I'm really thrilled to start this latest prequel(?) addition to the Dark Tower series. I can only hope it slides right into one of my all time favorite worlds and doesn't jangle me too badly...

... and I'm done. And quick too!

What a great book! I have to say, it was a touch short for a DT book, and easily half of it was taken up by a fable told by Roland, so there was next to nothing in the book that directly related to Roland's ka-tet and their quest for the Dark Tower.

Still, it was a story fully immersed in the universe of the DT series, and was fascinating, exciting and impressive in its own right. As I mentioned before, I was dubious about some readers' claims that someone who had never read a DT book before could pick this up and enjoy it. And now, having finished it, I stand by that opinion. I think it's possible for a reader who enjoys high fantasy to find enough in the book to enjoy, but I really think that it requires a reader intimately familiar with Mid-World and at least the first four DT books to really get the most out of it.

That being said, I encourage anyone and everyone to read them all, including this one, and say thankya!