Rating: 
Summary: KING's typewriter diarrhea keeps this book from shining
Review: The DARK TOWER IV perhaps should have been called The DARK TOWER 3.5. This installment ignores the characters featured in the first three in order to explore Roland's past. Unfortunately, King tempts us in the introduction to the book with the fascinating concept that all his stories are tied together by the DARK TOWER series. Every book from the SHINING to the STAND is linked by Roland's journey. And after he tells us this, by dropping his characters in a 1987 Colorado, where a lethal plaugue has all but wiped out the human race (sound familiar?), Roland tells a story. A really really long story. While this was interesting and was okay to listen to (I was lazy and got the book on tape), it was something of a let down. And KING is far too in love with the details (well spun though they are) of his imaginary world. If I hear "THANKY SY" one more time, I'm going to find King himself and vomit on him. Concerning the audio version specifically, Frank Muller is a fantasically dynamic voice actor who could make the telephone book sound compelling and a vast improvment over KING's voice, which does have its charm but lacks the power to make his stories feel really epic.
Rating: 
Summary: YERRR OUT
Review: Because he is The Great Stephen King, he can't get a 1. But like any great home run hitter King either drives it over the fence, or he strikes out. Mr. King...go have a seat on the bench..
Rating: 
Summary: King at his best. Compeling, gripping & leaves you gasping.
Review: In his usual blend of crossing whens and wheres, King reenters the worlds of the Dark Tower and the lives of Roland and his ka-tet. After a satisfying resolution of the cliffhanger with Blaine the Mono, Roland et al resume their quest for the Dark Tower. Around a campfire, with a mysterious castle looming ahead, Roland spins a story of his first love and it is this tale which forms the lions share of the novel. With humor, his fine understanding of the pain of adolescence, and his incredible sense of story, King compells us to read on and uncover one layer of the complex persona which is Roland. This is a great read. You are left in the exact right place -- wanting more - eager for more - demanding more. Dear SK please hurry!
Rating:
Summary: a classic king
Review: Once again Stephen King makes me lose sleep.I cant seem to put the book down with its engrossing story line. This is a look back at Roland's youth, a part that I woundered about since vol three of the DarkTower series. I highly recomend this book to any Stephen King fan and to new fans I say read the first three first..
Rating: 
Summary: Top Ten Problems with Wizard and Glass
Review: 1. Far too much time spent on pointless subplot/flashback that doesn't advance the plot. 2. Roland's background only mildly fleshed out; most of the book was dedicated to a period of a mere three months out of his whole life, and those in a hick town, not even Gilead. 3. Justice is not served in the end. 4. Elements clearly lifted from Tolkien, and not in a good way. 5. Mythology of Dark Tower itself no clearer than before. 6. Slapped-together Wizard of Oz sequence. 7. TickTockMan fails to impress. 8. Anticlimax battles in which heroes have it way too easy. 9. Appealing character burned at stake for no apparent reason other than a last-minute sense that the book wasn't horrifying enough. 10. Simply too long.
Rating:
Summary: Unsuspected tears from the king of horror
Review: I waited anxiously for this book to come out, had almost forgotten that the story hadn't been finished. Now, with the book here and read, I must say that it was totally amazing. Sure, many will complain that the book was too long, but I found myself checking how much more I had to read, not to see when I would be done, but how much longer this story would be a part of my life. With a brilliant flashback into the past of Roland's life, King makes his readers closer to the true character of Roland. Seeing that he can actually love and be loved is very moving to the whole quest for the Dark Tower. Though the actual storyline only moves a couple days, it is aparent that Roland has completed part of his quest for the Tower by telling his story. With his new ka-tet's view of him now, the quest can truly move on because they now understand why the Tower is so important to Roland. I must commend King on the imagery acheived by this remarkable book. For the first time in my life, I was so taken by this story and its characters that I found myself crying at the sad moments and laughing when there was cause to laugh. I do hope that the quest for the Tower is finally fulfilled at some point, but, please Mr. King, do not rush to get there.
Rating: 
Summary: Too bad.....
Review: This SHOULD have been one of the greatest books by Stephen King. However, it is not. I would have liked to give it a 1-rating but my respect for Mr. King is too big to do that.
This book is one big disappointment! Let me explain: I enjoyed reading King's books for a long time because of his imagination. "The Stand" is an excellent book for its visionary power, for the detailed developpment of each character, for the overall beauty of the story. It is, however, not a precise book, or must I say: it is not written precisely.
That is also the problem with his fourth book of the dark-tower series (actually with ALL his books except for "the Gunslinger"). In an afterword to an earlier book in this series (I think it was "the drawing of the three") Mr. King once wrote that the book had written itself, without much influence from the writer.
Just imagine: he spent the better part of 10 years writing "the Gunslinger" but it took him less than that to write the all three that followed in the dark-tower series.
Let me get to the point: "the Gunslinger" is the best book ever written by Mr. King. The following three are not WORTHY of being included in the series.
If I may request something of Mr. King: Try to WRITE your next book instead of letting it write itself. You do have the talent and patience and power to do that; but do you have the GUTS to spend years on one book? Do you dare wait to accomplish a possibly great work of art instead of spitting out book after book after book for the money?
Rating:
Summary: This was a GREAT book
Review: I read this book and loved it...I thought it was the best of the whole series...just keep the books comin', Stephen.
Rating:
Summary: An engrossing and un-put-downable read!
Review: The characters were so vivid I could taste the dust they kicked up in their travels. You can't get comfortable with what seems, most times, to be a "wild west" setting because of the otherworldlyness of the place. King has created a when and where that simply won't allow comfort. He effortlessly blends images that the mind says belong with what does not. I was challenged again and again to attempt a guess at what would happen next. I never guessed right. I have been anxiously awaiting the release of this novel for some time. It was worth it!
Rating:
Summary: King continues to surpass himself.
Review: Through lobsrosities to robot bears and riddle-me-this talking trains Rolands crew manages to survive.. Will they find the Dark tower?...
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