The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King

I honestly can't think of why this series is held in such high regard except for the characters.

I like it, sure, but that's not the same thing as saying that an amalgamation of pop culture references is the best story I've read in months. Frankly I'm at a loss as to why King gets so much attention if not for his characterization.

But as I said, I like it. Wolves was definitely a slump for me, having seen the Seven Samurai, and I was having trouble picking up where I had left off with Wizard & Glass. A lot of things seemed much too convenient, deus ex machina-esque, or "as Ka wills," you might say. Either way, I think it picked up a lot with Song of Susannah. It reads more like a thriller, which is what I enjoy most, and there's a lot less of the convenient little happenings.

I know, you can try to convince me about convenience by telling me that King is writing about

Spoiler:

the possibility that their worlds are only stories that the character, King, has made up.

It still doesn't serve to keep me engrossed in the story. It only makes me more aware that I am reading someone else's fiction. I really hate it when I am reminded of that.

I haven't read the final book yet, because it hasn't come out in paperback, but I fully expect that nothing can live up to the standards King has set for himself with this series. Expectations are sure to be disappointed.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Sassafrass

Yes it has.

Though I share your apparent remorse for the feeling of reading "someone else's fiction."

What also irked me was King's underlying need to insert himself into the story. I realize he tends to do that a lot, even with his TV series and movies. I understand that this was his magnum opus and all and he felt apart of it all, but really.

By paperback, I mean the small, 7.95 version. I don't have room enough on my bookshelf for that monstrosity.

There's nowhere I can't reach.