Choo-choo, Jake thought, and shivered.

If that doesn't give you a little frisson,, then, well, you probably haven't read and loved these books as often as I have.

Admittedly, it's a silly quote out of context.

So: The Waste Lands. Book 3 in the Dark Tower series. We old-timers who saw these come out live had to wait years between releases, and it only got worse after this one. Six more years to get Wizard and Glass. Another six after that for book 5, but thankfully he blitzed the remainder of the series at that point. But during that time fans worried, what if he dies before he finishes it? This is way before today's level of impatient ire at the likes of Patrick Rothfuss and George R.R. Martin, who are, in fact, much more likely to die before finishing their own series, and not at all the same situation, because King was still writing the whole time, writing non-stop, publishing something new at every turn. It just wasn't that one thing we wanted above all.

In his afterword (and for reals: skip the preface, titled "when I was 19" or some bullshit; that wasn't added until later editions, just before the last books came out. Read the original thing. Illustrated if you can get it. But it's okay the read the "argument" recap; it's written much better than such things usually are, in that it effectively captures the spirit of the thing and not just the plot points. Or hell, skip it because you already reread the prior books in recent memory.) Ahem. In his afterword, King describes this story as "one that wrote itself, for the most part" and I can believe it. I've never felt this way about any other King book, or indeed any other book, but for these early Dark Tower books I can believe that they're something that came to King from outside; a story that existed outside of him and he was merely channeling it onto the page. It's still clearly King's style, full of his well-written semi-tangents that I am coming to recognize so well as I plow through his published oeuvre in publication order. Here, at least, it is fully under control and well-edited.

I love this book. I love Roland's world, and the ways that its differences and similarities to our own come to the fore. It probably helped that I first ate this as a teenager.

It's weird that this book shares many elements with The Talisman, but where I hated them in that book, I love them in this one. Talismanic items; characters' flashes of undeniable new knowledge; a wasteland; a train ride; an eleven-year old boy (or whatever Tad was, or whatever his name was in The Talisman, I can't remember). Here, they just fucking work. It might have something to do with the level of restraint on the page, and the worldbuilding overall, especially its Oz-like wonder and terror, and the depth of the characters' relationships. I don't really know. Maybe if I read The Talisman as a teenager I would love it too. But I don't. I hate it.

This book contains so much, each sequence epically memorable: Shardik and the Beam, the drawing of the fourth, Oy (love that little guy), the city of Lud, and finally: the Waste Lands. I have always found it entirely forgivable that it ends on a maddening cliffhanger, but having read ahead and knowing what's coming, it's totally worth the wait. Even without that, it's a great place to stop, especially if you don't have to wait 6 years for the next piece.

I already know the line that's going to launch my review of book 4, my absolute favorite of the bunch. I'm withholding judgement on books 5-7 because I've only read them once each, immediately upon publication, and I need to re-experience them before saying if they hold up against the earlier ones.

I'm having a great time with these, y'all.

OK, with no pussyfooting let me say that this is not the worst book King has written. It’s not even the worst of his I read yet - that has to be the preceding one in the strange series that is the Dark Tower; the Drawing of the Three. Yet I awarded that one two stars and this only one. Why is that you may ask? Well, this one admittedly did not have the sloppy mistakes and illogical happenings - it is, however, dull as ditch water. Over more than 700 pages, there are three dramatic incidents - all of them drawn out to the point you think King is pulling your leg (or testing your stamina).

I did make a few notes reading, but I realise now I have no desire to look them up or spend any more time on this. I basically disliked everything, from the bland characters, including the cute talking dog and the pink talking train, to the non-moving story and all the way to the non-ending. King was obviously very decided to write several thousand pages on this story, because upping the word count seems to be the only goal here. And I usually love his long narratives!

I seem to be in the minor minority on these, but there you have it. I read more than 50 books by the great man now, most of them more than once (and some of them a ridiculous number of times) and if I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t believe he actually wrote this.

