Rating: 
Summary: The series has declined.
Review: "The Gunslinger" was King's most perfect synopsis of science fiction and tale-telling, for his dark man, the man even darker than the Man in Black, was also his hero. It was a tale of invention and destiny, a tale which led the read ever deeper into the world that had "moved on".
This third book in the series, "The Wastelands", is plodding, predictable, and as deep as a dry puddle. The Wastelands portrays a storyline which should itself "move on", hopefully into realms of a little deeper imagination. The Stephen King who wrote "The Gunslinger" was a master of suspense, mystery, and emotion. The Stephen King who wrote "The Wastelands" is a potential master of CBS Sunday Night Movies starring cute little children and equally cute little dogs. Read the book so you will understand the fourth, but be warned it's not great.
Rating: 
Summary: Breathlessly waiting for the contest to begin.
Review: As always, Stephen King made me feel I was with them crossing the wastelands. I read this book some time ago and have been waiting for the sequel to it for what seems like, and probably is, years. He makes his characters so real for you, you can feel their pain, share their fear and experience everything with them. He's drawn Eddie, Susannah and Jake together with him in this adventure across the Wastelands with the crazed Blaine the Mono. There's adventure, danger and my heart pounded, as I was left hanging out in the Wastelands with them all waiting for the contest to begin. I recently received, with my two latest King books, an excerpt from the upcoming "Wizard And Glass", the 4th in the "Dark Tower" series. Stephen King mentions there is "one unanswered riddle in here. If you know the answer, stick it on the Net. I'll be peeking!" Well, I think I know the answer; it's: The letter "M". I love Stephen King, his amazing imagination, his eerie way with words and the wonderful way he "scares me to death". Suzanne Goffeney (SBowyergof@aol.com.
Rating:
Summary: Whose Ka-Tek is the stronger...
Review: The third volume of the much longer tale again continues the trek of Roland, now with Eddie and Susannah along the path of the beam. This tale picks up approx. 6 months after the confrontation on the Western Sea and Eddie and Susannah are on their way to becoming Gunslingers themselves. Roland however, is slowly losing his mind, due to a temporal paradox in which he both thinks that Jake is alive and that he is dead. After a showdown with one of the 12 guardians of the beams, they continue along their way. Roland is again re-united with Jake Chambers in a speaking ring outside the small town of River Crossing, and the full Ka-Tet of Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy (a billybumbler picked up along the way) continue along into Lud. In Lud, there are many perils, until finally our heroes get aboard Blaine the Mono. Blaine is a pain, and that is the truth. The book ends as a cliffhanger, which at the time of first publication was most annoying, primarily because of the long delay between DT3 and DT4. But, with the series coming to a close, the cliffhanger only adds to the mysticism of the over-all story. Another triumph of a tale and another step up in the overall series.
Rating:
Summary: "We are ka-tet -- one from many."
Review: As the third book in the Dark Tower series, "The Waste Lands," opens, Roland's new companions are learning to become gunslingers, and Roland himself is slowly going mad.Yes indeed, King keeps the story moving most admirably as his dark fantasy epic continues, and the surprises keep coming. The main conflict facing the small group in the beginning of this part of the story is twofold. They are looking for clues as to how to best begin the next leg of their quest towards the Dark Tower, of course. More importantly, they are also forced to deal with how best to deal with the growing rift in Roland's mind, a doubling of memory caused by his travels in our world in the second book. In one track of time, the boy Jake was killed in New York and somehow brought into Roland's world. In the other track, Jake never died at all, thanks to Roland's actions in our world. Roland is aware of both timelines as real, and this conflict becomes the heart of the first act of the book. Jake himself is also aware of the split. Still alive in New York, he nevertheless remembers his death under the wheels of a Cadillac, and his subsequent time with the gunslinger in the Great Western Desert, as a parallel track of memories to his memories of spending the same time, after not being hit by a car in New York. And just like Roland, the rift in his memory is driving Jake insane. Resolving this disparity of time and memory causes great difficulty for Roland and