Rating: 
Summary: Wizard and Glass: The Dark Tower IV
Review: Frank Muller's reading of King's fourth book in a projected seven-part series (e.g., The Waste Lands: The Dark Tower, Bk. 3, Audio Reviews LJ 2/15/92) is effective in creating a suspenseful and fearful atmosphere. We find Roland, the knight errant/gunslinger, continuing his quest to attain the Dark Tower, the source of destructive forces in his Mid-World. A major portion of this work is a recounting by Roland of his ill-fated love affair with Susan Delgado. The writing is expectedly imaginative, the story line engrossing, and the characters vivid. The listener is carried along through alternating Western, urban, and futuristic settings. The work stands on its own, incorporating a summary of Books 1-3, but will be better appreciated if listened to as part of the whole. Recommended for sf/fantasy collections and Stephen King fans.'
Rating: 
Summary: Upsetting disappointment.
Review: Let there be no doubt, I am a huge fan of the Dark Tower series and I'm still waiting for the next episode. I overheard a member of staff at my local bookstore talking about the novel, realised it was in stock, and ran over to buy it and tugged it home with great enthusiasm. I was younger then, and I loved reading the book. I even hugged it once. This humiliating truth I only reveal to let you know how enamoured I was of the series, yet once I was done I felt cheated. I re-read it and found myself skipping through many parts, and that's not usually a good sign. I did the same upon re-reading the Drawing of the Three with the tiresome 'Detta on the beach' parts.To be fair, there are several excellent sequences. One of them comes near the end of the novel, yet the climax of the attack on Jonas and men his is a let-down. I won't say why because I don't want to give the game away, but I don't think King does confrontation too well these days. It seems he wants to steer clear of the typical dramatic and cliched ending, but it left me feeling hungry for something more satisfying. I was interested in the Tick-Tock Man. King had set up an intriguing character with an unusual name, and once I learned of his skills in The Wastelands I began to fear what might happen with a confrontation between Roland and Tick-Tock. A veritable clash of the titans. But it just goes phut, like a damp firework. Imagine if Lord of the Rings ended in this fashion: 'And so Sam and Frodo went into Mordor, and threw the Ring into Mount Doom.' The sudden finish and the Wizard of Oz references seemed lame on the second reading. For a while I had to wonder if King had returned to using halluciogenic drugs. Roland also turns into a bit of a wet end, crying and such, and that might be interesting character development but I hoped he would stay the unpleasant gent that I first met when I read The Drawing of the Three. One of the appealing aspects of Roland's world and the Dark Tower series is the sparse detail. I found The Gunslinger to be dull and plodding when I first read it, but as I got older and re-read it the somewhat surreal atmosphere and the laconic voice intrigued me. I'd now say that it was my favourite of the series. As many have already said, the romance between Roland and Susan drags on and on and on and I saw no particular chemistry between the two of them. King admits he is not good at romance, so why not cut this part down? I know they are in love because they keep telling each other, and King keeps telling us, but I didn't believe it. When this was first published I ate the love story up because I was young and lonely and a romantic, but now I'm old and bitter and cynical I doubt it would have the same effect on me. It's not atrocious, and it's well-written, but the flaws above stop it from standing alongside King's greats like The Stand, Pet Sematary, Salem's Lot and the Dead Zone. It makes me fear for the rest of the Dark Tower series, but I hope they will be an improvement.
Rating:
Summary: An amazing novel
Review: Without a doubt, The Wizard and the Glass is the best book of the Dark Tower Series, and the best book I have read by King. While little of the book deals with Roland's present quest, King shows us some of Roland's past. I enjoyed the first three books of this series, but not like this one. King brings young Roland to life, shows his arrogance, pride, and remorse. This novel reveals Roland to us while still plodding closer to the Dark Tower. If you have read the first three books, you will be amazed at the change of pace and plot. What happens. The riddling contest with Blaine continues. Once Eddie finishes the riddling contest, they arrive in a parrallel Kansas, not their own, but a Kansas stricken with disease. As they continue through this hybrid Kansas, Roland holds palaver to reveal parts of his youth to his Ka-tet. It is the story of how his father protected him from Marten by sending Roland and two of his friends, Cuthbert and Alain, west to Mejis. In Mejis, Roland falls in love with a beautiful girl named Susan. He and his friends also discover a plot of Farson's about to run its course in Mejis. Lied to and disliked by good, honest townsfolk, Roland must first discover the plot and then foil it. But it becomes more than a quest to foil Farson, it becomes a quest to save his life, and the life of his friends. Then we return to Kansas. We have reached the Tower of Oz and reunite with old friends. One is killed, while Flagg escapes. In the end, Roland has returned to the path of the beam. I highly recommend this book, even if you have not read the first three. The story of Roland, Cuthbert, Alain, Susan, and the Big Coffin Hunters is so rich it is worth reading by itself.