On my journey of reading/re-reading all of SK's books in publication order. My second journey to The Dark Tower this is still a 5 star read for me - incredible. I couldn't wait to get back into this world.

The character growth/relationship building is done so beautifully our characters are picking up each others sayings, habits and even emotions and is so lovely to read. I love Jake so much and I am so glad he is back in this instalment of The Dark Tower.

There is so much foreshadowing in this book due to Ka, the Charlie the Choo-Choo book Jake picks up and his riddle book are such a perfect example. This is the book in the series that really starts to pick up the pace.

My re-introduction of Oy made me so happy - in my opinion there is no better animal companion than Oy and I find myself thinking about him randomly through the day. Roland starts to show more of his soft side in this book, the reader is getting a much closer connection to our characters and the emotional impact is outstanding, it makes everything feel high stakes.

There wasn't a dull moment in this book, and in true Stephen King style we had some really well written body horror too. The villains in this book are so well done too, Blaine for one will always be terrifying to me and I love to hate these characters.

"Don't ask me silly questions, I won't play silly games, I'm just a simple choo choo train
And I'll always be the same. I only want to race along. Beneath the bright blue sky and be a happy choo choo train. Until the day I die."

"Roland let me die. That is the truth. I still love him. That is the truth."

I know some people don't appreciate the ending to this book, but I think it is brilliant it leaves the reading hanging in suspense. I remember the first time I read it and I had to wait for my dad to finish the Wizard and the Glass before I could find out what happened next, I couldn't imagine having wait years back in the 90s for it to be released. I love this journey and I am looking forward to continuing it soon.

4,2 estrellas en realidad.

Tercera novela de la saga "La Torre Oscura" y casi una obra maestra... y digo casi porque contiene un grave fallo qué muchos lectores, incluido yo, no hemos podido dejar pasar.

Esta novela inicia algunas semanas después de la conclusión de la anterior entrega, "La llegada de los tres", en dónde a la busqueda de Roland se une Eddie y Susannah. Acá, en "Tierras baldías", encuentran uno de los haces místicos que deben seguir para llegar a la torre oscura. Por el camino se unirá el joven Jake Chambers y Acho, un animalito que tomarán de mascota, yéndose a internar en la apocalíptica ciudad de Lud, donde conocerán a uno de los mejores villanos que ha creado King, Blaine el Mono, un peculiar monorraíl de maligna Inteligencia artificial.

La novela en sí es excelente, está bien escrita, y aunque su comienzo es algo lento, King se encarga, como siempre, de ir creando excelentes personajes logrando que nos importen y nos involucremos con su búsqueda, lo que llega a su punto culmine con la llegada a Lud, donde todo toma un ritmo tan vertiginoso que simplemente no puedes dejar de leer. El ambiente apocalíptico y decadente del lugar me mantuvo cautivo y horrorizado con escenas que calificaría de las mejores en su bibliografía. No obstante, es aquí dónde viene el fallo, ese fallo que de no haber estado pudo haber catapultado este libro a uno de los mejores del autor, más se queda en eso en un casi...

Y ese fallo es que King nos corta la historia de manera abrupta, brusca, y en la mejor parte, dejando todo en un "cliffhanger" que nos hace imposible quitarnos esa sensación amarga de "coitos interruptus" tras cerrar la última página. Y alguien podría pensar que no es para tanto, pues ya contamos con la continuación "Mago y cristal", más King se demoró tantos años en escribirla que cuando empiezas a leerla se siente diferente, distinta, y al ser el inicio de una nueva entrega en la cual King debe volver a poner las fichas en el tablero, se siente tambien lenta, carente de esa emoción casi orgásmica a la que "Las Tierras Baldías" nos estaba llevando.

