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The Dark Tower #4
Wizard and Glass
Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Jake’s pet bumbler survive Blaine the Mono’s final crash, only to find themselves stranded in an alternate version of Topeka, Kansas, one that has been ravaged by the superflu virus. While following the deserted I-70 toward a distant glass palace, they hear the atonal squalling of a thinny, a place where the fabric of existence has almost entirely worn away. While camping near the edge of the thinny, Roland tells his ka-tet a story about another thinny, one that he encountered when he was little more than a boy. Over the course of one long magical night, Roland transports us to the Mid-World of long-ago and a seaside town called Hambry, where Roland fell in love with a girl named Susan Delgado, and where he and his old tet-mates Alain and Cuthbert battled the forces of John Farson, the harrier who—with a little help from a seeing sphere called Maerlyn’s Grapefruit—ignited Mid-World’s final war.
845 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 1997
7483 people are currently reading
73642 people want to read
About the author
Stephen King
2,578 books880k followersStephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.
He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.
Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.
In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,984 reviews
October 17, 2024
There seem to be two distinct schools of Dark Tower readers. One school consider this the weakest of the seven volumes. They can't see what the point is. A huge flashback - stuff that has already happened - how does that advance the plot? I call these people the Rolands. The other school considers this to be the finest book of the series, they loved every page of the thing. They think the huge flash-back was a wonderful story in itself which develops a greater understanding of what motivates the gunslinger and where he came from. I call these people the Oys.
I'm an Oy in this regard. Oys think the books are about the journey not the destination. Rolands think the destination (tower) is all-important and that any step to the side or backwards is an abomination.
I believe the message of this series (slight spoiler)
This is King at his best. Wonderfully rich characters and setting. Great imagination, brilliant description, scary evil, and the tension rising relentlessly with stakes that you're made to value.
It's been a while since I read this, so I won't comment in more detail.
For me, not only is it the best volume but each successive volume after this is a little less good. However, I can't attribute this to the author's age/decline as I also rated The Wind Through The Keyhole very highly, and that's a nominal volume 8 which sits around 4.5 in truth and is set (IIRC) in the period a little after that covered by the flashback that occupies most of Wizard and Glass.
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I'm an Oy in this regard. Oys think the books are about the journey not the destination. Rolands think the destination (tower) is all-important and that any step to the side or backwards is an abomination.
I believe the message of this series (slight spoiler)
This is King at his best. Wonderfully rich characters and setting. Great imagination, brilliant description, scary evil, and the tension rising relentlessly with stakes that you're made to value.
It's been a while since I read this, so I won't comment in more detail.
For me, not only is it the best volume but each successive volume after this is a little less good. However, I can't attribute this to the author's age/decline as I also rated The Wind Through The Keyhole very highly, and that's a nominal volume 8 which sits around 4.5 in truth and is set (IIRC) in the period a little after that covered by the flashback that occupies most of Wizard and Glass.
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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
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December 13, 2021
(A-) 84% | Very Good
Notes: A slow, but never dull, build to a thrilling climax, it provides the sorely needed back-story lacking in previous books.
Notes: A slow, but never dull, build to a thrilling climax, it provides the sorely needed back-story lacking in previous books.
February 17, 2012
In the immortal words of The Queen
Simply…the…BEST.
And yet I seem to be the only person who feels that way about this 4th installment of the Dark Tower series. Can you please riddle me why that is, sais? It’s not that fans of the series dislike this novel, but I often see it cited as their least favorite. I find that stunning and I don’t ken it. I don’t ken it a bit.
While I love the entire series, this one is easily my favorite. My gushing was so torrential when I read this that I was on an IV drip for a week afterwards just to restore proper kidney function. Even worse, the literary priapism took over a fortnight to subside which seriously roont my work schedule and ability to engage in public activities. I note for the record that all charges for lewd behavior were eventually dropped.
