The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

The Dark Tower 4 is the continuation of the series following the narrow escape of Roland and friends Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and the billy bumbler animal, Oy, in DT3 Wastelands. The book initially has the group slowly rambling through an alt world of the American midwest but makes a very long side-trip via Roland's tale about Susan from his past when Roland was a teenage gunslinger along with friends Alain and Cuthbert.Basically a whole new story beginning on page 171 and culminating on page 928 in my softback printing (last page of the DT4 storyline is 1010 followed by the afterword). This "sidetrip" down memory lane takes a while to develop and the reader's attention is drawn away from the group to another place and group of people. In the side story, Roland is a teenager but is already showing the the judgment, tenacity, and patience of an adult along with the skills of a gunslinger. He also falls in love with Susan. It took this reader a while to get into the story but the plot thickens and becomes interesting. Notice the idea of "beams" which provide direction for the DT group in both DT3 DT4: the concept of beams across the sky was used by the author in the book 11/22/63.The DT4 book is up to the usual Stephen King standards which is to say an"A" though some predictable plot turns. While a distraction from the goal of the DarkTower, it provides more depth to Roland' character. And the reader maybe can begin to accept the DT series as 'life as a journey" rather than the destination i.e. the Dark Tower. And maybe Roland can find closure.

My book came earlier than expected which is always great!!!! In good condition and now I have the whole Dark Tower collection in hard cover. I'm extremely happy 😊

Not my favorite in the series but only because the main story line is boring and doesn't move forward much. The backstory for Roland takes up most of the book and it's really good.

Review of Wizard and Glass Wizard and Glass is the fourth volume in Stephen King's epic Dark Tower series. To fully appreciate this story, read The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, and The Waste Lands before tackling Wizard and Glass. I am preaching to the choir here, since anyone who has read the first three books is already hooked, like one who stares too long into the Wizard's Glass. The Dark Tower is the story of Roland Deschain, the Gunslinger, a sort of knight whose quest is to find the tower that sits at the center of all the universes. Accompanying Roland on this phase of his journey are former heroin addict Eddy Dean; legless multiple personality Susannah/Odetta; Jake, a boy who died in the first book but who is brought back in the third; and Oy, a talking animal.The first part of Wizard and Glass concludes the riddle contest with Blaine (If you don't know who Blaine is, shame on you! That means you haven't read The Waste Lands.) The group then enters the Topeka, Kansas of an alternate universe, the dead world of another Stephen King novel, The Stand. In this world, Interstate 70 out of Topeka follows the "Path of the Beam" toward the Dark Tower. When the group camps for the night, Roland tells a story from his youth, which forms the main portion of the book. The tale involves the adventures of young Roland and his companions Alain and Cuthbert in a town called Hambry, in the Barony of Mejis. Hambry, like Roland's entire world, is a mixture of medieval, old-western, and post-apocalyptic elements. Palaces, cowboy saloons and long-abandoned oil refineries co-exist in this land. The town is filled with bizarre and menacing characters: Rhea, the wickedest witch in the west; lustful and corrupt Mayor Hartwell Thorin; Jonas and the Big Coffin Hunters, badmen who make Jessee James and his cronies look like boy scouts; and many others. While there is plenty of gunplay and intrigue, a key theme of Wizard and Glass is the romance between Roland and beautiful Susan Delgado. This romance reveals another side of Roland. In the other books of the series, he is mysterious and cold, willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to reach the Dark Tower. In Wizard and Glass, at least we glimpse the human being within the Gunslinger. The Glass of the title is a mystical pink crystal, one of thirteen that form Maerlyn's Rainbow, created ages ago by a malevolent being. Through it, Roland's companions witness the dramatic and tragic conclusion of his story. But beware! The glass is cursed, and can bring only sorrow to its user. The Wizard is Marten Broadcloak, archenemy of Roland, and the reason Stephen Deschain sends his son to Mejis. He has many other names. In the New York of our world, he is Jack Mort, the Pusher, who caused Jake's (first) death and the loss of Odetta's legs. In The Gunslinger he is Walter, the Man in Black. In the world of Hambry, he is John Farson, euphemistically called "The Good Man," who seeks to overthrow the Baronies. Near the end of Wizard and Glass he takes on another, rather fanciful identity, but I don't want to spoil the fun. I'll just hint that, when our heroes encounter him, they're not in Kansas anymore! Roland's tale is too long to be told in a single sitting in our world, but time does not flow smoothly in the worlds that have "moved on." In Roland's world it is feasible to tell a 27-hour story (the length of the audio-CD version of Wizard and Glass) in one evening. Apart from this plot device, the story in this book could not have been exactly the same as what Roland told his companions. The narrative is in the third person, and contains scenes Roland did not witness and could not have known in such detail. Wizard and Glass is one of Stephen King's best works. Any fan who finishes this fourth book of the Dark Tower series will approach the last three volumes with renewed gusto.

Halfway through the book, very realistically written. All the characters seem to come to life before you and the best thing is none of the human frailties are omitted. Reading King’s novels is like being a spectator to a play which unravels before your eyes. Yes, there is blood, yes there are intimate scenes which are not appropriate for younger audiences but that is life. I have begun the series maybe late September and think I’ll be finished before the new year. Highly recommend.

But it is necessary to understand even more the quest of the dark tower, and finally reaching maturity with his new ka tet, I will keep reading this books, this adventure is full of epicnessWe may stay true to the quest for the tower!!

Todo correcto.

Roland und sein Ka-Tet begleiten mich seit Jahren. Ich liebe es, wie die Bilder in meinem Kopf beim Lesen zu Leben erwachen.

This was so much better than I remember it being, when I read it for the first time some 25 or so years ago. Am jumping straight into book 5.