A mi opinión está novela debió cerrar con la llegada de Blaine el Mono a la estación. Ese era el verdadero final que King por motivos editoriales, o lo que sea, nos robo en esta entrega. Ese final, ese gran final, que lamentablemente al abordarlo años después en "Mago y cristal" no supo narrar de la manera fluida y consistente que debía. King ha dicho en diversas ocasiones que en algún momento desea revisar y corregir la saga completa para mejorar la sensación de continuidad entre un libro y otro y eliminar aquellos baches que le han válido más de alguna crítica. Pues si piensa hacerlo creo que debería empezar por corregir este punto en "Tierras Baldías". La novela debió terminar con la llegada de Blaine el Mono a la estación... y "Mago y cristal" debió empezar por la caminata en las afueras de ella.

Excelente novela que si no fuera por ese final abrupto la consideraría, sin duda, una obra maestra.

¡Si lees esta saga, "Las tierras baldías" es lectura obligada por supuesto!

This volume of the Dark Tower has aged like fine wine, fascinating me more than all the previous volumes with the inclusion of more and more ancient tech. The breaking down of knowledge, society, and sanity is the main thrill, seeing the high-tech descendants of a massive, glorious metropolis that has Moved On act like ignorant yokels.

Lud. *sigh*

But my personal huge, roaring favorite has got to be Shardik. What a guardian! Glorious! And with a thinking cap on, too! :)

But when it comes to characters, King has got almost everyone beat. The two Deans, Roland himself, and the inclusion of the much-missed Jake and their new little friend makes this Ka-Tet one that will forever live in my memory. As, indeed, it already has. This is my third read and I still love it.

But my last shout-out has got to be for Blaine. Blaine's a pain. Indeed he is. Choo-Choo!!!

The Dark Tower series is definitely one of the best fantasies ever written. None others have the sheer imagination or as much SCOPE. And to think that New York City can be a microcosm of the multiverse, showing us how As Above, So Below, all things can forever mirror each other? Brilliant. :)

I would now like a rose, please. :)

I loved this book. I love the connections between the characters' past lives and between Mid-World and Our When. I also felt a strong link to other Stephen King books: a mansion in Brooklyn comes to life and it was The Overlook all over again for me. The middle of the book (the mansion part) was the most amazing part of a completely amazing story. It could have just ended there for me emotionally, but it's all about the quest. So, onward to Lud which brings every nuked out NYC full of mutants and psychos immediately to mind. Also amazing, exciting and full of connections.

S.K. foreshadowed a lot of character and plot development in this book, so thank goodness I don't have to wait six years for Book 4. Next month: Wizard and Glass!

March 2017 Buddy Read

De camino a la Torre.

➤ "Por fin he encontrado el rumbo. Después de tantos años he encontrado el rumbo, pero al mismo tiempo parece que estoy perdiendo la cordura."

El panorama es el siguiente: todo empezó con un libro confuso al que apenas le pude seguir el hilo, continuó con un cambio radical que no hizo más que enamorarme y desembocó en esto: el final de una primera trilogía que se sitúa muy lejos de ser algo simple. Si algo es cierto, es que, a diferencia de sus predecesores, en esta tercera entrega, finalmente, sentimos que avanzamos hacia la Torre; tanto el primero como el segundo libro fueron construyeron el ambiente, presentado personajes y deleitándonos con la creatividad del autor, pero seamos claros, el viaje de Roland hacia su tan deseado destino parecía estático, lejano, y hasta casi imposible. Las Tierras Baldías tiene otra cosa en mente.

Si vas a empezar a leer este libro, procurá asegurarte de poderle brindarle la suficiente atención, porque es aquí, señoras y señores, donde caerán varios baldazos aislados de información argumental que, si no la sigues bien, te podría llegar a ahogar. Una inmensa introducción de historias que amplían el universo y forman su pasado están presentes aquí, así como una serie de personajes secundarios que protagonizan tales narraciones. Por otra parte, se nos da una mayor visión de esta tierra alternativa, el Mundo Medio, sus habitantes y paisajes, aunque sin despegarnos del todo de momentos protagonizados por nuestra Tierra. Si hay algo de lo que no me puedo quejar, es de su complejidad, no suena a algo que haya leído nunca (y eso que tampoco sé todo). Tiene mucho potencial y parecería prometer no más que buenas ideas, pero por el momento, lo único que sé con seguridad es que el mundo se movió (si es que eso tiene algún sentido).