Jake, of course, but also requires much of Eddie and Susannah, the two companions Roland drew from our world into his in "The Drawing of the Three." Before facing this, however, the new companions must deal with Mir, the great bear, a relic of the world that has moved on. Mir is one of the Guardians of the Beam, and the Beam will eventually lead them to the Tower. The second act of the book details Roland and his companions passing through Lud, a ruined city which has been further torn apart by the generations-long war of its inhabitants, the Grays and the Pubes. Run by ancient machinery, the city presents its own unique challenges for our heroes, and also provides them with the next step in their journey: Blaine the Mono. Blaine is a monorail train which runs along the path of the Beam, deep into Mid-World. Riding Blaine comes with its own price, though -- "Blaine is a pain, and that is the truth." "The Waste Lands" lives up to the quality King has established so far for the Dark Tower series. The story moves along at a brisk pace, making you want to keep reading to find out what happens next. "The Drawing of the Three" was a slightly better book, in my opinion, but only by a little. The characters which were built so well in the first two books are developed further here, and the new characters that are introduced (some only to tantalize for future developments, it seems) are equally well realized. All in all, this third book is a fitting continuation of an excellent series. It answers a few questions for the reader, and poses many intriguing new ones. A word of advice for the Constant Reader. Have a copy of the fourth book, "Wizard and Glass," at hand by the time you finish "The Waste Lands." Trust me on this: you'll want to dive right into the fourth book after finishing the third.
Rating:
Summary: Far from a "Waste"
Review: Stephen King hits his stride in "The Waste Lands," the third volume of his epic dark fantasy Dark Tower series. Now that the quest is underway, King's world of cyborg bears, insane trains and sex-addict demons coalesces into a tight, engrossing story. Newlyweds Susannah (formerly Odetta/Detta) and Eddie Dean are rapidly becoming expert gunslingers, even proving themselves as Susannah guns down cyborg bear Shardik, and Eddie takes out robots. But Roland is having problems. Since he saved the life of eleven-year-old Jake in the previous book, he remembers two realities -- one where he saved Jake, and one where he let him die. Now that paradox is slowly driving him insane -- and worse, in his own world, Jake is also going mad. They find a doorway to Jake's world, but it's guarded by a malevolent demon. Susannah manages to trap the demon (by having sex with it) as Eddie barely manages to draw Jake into Mid-World. Now they are a "ka-tet," or a group brought together by destiny. But the ka-tet has barely formed before it's threatened, by a mysterious figure that is following them at a distance -- and an insane train that traps them on its suicide run.... In "The Gunslinger" and "Drawing of the Three," King spent his time establishing the main quest and the lead characters. Now he's got those in the bag, and the story revs up as Roland and Co. set off to find the Dark Tower rather than just talking about it. It feels like the series had finally hit its stride. The world that has "moved on" is not a nice place -- just about everything is dangerous, bleak or at least rough-edged. But King manages to keep the weirder elements -- like the cyborg animals or the riddling train -- from seeming silly. His writing is not usually good in the technical sense, but it excels at having atmosphere and lots of gruesome slam-bang action. Roland remains the rough cowboy with a hidden heart of gold and a tragic past. His bond with lonely Jake is a particularly touching detail. Eddie becomes a bit annoying at times with all his wisecracking, but he has a past almost as hard as Roland's. Susannah is perhaps the most interesting of all -- two opposing personalities merged into one. And don't forget Oy the faithful billybumbler, a sort of dog-like creature. Ending on a pulse-pounding cliffhanger, "The Waste Lands" is a smooth and thoroughly engaging dark fantasy. The pinnacle of the Dark Tower series so far.
Rating:
Summary: Great as all DT books
Review: The story of the first 2 books continues and is as entertaining as before! The best parts: Jake`s entry into mid-world and of course crazy Blane mono!
Rating:
Summary: Book #3 And It Just Gets Better!!
Review: Stephen King's "The Waste Lands" is the third volume in the epic Dark Tower series and every bit as good, if not better, than the two preceding novels. The plot and character development improve with every page, and the action and suspense are nonstop.
