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Summary: "Hongry" for more.... (minor spoilers)
Review: It's official. This series is about to go down in history. While so many people spaz over the Harry Potter phenomenon, I have always felt surprised that hardly anyone I know has heard of the Dark Tower series. You mention it's a King book, and they automatically assume it's a just a horror novel, mumble something about once seeing the film version of Pet Sematary, gripe about how stupid it was, and turn the subject of conversation back to the goings-on at Hogwarts. (Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the Potter books, but these two stories aren't even in the same league) With Song of Susannah, Stephen King has written his best installment of the Dark Tower series since the brilliant Drawing of the Three. Of course, this is just my own humble opinion. I love Roland's world, but it's always great to see what's going on in all the "other" worlds as well. And this book takes place mostly in New York City, in the year 1999. Also, in a stroke of genius, King has now written himself into the story, and he pulls it off in a very unique way. Ever since the 4th book, The Waste Lands, The Dark Tower series was starting to remind me a bit of the X-Files' latter years, what with all the loose ends and complicated mythoes flying about, and this installment help answer so many of those questions, but also posed many as well. It was a very satisfying read, from cover to cover. I was surprised how much more I grew to love all sides of Susannah, and Pere Callahan continues to grow on me as the newest member of the katet. I am very excited in the direction this is all going, and cannot wait till September 21st!!!! Bring it on, Stevie!
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Summary: Which beam will break next?
Review: Roland and his ka-tet continue their journey towards the Dark Tower after their confrontation with the Wolves at Calla Bryn Sturgis. But the group is not complete anymore, since Susannah disappeared before the fighting was done. And she has taken with her Black Thirteen, a dangerous object that allows traveling between different worlds. Susannah left because she has been carrying a creature in her womb, and she is being controlled by Mia, the mother of the "baby" and one of Susannah's alter egos. Those that have read the whole series, and if you have not you should do so before reading this book, will remember that when Susannah was drawn towards the ka-tet, she was controlled by Detta Walker. Detta also makes an appearance and we can see a battle of three different personalities within the same person.
Meanwhile, Eddie is desperate to follow her lover and release her from her "prison", and to do this he needs the assistance of the rest of the members of the group, including Pere Callahan. They have to hurry though, because one of the beams holding the Tower has just broken, and only two remain, one of them being the one in which the ka-tet is now: Beam of the Bear. As the journey towards their gold progresses, the connection between the members of the ka-tet becomes stronger and stronger. But on top of that they all have to deal with their own issues. For example, Pere Callahan is struck dumb by the fact that his life is accurately depicted in a novel called Salem's Lot, written by a not so well-known author named Stephen King.
Between the group trying to save Susannah, Mia trying to get her chap born, and the necessity of the ka-tet to buy the lot in which the rose was located, which is now a building called Black Tower, we are in the presence of an action-packed book. This differs considerably from the previous novel in the series, which had some parts that were fast-paced, but which also spent a considerable amount of time going back to the past of the main characters and setting up a basis for what was to come.
Several characters from the previous books show up again, like Enrico Balazar, and sometimes it is hard to remember everything that we know about them from previous books due to the amount of time that has elapsed between their publication. I think that those people who love this series like I do, should go back to the beginning and read it as a whole again. I am sure it will enhance our understanding of everything that happened and will allow us to enjoy this work even more.
Even though this book is considerably shorter than the latest installments, I think that the quality remains at an exceptionally high level. This is truly King at his best, the same one you can find in "Misery", "The Shinning", "It" and "Pet Sematary". The only thing left to say is that Stephen King delivers a huge surprise in this book, and I am sure that some people will get angry at this, but I enjoyed it and thought it was a very clever idea. I believe that those who appreciate King's style will like it too.
