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A review by james_a
The Dark Tower by Stephen King
3.0
It is clearly evident (and King said himself) he did not know where the story was going or how it ended. That is reflected in the unevenness of the tale, and the unsatisfying endings for many of the major characters such as Randall Flagg, Eddie Dean, Mordred, and the Crimson King.
I am aware to many who find this series beloved that it’s about the journey and not about the ending, but there is a fundamental flaw in that thinking in that, if the ending was not thought out while writing more than half of the books, then how could the journey be rewarding when in hindsight much of it feels aimless.
This may be harsh but it is my frank opinion after spending nearly a year reading this series.
Epics such as these need to be plotted and thought out, so that the themes and character arcs can interweave and lead to a resolution that feels fitting, and leaves the reader with a burning sense of satisfaction. Imagine if Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings were written as sporadic as the Dark Tower? You could imagine there would be many detours and side quest that would feel pointless to the overall plot of the book.
To clarify, I do like the literal ending of the series, as in the final chapter and the Coda, i agree with King that that ending is the right one. When I write about King not knowing how the series would end I meant from an overarching climax and resolution that starts in Book 5.
Did I also enjoy many parts of the series? Of course I did, and it’s a testament to Kings ability as a wordslinger. But this work by no means elevated him as a writer and does not enhance his legacy. He is at his best writing single novels where he takes a single situation, idea, or theme, and hammers out a character story. IT, Misery, The Shining, Pet Sematary, The Green Mile; those are all stellar novels that execute on this premise.
Kings mechanism for writing does not apply to multi book series. He doesn’t or can’t write like that, and it’s what’s necessary in those types of stories.
As a final word, the series gets worse as it goes. Books 1-4 are actually the strongest, as they hold all of the promise and set up that does not get delivered on in the final 3 books. They take a 19, Ka, metafictional, fate driven plot to the brink of annoyance that detracts from the characters agency and motivations.
I am aware to many who find this series beloved that it’s about the journey and not about the ending, but there is a fundamental flaw in that thinking in that, if the ending was not thought out while writing more than half of the books, then how could the journey be rewarding when in hindsight much of it feels aimless.
This may be harsh but it is my frank opinion after spending nearly a year reading this series.
Epics such as these need to be plotted and thought out, so that the themes and character arcs can interweave and lead to a resolution that feels fitting, and leaves the reader with a burning sense of satisfaction. Imagine if Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings were written as sporadic as the Dark Tower? You could imagine there would be many detours and side quest that would feel pointless to the overall plot of the book.
To clarify, I do like the literal ending of the series, as in the final chapter and the Coda, i agree with King that that ending is the right one. When I write about King not knowing how the series would end I meant from an overarching climax and resolution that starts in Book 5.
Did I also enjoy many parts of the series? Of course I did, and it’s a testament to Kings ability as a wordslinger. But this work by no means elevated him as a writer and does not enhance his legacy. He is at his best writing single novels where he takes a single situation, idea, or theme, and hammers out a character story. IT, Misery, The Shining, Pet Sematary, The Green Mile; those are all stellar novels that execute on this premise.
Kings mechanism for writing does not apply to multi book series. He doesn’t or can’t write like that, and it’s what’s necessary in those types of stories.
As a final word, the series gets worse as it goes. Books 1-4 are actually the strongest, as they hold all of the promise and set up that does not get delivered on in the final 3 books. They take a 19, Ka, metafictional, fate driven plot to the brink of annoyance that detracts from the characters agency and motivations.