➤ "Así que este es uno de los doce portales. ¿Adónde conduce, Roland? ¿A Disney World?"

Creo que la epicidad de la saga no solo reside en su argumento, sino también en su exploración por elementos de distintos géneros. Tenemos plena fantasía, un poco de western, vistazos de ciencia ficción, anduvimos entre un mundo realista y otro maravilloso, y, por si todo eso fuera poco, en este libro tenemos al King clásico, popular, el del terror. Su presencia aquí es más sólida que nunca, y se aprecia en la aparición de entidades y personajes completamente sombríos (desde un demonio hasta un mutante degenerado) así como en las situaciones que van experimentando nuestros protagonistas, que, indiscutiblemente, son muy sombrías y repugnantes (en especial una que, los que habrán leído el libro, sabrán a cuál refiero).

En materia narrativa, es excelente. Su estructura es sumamente ingeniosa, los cambios de narradores y las conexiones entre estos (especialmente entre Jake y el resto del grupo) es admirable. También, en esta entrega, la astucia y el juego de palabras es mucho más desarrollado que en sus predecesores: tenemos toda una subtrama relacionada a las adivinanzas y su importancia (vaya que fueron importantes…), ni hablar de las múltiples referencias que se dan, cada detalle cumple una función, no queda a mitad del camino, más bien llega hasta el final y hace suficiente escándalo para dejarte asombrado. Y aún se sostiene ese sentido del humor que tanto me hizo reír en ocasiones.

(Acho tiene todo mi amor)

En cierto punto, me molesta no haberle dado cinco estrellas, pero hay una contracara: no se me hizo tan ligero como el anterior y es lógico, por todo lo anteriormente explicado, que tenga sus momentos densos que se sienten sobrantes. Sea como sea, con ese final criminalmente abierto, y tres libros leídos, abandonar el viaje ya no es una opción, por lo que mi continuación en la saga no es una posibilidad, sino más bien, un hecho.

It's so funny, as I'm reading this series for the first time, to see the (very) polarizing opinions about each book. One person gives it up after the first thirty pages of the first book because it's so fucking weird, the next wants to read all of them in a mad, passionate frenzy. One person thinks book two is the greatest (me), another thinks it's boring as shit (an opinion I can't understand). Yet another counts this here book as their favorite and reviles book four. Etc, etc.

I find this fascinating, and for me, it's evidence that King has a vision that he is executing at the expense of nothing. These are weird books, and only getting weirder, even as the story makes more sense. Every other book I've read of his has been accessible in style and subject matter, and even the fantastical ones have played by the rules. Pants-shitting terrifying, or disturbing? Yes, often and more than not. But never like this.

With this series, King seems to be reaching deep down into the crevasses* of his mind and pulling up story from the deep below. From the first page of The Gunslinger, this story felt like a fever dream, real and yet unreal at the same time, metaphors made tangible, side by side with mundane, solid reality. The imagery contained in these first three books, which is at its strongest in this third book, has such power it drives the story seemingly without need for an author. (This feeling of mine was validated in the Author's Note at the end, when he says that the book wrote itself.)

*And yes, I mean "crevasses," not "crevices" here. I'm meaning to imply deep down, fucked up subconscious shit going on. Deep fucking glacier crack nonsense, none of this 'ooh, just a little fissure' imagery. "Crevices" is not gonna get that done.

This one didn't do it for me in as clear and simple a way as The Drawing of Three did, but I liked it nonetheless. It has less discovery and introspection, and more movement and action, which are never my favorite things. But what is there is so fucking bizarre at times, and always with that same real/not-real quality, it seems like King has pulled some of it from the primal recesses of your own mind.