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Summary: Serves as a great set-up for the final volume
Review: Some potential spoilers ahead:After reading "Song of Susannah" I've come to the conclusion that this 6th installment in "The Dark Tower" series should be seen more as a set-up for the final volume rather than judged as a novel in and of itself. Of course, this is the case for every "Dark Tower" book in essence. But "Song of Susannah" is even more so. Look at it as a "bridge" that links all the events of the past 5 volumes to the grand epic conclusion and you will not be disappointed. I get the impression that those who did not like this book were expecting another "Wastelands" or at least another fast-moving installment. "Song of Susannah" is not that. But that doesn't make it a bad read. Actually just the opposite: I read it with just as much anticipation and excitement as I did the other installments, not so much for the action but rather, to find out more about the mysteries of the Dark Tower. In this sense "Song of Susannah" delivers. But don't think that this book lacks action. The shootout between Roland and Eddie and Jack Andolini's goons is worth the price of admission alone, and is easily one of the most action-packed and thrilling segments out of all the "Dark Tower" novels. It's loads better than the battle with the Wolves from the last installment. Of course, a very large part of the book focuses on Susannah's "situation" with the demon child she's carrying in her womb. We get to learn the exact purpose of her pregnancy through dialogue with Mia. And what Susannah learns is something which I can freely admit I never saw coming. Inevitably, there has been a very mixed reaction to King including himself in this book. I'm still not really sure where I stand on this. I don't necessarily have a problem with him doing so, and I found the way he did it to be rather clever. But I don't know, for me it somewhat took away from the whole "mystique" element of this saga. It just seems out of place for some reason. Then again, King could very well tie things together in the final book and make more sense out of it. I suppose we should wait to see where he's going with this until we make a final judgement about his decision to include himself. To sum up, "Song of Susannah" is definitely a worthwhile continuation in "The Dark Tower" saga. I don't give it the full 5 stars only because that praise will (hopefully) be more appropriate for the final book, which I'm sure will be one amazing ride. As I said previously, look at "Song of Susannah" more as a connecting piece to the final installment rather than as a novel by itself. And keep this in mind as you read it; things will fall into place better that way.
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Summary: King at his Best
Review: Susannah is a suspenseful and scary book that was quite entertaining. I must admit that instead of feeling totally satisfied by it I can't help but feel like this book would not stand on its own if not part of the Dark Tower series. Great plot with nice characters. In my view the characters were likeable, except for Roland, but he is more a force of nature than a real man.
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Summary: This review is for all of you losers who don't appreciate...
Review: The Dark Tower...Now, Sai King has so generiously, over the past 20-30 years, written to us his magnificently accomplished fantasy tale of Roland of Gilead and his ka-tet(s). To say that these novels are each separate could be just one's opinion as the Tower series is actually just one long tale (just as The Lord of the Rings was if any of you remember). So to single out any one book and say it is horrid is just an unexceptionably stupid assessment. The Song of Susannah is, so far, a wonderful continuance of the story. For those of you who just don't like to read, then that is another problem on its own. As far as Sai King writing himself into his OWN STORY I think that what he did was ingenious and he deserves to be in the story, afterall it has taken up a large amount of his life to complete and what author in their right mind wouldn't include themselves somehow if they could? To be able to achieve such critical acclaim and high demand for his novels, Sai King apparently still has the "umpff" needed to create a bestseller over and over and over again. My point boils down to this: If you like the Dark Tower novels then that is wonderful, you and I are just alike but I just absolutely fell in love with them...BUT, if you DON'T like the books (even if you don't like ONE book) then you should keep your mouth shut because Sai King has written his heart out for 30 years JUST FOR US, why else would he write if he wasn't entertaining anyone? If critics aren't nagging that the books are too long then they are nagging that they are too short. The entire series comprises of about 4000 (yes, thousand) pages of material, and I feel sure that that is not all that Sai King has written on the Tower. Just his notes for the books have to be near 10000 pages and the world he has created (or many worlds for that matter) is a tremendous show of intellectual power and prose and he can keep on writing and selling "big-big, say thankya" for as long as he can still grasp a pen or can move his fingers across a keyboard..."Long days and pleasant nights," Sai King, should you read this (doubtfully, but one could hope) I hope that I have flattered you because I really love the books KEEP ON WRITING. "And may you have twice the number..."
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: There are some things I love about this series. It's wickedly imaginative for one. The Dark Tower world (or should I say worlds) at its best is one of the strangest and most interesting I have ever visited in fiction. However, its great moments are sporadic and there are times when I wonder how the story could have gotten so dull. Song of Susannah lacks the imaginative spark that made some parts of the Dark tower series (like Blaine the Mono) great. It is my least favorite of the series, I just kept thinking it could have been so much better. There are no real surprises here, the characters split up and go off on separate quests as expected with the end of Wolves of the Calla. Nothing is really resolved from Dark Tower 5 and no revelations are made. Most of the action takes place in New York City and Maine so don't expect much of the fun and peculiarity of Roland's world. King writes himself into the story too. I don't think it was out of ego as many have said, it's a common theme throughout his stories like Misery and the Dark Half to have the writer's world come to life and King does take a candid and sometimes unflattering look at himself. Although its fairly well done and works with the story, I still wish he hadn't done it. I felt like I was taken out of the story a little and brought back to reality. How could such a bizarre and enthralling tale have become so ho-hum? I dont know, maybe King lost some of his inspiration. Maybe my expectations are high because at times this series has been great. It is still entertaining and worth reading if you have read the other 5 Dark Tower books, I just felt it could have been a lot better. Last gripe- We still know next to nothing about the Crimson King and we're almost at the last book. I know he is an evil fellow and there is likely to be some kind of showdown between him and the gunslingers in book 7 but thats about it. I think King should have shown us more of Roland's nemesis and his world so we actually care about him when we reach the end of the series.