Now I admit I had the benefit of reading the Dark Tower novels back to back and was not one of those unfortunate souls who read this series when it first came out. For those people who had to wait years between installments, I can sympathize with their less than enthusiastic reception for a book that is almost all flashback and barely advances the main quest.
Point taken and understood.
I might have been hackled up and a bit frothy if I’d been unable to move on immediately to Wolves of the Calla
after finishing this so I will issue a partial pass for this group.
But still...there is so much…SO MUCH…awesomefuckingsauce crammed into these pages that it seems almost preternatural. Methinks there is much of magic in the pen of Sai King and this was his finest creation.
Thinking about favorite aspects of the story, I couldn’t even limit it to ten raves. It’s just too stacked with superiority. Therefore, here are (in no particular order)10 reasons 14 reasons why
Wizard & Glass is the Pinnacle of the Dark Tower series:
1. Easily the most important Roland story of the series and it provides the raison d'être for his entire obsession with the Dark Tower. From that standpoint of understanding the quest for the Dark Tower, this is the most critical piece of the puzzle. 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 essential for allowing us to finally see Roland as the truly tragic hero that he is.
2. We finally get to meet Alain Johns and Cuthbert Allgood.
Now I love Eddie, Sussanah and Jake, but Alain and Cuthbert completely won me over in the bar scene (see item 12). I loved finally beign able to spend some page time with them.
3. We get to see the conclusion of the Blaine the Mono ride, which had to feel even better for those left stranded for years following the cliffhanger ending of The Waste Lands. Nice to finally scratch that itch.
4. Rhea of the Coos (what a great name)
The nastiest, foulest, most sadistic, most unwanted-finger-probingest grandma of them all. King must have had nightmares while he was writing about her.
5. The tie-in to the Stand and Randall Flagg and nice jaunty detour through not-quite-Topeka, Kansas.
6. A mighty fine riff on the Wizard of Oz…yes, that’s right, it was sweet so you may cease all your hemming, hawing and harrumphing. How can you not love King’s ability to create a canvas with this much color? Where anything goes and you have no idea what the next page will bring.
7. Sheemie Ruiz
Ah...Sheemie. Hard not to love this guy, especially given the role he ends up playing. King has a gift for creating characters like this and Sheemie brings a sense of urgency and danger to the story because you know that he is just never safe.
8. Susan Delgado and an absolutely superb love story. I had never known King to write a romance/courtship/love story before this and he pulled it off with surprising skill. No clumsiness or groan-inducing dialogue. Even the sex scenes were well-written. The mind boggles at the man’s mastery over the story-telling craft.
9. The introduction of the concept of the Wizard’s Glass that will play such a pivotal role in the remaining books of the series. Plus, as a plot device it was terrific and I really enjoyed the back story.
10. The Thinny. Another wonderful plot device that ties in the breakdown of the Tower and impresses on the reader that time is running out. King’s description of the effect of the Thinny are like nails on a chalkboard uncomfortable…which is exactly as they should be.
11. The Big Coffin hunters led by Eldred Jonas
Finally a villain that Roland can truly take on in a traditional sense and I thought they were expertly drawn. Mean, nasty but human which made their vileness all the more compelling.
12. The Bar scene. IMHO, the greatest single scene in all of the Dark Tower series, was the bar scene when Roland, Cuthbert and Alain confront the Big Coffin Hunters in defense of Sheemie. It was a microcosm of everything that Roland and the champions of the White stand for and everything that they oppose in the form of the minions of the Red (and Black).
13. If I had to choose a second greatest scene in all of the Dark Tower series, it would be the final showdown between the Ka-Tet and the Big Coffin Hunters in Eyebolt Canyon. Again, King’s ability to grab you by the throat and rally your emotions is superb.
14. Roland’s Mom…. King’s mile-wide range on display once again.
Overall, I just found so much in the story. It was filled with growth and pain and discovery and love and friendship and predestination vs. free will and badass bullet-filled battles and betrayal and heart-ache and good and evil…
I just find this to be the high water mark of the series. I love them all..but I love this one best.
