Wizard and Glass

I've been reading a lot lately.  Well, listening a lot.  I just finished Swan Song -- and loved it.  And started a book called Lucifers Hammer.

Why I Gave Up The First Time

I also started reading the one Dark Tower book that so far I've avoided -- Wizard and Glass.  Why did I avoid it?  Because I'm lazy.  I heard that the entire book was a flash  back, and so I could easily skip from Wasteland to Wolves and not really miss anything.  Besides, King gives us an overview at the beginning of each book.  And, as I moved into the second half of the series, I never felt I'd missed anything by passing on Wizard and Glass.

I did read the first portion, which involves Blane the Mono.  It was both incredibly exciting, and enough to convince me I did not want to continue with the book.  I was blown away when the crew exited Blane (FINALLY)  and discovered  that Topeka had been ravaged by an evil plague -- Captain Trips.  Woha!  Seriously, I was blown away.  It was the first time I realized Stephen King's Dark Tower series was incorporating other books.

But there was a problem; I did not connect at all with the Blane the Mono scenes.  They went on forever, and it was all about a computer who loved riddles.  Of course, I knew they were going to beat the evil train, so there was little suspense.

So, I dropped out.

I'm back!

But I'm back with a problem.  As the novel moves to Roland's past, King drops into third person.  No problem there, right?   Wrong.  He doesn't just narrate what Roland experienced, but tells the story from the omniscient narrator vantage point.  But it's Roland telling the story.  Roland is not an omniscient narrator!  How does he know what the old witch is thinking?  How can he tell about scenes he's not in?

Now, I'm frustrated because I seem to be the only person noting this.  I asked my wife, "Did it bother you that the book, which Roland's story, is told in third person?  How does he know what other people are thinking?"  She shrugged, "Nope."  That was it.  Nope. So I've been driving and listening to Wizard and Glass, wound up about something my wife was able to shrug off and move on with the novel.

Prequels are hard on me.  I'm not sure I "get it."  Imagine me as the kid in class raising my hand after a forty five minute lecture.  "Yes?"  "I don't get it."  Sigh.

What I Love

Wizard and Glass does a very nice job giving the characters greater depth.  Insights into men, women, sex, and human nature are all discussed with a level of maturity King had not previously brought to the series.  Roland is no cardboard cut out; he's deeply emotional.  And we learn this through Suzannah.

Reviews and Thoughts by Derick From Brasil

My friend Derick is from Brasil. We talk often by email about Stephen King. He's sharp, as you'll discover in his article below. I asked him to write me an article about what it's like being a King fan in Brasil. My friend is 17, very sweetly humble and a very fast reader. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! By the way, I like the fact that Derick is honest in his opinion; he doesn't gush and he's not afriad to share honest thoughts. So, here's one constant readers take on the Stephen King universe!

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Stephen King (SK) happened to me about one year ago.

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When I first saw him I said: This guy is nuts! Mainly because he's staring in a lot of his own movies.It happened while I was still in the school. A friend of mine said: "My brother loves reading his books." So, I tried. Started with The Shining and didn't like it, although it's not a bad book. The Shining (I read it in Portuguese) I thought was a great story with such a bad ending. I really think SK cannot make a great ending at all, but, anyway, I love his stories. Then, I tried reading English versions and the first was The Eyes Of The Dragon. Horrible book, to me, by far, the worst I've read from him (I may be wrong but that was I felt when it ended), kind of fairytales.

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I had many reasons to stop reading Sk but I didn't and won't. I really thought: "He's so famous, he has to write something good." That was when I read Needful Things. And, Oh My Godness, I really loved it. The plot itself is amazing but a lot of characters. The next one I read was Bag of Bones, and I have to say: Amazing beautiful great story. Kyra almost made me cry and I really enjoied it. There are a lot I read: Desperation, The Dark Half, The Gunslinger, The Drawing of The Three, The WasteLands, Wizard and Glass, Skeleton Crew, 'Salem's Lot and The Bachman Books (not a wide list but not short neither).

