Rating: 
Summary: The quest continues . . .
Review: J.R.R. Tolkien has Middle Earth. C.S. Lewis has Narnia. Frank Herbert has Dune.Each of the preceding authors has done something miraculous within the confines of fiction. They have created entire, living, breathing worlds, worlds that exist only on the page, yet through the force of their writing, the worlds somehow exist beyond the white of paper, just next to us, waiting for us to visit if only we could find the key. They are fully-realized, fully-articulated universes, at once bewilderingly odd yet surprisingly familiar, wholly separate from our reality and yet somehow integral to the way we view ourselves. Stephen King is slowly evolving his own conception of the world next door. First truly explored in THE TALISMAN, and eventually encompassing almost everything he's written, King is developing his own mythos, an amalgam of almost everything he can think of, a mingling of fantastical monsters, science-fiction robots, feudal England, and Itallian spaghetti westerns. Under the Tolkienesque shadow of a black place of evil called the Dark Tower, King presents a ka-tet (fellowship) of one gunslinger, three apprentices, and a raccoon/beagle hybrid, on a quest to save not their world, but all worlds. King names this land Mid-World, and like the countries and planets of those who have preceded him, it is a marvellous place to visit. However, unlike his precursors, there is a palpable sense that he's just making it up as he goes along. King's ka-tet, by now familiar to eager readers, is led by Roland of Gilead, the last gunslinger. On his quest are three apprentices from different worlds, worlds far more familiar to readers than Mid-World. Eddie, Susanna, and Jake are all refugees from New York, although quite possibly not the same New York. There are many worlds, after all. The ka-tet takes a side journey to the tiny hamlet of Calla. There, in the best tradition of THE SEVEN SAMURAI and THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, they agree to aid the locals in their battle against fearsome creatures, mysterious riders who appear every twenty-three years to kidnap one twin of every pair. As a twin birth is not rare, but rather the norm, the town is almost utterly destroyed as a result. Very early on in his stories, King made the decision to weave together disparate strands of his multitude of novels, combining characters and themes into one enormous tale. Novels such as THE STAND, ROSE MADDER, and IT have all made appearances in one form or another. The tradition continues in WOLVES, as King reaches decades back to 'SALEM'S LOT, reviving a character long thought lost, becoming an integral element in Roland's quest. As per usual, king excels in his creation of character and place. His ka-tet, continually evolving throughout the narratives, has become as familiar to readers as the immortal likes of Frodo Baggins and Gandalf. Roland in particular is a magnificent titan, a killing machine who will sacrifice all he loves to complete his search. Yet there lacks an internal logic to the bizarre goings-on. While LORD OF THE RINGS was nowhere near a perfect piece of literature (the dialogue is laughably bad), it succeeded in its establishment of an entire world, with its own rules and logic. THE DARK TOWER series keeps throwing curve-balls at the reader, keeping them confused. Roland would blame this on time slowly unravelling, or his version of fate, "ka", or on any number of things King keeps inserting to explain his narrative's connivances. But it becomes an irritant, a mosquito buzzing in the ear, as if King is having us on. Nevertheless, the story is so well told that King manages the ideal purpose of such a story; he leaves the reader craving more, wondering "What's next?" Mid-world is a marvellous land of magic and science, and visiting it is a mature treat. Just don't go looking for rationality. Oh, well. Maybe the next one . . .
Rating:
Summary: Almost perfect
Review: Book 5 in the Dark Tower series is finally here. This book had the potential to be the best in the series. Unfortunately, the thing that everyone else hates about this book I too don't like very much. The thing being the pop culture reference to Star Wars, Harry Potter and King himself as well as the Salem's Lot tie in. Another thing upsetting to me is the constant coincidences and how Stephen tries to explain it all as being "nineteen" (the level of the tower with the most coincidences and cross promotionalism apparently). All of these problems lessen the effectiveness of the book in my opinion. Of course, that is what I didn't like. What I did like is the rest of the storyline and characterization that continues in this book. The problem with the wolves as encountered by Calla Bryn Sturgis is really just a side story and is never really addressed until the end of the book (thankfully as that would've made this book more filler before getting down into the real story). Instead book five takes the ideas set forth in book 3: Wastelands and expands upon them. Here we learn more about Mr. Tower, the Rose, various companies working against the tower and even a little more about the man in black (aka the walkin' dude). Jake has a kind of coming of age (in a way) and the ka-tet is threatened with break up. As you can see, there is enough advancement to keep the book interesting. Despite the problems I had with the ending, I still can't wait for book 6 therefore this book deserves at least four stars, losing one to all of the stupid references and tie-ins.
Rating: 
Summary: Wolves of the Calla
Review: Wolves of the Calla is definitely consisten with the rest of the series. With each new situation we learn more of Roland's true self. The affection of his ka-tet is making him become more and more human. Are we too impatient for them to reach the Dark Tower? I will sorely be disappointed when the series ends. I can readily admit that I do not have the imagination or talent to write such a fantastic epic tale. All you Dark Tower fans, do not listen to the nay sayers. The story ROCKS!
Rating:
Summary: not a letdown despite the impossible standards i set
Review: Ok, so I've been waiting for this fifth book in the tower series for a long time, and yes, probably building it up more than it could accomplish. Though, from the last four, wouldn't you think that perfectly natural, since each was more intrigueing and beautiful than the last? Well, i got the book. I read it in about two days, and believe me im paying for those long nights now. It hasn't lost that fervent gotta-see-what-happens-next element that King certainly has a knack for. And while i was a bit put off by the million and one references to other works of literature and movies, etc, I know I'll be waiting for the next one for too long, probably building it up too high in my head, because this fifth book has again managed to be more intrigueing than the last.
