Stephen King Fans: Why Should I Read "The Dark Tower" books?

[Khephra]

[C_eh_N_eh_D_eh]

1. Um... because they're good?

[frank frankly]

2. read the gunslinger--it is short and will grab you right away

and then you'll be wonderfully hooked.

"all things serve the beam"

you'll be glad to meet Roland.

i LOVE those books!

:hi:

[Ohio Dem]

3. They're outstanding.

If you like King, you'll love these. If you liked The Stand, doubly so. It's King's master work, what he was put on Earth to write.

Five books so far, but only one story (two more books on the way). Nice. The first one, IMO, isn't as good as the others, but thats only IMO.

It's good, or what passes for good in the real world, against an unnamed evil. Time isn't working right anymore. Roland of Gilead seeks The Dark Tower to set things aright. It's fantasy, like (and very much unlike) The Lord of the Rings.

King also ties this story to several other novels he has written, including The Stand, 'Salem's Lot, The Talisman, and several others. It's sorta neat.

Don't get me wrong, it's a major undertaking to start reading these books, but I really like them.

[wickerwoman]

4. Don't.

I fell in love with The Dark Tower books when I was in my teens and spent four long damn years waiting for the Wasteland to come out. It's a fantastic story with some of King's best characters. The Drawing of the Three is his best book ever.

But...

the quality of the writing is really, really embarrassingly poor and you will find yourself wondering why you ever bothered. I do, anyway.

[gyopsy]

8. It is on a 3rd grade reading level

I would expect more meat even from King.

[wickerwoman]

13. And Dark House (or whatever it was) with Peter Straub

was absolutely unreadably awful.

If you're really into the Dark Tower you have to buy it for the preview of the next 3 books but do yourself a favor and only read pp. 430-460. It explains the whole mechanism of the Dark Tower and the universe. Then throw the book away and deny you ever bought it. It's pretty obvious Stephen King only wrote about 30 pages. The rest of it has prose and story-telling devices I would have found abysmal when I was 9.

[MuseRider]

5. If you like King

read them. I love them, I read some of them twice. You will say "Thankee sai".

[ironflange]

6. I've gotten this far without reading them

So I'm going to wait until they're all done before I start. No annoying waiting periods that way. :D

[Ohio Dem]

7. That's a good plan, and my new recommendation to Kef.

I go through these damn books so fast it isn't funny. And then I sit there thinking, "Shit. Two more years for the next installment. Bummer."

Wait until King finishes this story if you haven't started reading it yet. It's less frustrating.

[gyopsy]

9. My two cents

If you're looking for a deeply allegoric story with many intriguing plot twists, look elsewhere.

It does have some good characters and is a decent adventure story. Anyway you look at it, it doesn't compare with the likes of LOTR or anything like that. It's entertainment but I wouldn't say reading it is a life altering expirience.

[Cat Atomic]

10. I don't usually like King's books, but I really enjoyed The Gunslinger.

I don't know what it is, precisely. The plot has holes in it and some things just plain don't make any sense, but the setting has a unique sort of ambience. Sort of "Conan the Barbarian meets Spaghetti Western"... but it's also got a surreal kind of quality.

Odd book, but enjoyable.

[frank frankly]

11. that is a great description

the gunslinger is very different than anything else he's written...it is barren.

i love that book. ohhhhh!

[m-jean03]

12. Psychedelics, without taking drugs.

Just weird and fun though, not at all mind expanding.