The book is essentially split in two. The first half sees Roland training up his two new gunslingers, and finally bringing the final members of their ka-tet together, also dealing with the ramifications of what happened to Jake back in the first book. The second half is actually the beginning of their journey. They're done preparing, they've gathered the fellowship and met with the Council of Elrond (so to speak), and all the members of the ka-tet have shared (most of) their knowledge with one another. And that's when it really gets weird. The last fifty pages of this book were so freaky, but so hard to put down.

The book ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, although I'm with King in that it feels like the right place to end this chapter of the story. I can definitely see how it would have driven people insane to wait the six years in between this book and the next, but I also really like the idea of Roland and his ka-tet on that Disneyland train-ride from (or is it to?) Hell, in a sort of suspended animation, waiting to see what happens next. Is that perverse? I dunno, I guess I'm kinda perverse.

Actual rating 2.5 stars

n  "I do not aim with my hand; she who aims with her hand has forgotten the face of her father.

I am with my eye.

I do not shoot with my hand; she who shoots with her hand has forgotten the face of her father.

I shoot with my mind.

I do not kill with my gun; she who kills with her gun has forgotten the face of her father.

I kill with my heart."n

I'm not going to lie, this one was really hard to get through. So hard that I was ready to DNF at 60%. Why do I have to wait 60% to get to the story that I knew was there? I know King is such a great story teller and I was expecting so much more from this one....it really felt like middle book info dumping that wasn't necessary. After 60%, this book was amazing, then it wasn't, then it was. I like Roland so much that I will continue with this series because damn it I want him to get to The Dark Tower. I want him to be the Gunslinger that I know he is, I want epicness that I know is there.

Oh please tell me book four is so much better, I do not want to give up on this series.

4.5 stars

Rolands´ DIY tutorials, worsening causality problems, time paradoxes, and the first real, longer encounters with paranormal activities and monsters let one dive deeper into the marvelous madness.

Just as in the second part, The drawing of the three, King is using some elements of the real, alternative world, although the main parts play in fantasy terror land, where the lovely hero´s journey of mentally ill, severely injured and mutilated, and fresh cold turkeyed protagonists can continue.

This one is similar to the first part of the series, a good oldfashioned tour de force, while the second and fourth part are more personal, character focused works with fewer settings and action. I don´t know if King intended to switch the narrative styles between the parts or if it was a coincidence, but slowing down for a novel between, to focus on character development to accelerate in the next book, seems reasonable, although it sparked debates of fans about the uncertainty what the next part may bring. Depending on what style one prefers, the agreeableness can vary, a bit of fandom frenzy included.

The huge cyborg beast Shardik  lets me think about something I possibly could once have already mentioned in another review, either talking about King or Pratchett, how it would have been if they would have discovered the endless horrible and funny elements, tropes, and potentials of Sci-Fi for their works. That wouldn´t just have been an extra icing on the cake, it could have given it all so much more potential for perversion, cruelty, and inhumanity that it could have blown readers' minds even more. A wonderful imagination that my beloved genre Sci-Fi could have had Pratchetts´ humor or Kings´ terror next to the worldbuilding and often unique ideas some Sci-Fi authors succeeded in establishing.

Manipulating reality can lead to funny results and King uses it to mind penetrate a younger version of one of the characters and possibly integrating himself, meanwhile sober, as the cocaine addicted father.

Did I mention the explicit succubus incubus style sex scene  with extreme plot relevant consequences, because it´s not artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization that fulfills the wish for a child in Kings´ universe, it´s dark magic demon breeding monster hentai mutation by rape , because if all other arguments didn´t convince you to read it, this certainly will. Who is my cute, world eating, monster baby, gugu?