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I'll talk about each book I've read:

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- Desperation: Excelent story, good for those who like action books (like me), but the ending was bad. David Carver really got my atention.

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- The Dark Half: You can read it so fast, it happened to me and no other book did this to me. Very good plot, bad ending and so many questions not answered. I loved Thad's Twins... They're awesome.

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- Skeleton Crew: I had not read all of the stories but I read a few ones. Pretty good, it depends on each tale.

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- 'Salem's Lot: Horrible Book! The ending almost made me throw this book away. Messy most of the times.

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- The Bachman Books: I read The Long Walk which was amazingly good, the splot is wonderful and I wish SK could tell us what Ray asked after winning The Long Walk. I read Rage too. Indeed, I only bought this book because of Rage and it's a book full of nothing. It was a bad book (Rage).

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- The Gunslinger: Loved that book. The best I've read from The Dark Tower. It tells us exactly what Roland is and Jake.

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- The Drawing of the Three: Good book, it shows us all characters but boring at times, it only got my atention after Detta and Odetta story, but good.

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- The Wastelands: Another action book. Nothing to say unless It's good.

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- Wizard and Glass: Excelent in the beginning, stopped reading after flashbacks. Those flashbacks spoiled the whole story.

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I really have to say SK is a genious not only for writing books but having the ability to creat so amazing stories and be able to make them to come true. I love him and his books although not all are good. David asked me to write something. I really appreciate that but I don't know if I was capable to do such a thing, I wish I would. I'm a great SK fan but not like David. I wanted to introduce myself in the ending because being Bra"s"ilian boy is not a compliment at all. Sorry if I made any mistake but my English cannot be compared to yours.

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I'm from Bra"s"il, I'm 17 years-old and live in São Paulo. Here, in Brazil, SK is not famous here (everybody asks me "Who is Stephen King" and they can only know who he is when I say: "He wrote The Green Mile", and I really liked chatting with you and exposing my thoughts, it was good. Thank you once more,Dérick.

Stephen King's The Wind Through The Keyhole

Suspicion has been lurking for some time that King was not quite finished with the Dark Tower series. Speculation died down when it turned out the upcoming "Ka is a Wheel" was a game.

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Lilja's Library quotes Zach Dionne thusly: "King stated he will write another Dark Tower novel. It will center around supporting characters and revolve around some important events between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla."

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That's not much of a hint. But, it's enough to speculate! Firstly, "important events between Wizarda and Glass and Wolves of the Calla":

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Here's what we know happened to the Ka-tet between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla:

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1. Only six weeks elapsed between the books. (or seven weeks. Bev Vincent's books says seven. My wife says six. In my world, my wife is always right. Because she cooks dinner.)

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2. After Roland tells the story of his younger years and his first love, they are back on the path of the Beam.

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3. We know that the ka-tet lost some time in Wizard and Glass.

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"The sky was clear when we went inside the palace, he thought and realized time had slipped again. How much or how little he wasn't sure he wanted to know -- Roland's world was like a transmission with its gear teeth all but stripped away; you never knew when time was going to pop into neutral or raceyou away in overdrive. Was this Roland's world, though, and if it was how had they gotten back to it?" (p.771-772 W.G. hardcover)

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4. They also walked in their sleep.

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5. Someone gave Jake food -- a chicken leg.

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6. They continue on, walking along the path of the beam. They are disoriented.

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So what's new and big that happened between the books? Only the King knows

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The Characters:
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I suspect the new book is very much in the world of the Dark Tower, but does not use Roland or Eddie at all. You can check Liljas to see what character is promised to be there. Remember the Zach Dionne quote, "It will center around supporting characters and revolve around some important events between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla."
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The Dark Tower involves characters beyond the seven novels. This includes Insomnia and Little Sisters Eluria. Point is: Anyone can pop up!
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Of course, Wizard and Glass was more focused on "supporting" characters. It was a background novel as much as anything. It did not advance the immediate story, but deepened the characters. So it's interesting that another novel with supporting characters would come directly after Wizard and Glass.
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Nothing New
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Okay, so there's really nothing new here. I always feel overwhelmed with the Dark Tower. I can't keep up. I feel like a D- student in a room full of A+ graduates.
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http://www.liljas-library.com/

Betts Bookstore -- A Home Run!

