It's funny, when I first read this book I rather disliked it. I was not prepared for the entire thing to be a flashback sequence. I just wanted to see Roland and the Ka-tet continuing with their adventure. I finished the book, put it down, and had little to say about it. As time has gone on, I've ruminated on the book and realized I was being a big fat baby. At present day, this is in my top 3, and I know it is many people's favorite. It's brilliant. I just don't think I was prepared for the brand of brilliant it was bringing to the table. It goes to show you the power of expectation.

*Spoliers*

I'm annoyed that the conclusion to the game with Blaine the Monorail was shown at the beginning of this book rather than the end of Waste Lands. I honestly to this day have no idea how Stephen's editor let him get away with cliffhangers like that. He does it AGAIN at the end of The Song of Susannah. In that case it is even more egregious. Imagine how much better Waste Lands would've been if he fully wrapped up that arc at the ending. Why must you hurt me like this, Stephen? Either way, the game wraps up well and I still love Blaine with all my soul. One of my favorite villains in literature, by god.

My overall feelings on Wizard and Glass have taken a complete 180 to how they started. It's great. The tragedy of Susan Delgado was a gripping experience to read through, especially because you already have a good idea of how it is going to end. Heartbreaking and horrific stuff. I love it. Oh, and Roland's mother? Goodness gracious, this poor boy can't catch a break.

First read: 3 Stars (Somehow. I'm an idiot)
Second read: Easy 5

Update:

I've just finished reading through Wizard and Glass once again. It's even better this time. Truly a work of art. It's slow at times, yes, but overall the book is a wild ride. This series is the most unique thing I've ever read. You won't find content like this anywhere else.

Το βιβλίο αυτό γράφτηκε αρκετά χρόνια μετά από τους ρημαγμένους τόπους . Έτσι ξεκινάει κάπως άβολα μέχρι ο Κινγκ να ξανά γνωριστεί με τους παλιούς του χαρακτήρες . Ωστόσο , γρήγορα η ιστορία αρχίζει να κυλά για να μας Μεταφέρει στο παρελθόν και να μας δείξει πως ο Ρόλαντ έγινε ο αδίστακτος πολεμιστής που γνωρίσαμε . Θέλει λίγο υπομονή στη μέση αλλα μετά ....... !!!!!!!!

Mago y cristal
4.5/5

Cuarta entrega de la torre oscura. Seguimos con las aventuras de Roland y sus amigos con máquinas que tienen vida propia jugando a una partida mortal de adivinanzas, vaya comienzo más tenso.

La mayor parte vamos a estar conociendo la vida del Pistolero en su juventud. Así, como si de una novela independiente se tratase, King se marca un western a su estilo, con efectos paranormales, enfrentamientos al estilo del oeste y lo mejor, un romance del pistolero.



La Novela es, como toda la serie, impredecible, cada página puede ser una sorpresa porque no sabemos lo que nos podemos encontrar. En esta ha aparecido un objeto que me recuerda a otro que es fundamental en el libro que le inspiró a King escribir esta serie de la torre oscura. Un objeto que transforma al que lo posee, ve a través de él y no lo quiere soltar.

La serie sigue manteniendo el interés con buen ritmo, aunque a veces se detenga el camino del Haz hacia la Torre por las sorpresas con las que se encuentran los protagonistas.

A por el siguiente episodio...

We are Ka-Tet, we are one from many. We have shared khef. We have travelled alongside one another. We have lost a few of our tet along the way, but we have also gained a few. There’s Jumpin' Jeff (Only the man Jesus knows where he's at!), Rootin' Tootin' Pistol Packin' Ass Whuppin’ Virgin Blood Drinkin' Delee, Calamity Bev who is still plugging along, Kid Colt Karly, Bloody Black Kit Kat (who was sorely missed for this read!), Bronco Bustin Black Jack(in') Jason who was fashionably late, Dastardly Dan  and of course, yours truly, Quick Draw Stepheny(sometimes, Not So Quick on the Draw Stepheny)! Hear me now, gunslingers, for I will tell you the tale!

