These books become weirder and weirder with each volume, and this one is the weirdest so far.

To say that I didn't enjoy Wolves of the Calla would be a lie, but the book was too long. Though I love King when he writes big books, but this one was unnecessarily huge and 150-200 pages could have been cut off. This is one of the cases when King turns wordy.

Nevertheless, the book was entertaining and the characters were great, especially Jake, whose character-arc evolve dramatically but powerfully.

I loved meeting once again that character from 'Salem's Lot. His character and story were so much fun and terrifying.

And lastly, I had some issues with the last act. I wanted something mind-blowing to take place, alas, I wasn't satisfied.

Very good one but not great, but highly-recommended.

Wolves of the Calla is book 6 of my 20’19’ Dark Tower odyssey (and book 5 of the series). As with my other reviews this is just a series of observations rather than a full review.
* “[go then] There are other worlds than these”. This quote from Jake going back to the first book.... plays a big factor in this book.
* I have not read Salem’s Lot - it’s been on my TBR list for a while. Nevertheless I enjoyed the crossover quite a lot.
* Going back in time to stop the assassination of JFK... because it represented a watershed moment in history... now what SK book did he expand on that idea?

The story continues in all its weird and mashed-up glory. Is it a Western? Fantasy? Science Fiction? Horror?

Yes. It is.

An especially thoughtful and considerate follow on from the last book which again is rich in character development and delves deeper into the lives of Roland and his companions. Their interactions with the supporting cast and their time in this place make for a compelling and long read. Despite it’s length it doesn't feel bloated but I think provides a detailed exploration of the characters and the world they live in.

”No one is above ka.” - The Man in Black

King spends a lot of time getting to know the supporting cast, their culture, and way of life. This focus on character and setting adds depth to the story, making you feel more invested in the ka-tet's quest. I was immediately drawn in by the story and the detailed world that King has created. The book has many a story within the story that adds layers of complexity and a new understanding of the characters and their motivations.

”I think that all of us are born with a hole in our hearts, and we go around looking for the person who can fill it.” - Susannah Dean

In conclusion it's a book that successfully blends elements of fantasy and Western genres in a post apocalyptic setting. The story is engaging and engrossing with a strong focus on character development and world building. I must confess that a few times in the book (especially around 75%) I imagine Roland twirling his fingers on his right hand in his customary gesture.

”Ka works and the world moves on.” - Roland Deschain

Again this is my fourth read through and I’m finding lots of details I didn't see the other times, and again I am filled with joy..

This was a refreshing return to the story of the Ka-Tet and their journey. After what felt like thousands of pages of flashbacks and backstory in Wizard & Glass and Wind Through the Keyhole, Wolves of the Calla returns to Roland and friends in their quest for the Dark Tower. There is so much drama throughout book five, leading up to an exciting ending that leaves you desperate to start the next book right away (which I did!). This book almost feels like a reintroduction of sorts to the main characters and sets up a final two books to the series that is surely to be a page turner til the end!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Fantasy

"Wolves of the Calla" is the fifth book in Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series. In this book, Roland and his group of traveling companions arrive in the tranquil town of Calla, which is primarily home to farmers. The people who live in Calla are harassed by mysterious and horrific monsters known as the Wolves. These wolves come to the town on a regular basis and kidnap children, only to return them a few weeks later with their minds severely impaired.

Despite the fact that the introduction of Father Callahan was intriguing, I was unable to maintain my interest in this installment for an excessively lengthy period of time. This book is problematic in many different ways for me. To begin, the pace does not appear to be consistent with the prior four books in any way, shape, or form. It seemed like an installment from a separate series was being presented here. The first four novels in the series had a lot better pace, and numerous things happened between one page and the next. This is much longer and moves at a much more sluggish pace.

The side stories were tedious and failed to keep my interest throughout the book. In spite of the book's length, the emphasis was placed more on the various side quests, while the main story was mostly disregarded. What I don't see is why Stephen King chose to overlook the primary plot of trying to reach the black tower and instead put the majority of the emphasis on the events that were taking place in the Calla. If you found those events interesting, then consider yourself fortunate; if not, then consider yourself unlucky, for more of the same is what you may expect after reading 776 pages.

To me, this felt more like book 4.6 than book 5. My excitement for the series has, regrettably, been dampened by the reading of this book. The following book, "The Song of Susanah," is considered by many of my close friends to be their least favorite of the entire series. Wolves of the Calla is the book in this series that I have found to be the least enjoyable so far, and if it weren't for Stephen King and the recurring characters, I would have given it a rating that was lower than three stars.

Review to come...

Commela Come Come!

Our journey has left so many behind. We have been attacked, beaten, and threatened. Yet, we persevere. Onward wayward travelers. Let us continue on our quest to the Dark Tower. Let us travel safely along the Path of the Beam

Our band of crazy MahFahs, led by the craziest MahFah yeh’ve ever encountered- Yours Truly- has seen and done much. I even let Jeff out of his prison luxiourous bedroom at my home to join us in this read. I did keep him on a leash- he’s not to be trusted.