Gunslinger, Roland, and his two companions Susannah Dean, formerly the duo-personality Odetta Susannah Holmes and Detta Walker, and Eddie Dean, previously a drug addict and mule in New York City, at last begin their quest for the Dark Tower. Both Susannah and Eddie are in training and well on their way to becoming gunslingers. First, however, the threesome must defeat Mir, the gigantic, insane cyborg bear, called Shardik by the Great Old Ones. Mir guarded the Portal of the Bear, one of Twelve Portals which form the endpoints of the Beams. There are six Beams running between the Twelve Portals which mark the edges of Mid-World. The point where all Beams cross is the nexus of all worlds. The three backtrack along Mir's path and find the Beam, which should lead them to the center-point where the Dark Tower lies.
One of the most important events in this book, and in the series, is the entry of Jake, the boy, into the circle of questing companions. Jake was introduced to the reader in Book One, "The Gunslinger." There had been a great paradox surrounding Jake's existence - the paradox of shifting realities. Had the boy died or was he still alive? Had he, in fact, ever really appeared in Mid-Earth? This paradox was slowly driving both Roland, in Mid-World, and Jake, back in New York City, insane. In a scene rich in symbolism, Jake is reborn into Roland's world with Susannah as his symbolic mother, Eddie as midwife and the Gunslinger as Jake's symbolic father. The Drawing of the Three is at last complete and a fourth companion is also added. Jake adopts a talking billy-bumbler. Billy-bumblers resemble a combination of racoon, badger and dog. This one is named Oy.
This magnificent Ka-tet, (King's word for a group of people drawn together by fate), moves on the Path of the Beam toward the city of Lud, an urban wasteland, inhabited by degenerate survivors of gang wars. Jake is captured and miraculously survives his trek through the underground world of Lud, and the acquaintanceship of some of the most unsavory characters King has created yet. Now Blaine, the psychotic, suicidal monorail train enters the picture to rescue the companions-in-arms from Lud. Rather than carrying them to safety, the train takes them into further danger. Before leaving NY, Jake had picked up two volumes in a local bookstore - one a book of riddles and the other, a book called "Charlie the Choo-choo." He was able to foresee the appearance of Blaine because of the train's resemblance to Choo-Choo Charlie. Spooky!
"The Waste Lands" leave the four speeding towards their destination, Topeka, Kansas, Mid-World, at 800 miles per hour on a train that won't stop. The only chance for survival is Blaine's love of riddles. We are left with a cliffhanger. Can someone come up with a riddle original enough to halt the train and save their lives? See Book Four - "Wizard and Glass."
This third novel in the septet is rich in description of characters, cityscapes, landscapes and creatures. The changing relationships between the foursome, their growth as individuals and as a group, is really worth mentioning. King is at his best here. Adventure-packed, the book moves along at a fast clip. Characters who were introduced to the reader previously, are now fleshed out and really become three-dimensional. The level of suspense is dramatically increased. I am totally hooked on this series. At this point, I don't care how King ends his epic . I just know that he has taken me on a 1500 page ride, (approximately), so far and I have loved every minute of it. Nothing that occurs in future books can spoil what I have already read. Highest recommendations!!
JANA
Rating:
Summary: Impressive Third Dark Tower Series Novel
Review: "The Waste Lands" begins the actual quest for the Dark Tower, the first two novels in this series, "The Gunslinger" and "Drawing of the Three" being an introduction and a search for the members who would join Roland of Gilead in his quest for the Dark Tower. In the previous book we thought we would meet the three team members who would join Roland in his quest, but one of the members met his demise after Jack Mort's evil was uncovered.
In this book Susannah Dean (nee Walker), Eddie Dean, and Roland of Gilead seek the beam that will lead them to the Dark Tower. They soon encounter an enormous bear that turns out to be more than meets the eye. After their exciting encounter with the bear the trio back trails the bear to its home, and encounter a variety of support critters that are also more than meet the eye. The trio also finds the beam that will lead them to the Dark Tower.
A little down the trail they meet the true third alluded to in "The Gunslinger," none other than Jake Chambers. In a short period the four members of the ka-tet encounter a beat up bumbler that they nickname Oy. This group is the team that we follow onward to the dark tower.