Rating:
Summary: A modern classic
Review: I compare the Dark Tower series to Chaucer's Tales of Canterbury, and I hope that Stephen King finishes the series soon. Even those who don't particularly find science fiction entertaining will enjoy this series, because the characters have human emotions and the secrets about their pasts and their missions are slow to be revealed. King strays away from the horror novel genre, but weaves a tale of a different dying world that relies on the last gunslinger to save us all. It is absolutely fascinating and addictive to read this series.
Rating:
Summary: Roland and his ka-tet continue
Review: WOW! That's my first reaction. I just finished voraciously reading number five in this series. I read the first four in preparation. As always, it's not typical Stephen King, but its style is consistent with the rest of The Dark Tower series. I love how snatches of his other works weave in and out of these stories, it makes me want to re-read everything he's written looking for other clues (like in Hearts in Atlantis, where we meet the low men). I have been holding my breath for King to finish this series, as he wrote in the early novels that it may never happen because he was only able to write about Roland when the story would surface again in his mind. I am thrilled to know that the final two will be within my grasp this year. I was surprised that the entire volume contained only their adventures in Calla Bryn Sturgis, but have realized it was necessary for the story to come alive in full detail, the way it deserves to be told. This is not a story that can be read independently. A review of King's 'Salem's Lot wouldn't hurt either. Read and enjoy (but be prepared to be drawn into the story)! ...the Dark Tower is ever closer mel
Rating: 
Summary: Here's The Deal, Folks
Review: Here's whats happening with the DT books.King
obviously has a 5 book story and is telling it in a 7 book series. Its like making meatloaf for 20 people with 4 pounds of beef. Your going to have to use a LOT of filler to get enough meatloaf. Book number 5 is filler. I'm sure the last book in the series will be wonderful, King just thought he had more story than he actually does. And whats
with the awful artwork? Somebody had to approve this stuff for the book, I can't believe they looked at it and said "Hey! Great stuff!" It belongs in a bad comic book.
My general review of Wolves: Hey, they can't all be gems...
Rating:
Summary: Crafting a Masterpiece, King's Grasp Equal to his Reach
Review: We travel through "Wolves of the Calla" in the hands of a bona fide master completely in control of his material and his craft. That this has not always been true of King is hardly a criticism: he is a high-wire walker who distains the net and eagerly reaches where his grasp cannot always follow. Here, in the self-proclaimed twilight of his remarkable career, King holds his story and its readers firmly in his control. The writing is surefooted and never without purpose; and the story is chockblock with action, suspense and unexpected turns (it is not often 700 pages leave us feeling cheated only because the tale has ended too soon). Those who suggest that "Wolves" is a side-story detour that brings the ka-tet no closer to the Tower are much mistaken. The novel is not really about the wolves or the ultimate showdown with them (as magnificently as that is presented) at all. It is about the duty (and the sadness, helpless as are we all in the ebb and flow of ka)) of the gunslinger, and the growth, courage, character and sense of self without which the Tower can never be reached. The Calla, far from a detour, is an essential step toward the quest's realization. Others have carped about the novel's inclusion of popular culture, including the light sabres from Star Wars, Dr. Doom from Marvel Comics, Harry Potter and, of course, Stephen King himself. But the inclusion -- and intertwining -- of cultural artifacts from various "wheres and whens" is central to the nature of the Tower itself: multiple and simultaneous worlds and times, all (precariously) connected to and balanced by the Beams. And it is worth remembering that King is nothing if not a Merry Prankster, always willing and eager to dress in black tie and tails with a boutonniere that squirts water. There are nits to be picked. We could do with less of Susannah and Eddie holding and squeezing hands; we wish Susannah would not call everyone "sugar" or "sug" (it cheapens her, somehow); and, without fail, King is regularly defeated by his acknowledged enemy ("On Writing"): the adverb. "He said morosely." She said "dolorously." As Roland would say, "Gods!" To find only such trivial faults in so massive a novel says a great deal about its virtues. "Wolves" is a stupendous act of imagination and execution of -- dare we say it? -- art. Knowing that the final two volumes are already in rought draft and will both be published this year comforts us in a way only the anticipation of an unfinished, time-defying story can do.
Rating:
Summary: Wait til the end....
Review: Wolves of the Calla was an excellent addition to the DT saga. And, like some of the reviewers here, I am shocked at the reasoning behind some of the bad reviews. Most notably, the issue of the author's self-insertion. (Especially in the novel's ending) I don't want to give away too much here, but this very issue is the HEART of the Dark Tower quest. The clues are there (in other Stephen King books, in interviews, and ESPECIALLY in parts of Wolves of the Calla). Ask yourself this... Who is the "Crimson" King? Why is the Dark Tower's upper room supposed to be empty? And if it ISN'T empty, who do you suppose is there? Also, check out the Stephen King short story from Nightmares and Dreamscapes about the Raymond Chandler-type detective who one day meets his "maker". I think criticism of "Wolves's" plot twist should be saved til the last DT book is out. If you don't like how things went down, then fine. But just wait it out. It might just be something unexpected and great.
Rating:
Summary: Oh Ye of Little Imagination....
Review: I've just finished "Wolves of the Calla" and I have to say I loved the book. I have read soooo many negative reviews here and I find that a shame. Maybe those who reviewed this book with less than two stars had different expectations, but please enjoy the book for what it is, which is, I feel, a sort of bridge to the next installment. Maybe "Wolves" doesn't get our ka-tet any closer to the tower, but it does develop the characters further and lets us know how fundamentally they've changed since joining up with Roland. This story in and of itself is beautifully written. I laughed out loud in places and have fallen in love even more deeply with the characters and, of course, with King's writing. Please don't let the disappointment of a few discourage you from a great read!
| 
