To Stephen King’s Dark Tower Came I

*There are spoilers ahead.*

 

I’m not surprised that shortly after declaring a blog slowdown, I’m back with another post. Having just finished reading Stephen King’s magnum opus, the Dark Tower series, I feel moved to post a retrospective.

I was in middle school or junior high when I first stumbled across a hardback copy of The Gunslinger (1982), the first book in the series, on display in the dusty old public library of Tipton, Iowa. The novel’s blend of dark fantasy, science fiction and Western appealed to my boyish imagination, and scenes like Roland’s slaughter of an entire town and copulation with a succubus were more graphic than anything else I had read. The illustrations by Michael Whelan were also captivating. The one on the cover of the first edition shows the moment before Roland, in his single-minded pursuit of the Dark Tower, lets the boy Jake drop to his death.

 

After a move to another small town in the Midwest, I ran across the next book in the series, The Drawing of the Three (1987), in a different public library, and spent hours there, tucked back in the stacks, reading the B-format paperback illustrated by Phil Hale. Despite publishing other books at a good clip, King spaced out much of the Dark Tower series, going as long as seven years between volumes, before releasing the last three in quick succession from 2003 to 2004. By then, I was a working stiff undergoing some early mid-life tumult, so I never made it to the final volume until now.

Stephen King long ago established his place as a master storyteller, but I simply didn’t enjoy Song of Susannah (2004) either time I read it, and I felt the earlier sections of The Dark Tower (2004) labored under the same problems--clunky plotting, too much of the made-up High Speech, a digressive writing style, and a lack of forward thrust. Nonetheless, the novel finds its groove partway through--and the results are unforgettable.

One highlight of the book was the new character Irene Tassenbaum. Character is one of King’s greatest strengths as a writer--novel-length psychological portraits by other writers rarely come close to what he can accomplish in a few pages--and it doesn’t take long to feel like you know Irene. She’s a bored and pampered housewife excited by Roland and possessed of grit equal to the challenges of her adventure with him.

 

While Irene was a pleasant surprise, I was reading from page one in expectation of what would pass between Roland and Jake. They’re linked by fate rather than blood, but there are heavy father-son issues there. I would never forgive King if he let Roland kill Jake again. In the end, King handles this deftly and with little fanfare. I won’t give away what happens, but I will say that as I read the epilogue, I had tears in my eyes like I haven’t when reading a book for a long time.

And of course there is always the Dark Tower itself, the nexus of all worlds. Roland Deschain of Gilead does indeed reach it and climb to the room at the top of the stairs. Having read some whining by readers online, I was prepared to be disappointed, but no, King delivers admirably on the promise contained in the The Gunslinger. It is truly epic in the sense of “very great or large and usually difficult or impressive” as wells as in the sense of “relating to, or having the characteristics of an epic <an epic poem>” (Merriam-Webster)--and indeed, the series was inspired by the poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” by Robert Browning.

Apparently talks have been going on for years regarding possible television and film series--and the graphic novels are impressive--but as nice as those things might be, are they that nice? I began the series in libraries whose books were an important part of their character, and I still believe books are one of the best ways for people to acquire character, too. Today, our world has “moved on” much like All-World in the Dark Tower series, leaving us hungry for the sustenance books can provide but all too often seeking it in flimsier, easier media.

The Dark Tower books are entertaining and inspiring, impressive and sometimes frustrating, genre-blending and mind-bending, and, ultimately, rewarding. I would recommend the series to anyone who loves imaginative fiction and strongly encourage also reading the standalone novel The Wind Through the Keyhole (2012). I may be skeptical about the value of bringing the series to the silver or small screens, but I would gladly read more Dark Tower from Stephen King.

 

Other retrospectives:

The Trials of Dune
A Look Back at Me and U2