Rating: Summary: Roland and the wolves Review: Its nice to finally have the 5th book after such a long wait. The book is packed with excitement, although the actual fight between the ka-tet and the wolves coulda been a little longer in comparison to all the time leading up to it. It is also filled with surprises, including an old character from another story. It's also good that King is going to give us what we deserve as faithful readers (since i was in high school)and give the Dark Tower Series an ending. I only hope the ending is a fitting one for such a complicated and long series.
Rating: Summary: Maybe the Biggest Tower Junkie Around Review: I have read this series of books from beginnning to end at least twice between each new release. Whenever a new book is released I don't sleep until I am done reading it. Like I said I am a tower junkie. I am a huge fan of Wizard and Glass, even though it has little to do with the journey and more to do with Roland's the past. The Drawing of Three and The Waste Lands, by far, have the most to do with following the path of the beam. That is unarguable fact. When it comes to writing a review of this book I have debated, redebated, changed my mind in both directions and still have a tough time coming up with the right thing to say. I guess as a junkie this book gave me a fix, but left me wanting more. Wizard and Glass just stands out to me as the best pure story in the series, which Wolves of the Calla definitely was not. Don't get me wrong Wolves is a great book and I will not share any plot details because that is just unfair to future readers. This book is a must read for anyone looking to read the best series of books ever written, but I have to say that out of the five, it may be the one most lacking. The Gunslinger sets up the entire story, The Drawing of Three and The Wastelands develop the plot, Wizard and Glass is a great shot into Rolands past(and it finishes The Wastelands), but where does Wolves of the Calla fit. Maybe it will make more sense to me after I have read the final two books. I still would list this book as a must read. To all Tower Junkies it is the fix you are looking for, but if you are a Tower Junkie you have already read it at least once.
Rating: Summary: Come, come, I'll tell you the meaning of the Tower Review: Wolves of the Calla is a book that has a lot of the usual Stephen King intensity, but it also has a little too much side tracking. It's a fun book; i read it in two days; still, it's a step behind the first three Dark Tower stories--not as slow and deliberate as Wizard and Glass, which fortunately did have its moments of brilliance--yet it does find invention, passion, and voice in a tale that is worthy of Roland and his gang. The scenes involving the uninteresting and childish Calla folk seemed lengthy and dry, often reading like a bland screen play, but King has not lost it--I did give this book 4 stars, after all--but King has set a bench mark for himself that, yes, even he has difficulty reaching. The book hits its peak with Father Callahan and his telling our ka-tet the story of 'salem's lot. It also rides high during the ka-tet's journeys in, yes, that's right, New York. King writes here with the type of passion and flare we rarely see in popular fiction--when we do see it, it is usually from the pen of the King himself--proving that his word prosessor still has some gas in it, as long as he puts the appropriate effort into it.
Rating: Summary: Time Review: The Wolves of the Calla starts soon after Wizard and Glass leaves off, and immediately becomes an event to be charished. Effects from events in past Dark Tower books appear to wreak havoc upon Roland's ka-tet. And Susannah's "scizophrenia" breeds the character Mia who is a personality fixed on only one thing: motherhood. The town of Calla Bryn Sturgis is in needs the help of Roland and his ka-tet. Their children are kidnapped every generation, taken to Thunderclap (where the Dark Tower lies), and are returned "roont," or mentally defragmentated. The wolves follow a higher purpose; their goal, in serving the Crimson King, is to feed the psychic abilites of the "breakers" with the mental juice (if you will) of these kidnapped children. The "breakers" are psychics enslaved to destroyed the Beams holding up the Dark Tower. The Wolves of the Calla is one component of a much greater whole, and for complete understanding should be read as such. Without at least a working knowledge of this greater whole, the novel's full meaning cannot be comprehended. The Dark Tower series includes more than these five Dark Tower books. To understand and enjoy this novel read these prerequisite volumes: The Dark Tower 1-4, The Little Sisters of Eluria (found in Everything's Eventual),'Salem's Lot, Low Men in Yellow Coats (a novella in Hearts in Atlantis), and Black House. As an aside, the time taken to write these books is incorporated into the framework of the series. I somehow doubt its a coincidence that the numbers 19 and 99 that are so important to the Dark Tower 5 put together equal 1999-the year King was hit by the van that made him realize time of was of the essence, the Dark Tower needed to be finished.