We join up with Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake and Oy…oh! And how could I possibly forget the psychotic choo-choo train, Blain! What a pain! We see a few familiar sights along the way and pick up a couple Easter eggs. Captain Trips anyone? Yeah, I think I’ll pass too.

Roland finally decides to open up to his new Ka-Tet and explain to them what happened to his old ka-tet. And when I say old, I mean old. One starts to question just how old Roland truly is. We get to see Roland’s past, his youth, his friends and his first task as a gunslinger.


But most importantly, we get to see Roland fall in love for the first time with the ever so beautiful Susan Delgado. Ka, like the wind, blows in and sweeps its victims right off their ever-loving feet. It can’t be helped; it can’t be stopped. Ka won’t bend to your will or your wants- it’s Ka and it’s in charge. Susan finally concedes and accepts her new role in Roland’s Ka-Tet….

Aye, so she does.



This is a great story of the bonds of love and friendship and the birth of an obsession. For it is here that we learn how Roland came to see his first vision of the Dark Tower. And listen closely friends, hear me well: once you see the tower, there is no turning back.




Don’t say you weren’t warned…

6.0 stars. On my list of All Time Favorite novels. The Dark Tower series is on my list of top ten greatest fantasy series of all time and this book is my favorite installment of the series. In addition to concluding the journey on "Blaine the Mono" started in The Waste Lands, the bulk of this novel takes the form of a flashback to the time when Roland, then 14 years old and the youngest gunslinger in memory is sent east by his father to the Barony of Mejis with his two companions, Cuthbert Allgood and Alain Johns. Soon after arriving in Mejis, Roland meets and falls in love with Susan Delgado who along with Cuttbert and Alain form Roland's first ka-tet.

Thus, this is really the story of Roland's first ka-tet (mentioned often throughout the earlier novels) and his first and only true love, Susan. The journey that Roland goes through in this novel from young, talented, naive 14 year old gunslinger to the jaded, cold and solitary figure readers have known throughout the series is amazing and you walk away from this story seeing Roland as a truly tragic hero.

This is an amazing book and I don't think Stephen King has ever done better. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!

Nominee: Locus Award Best Fantasy Novel.

Finally we get to see a part of Roland's background, and it's the part that marked and influenced him the most. Aye, 'tis so!

Well, I failed at my goal of finishing this series before the movie came out on August 15th*. Perhaps Ashley of past years could have finished the remaining three books in the next thirteen days (as of actually finishing the book), but Present Ashley is certainly not capable of it.

*Will not now be seeing the movie. Very upset at genius casting of Idris Elba entirely wasted. I was still going to give it a chance until I read they'd made Jake the protagonist and dumbed it down. STOP DUMBING THINGS DOWN THAT IS WHEN THEY SUCK. No thank you, I shall pass.

So I knew going in that this book was divisive. Some people HATE IT, and others LOVE IT. I'm not entirely sure of my feelings on it. I will confess that I expected to love it. I love things of a romantical nature, but something about the flashback nature of this one turned me off. Perhaps it's because I already knew how it ended (you know going in because Roland tells you, that it won't have a happy ending, and we've gotten enough hints to the fates of Susan in past books that we know it'll end badly for her), or because none of it felt particularly relevant or revelatory towards the main storyline of the ka-tet and their quest for the Dark Tower, but whatever the reason, about twenty pages in to the flashback story, it lost all momentum for me. It became torture for me to pick up the book after that, despite not even really disliking what was going on in it. Parts of it were even very moving! I just didn't care. I wanted to be back with present day Roland and Eddie and Susannah and Oy and Jake, in Kansas.

And the book started so well! I was riveted by the conclusion of the cliffhanger from The Waste Lands, and I thought the showdown with Blaine was executed very well. And the atmosphere of them finding the alternate Kansas was so creepy! I was so into it. And then King asked me to suspend all that excitement to tell me a story which it turns out I wasn't in the mood to hear.

Ah, well.

