should i read the dark tower series!?

[k----20]

iam sorry because i have already post a thread in general book discussion

forum about this subject (i did not know that there is a forum for stephin king)

and please give an answer about my first question (the second question have

already answered by j.d. worthington ) and this is my post:




hi every one iam from saudi arabia and in my country ther is no translaion for fantasy books and it is so hard to find an english books but finally ther is ahuge books store in my town just open and i found harry poter books and other books for stephen king and i want your help in some issue:

1- from the series of dark tower i only found the last book can i read it?or i have to read the entire series to understand the last one(i know it maybe a stupid question)

2-please i need you to give me some names of the best books or writers of fantasy and horror.

thank you for your time.

(forget me for my bad english and thank you .)

 

[HoopyFrood]

I would seriously recommend that you read all the books in order. Because it's a series, there is A LOT that you wouldn't understand if you read the last book before any of the others. It really is just like a long story broken into seven books (apart from the fourth one that goes off on a bit of a tangent) so it's wise to read them all, and in order. It's quite a complex story anyway, so I think only reading the last one will only leave you quite confused!

However, I really recommend that you do read The Dark Tower Series, all seven of the, because it's a fantastic series!

Oh, and welcome to the forums!

 

[Memnoch]

Welcome - I'm also not sure about the Towers series, King is Horror in mine eyes, so I find it hard to purchase a possible donk of a series, especially as I'm not a huge fan some of his books are over written drivel

 

[HoopyFrood]

Shocking! Stephen King is a legend!

And the Dark Series is more fantasy than his usual horror. Although it does still have that twisted SK edge. Brilliant.

 

[Wiggum]

Don't read the last one before the others.

If and when you can get the first book The Gunslinger, give that a try. It's more or less a long prolouge into the books, and in not being a huge investment of reading time, it will allow you to judge for yourself whether or not the other books will be of interest.

That said, most of the series is bonzo good.

 

[k----20]

thanks for help

iwill see you when i finihshed the series!!

 

[HoopyFrood]

Mind you, I didn't like The Gunslinger all that much. It was only when I read The Drawing of the Three that I really started enjoying the series. But hell, that's just me. It's like how I also don't really like The Wizard and the Glass, but I know other people really enjoy it.

Anyway...I reiterate, definitely give the series a go, at least!

 

[Wiggum]

I hate Wizard and the Glass. The hatred stemming from the fact that I'm old enough to have read The Wastelands when it was originally published and then had to wait many, many years for the continuation of the story that wasn't a continuation at all. That peeved me to no end.

Obviously the telling of the story doesn't find fruition in The Gunslinger, but I think the reading of it gives one a good barometer by which to judge whether or not they want to continue in the series.

 

[WhiteWolf]

Hi, I'm brand new to the forums and I just finished reading DT6, SONG OF SUSANNAH, so I thought I would weigh in here.

These books absolutely must be read in order, no question about it. The first book, THE GUNSLINGER, acts as more of a prologue to the entire series than anything else. The next two, THE DRAWING OF THE THREE and THE WASTE LANDS, go in a more linear direction and are very rewarding reads, but don't expect any sort of plot resolutions that early on. The fourth book, WIZARD AND GLASS, is more of a flashback, and takes a giant U-Turn from the previous three. I didn't like DT4 myself, but I can see where some would find it to be the best of the bunch. Thankfully, King sort of gets back on track with WOLVES OF THE CALLA, but even then, that too is sidestepping the journey that began in DRAWING and WASTE LANDS. WOLVES is big, rambling, and very little important actually happens, but it does have a decent payoff and it also sets the stage for the following events. DT6, SONG OF SUSANNAH, acts as a bridge, or a middle act between 5, 6 and 7, to explore some of the details that have been touched on earlier in the series as well as other books King has written that have become "Dark Tower Related Books." In my opinion, DT6 is the best one since THE WASTE LANDS, and it is mercifully as long (or short) as it should be.

All of that is just my take up to where I am right now, which is looking forward to the final volume sometime this summer, I suspect.

It's been a long journey for me to read these books, almost--but not quite--as long as King's journey in writing them. But the books have been surprisingly easy to get back into after taking multiple years off in between volumes.

Other DT-Related Books I've read include: THE TALISMAN, BLACK HOUSE, SALEM'S LOT, INSOMNIA, EYES OF THE DRAGON, DESPERATION, THE REGULATORS, and EVERYTHING'S EVENTUAL (The Little Sisters of Eluria).

It's been a fine long journey, however, and I'm looking forward to concluding it.

This has been a very long post on a King topic coming to you from a red-blooded Dean Koontz fan.

 

[HoopyFrood]

I'm a red-blooded Stephen King fan

And I forget which book it's in, but the actual story of Everything's Eventual has links to the Dark Tower series as well. The Stand is also linked to the Dark Tower (as seen in the Wizard and Glass, where they find themselves in a world that seems abandoned). The Dark Tower series really is the central axis around which almost all of his stories, in one way or another, spin, just like the Dark Tower is the central pin holding all the worlds together.

