Dark Tower: The Gunslinger/the Drawing of the Three/the Waste Lands/Wizard and Glass

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Summary: BLAINE RULES!!!!
Review: I THINK THESE ARE STEPHEN KINGS BEST. I WAS WITH ROLAND AS HE WAS GOING THROUGH THE DOORS FOR THE OTHER GUNSLINGERS. I WAS SUPRISED AT HOW GREAT THESE BOOKS ACTUALLY WERE. AT FIRST I WAS SCEPTICAL. NOW I'M GLAD I READ THEM AND CAN'T WAIT FOR THE FOURTH BOOK TO COME OUT

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Summary: an author who can really pull you into another dimension.
Review: Stephen King- the greatest fictional writer who has ever lived. The Dark Tower series is some of his best books yet. I've read them 2-3 times as a kid, and always come back hungry for more

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Summary: Some of the best fiction King has ever produced!
Review: Stephen King pulls you into the world of Roland, the Last Gunslinger. His romantic and fanciful style reflect the deep heart of King within these books. Not necessarily the most gripping of his work, but by far one of the most entertaining. These books provide a doorway into the center of King's wolrd

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Summary: The Dark Tower Series
Review: These books are by far the best Stephen King has put out, and rank right up there with Tolkien and Jordan. They are a good mix of fantasy and modern day ideas, and King keeps the action and suspense moving fast enough not to let you get bored but not so fast you say "huh?" The only reason this book didn't get a 10 is that the next book hasn't come out yet...

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Summary: I love horror and Sci-Fi/ Fantasy, here's the best of both.
Review: Only Stephen King could give you that sensation of fall of the earth fright and travel to any planet fantasy. As usual Stephen King keeps you guessing, just when your sure you know whats next, well what do you know, you're wrong! He is rather Twilight Zonesque. I can't wait for the next book in this series!

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Summary: The very best of Stephen King's work.
Review: The Dark Tower novels are some of the finest fantasy novels I have ever read. The world King has created is extremely enjoyable to read about, and the characters are well presented. The Dark Tower series is a must-read for any King fan, or any fantasy fan

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Summary: An excellent series that needs another installment
Review: This has been one of the better series that has been written in the past decade. However, the books seemed to have stopped or Mr. King is interested in other subjects. When is the next book coming out?

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Summary: Superb
Review: One of the best books I've ever read. Childe Roland (the main guy) kicks ass!

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Summary: I'm dying to get the next book, it really sucks you in!!!!!
Review: I found all three stories very exciting and very easy to become caught up into the stories. I read them a few years ago and I still remember parts of the books as if I read them yesterday. I will read them again after I finish with his newest books "The Green Mile series"...In which I can't wait for more of either set!!! I LOVE ALL THE STEPHEN KING NOVELS/BOOKS (except I found "Insomnia" a little hard to sink into at first, but I still enjoyed it once I did). I have collected every book I can get that S.K. has written in hard cover and paperback.

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Summary: THESE, I HOPE WILL BE GREAT BOOKS!
Review: With two recent Dark Tower releases and a forthcoming grand finale, fans of Stephen King's dark fantasy series may want to brush up on the first four volumes of the series. "The Gunslinger," "the Drawing of the Three," "The Waste Lands" and "Wizard's Glass" all have their individual flaws, but the overall effect is excellent.

"The Gunslinger" introduces us to Roland Deschain of Gilead, the last gunslinger of a long-dead land. The hardened cowboy/knight wanders through a wasted world, tracking a "man in black" who can help him find (cue ominous music) the Dark Tower. Along the way he finds Jake, a young boy who was killed in a car accident in our world. But in the name of his quest, Roland may be called on to sacrifice what he loves...

"The Drawing of the Three" kicks off mere hours after "Gunslinger" ends. Roland is sick, and being pursued by carnivorous "lobstrosities." But then he ends up transporting his mind into our world -- specifically, into the minds of junkie smuggler Eddie Dean, and legless civil rights activist Odetta Holmes (and her evil alter ego, Detta). Roland "draws" these two into his own world, but Eddie's withdrawal and Detta's malevolence might kill his quest before it even starts.

"The Waste Lands" begins with Roland tutoring Susannah (formerly Odetta/Detta) and Eddie in how to be gunslingers. But while the newlyweds are rapidly getting the hang of it, Roland is not doing well. Because of a paradox he created when he saved the boy Jake, his mind is starting to deteriorate. In Manhattan, Jake is suffering from the same thing. To save them both from madness, the gang draws Jake away from our world. But no sooner has he joined them than they come to a ruined city, with an insane mono train and a sinister figure following them...

"Wizard's Glass" opens with the gang (or ka-tet) riddling desperately against an insane train, which is on a suicide run. Eddie barely manages to defeat it with a bunch of stupid jokes, and the ka-tet continues their journey. Along the way, Roland tells them the story of his first love Susan Delgado, a beautiful girl who was promised to a dirty old man, and how he lost her when he was only fourteen. And the story is linked to what is ahead -- a person from Roland's past awaits them, along with the hard-won Wizard's Glass that destroyed Roland's family.

Stephen King is best known for being a horror writer, covering everything from evil cars to telekinetic high-schoolers. But "The Dark Tower" is a gritty fantasy with a few horror elements in it, and though it has some grotesque images, it's more fantastical than icky. Not to mention that it has homages sprinkled through it to "Lord of the Rings," the "Childe Roland" story, "The Wizard of Oz," and even King's own books.

King's writing is full of slam-bang action, even if it doesn't excel in the technical sense. And the gunslinger is an excellent lead character, a mixture of rock-hard determination and affection for his friends. Eddie comes across as rather annoying at times, but he's evidently supposed to; on the other hand, Susannah is remarkably complex with her double personality. And Jake serves as a surrogate son for Roland, while displaying his own brand of eleven-year-old toughness.

As the release date for "The Dark Tower" approaches, fans may want to brush up on this epic series, and newbies may want to find out more about it. Highly recommended.