6.0 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!
Nominee: Locus Award for best Fantasy Novel.
Simply…the…BEST.
And yet I seem to be the only person who feels that way about this 4th installment of the Dark Tower series. Can you please riddle me why that is, sais? It’s not that fans of the series dislike this novel, but I often see it cited as their least favorite. I find that stunning and I don’t ken it. I don’t ken it a bit.
While I love the entire series, this one is easily my favorite. My gushing was so torrential when I read this that I was on an IV drip for a week afterwards just to restore proper kidney function. Even worse, the literary priapism took over a fortnight to subside which seriously roont my work schedule and ability to engage in public activities. I note for the record that all charges for lewd behavior were eventually dropped.
Now I admit I had the benefit of reading the Dark Tower novels back to back and was not one of those unfortunate souls who read this series when it first came out. For those people who had to wait years between installments, I can sympathize with their less than enthusiastic reception for a book that is almost all flashback and barely advances the main quest.
Point taken and understood.
I might have been hackled up and a bit frothy if I’d been unable to move on immediately to Wolves of the Calla
after finishing this so I will issue a partial pass for this group.
But still...there is so much…SO MUCH…awesomefuckingsauce crammed into these pages that it seems almost preternatural. Methinks there is much of magic in the pen of Sai King and this was his finest creation.
Thinking about favorite aspects of the story, I couldn’t even limit it to ten raves. It’s just too stacked with superiority. Therefore, here are (in no particular order)
Wizard & Glass is the Pinnacle of the Dark Tower series:
1. Easily the most important Roland story of the series and it provides the raison d'être for his entire obsession with the Dark Tower. From that standpoint of understanding the quest for the Dark Tower, this is the most critical piece of the puzzle. 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 essential for allowing us to finally see Roland as the truly tragic hero that he is.
2. We finally get to meet Alain Johns and Cuthbert Allgood.
Now I love Eddie, Sussanah and Jake, but Alain and Cuthbert completely won me over in the bar scene (see item 12). I loved finally beign able to spend some page time with them.
3. We get to see the conclusion of the Blaine the Mono ride, which had to feel even better for those left stranded for years following the cliffhanger ending of The Waste Lands. Nice to finally scratch that itch.
4. Rhea of the Coos (what a great name)
The nastiest, foulest, most sadistic, most unwanted-finger-probingest grandma of them all. King must have had nightmares while he was writing about her.
5. The tie-in to the Stand and Randall Flagg and nice jaunty detour through not-quite-Topeka, Kansas.
6. A mighty fine riff on the Wizard of Oz…yes, that’s right, it was sweet so you may cease all your hemming, hawing and harrumphing. How can you not love King’s ability to create a canvas with this much color? Where anything goes and you have no idea what the next page will bring.
7. Sheemie Ruiz
Ah...Sheemie. Hard not to love this guy, especially given the role he ends up playing. King has a gift for creating characters like this and Sheemie brings a sense of urgency and danger to the story because you know that he is just never safe.
8. Susan Delgado and an absolutely superb love story. I had never known King to write a romance/courtship/love story before this and he pulled it off with surprising skill. No clumsiness or groan-inducing dialogue. Even the sex scenes were well-written. The mind boggles at the man’s mastery over the story-telling craft.
9. The introduction of the concept of the Wizard’s Glass that will play such a pivotal role in the remaining books of the series. Plus, as a plot device it was terrific and I really enjoyed the back story.
10. The Thinny. Another wonderful plot device that ties in the breakdown of the Tower and impresses on the reader that time is running out. King’s description of the effect of the Thinny are like nails on a chalkboard uncomfortable…which is exactly as they should be.
11. The Big Coffin hunters led by Eldred Jonas
Finally a villain that Roland can truly take on in a traditional sense and I thought they were expertly drawn. Mean, nasty but human which made their vileness all the more compelling.