Starting Wolves of the Calla tonight, and know almost nothing about it, so I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

[3.5 stars, rounded down even though the beginning and end were great]

I realise I may be in the minority, but this was probably my favourite of the series so far.

I loved all the connections and cross-connections with King's other works and with elements of general cultural consciousness. There is a veritable well of imagination being drawn from here.

There wasn't a ton about our main party who continue to travel the path of the Beam to the Dark Tower. The majority of the book focused on events of Roland's distant past, as he and his friends truly and forever cross the threshold into adulthood.

I love the Weird Western setting, filled with the familiar made strange. I felt for the younger version of Roland and his friends, Cuthbert and Alain, and also especially for his doomed love, Susan.

A great story, and a fantastic audiobook, even as long as it was clocking in at over 27 hours.

Τι να πει κανείς γι αυτό το βιβλίο? Πως γίνεται ένας συγγραφέας που ο τρόμος είναι το σήμα κατατεθέν του, να καταφέρνει να γράψει μία τέτοια ιστορία? Ας πάρουμε λίγο τα πράγματα από την αρχή…

Ξεκινάμε την ιστορία από εκεί που σταμάτησε η προηγούμενη. Δηλαδή με γρίφους! Όλο το κομμάτι στον Μπλέιν είναι εκπληκτικό, με απολαυστικούς διαλόγους και ακόμα και αν φαντάστηκα την κατάληξη, το τέλος ήταν το αποκορύφωμα του με τους χαρακτήρες να δίνουν ρέστα! Είναι τόσο έντονο αλλά και τόσο αστείο ταυτόχρονα!

Συνεχίζουμε με το Κάνσας. Το ιδιαίτερο αυτού του μέρους του βιβλίου είναι πως ο King αναφέρει σκηνές από Το Κοράκι . Όποιοι το έχουν διαβάσει πριν από αυτό το βιβλίο μπορούν να ταυτιστούν καλύτερα και να «νοιώσουν» την ατμόσφαιρα.

Πάμε τώρα στην ανατροπή και τη μαγεία!

Ο King έγραψε μία ιστορία αγάπης! Είναι ένα πολύ μεγάλο κομμάτι από το παρελθόν του Ρόλαντ και η γνωριμία του με την Σούζαν Ντελγκάντο και πως ότι έγινε εκεί τον έχει διαμορφώσει στον άνθρωπο που είναι σήμερα. Δεν υπάρχει λόγος να αναλύσω ότι γίνεται μέσα στις σελίδες του βιβλίου. Το μόνο που θα πω είναι ότι πολύ έντονες και γλαφυρές στιγμές που δεν γίνεται να μην αγγίξουν τον αναγνώστη. Ακόμα όμως και όταν τελειώνει το flashback και επιστρέφουμε στο σήμερα, η μετάβαση γίνεται με τέτοιο τρόπο που δεν έχεις καταλάβει ότι διάβαζες για το παρελθόν. Ουσιαστικά ο King καταφέρνει κάτι απίστευτο. Όπως και μέσα στην ιστορία, ο Ρόλαντ αφηγείται τα πάντα μέσα σε ένα βράδυ, έτσι και στον αναγνώστη, όλες αυτές οι εκατοντάδες σελίδες με την ιστορία του Ρόλαντ και της Σούζαν, φαίνεται να διαδραματίζονται σε 1-2 σελίδες.  Γιατί με το που επιστρέφουμε στο παρόν, μπαίνεις κατευθείαν στην υπόθεση και στον τωρινό κόσμο του πιστολέρο.

Μέχρι τώρα, θεωρώ πως είναι το καλύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς και έχω ήδη πάρει στα χέρια μου το επόμενο.
Οπότε σειρά τώρα έχει το 5ο, Οι Λύκοι της Κάλα.