Rating: Summary: Classic Review: This book is so well written I left it feeling very satisfied, like I had just finished making love. The purpose of the book?, well, it is just setting the series up for a classic Steven King ending. He makes you love and connect with characters so much (bag of bones comes to mind), that when they are soon after disposed of, maimed, or lost forever, it really evokes a lot of emotion in the reader. This book is simply the set up. It is very necessary, very entertaining, and very much the "fix" all Dark Tower junkies needed after the dry spell, and before the Big Bang conclusion that I am confident The King will deliver.
Rating: Summary: Best of the series Review: Be prepared that this book contains a lot of character development and for those of you action junkies, you might not like this book as much as say, The Wastelands. For all else, this is an excellent addition to the series. The story started out with a moving town meeting, the introduction to the Wolves of the Calla, the supreme menace of the story. There are many characters and each of them driven by love, power, good and evil. Roland is still as rugged, strong, and incredibily charismatic. Eddie is also tougher, but still charm us with his humer and grace. Jake is becoming a man, and his courage and friendship with both Oy and Benny (his new friend) touched us poignantly. But the heart of the book lies in Susannah, who is fighting her new incarnation - and losing. In the end, she might or might not touch you, but she will definitely scare you (or at least, send you a few shivers) all the way to the very end. For those of you that like the majestic feeling of desolation in The Wastelands might be disappointed. This book is heavy in diolouge and back story, a lot from Father Callahan, the priest from Salom's Lot (as many of you probably read). But no matter what kind of reader you are, the climatic chapters of the last 300 pages will worth more than the price of this book.
Rating: Summary: Best Dark Tower Book Yet Review: I discovered and devoured the first three "Dark Tower" books shortly before "Wizard and Glass" was published, and I've been eagerly awaiting this book since then. I wasn't disappointed. There's no point in recapping the plot for you at this point -- there are hundreds of reviewers doing that, and a fair number of them spoiling it as well, but I will tell you what I liked about this book. I've always loved the way King has linked all of his stories together, creating universes that all tie up. The inclusion of Father Callahan in this book, while a plot point we've all known about for a long time, was a great touch and really helped to drive home the point that, in the worlds of the Tower, all of Stephen King's stories are really happening. The self-referential stuff doesn't bother me in the slightest -- if you want a REAL self-referential novel, check out Isaac Asimov's "Murder at the ABA." Now THAT'S overkill. King uses himself as another tool in the story. Furthermore, he doesn't just reference himself, but branches out and includes other works of literature, showing that maybe the worlds of the Tower do not end with the worlds of Stephen King. It's an amazing book that will have you looking everywhere to find out what happens next. This has easily taken its spot as my favorite of the series... at least until "The Song of Susannah."
Rating: Summary: Another worthwhile edition to this epic story Review: I recently became a King fan and the Dark Tower series quickly became the books I anticipate reading. Wolves has all the excitement and heart of the rest of the series as well as some wonderful allusions that always intrigue. I also admire King for taking the better part of 40 years to weave this story into nothing less than an epic masterpiece. With the addition of Mia in Wolves, King continues to build upon his characters in a dazzling way. I reccommend these books to everyone but just make sure you have the free time for these some 900 pages because it sucks you in!
Rating: Summary: This baby took me awhile to read. Review: *Possible Spoilers* I was dissapointed with this book. I crave action and this book was 90% mumbo-jumbo. I loved the fourth book and I read that one in about a week. This book took me two and a half months. I hope the next chapter is better. The plot of the wolves attacking Calla Bryn Sturgis was very cool. The whole thing with Mia was BORING. I hope the 6th chapter quickly resolves this issue and moves onto Thunderclap! Can't King imagine something else to write about besides Susannah's stupid schizophrenia? The whole thing with Callahan was also very boring. I found I wasn't very interested in his alcohol addiction. People, I think King is going soft.
Rating: Summary: Keeps things moving Review: I am glad things are moving forward again along the Beam. No one spins a good yarn quite like Stephen King. As a huge fan of Wizard and Glass (my favorite of the whole series to this point), Wolves was a little bit of a let down, but not much. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment.
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