 

[WhiteWolf]

Ah yes, I forgot about THE STAND, and I believe I also forgot BAG OF BONES, FROM A BUICK 8 and ROAD WORK, but I haven't read any of those.

I have EVERYTHING'S EVENTUAL, but have not yet read the title story.

 

[Marvolo]

iam sorry because i have already post a thread in general book discussion

forum about this subject (i did not know that there is a forum for stephin king)

and please give an answer about my first question (the second question have

already answered by j.d. worthington ) and this is my post:




hi every one iam from saudi arabia and in my country ther is no translaion for fantasy books and it is so hard to find an english books but finally ther is ahuge books store in my town just open and i found harry poter books and other books for stephen king and i want your help in some issue:

1- from the series of dark tower i only found the last book can i read it?or i have to read the entire series to understand the last one(i know it maybe a stupid question)

2-please i need you to give me some names of the best books or writers of fantasy and horror.

thank you for your time.

(forget me for my bad english and thank you .)

You should read it. I loved it. Maybe you will. It is worth the read.

 

[Marvolo]

Mind you, I didn't like The Gunslinger all that much. It was only when I read The Drawing of the Three that I really started enjoying the series. But hell, that's just me. It's like how I also don't really like The Wizard and the Glass, but I know other people really enjoy it.

Anyway...I reiterate, definitely give the series a go, at least!

Aye, sadly the first of the series is hands down the hardest to enjoy.

 

[n_tel_ekt]

IMHO...

Noooooooooooooooooooo... Dont read the series...
This was my experience:

I read thru the first 3... I was amazed... Then read the last 4 and was crushed... I do have to say Im glad I finished the series but in retrospect, I would have stopped at #3 and fantasized the rest...

The Harry Potter Books are great.

Other suggestions of Authors:
Philip k. Dick (if you like to question the nature of Man, God, and Reality)
Aurthor C. Clarke
Ray Bradbury (very poetic in his work)

 

[Patrick Mahon]

I'm interested that several people here felt that the first volume in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger, was the most difficult to enjoy. I really liked it, and it was my enjoyment of that book that led me to read the second volume, which I've just finished - and, again, really enjoyed.

Anyone got any views on the third volume - The Waste Lands? Having enjoyed the first two, am I likely to enjoy this one as much?

And, given that I don't generally read horror novels, should I take my enjoyment of The Dark Tower series to suggest that I should try some of Stephen King's more mainstream novels?

 

[HoopyFrood]

I heartily recommend The Waste Lands. It's the best book of the entire series, in my opinion (well...the final book is darned good too, but that's because...well, it's the final book!) So I'm quite sure that if you enjoyed the first two books, you'll definitely enjoy the third one. I hope you do, anyway, it is a very good read. It starts off very dramatically and maintains the momentum throughout. Go for it, I says!

And I also certainly recommend reading some of King's other novels. For the something more eerie and unsettling you could try The Shining, IT, 'Salem's Lot, Pet Semetary... But often King's villains aren't of the supernatural variety, so if you're perhaps more interested in that you could perhaps try Misery, Rose Madder, Dolores Claiborne etc. I know there are some people who aren't so keen on his style (personally I really like it) but if there's one thing that people usually agree on, it's that King creates some brilliant stories.

 

[Patrick Mahon]

Thanks Hoopy - that's really helpful Looks like I've got some reading to do then!

 

[faerietalegoddess]

I'm interested that several people here felt that the first volume in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger, was the most difficult to enjoy. I really liked it, and it was my enjoyment of that book that led me to read the second volume, which I've just finished - and, again, really enjoyed.

Anyone got any views on the third volume - The Waste Lands? Having enjoyed the first two, am I likely to enjoy this one as much?

And, given that I don't generally read horror novels, should I take my enjoyment of The Dark Tower series to suggest that I should try some of Stephen King's more mainstream novels?

I definitely agree with Hoopy about The Waste Lands being the best of the bunch. I also greatly enjoyed Wizard and Glass, which is the fourth volume and, in my opinion, was almost as great as the third. I enjoyed reading it mostly because it gave us so much information as to what made Roland the man he was shown to be in the previous and later books.

If you enjoy The Dark Tower series of books and are looking to read more of Stephen King's works, I always suggest The Stand right off. I think it's his best piece of work, especially if you get the complete version. I personally also enjoyed Desperation, The Talisman, and Needful Things. He also has some great short stories in Nightmares and Dreamscapes (my favorite being "Dolan's Cadillac") and in Everything's Eventual. You might want to try the short stories first, as I think they stay pretty consistent to his writing style in the novels.

He also tells a couple of great tales writing as Richard Bachman...personally I adore The Long Walk and think it's a great character study. Either way, if you like The Dark Tower books, you'll more than likely enjoy his other works.
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