12. The Bar scene. IMHO, the greatest single scene in all of the Dark Tower series, was the bar scene when Roland, Cuthbert and Alain confront the Big Coffin Hunters in defense of Sheemie. It was a microcosm of everything that Roland and the champions of the White stand for and everything that they oppose in the form of the minions of the Red (and Black).
13. If I had to choose a second greatest scene in all of the Dark Tower series, it would be the final showdown between the Ka-Tet and the Big Coffin Hunters in Eyebolt Canyon. Again, King’s ability to grab you by the throat and rally your emotions is superb.
14. Roland’s Mom…. King’s mile-wide range on display once again.
Overall, I just found so much in the story. It was filled with growth and pain and discovery and love and friendship and predestination vs. free will and badass bullet-filled battles and betrayal and heart-ache and good and evil…
I just find this to be the high water mark of the series. I love them all..but I love this one best.
6.0 stars. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!
Nominee: Locus Award for best Fantasy Novel.
May 30, 2025
Wizard and Glass, the 4th-installment of Stephen King's epic Dark Tower series, successfully added 5-years to my life.
Honestly, what can I even say about this book?
It is immense. Epic. A beautifully told story of love and loss. It's tragic, it's moving, it's so damn good.
If you are reading this, you are most likely aware that Wizard and Glass is the fourth installment in Stephen King's beloved Epic Fantasy series, The Dark Tower.
My favorite series of all time.
In this book we hear the incredible tale of the early life of Roland of Gilead, beginning shortly after he became a Gunslinger.
He has been sent from home to the Barony of Mejis with two of his closest companions, Alain and Cuthbert, in order to keep him safe from the sinister Marten Broadcloak.
The boys settle in Hambry and there they encounter a ruthless and shady cast of characters, such as the Big Coffin Hunters, Mayor Thorin and everyone's favorite witch, Rhea of Coos.
The main story involves Roland meeting his true love, Susan Delgado, and focuses on their budding relationship.
The intricacy within this story, within this world, is absolutely astounding.
King is the master of character development and this story showcases that skill beautifully.
While reading this book, I truly felt like I could see everything playing out before me like a movie on a screen.
This book is completely different from the other books in this series. I adore it for that uniqueness.
Spellbinding from beginning to end. I feel more attached to Roland now than ever before!
Excited to move on with my journey to the Tower.
Honestly, what can I even say about this book?
It is immense. Epic. A beautifully told story of love and loss. It's tragic, it's moving, it's so damn good.
If you are reading this, you are most likely aware that Wizard and Glass is the fourth installment in Stephen King's beloved Epic Fantasy series, The Dark Tower.
My favorite series of all time.
In this book we hear the incredible tale of the early life of Roland of Gilead, beginning shortly after he became a Gunslinger.
He has been sent from home to the Barony of Mejis with two of his closest companions, Alain and Cuthbert, in order to keep him safe from the sinister Marten Broadcloak.
The boys settle in Hambry and there they encounter a ruthless and shady cast of characters, such as the Big Coffin Hunters, Mayor Thorin and everyone's favorite witch, Rhea of Coos.
The main story involves Roland meeting his true love, Susan Delgado, and focuses on their budding relationship.
The intricacy within this story, within this world, is absolutely astounding.
King is the master of character development and this story showcases that skill beautifully.
While reading this book, I truly felt like I could see everything playing out before me like a movie on a screen.
This book is completely different from the other books in this series. I adore it for that uniqueness.
Spellbinding from beginning to end. I feel more attached to Roland now than ever before!
Excited to move on with my journey to the Tower.
May 31, 2020
Possibly the most controversial Dark Tower novel, as King has the audacity of mainly backstorying and retrospecting around instead of continuing the main plot.