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Since we live in California our contact with Betts bookstore has been solely by phone -- we call in an order, and they faithfully fill it. We find their pricing and knowledge right on. Of course, sometimes ebay is chaper, but often people on the internet don't reall know what they're working with.

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The other day my wife bought me a "Stephen King grab-bag." A what?, I asked. What's a grab bag? "They were cleaning out their back room and put a bunch of stuff in a grab bag. It's all Stephen King, you'll like it," she promised. I was very excited because I knew it was coming from Betts, and they don't let down -- ever. I knew that if my wife paid $75 for a "grab-bag" then we would get more than our money's worth.

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When my wife talked to Stu he said, "This should get there on Friday." He was right. The box was heavy, which excited me. So what was inside? I was afraid I had just paid for some old shirts. No -- it was a box full of. . . stuff. Lots of stuff. Odds and ends. It took a while to process. Soon our kitchen table was full as we spread out the items. Our children gathered round, interested in all the things coming out of the box. We were thrilled.

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A few things:

• Posters.


• Postcards.
  
• Bookcovers (paperback and hardcover).
  
• Newsletters.
  
• Ticket stubs.
  
• Wizard and glass booklet.
  
• Photo's.
  
• The Dark Tower comic book series.
  
• IT promotional booklet.
  
• Paperwork. Like legal briefs and more.
  
• Bookmarks.
  
• Tickets from Stephen King readings.
  
• Lawnmowerman VHS cover, and stickers to cover up King's name.
  
• The Collector, a new introduction by S.K.
  
• Phantasmayoria. (Bookelt/newsletter by George Beahm)
  
• Promotional brochure of the stage production of Misery.
  
• Tickets to the halloween showing of Carrie.
  
• Large set of "The Red Letter" (a newsletter booklet by Greg Htchkiss).
  
• Trading Cards.
  
• Dustjackets.
  
• SKIN, Stephen King Information Network newletters.
  
• Ads clipped or torn from papers.
  
• Magazine pages.

And, one more thing: A scrap book. Who's scrap book? Charlie Fried's, I think. Actually, I'm pretty sure. It has his picture, and lots of persnal notes to himf rom editors. Charlie Fried was a well known super-collector. I read an interview with him in The Essential Stephen King. So there I sat with this little scrap book of really, really cool stuff -- and I'm thinking: Wow, Charlie Fried put this together! (In other words: Someone know knows what they're doing).

The Scrapbook is full of his personal notes. A lot about his trip to Maine, and ersonal pictures of things in Bangor related to King. A personal picture of King's home and the sandpipe. It is, to me at least, priceless. Not just that it can't be bought in a bookstore, but the feeling that it was assembled by someone who really thought highly of King. I thumbed through it once to figure out what it was, then kept going back to it, ralizing it was the real prize in the box. A big thanks to Betts for making this available.

Best Dark Tower Books

A friend gave me two books: The Stand and The Dark Tower. I started the Dark Tower, The Gunslinger but quickly decided I would do better reading about the end of the world. I ate the Stand up that summer and then difted to new King novels. The Gunslinger would have to wait until I could dig through it with an audio edition. Finally I did read it -- and still didn't get it. "Don't you see," a highschool friend said, "they're in hell." A neat idea, but I was pretty sure that wasn't "it." What was up with this book?

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I remember disappointment as Roland climbed the mountain only for the book to end in a long talk. A long talk! Come on!

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I would have given up on the series -- truly -- but for the Drawing of the Three. Something called me back to the Dark Tower series. Was it King's own energy for this? Did I sense that something both dark and wonderful was going to happen in these books? The weight of the first book lifted in Drawing of the Three, and King's joyful story telling style returned. I loved it as Roland popped between world's through doors. There he was one moment in the world I knew, and then dropping back to another era in America. It was great when Eddie hid his drugs in Roland's world. The gangsters, the doors, the woman in the wheelchair. . . oh, and those things that attacked Roland on the beach (did-a-chick) were all great! Maybe, I considered, this series wasn't destined to be a total flop. I still didn't get it, but it made a connection.

