication of the "feel" of the rest of the series?

 

[Desdichado]

I wonder the same thing. I didn't particularly like the first book either, but not because I didn't like the setting. The pacing, the characters, the writing itself; the book just didn't work for me.

 

[Pants]

I've heard all kinds of praise for the Dark Tower books, but I just don't get it. The writing is often sloppy (compared to most of King's other books), I don't care for the characters (except Roland, Cuthbert, and Alain), but when I do, they annoy the hell out of me. The one thing that I really liked about the series was the setting, especially the western setting that made up The Gunslinger. The idea of reality decaying, doors opening into countless other worlds, post apocalyptic wastelands, and chivalric gun-totting knights in dusky desert towns is a beautiful idea. I love it, in fact I'd love to base a d20 Modern campaign around the idea.

That said, I think you may want to read on. Book 2 The Drawing of the Three was my favorite in the series. Book 3 really sucks, but Book 4 isn't too bad. The Gunslinger was written over a period of 6 or so years and thus has a weird style compared to the others. It often contradicts information in the later books and the ending... the ending just plain made no sense. It took me a second read through of Book 1 to actually get the nerve to read Book 2.

That's it, I'm done rambling.

 

[Karlson_the_red]

Well, the first book is uh, shall I say, a bit slow... the pacing is off and a lot of stuff just doesn't make a lot of sense. My wife turned me on to the series when we were first dating, and I have to say, each book gets better and better. The strange fusion of fantasy/ modern day/ Sci-fi creates some interesting situations, as well as how King ties a majority of his books into this series, ie The Stand and most recently, Salem's Lot.

The first book is a tough read, but by the end of the second book, Drawing of the Three, you will be longing for more. Atleast now, you won't have to wait years like I did for the next books. The last book in the series is due out next year, if I remember correctly.

With the new re-release of the Gunslinger, King updated it a bit more and streamlined it to fit in better with the rest of the series.

As the series progresses, it becomes stranger and stranger. People comment about how the characters bug them, and I have to agree, but that is the point. The characters in the novels are not nice people. Heck, Roland, the main character, is no where near being nice. That is one reason I love the books. How often can you find a book, where the "heroes" are all asses and yet, you still feel for them?

Karlson the Red

 

[Kesh]

I would suggest you try the second one and, if you still find it unsatisfying, don't bother with the rest. It's mostly the same feel throughout the series.

 

[Merlion]

Carry on. The first one is very strange and surreal, but it gets better and better with each other book

and if you read a lot of his other stuff, its fun to watch for the connections


in truth, everything he's ever written is part of the Dark Tower

 

[LightPhoenix]

You know, if you didn't like the first book, I say screw it and try to find something that you will enjoy from start to finish.

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

I guess I am in the minority here, but I truly enjoyed the first book (the original, not the re-writing I heard about). I am one of those that don't enjoy King all that much, but I like his style in this one. The Drawing of the Three really surprised me (in a good way) and even the Wastelands had suprisingly good moments. Right now I am stuck at Wizard and Glass because the book is focusing on my least favorite of Roland's companions.