Rating: 
Summary: A big disappointment
Review: First off, I am a huge fan of the first 3 books of the Dark Tower series, especially book III, the Waste Lands. Each successive book became more action-packed and interesting, and made you care about the main characters more and more. Unfortunately, this steady progression of excellence came to a crashing halt with Wizard and Glass. I have problems with each of the three sections of the book: 1. The first section resolved the cliffhanger ending of the Waste Lands in cheesy and annoying fashion. 2. The "flashback" sequence to when Roland is a young man was way too long, was filled with mediocre character interaction, and seemed mostly pointless. 3. The last section, which moves back to the present, is filled with unimaginative references to The Stand and the Wizard of Oz, and the climax sequence is thoroughly disappointing. Overall, the high standards set by the first 3 books in the series were not achieved by this book. I'm still looking forward to book V because with King, an improvement is always likely. Here's hoping book V is a 5 star read.
Rating:
Summary: Not thrilled at all...
Review: I will start off by saying that I loved the first three books and I read all four books in a week, BUT this last one left me extremely unsatisfied. I won't recap the book, others have done that better than I would, I will only tell you my thoughts on this installment.
I think that 800 pages was excellent and all the books should be this long, but I think that the story of Roland's love and loss went on for way too long and the Wizard story was laughably too short. King went on and on in the love story talking about everything, even if it was relevant or not, but the wizard section only received about 10 pages and that whole part felt unbelievably forced.
Which is really a shame because the first three books were really something special and the Drawling OF Three was particularly good.
Well not all books can be a winner, and I will be patiently waiting for the next book. It hopefully will come out soon!!
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: Stephen King keeps up his magic with this great page turner. but i have one question: WHEN IS THE NEXT ONE COMING OUT!!!
Rating: 
Summary: I decided to be generous
Review: I do know the face of my father, but I have a feeling even my father would have had a hard time staying awake for this one. Let me just say that the fist 100 pages dealing with Roland, Jake, Eddie and Blane are excellent after that the book hit the dirt--hard. It is important to learn about Roland's past but did they have to it in such a boring manner? I can't see how he feel in love with the women myself though she was beautiful and all that. The book redemmed itself at the end when Roland, Alan and Cuthburt went on the warpath. I can't wait to see how King wraps these books up. If you are just starting out with this serise start with the first in line(#1) and work your way up.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best series ever written - period.
Review: The dark Tower series is not just Stephen Kings best, but one of the best books ever written - so far, that is, since the series isnt finished yet. You have to wiev the entire series as one book in order to get the real experience. And if this is to be your first excursion into the weird world of Roland the Gunslinger, dont start with this book. Read the three others first. If you dont, this will still be a good reading experience, but you will miss out on a lot. The Dark Tower series is Stephen King in a way that you havent seen him before. The action is far out and difficult to describe - miles away from Maine or Salem. Are the books westerns, sci-fi, medieval, sword 'n sorcery or maybe psychological? It depends on how you perceive them yourself. But the story is immensely captivating and also very complex which is not typical King, since he often relies on complex characters in a simple setting. Regarding the characters, King has outdone himself here. The reader gets to truly know the people in the books and the result is, that we care about them like family. Feel with them. And not just the main characters - the supporting cast and various bad guys are just as much alive in the pages and not merely targets for the hero. And while we are at it, the hero is not all hero either. He has serious flaws and you clearly sense that he might die or never reach his goal or something. In one of his forewords King himself writes that the reader must be prepared for Roland to never reach his tower. The Dark Tower series will not add much to Kings financial empire. This is not the kind of novel an author gets rich on. This is not main stream King. It will never be made into a movie - that would be impossible (then again, I said that about Lord of The Rings too, so who knows :-) But in 200 years when books like Carrie and Pet Sematary has faded into history like decent thrillers without too much substance in them, the Dark Tower series will shine as a timeless pearl in Kings litterary heritage. These are not the books that made him rich, but the books that will make him immortal. Miss them at your own peril.
Rating:
Summary: wizard and glass
Review: The 4th book in the Dark Tower series takes quite a different turn from the previous 3, with this book concentrating more on Roland's past than on the current group.
Of course we have to deal with the cliffhanger ending of the 3rd book but then we sit down with Roland as he takes us on a trip through not only his past but also the pre-history of the strange world into which we have traveled. We also get to meet Cuthbert and Allan as well as Roland's 1st love.
This change of format makes for a very good stand-alone book by itself but fits in beautifully with the overall tale. I can't wait till book 5!
Rating:
Summary: Good on the first read, Spectacular on the second
Review: I read this book, originaly, about a day after it came out. This is the fourth book in a series and I was hoping it would follow in a certain direction. It didn't. Not being what I had expected, the book wasn't great the first time through. However, I reread it about 2 years later with an open mind and it was great. A good portion of the book can stand alone as a great piece of fiction but when combined with the previous three books it is just that much better. I highly reccomend the series if you haven't read it. I just can't wait for the next book in the series.
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