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The Wastelands reminded me very much of Star Trek's "The Search For Spock." Only, this was: The Search For Jake. Sorry, it just seemed that King wanted to redeem himself on this one and help Roland not look so bad. Again, there was bouncing between worlds, a fight with a huge bear, encounter a Nazi airplane, Randall Flagg -- and then the true plot twisting begins! The Tick Tock Man, Blane -- it's the kind of book that as you read it you think: Wow, this is good! But to be honest, the storyline isn't so unique it sticks to you. I would have to read it a fourth or fifth time to really nail down all the details. But I remember it was complicated and did very much progress the story.

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And then. . . Mr. King stopped writing the Dark Tower for a while. I went off to College, got a job, got married. . . and then Wizard and Glass came out. I was really excited about this one but I just couldn't make it. I'm almost ashamed of that, but I just couldn't. There was true joy in realizing that for a brief period of time they were moving through the world of the Stand. But then, as things dipped into a back-story, I drifted off. My wife read the book and loved it. "Ruby slippers," she told me, "it's got all kinds of ties to the Wizard of Oz." Uh-huh! So that's supposed to tempt me? I'll just wait for the next book and read the argument, I decided. (This was before the internet really superly took off).

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Right. . . wait for the next book. Years dripped by, but there was no next book. And the way the series had been going, it kind of seemed okay to me.

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Then Mr. King had a bad car accident, got run over by a drunk -- and it looked like the Dark Tower was going to be a bust. Surely publishers wouldn't just let it die, they would do what publishers did with V.C. Andrews, just hire someone who writes like the author. But who writes like Stephen King?

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Thankfully Stephen King did not die. In fact, he came out of recovery and handed his fans a wonderful gift called: "Dreamcatcher." And soon there was an anouncement from King: He would finish all three remaining books one after another.

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The return to Roland's world was well worth it! I loved Wolves of the Calla! The idea of a town standing up for itself was indeed a page turner. The characters were developed, the plot moved, and even the old west feel, which hadn't really been present since The Gun Slinger, was back. I loved the final fight scene as plates whirred through the air and the gunslingers took their stand along with the townspeople. Brilliantly executed! It was the kind of book that made me shout outloud, "YEAH!" For once Roland wasn't just focused on his stupid tower, but was being what a gunslinger ought to be: A warrior for the oppressed. I loved it.

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Right on the heels of this came Song of Susannah. Tightly written, if not sometiems confusing it certainly had its moments. The gunslinger meets Stephen King?! Three Stephen Kings! Nice. And, it all happens in a single day. It took me a while to realize that small point.

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King concluded the series with massive novel The Dark Tower. In it we find redemption for a certain priest and new obsticals along the path. To be honest, I was in such a hurry to get to the Dark Tower, I found myself zoning out as plot rolled by. That, and I was delayed when my wife had a car accident and totalled the car -- which had my Dark Tower CD's. But at last I had to finish. As the magic day came, King gave fair notice: Don't feel obligated to read on. Make up your own ending. Yeah, right! I paid good money for this! "You're not going to like it," my wife warned. What does she know! Well, turns out she knows a lot. What?! The world is coming apart, only the dark tower can save everything -- and it ends where it began?

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So, here's my question: If the series ends where it began, if I read it again, will it still end there? Is that where it goes everytime, or just this time?

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It was an enjoyable journey. Far better than Lord of the Rings in my opinion. And, easily the best two in the series were Drawing of the Three, which re-engaged me in the series, and Wolves of the Calla, which again re-engaged me in Roland's quest. Of course, the journey is not over. This time you can take the journey via comic book. I'm not taking that journey, so please, anyone want to tell me if it comes out any different?.

http://www.thedarktower.com/

http://www.stephenking.com/darktower/