The ka-tet encounters a town of elderly people who warn the group against proceeding to Lud, the nearby big city. However, the team believes they need to ride a train a good portion of the way to the Dark Tower. They soon discover that the only remaining train is named Blaine, as Jake had been prophesying, unbeknownst even to himself, for some time.
Once the ka-tet enters Lud, they discover a war that has been in progress for decades, or perhaps longer; a war so old that none even remember who the good guys and the bad guys are. Jake is quickly kidnapped by a man who is vaguely reminiscent of a character in "Treasure Island," but with a sadistic streak uncharacteristic of such a classic character. The ka-tet splits up, with Eddie and Susannah proceeding to find Blaine while Roland goes to seek Jake.
Roland eventually finds Jake, with the critical aid of Oy, after a series of adventures and a battle that will ultimately change the nature of Lud, and the pair meets with Susannah and Eddie at Blaine the Train's departure platform.
Once the group are on the train, they soon discover that not only is Blaine a Pain, but he is insane. The only way to prevent Blaine from flying off the end of the track and killing the ka-tet is to ask Blaine a riddle to which Blaine does not know the answer. The tension mounts.
Stephen King took a long time to get to the third book in this series, nearly 10 years from the first book. It took him more than 10 more years to get to the seventh and final book. However, the wait for the third book, and the fourth book, was worth it. I recommend strongly that you read the first two books in the series before reading this book. While it is not critical that you read the first book, you will understand far more about the characters by reading the first two.
This particular edition has excellent art by Ned Dameron. I have yet to see the edition with Michael Whelan's art. However, Michael Whelan is an outstanding artist, and I would think that edition would be similarly impressive. In any case, I think you would be well served to buy an edition of this novel with the artwork in it.
Stephen King has created an epic fantasy series that rivals all previous series in scope. In addition to spanning a world, his series spans worlds and even time. This third book puts the series at over one thousand pages, and the next four books are longer than the first three. Get out the munchies and block out a chunk of time. These novels are excellent.
Rating:
Summary: my personal favorite
Review: after reading the entire series(yes, i loved it all, from the first to the last page!), i can honestly say that "the wastelands" was my favorite volume of them all. this is the quest in its purest form; the ka-tet has been fully formed, and theyre off to strange lands, with many fearsome foes, and grisly sights. the city of lud is truely spine chilling, and blaine the mono is uttely vile, yet so amazing in his evil. for those of you who are about to read this(well, i actually hope you havent read this review!), you are in for a treat. savor every moment and every word.
Rating:
Summary: Another Masterpiece in the Saga
Review: Well, I just finished reading this book last night, and again you put it down shaking your head (and wondering why it is taking so long to get the next one in the mail). Each book seems to end w/a strange twist. I mean that literally, it ends right after you find out a strange twist on the story. Thank goodness I wasn't reading these books as they were just coming out, and waiting to see what happens next.
I only really have one complaint about this book. Every book so far has had a real slow point. A very tedious, monotonous, almost painful portion of the book to read, where you just can't wait for King to get past that point of the story. It also seems that in each book, this extremely tedious point of the story gets longer. In "The Gunslinger," it is the part where he is in the town, and just getting a feeling for his surroundings. This part isn't really boring, but slow, and only keeps your interest because your still trying to get a feel for the world Roland lives in. The second book is the day to day life on the never ending beach, your dying for them to finally stop talking about the lobster like creatures, and reach a different, more vast landscape.
In this book, it was definitely the story of Jake living w/the two voices. It was painful at times to get through this section, and until they got to the Lud portion of the story, I thought this was going to be the worst of the first three books. Of course the portion of the story of getting Jake from his world to Roland's was extremely interesting, and the meeting of Oy, and so forth, so forth. I just mean the portion of the story in New York just seemed a bit tedious (and yes I definitely thought the portion of Jake and the rose was interesting).
I loved the city of Lud, the description of the Tic Toc man, the race after Gasher, and the meeting of Blaine was extremely fascinating; making it well worth getting through the story of Jake in New York. As a whole, this is a great, great book that I enjoyed immensely.
Grade: A
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