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Summary: Susannah Sings to Herself
Review: This book adds yet another 400 pages to the Dark Tower series, pushing the total page count close to 3500. While this book is perhaps one of the lesser books in the series, it is a substantial improvement over the plodding "Wolves of the Calla," which seemed to drag on endlessly to reach the action-packed ending. No such worries in this page turner, which, while it has its repetitious moments, keeps moving relentlessly through a single day to a cliff hanger ending that requires a reader to have the final book, "The Dark Tower," handy so that you may continue reading the story of the ka-tet and the events surrounding the birth of Susannah/Mia's "chap."
At the end of "Wolves of the Calla" Mia had taken control of Susannah's mind and taken the confusion and aftermath of the battle with the Wolves to grab black thirteen and use the door in the cave to return to New York. There Mia and Susannah battle for mental control of Susannah's body. The novel follows Mia and Susannah as they interact throughout the day, eventually ending up at the Dixie Pig to deliver Mia's chap, which they must do or Susannah/Mia will die. The interesting thing about the interaction between Susannah and Mia is that nearly all of it is in Susannah's head; there is very little that passers-by would notice of these interactions, if any. To rephrase, most of whatever singing Susannah does is to herself.
At the same time Father Callahan, Jake, Roland and Eddie have their own tasks. Roland and Eddie try to find Calvin Tower in order to get the deed to the vacant lot where the rose is located. Almost immediately they enter a gun battle with a group sent to ambush them. After killing a number of their attackers they escape, but not without injury, soon meeting with a local who helps them to not only locate Tower, but a certain writer by the name of King. At the same time Father Callahan, Jake and Oy journey to New York to attempt to find Susannah and either save her or protect her as best they can until Roland and Eddie can join them.
The novel ends as a cliff hanger as suspenseful as the cliff hanger at the end of "The Waste Lands." All the main characters are in a position where you will want to continue with the next novel immediately. This novel and "The Dark Tower" could have been a single novel, but the combination would have been well over 1000 pages, which is large even by the standards of novels such as "The Stand" and "The Bear and the Dragon."
While this novel is not as good as the best in this series, the writing and the action kept me interested in the story from beginning to end, and was particularly enjoyable after the relatively slow "Wolves of the Calla." I am looking forward to the final 800 pages of the series in "The Dark Tower," which has had a number of reviews detailing its action and body count. We can only hope that the ending of this series will live up to the anticipation established in the previous six books.
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Summary: Go then, there are other reviews than this...
Review: This has got to be the best of the series so far! Ok, so it doesn't take on the same style as the rest of the DT series but I think that's probably the whole point. Those who have read the original Gunslinger will know that it was pretty way-out-there in the first place and I'm kinda glad to see it finishing the same way. The use of himself in the book to me was nothing short of a stroke of genius. It really works, bringing the story both very close to home and on to a different world. The entire series makes me think that SK is really locked up somewhere in a padded room and it's his twinner we see on the back cover. O'Discordia!
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Summary: The worst of the series
Review: Though that doesn't say much, this series has been quite incredible thus far. There are spoilers to the series within this review, so read ahead only if you've read the previous books. As the title indicates, the bulk of the plot within this novel revolves around Susannah, along with Mia and her chap. That isn't to say they get the most written about them, but nearly everything that happens is regarding the two. It is quite a change from The Wolves, however. The Wolves covered a great deal of time and material, here the events take place within the same day. You also get little party interaction, as the characters are all paired off. In the end you get the feeling not much has happened, not even the addition of more back story. The western themes disappear as the characters are brought into the world of the reader. Stephen King himself appears, in a twist I'm still uncertain of. The book has a drastically different feel for this, though, as it no longer feels like a world you're traveling to. Even when Eddie was pulled from NYC and Roland himself wandered into it you got the feeling of an epic Western, here it all seems more... normal, I suppose. Then again, King either kills himself off or mocks the news carried when he was struck by the van, so possibly it isn't exactly our world, though it's greatly hinted at as being so. Do not start the series here, it would be an awful place to begin. If you're in the series, however, you have no choice. Read, and read away. Just don't expect it to have nearly the depth, satisfaction, and epic feel of The Wolves or Wizard & The Glass. Unsatisfying, is what I suppose I'm getting at. It's unfair to call it that, however, as King is clearly at the top of his game with character control, descriptions and allusions. It's just that, plot-wise, not much happens, and it's painful to realize how little has occured and that there's a mere novel left after this. Good luck to Mr. King in tying the ends as he finishes the series. It's a shame he's truncated it down to 7, as opposed to the 12-16 he once predicted. This is a story that he and his wife may feel has ended, but readers surely clamor for more. Only he knows when it's done, I just hope he does a good job educating us that it has, indeed, concluded.
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