The Tick Tock Man is in the house too, awaiting you in a kind of steampunky dystopian setting and wait until you can cuddle your first billy- bumbler, how cute, exactly what one needs in wastelands  filled with mutants and mad AIs to calm down a bit and get some tenderness.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

4.5 stars

The Waste Lands is the third installment in the Dark Tower series. I’ve been through this series so many times over the years I have lost count. But what has made this trip so important is all of the wonderful people I have gotten to take along the Path of the Beam. I would like to thank my posse for allowing me to hold their hands and guide them on this most epic of quests. Rootin’ Tootin Pistol Packin’ Delee,  Jumpin’ Jeff ,  Calamity Bev and last but certainly not least, Bronco Bustin’ Black Jackin’ Jason

I am a pusher of books, anyone who has had even a minute’s interaction with me can attest to this. I get especially pushy when I know the books could change someone’s life. There is only a handful of books that fall into that category for me-obviously, the Harry Potter series and of course, the Dark Tower series.

While I love the shit out of Harry Potter, the Dark Tower series actually changed my view on life and what it all means. I had a breakthrough. I’ve always been a cynical, show me don’t tell me type and the Dark Tower series gave me something to believe in; something that made sense to me. I’ve never been religious, but I’m not an Atheist either. I fall more in line with Agnostics. My problem is that I want to believe everything so much I can’t believe anything.

Ka.

Ka is something all of its own. It does not bend to your will. It does not care for your plans. If you detour around it, you’ll still find yourself where you were meant to be. The wheel of Ka keeps turning and your best bet is to sit back and enjoy the ride. There’s truly no point in fighting it.

We start out with one hell of a paradox. Poor Roland, given the events in  the Drawing of the Three is torn between what happened and what didn’t happen. Did Jake accompany him through the desert and up the mountains? Did Jake exist in this world? Did Roland let him fall? How could he have let him fall if he was never there? Roland is in rough shape and only the key can help.

Eddie and Susannah have taken nuptial vows and found a love that is both deserving and beautiful. They are a good match for one another, though, if I am to be honest, I think I would be a much better match for Eddie. Maybe the wheel of Ka will roll through and make that happen for me? What do you say, Ka?!

*looks around hopefully*

Eddie sees that he will need to play a big role in Jake’s drawing into this world. What he doesn’t know is if he is cut out for it, or if he’ll be ready in time. Eddie is constantly at war with himself from the years of being mentally beat down by his older brother.

Susannah Dean, who was once Odetta Holmes and Detta Walker, is trying her best to maintain her one mind now that her alternate personalities have been forced to face one another. She is also trying to figure out her place in this new strange place.

Jake’s drawing into this world is by far my favorite sequence in this whole book. It is such an intense turn of events. The splitting minds, the split perspective and most especially the fact that while Eddie’s door faces down, Jake enters it vertically just creates this insane imagry that blows me away every time.

Then there is Oy. What a wonderful creature King has produced. Oy makes my heart feel so happy with love and pride I can hardly contain myself. He represents all that is good and innocent in this world and his relationship with ‘Ake is one of the best parts of the Dark Tower series.

Our favorite Ka-Tet is on the Path of the Beam in search of Blaine the Mono. Blain is a pain, and this they know; but he is also a necessity to their quest. Will they make it to him in time? Will Blaine still be there? If he is there, is he sane? Can a train be sane? Where will this story go?

The Waste Lands, while not as good as Drawing of the Three, gives us insight into some of King’s best written characters. We get to know them individually while seeing them interact with one another. My favorite interactions are between Roland and Eddie. Roland, so severe and earnest in every aspect vs. the nonstop joker, Eddie, makes for some great entertainment. The character arcs throughout this series are some of the most fascinating that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Each and every time I read this series I find something new that makes me love them all the more.

n  “[Eddie] cried out but his cry was lost in the golden blast of some tremendous horn. It came from the top of the Tower, and seemed to fill the world. As that note of warning held and drew out over the field where he stood, blackness welled from the windows which girdled the Tower. It overspilled them and spread across the sky in flaggy streams which came together and formed a growing blotch of darkness. It did not look like a cloud; it looked like a tumor hanging over the earth. The sky was blotted out. And, he saw, it was not a cloud or a tumor but a shape, some tenebrous, cyclopean shape racing toward the place where he stood.”n