King often said that writing outside his comfort zone is something he avoids and fears, but sometimes does, and that entering the realms of emotional, heck, who do I want to fool here, let´s call the monster by its name, I hope it doesn´t hear it and comes at night, romance fiction, was something that took him time and overcoming to do it.
There is a highly subjective problem with this, as I have never (and will never, don´t try to change me) read emotional, character focused works, I can absolutely not say if this is a good or just average description of pheromones and other chemical reactions going wild in primate brains or not. But Kinged as I am, I liked it, but I completely understand that many fans were outraged after waiting 6 years for the next part to be pranked in such a way.
Just for the witch alone, it´s worth reading it, this may be one of the best fantasy job descriptions I have ever seen, prepare to be surprised by her lovely magic.
But the love story has horror elements, a creepy setting, , possession spreading McGuffins, so it´s not all just brainless love idiot drivel or something, don´t be afraid, it´s still Kingian. Different, but still the master. I´m not the emotional guy, what understatement, but even I had some kind of, I don´t know how to say, uncommon body reactions (not that! psychological, not physical), while reading.
Well, for the disappointed fans, that´s the funny King, he also has the bad habit of spoilering in introductions, forewords, interviews, whatever, to innocently grin afterward, saying that he doesn´t believe in the concept of spoilers, because the reading itself is what counts or something similar. In rare cases, I felt slight anger because of this jokester element of his personality.
Furthermore, we learn much about the traditions of gunslingers, their code of ethics, and how Roland became the desperate desperado he is. King also likes to play within his interconnected worlds and novels and couldn´t resist adding an innuendo to „The Stand“.
I didn´t realize until exactly now how excessively King was using allegories, MacGuffins, symbols, metaphors, innuendos,… in his earlier works and how few of these elements appear in his newer novels that are all just rotating around the characters and 2 to 3 parallel plotlines without magic, artifacts, dark fantasy tropes, and stuff. These elements seem to have gone missing, just as the worldbuilding, and I miss them both so much.
If one is just interested in the Dark Tower series itself, most of the novel that is telling the backstory can be skipped, reading the beginning until Roland starts telling and jumping in back at the end (I don´t remember where) should suffice.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
King often said that writing outside his comfort zone is something he avoids and fears, but sometimes does, and that entering the realms of emotional, heck, who do I want to fool here, let´s call the monster by its name, I hope it doesn´t hear it and comes at night, romance fiction, was something that took him time and overcoming to do it.
There is a highly subjective problem with this, as I have never (and will never, don´t try to change me) read emotional, character focused works, I can absolutely not say if this is a good or just average description of pheromones and other chemical reactions going wild in primate brains or not. But Kinged as I am, I liked it, but I completely understand that many fans were outraged after waiting 6 years for the next part to be pranked in such a way.
Just for the witch alone, it´s worth reading it, this may be one of the best fantasy job descriptions I have ever seen, prepare to be surprised by her lovely magic.
But the love story has horror elements, a creepy setting, , possession spreading McGuffins, so it´s not all just brainless love idiot drivel or something, don´t be afraid, it´s still Kingian. Different, but still the master. I´m not the emotional guy, what understatement, but even I had some kind of, I don´t know how to say, uncommon body reactions (not that! psychological, not physical), while reading.
Well, for the disappointed fans, that´s the funny King, he also has the bad habit of spoilering in introductions, forewords, interviews, whatever, to innocently grin afterward, saying that he doesn´t believe in the concept of spoilers, because the reading itself is what counts or something similar. In rare cases, I felt slight anger because of this jokester element of his personality.
Furthermore, we learn much about the traditions of gunslingers, their code of ethics, and how Roland became the desperate desperado he is. King also likes to play within his interconnected worlds and novels and couldn´t resist adding an innuendo to „The Stand“.
I didn´t realize until exactly now how excessively King was using allegories, MacGuffins, symbols, metaphors, innuendos,… in his earlier works and how few of these elements appear in his newer novels that are all just rotating around the characters and 2 to 3 parallel plotlines without magic, artifacts, dark fantasy tropes, and stuff. These elements seem to have gone missing, just as the worldbuilding, and I miss them both so much.