Back to the review:

Roland and his Tet are on the Path of the Beam in search of the Dark Tower. After surviving the Starkblast and hearing another story from Roland’s past the gang is ready to move forward. But they’re being watched by the folken of the Calla. Which Calla? Calla Bryn Sturgis.

As much as Roland’s Tet would love to take a different route, Roland explains to them why they can’t. The duty of the gunslinger is to stand for those who cannot. Stand and be true, aye. He says true. What they find in the Calla is horrifying. Wolves come on horseback once every 26 years to take one from every set of twins. In our world that might not be so bad- but in the Calla twins are as common as Canadian pennies in a handful of change.

What’s worse than that? The wolves send them back once they’re done with them and that twin is forever ROONT; a drooling buffoon capable** of mostly just grunts and giggles.

One of my favorite characters became a favorite because of this book- Pere Callahan. His story in Salem’s Lot was not finished. It is continued here in the Calla.

Calla. Callahan.

But will the other folken listen to his pleas? Can they be convinced that now is the time to stop the wolves? Will Jeff ever get out of my basement for good?

This story is laid out beautifully. You are getting just enough information to keep turning those pages. You’re being teased with information. Your leaders are whispering and even you don’t know what they’re saying. There’s robots, twins, taters and gravy, time travel and talking caves. YERBUGGER.

Wolves of the Calla is a great read and is filled with a language that is sure to make any buddy read more interesting. I just can’t wait to continue this journey with my Ka-Tet.

Another Dark Tower book done, another couple of years of my life (feels like, anyway). These books keeps me bewildered if not downright completely disoriented. How is it possible that so many hold these dry as bone, dull as ditch water, waste of trees, borefests in such high regard?

Like with the others, as I was reading a thousand thoughts circled in my mind (quite a lot to do with the 'story' not being able to hold my interest for more than a couple of pages out of the thousands there are I guess). But when it comes to actually write something about the 'experience' I just feel drained and wanting to go do something else. Well, not that anyone cares, but here goes:

The storylines, or even the books in this series barely hold together. This is most likely due to the fact they were written over a span of more than 40 years. 40 years during which King was busy with other things, such as writing fantastic books, writing a couple not so great books, fiddling a bit in movies, drinking and drugging, getting sober and much much more. Anyway, the idea of a epic story incorporating bits and pieces of other stories was ever there, obviously. One of the many problems was that the Dark Tower epic wasn't there as the other stories evolved in all kind of directions. This means that trying to force the connections and extensions into existence is basically putting round pegs in square holes. Add to this that the books feel disjointed due to the fact that King in the years between them have stuck on different ideas and hangups in each one (just look at expressions and sayings - everyone and his aunt is saying the same things three times per page and in the next book it's out the window and everyone says something else) and characters often acts out of character.

Here in number 5, I can't seem to remember when the group (yes, I know what they are called in "DT speak" it's repeated a gazillion times in the text) were actually searching for/going towards the tower. I think they may have been side tracked on account of never ending talking...

And what's with the cute mythological sidekick creatures? Is there a law that a fantasy novel must have one? In this it's a throcken - a cuddly dog-raccoon-woodchuck-hybrid with gold-rimmed eyes that speaks an odd version of baby talk (basically he skips the first character of any word, if same character is in the middle of a word, no problem).

And finally; the connections! the Easter eggs! the re-visiting of characters! the references!

Yes, there's plenty. The problem with them all is that they don't add anything. Having father Callahan telling a rambling, no-point 4-chapter story about nothing adds absolutely nothing to 'Salems Lot or to the character. Having versions of the Dark man pop up slightly out of character does not add to The Stand. King went totally overboard with this in the Desperation/Regulators double and it was no fun then either. In Gerald's Game / Dolores Claiborne he made a mesmerising connection in a few lines of text that left me astounded and elevated both books. Less can be more.

Number 5 was interesting but didn't quite do it for me as much as the others. Roland and his tet protect a town from the wolves taking their babies but must also get back to NY to stop the DT.

Although many readers of this series liked this volume the least, I found it to be the most moving and exciting of them all. It appears to be a departure from the path of the Beam but in truth it is just another part of the journey of the Ka-Tet and very much on the path to the Dark Tower, bringing them closer. It is well tied in to all the past books, and it is in this book that we meet Father Callahan, from Salem's Lot. It was while reading this book that I completely fell in love with the characters.

When I read this the tears started and I was covered in chills. Roland, The Gunslinger: "For Gilead and the Calla!" he roared. "Now, gunslingers! Now, you Sisters of Oriza! Now, now! Kill them! No Quarter! Kill them all!"
If you have read this book, you know what I mean!
I am going to buy the audio version of this book just so that I can listen to it in my car. AWESOME book!

Ich konnte dieses Buch nicht aus der Hand legen. Der Dunkle Turm hat mich völlig in seinen Bann geschlagen. Da es der fünfte Band der Reihe ist, kann ich schlecht etwas zum Inhalt sagen. Es gibt viele Querverweise und Bezüge zu vorherigen Bänden oder anderen Romanen von Stephen King bis hin zu Geschichten anderer. Wohin das führen soll? Ich bin gespannt. Auf jeden Fall hatte Stephen King Spaß daran, all das einzufügen.