Megalomania kinghiana

Esiste un periodo nella propria vita in cui avviene il cosiddetto salto di livello: macinati libri su libri adatti all’infanzia e preadolescenza, sorge naturale il desiderio di iniziare a sondare quella narrativa misteriosa che viene etichettata “per adulti”.
Stephen King, forte di una distribuzione commerciale robusta - non è sbagliato parlare di lui come uno tra gli autori più influenti dei nostri tempi - nonché supportato da copertine suggestive e sinossi ancor più accattivanti, ottempera alla necessità di cui sopra.
Indubbio che un autore capace di ritagliarsi una carriera quarantennale abbia dei meriti oggettivi, sebbene l’onestà intellettuale dello stesso, almeno dal mio punto di vista, abbia traballato non poco tra libri scritti senza un reale guizzo creativo e operazioni commerciali della peggior risma (farsi scippare da un maramaldo su scooter rimane esperienza più edificante della lettura de La scatola dei bottoni di Gwendy, per intenderci).

La sfera nel buio è una grande occasione mancata, forse colossale, arrivati a questo punto della saga.
Ritagliatasi la possibilità, all'interno della storia principale, di scostare il velo adombrante il passato di Roland per dare uno spaccato del mondo antecedente, e possibilmente di tutte le individualità coinvolte nel dramma, ecco profilarsi il limite principale del romanzo: imperniare la narrazione sulla tragedia amorosa tra Roland e Susan, osteggiata dalla classica provincia americana che qui (giacché siamo in un fantasy) assume il nome di Mejis; tutto il resto - infanzia del trio, ambientazione, chiarificazioni sul tempo, tecnologia dell'epoca, camei inspiegabili come quelli di Randall Flagg - viene approfondito con timidi accenni e qualche vago rapporto tra alcune città delle Baronie.
E se le ultime cento pagine, un po' nella confusione generale e un po' per il fisiologico precipitare degli eventi, ravvivano una storia fin lì condotta con ritmi narcolettici e ridondanze intrinseche alla penna, il fil rouge tra Roland e la Torre Nera - la sfera come tramite - è quanto di più sbrigativo e raffazzonato si possa concepire.
Resta inossidabile la capacità di tratteggiare il quadro adolescenziale, con disillusioni e speranze annesse, ma questo ambito fu già sondato, con altra sensibilità e afflato poetico, ne Il corpo o It.
Qualunque ambizione nel processo creativo, purtroppo, penso debbano essere derubricate a velleità di un autore non a suo agio nella stesura di un lavoro dal respiro ampio qual è una saga fantasy.

P.S. Se il narratore del flashback ha vissuto in prima persona le sue esperienze - indi per cui è impossibile che narri con un'alternanza di pov -, e il resto dei ricordi sono un filtrato sadico e accuratamente selezionato dalla sfera, com'è possibile che il flashback venga costruito su affastellamenti militari-strategici dei suoi nemici, riflessioni di Rhea, azioni abituali di Cordelia Delgado e normali dialoghi che intercorrono tra i personaggi del microcosmo di Mejis?

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Epic Fantasy

Wizard and Glass is the fourth book in the Dark Tower series. However, I think this is more like book 3.5 in the series. Except for the first 140 pages (Part one) and the last 70 pages (Part four), it all covers Ronald’s backstory in the past and his love affair with Susan Delgado. The past is not boring or anything. It is quite interesting but I feel it slowed the journey’s pace in my head. It felt more like an unexpected distraction. I expected with this book that the journey will go forward but it didn’t happen. Still, this past story was intriguing, especially with the presence of the witch who spiced up the events in a big way.

The book itself starts where the third book (The Waste Lands) ended. The Ka-tet is still dealing with Blaine and his obsession with riddles. And later it is like The Stand meets The Wizard of Oz in King’s charming and peculiar way of storytelling.

I can’t help but feel that the first part of the book should’ve been the conclusion of book three. Ronald’s backstory which takes up the majority of the 840 pages of the book should’ve been a prequel that one could read after finishing the series. That’s my opinion right now as this was something totally unexpected. I might like it more with future rereads. I feel I would’ve appreciated this story more if my mind was not focused more on the journey itself.

Note: Wizard and Glass is a part of my reading of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. This is Book No.7 of 24 books I am going to read for this series.

4.5 stars