If one is just interested in the Dark Tower series itself, most of the novel that is telling the backstory can be skipped, reading the beginning until Roland starts telling and jumping in back at the end (I don´t remember where) should suffice.
Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...
December 10, 2018
I think I might be done with this series. Wizard and Glass was a dissapointment for me, unfortunately, despite looking forward to reading Roland’s backstory. The book’s main problem was that it was BORING as hell. I struggled for two months to finish and I started to skip at the end. I did not like the beggining as I am not a fan of riddles and, unexepectedly, Roland’s story was even worse.
By the end of this novel I realize I don’t like the characters too much ( except for Jake), I actually despise Susannah and I don’t care that much what happens to them and the Tower. I still like King’s writing and I plan to read more of him but it might not be this series.
By the end of this novel I realize I don’t like the characters too much ( except for Jake), I actually despise Susannah and I don’t care that much what happens to them and the Tower. I still like King’s writing and I plan to read more of him but it might not be this series.
July 23, 2019
“If it’s ka it’ll come like a wind, and your plans will stand before it no more than a barn before a cyclone.”
The fourth book in the Dark Tower series finds Roland telling his ka-tet the story of the first time he encountered a thinny, and also his first love, Susan Delgado.
Sadie and Jake of 11/22/63 have been my favourite King love story since forever, but I’ve got a new favourite - Roland and Susan. “If you love me, then love me.” Okay, yes. They’re teenagers and it might get a bit icky if you think about it for too long. But I think King perfectly portrays the intensity and naivety of first love. I love Susan as a character, I find her incredibly relatable, and I’ve cried with her as she mourns the loss of her father.
It honestly crushes my heart to see Roland laugh and smile with such carefree abandon. I feel like this book is CRUCIAL to understanding Roland’s past and his obsession with the tower - we finally get to see the more human side of Roland, and appreciate why he is so haunted.
Outside of the love story, I absolutely adore Alain and Cuthbert. I love the bond between the three of them, it gives me warm fuzzy feelings... and SHEEMIE. What an unsung hero. Even the villains are fucking badass. Jonas and the Big Coffin Hunters are a formidable force and that scene in the bar is just epic. And the showdown in Eyebolt Canon!! I LOVE IT. Rhea the Coös is another character that I should hate, but she steals the show anytime she pops up - although she makes my skin crawl *shudders*
I just noticed I haven’t even acknowledged the parts that bookend Roland’s tale. They’re great too, and the tie-ins to The Stand will have any Constant Reader flailing!! And the writing. My god. Some of King’s best work in here. So many parts I just reread over and over. I truly feel like this is one of King’s best pieces of work.
My fangirling is over. For the time being. 5 stars.
The fourth book in the Dark Tower series finds Roland telling his ka-tet the story of the first time he encountered a thinny, and also his first love, Susan Delgado.
Sadie and Jake of 11/22/63 have been my favourite King love story since forever, but I’ve got a new favourite - Roland and Susan. “If you love me, then love me.” Okay, yes. They’re teenagers and it might get a bit icky if you think about it for too long. But I think King perfectly portrays the intensity and naivety of first love. I love Susan as a character, I find her incredibly relatable, and I’ve cried with her as she mourns the loss of her father.
It honestly crushes my heart to see Roland laugh and smile with such carefree abandon. I feel like this book is CRUCIAL to understanding Roland’s past and his obsession with the tower - we finally get to see the more human side of Roland, and appreciate why he is so haunted.
Outside of the love story, I absolutely adore Alain and Cuthbert. I love the bond between the three of them, it gives me warm fuzzy feelings... and SHEEMIE. What an unsung hero. Even the villains are fucking badass. Jonas and the Big Coffin Hunters are a formidable force and that scene in the bar is just epic. And the showdown in Eyebolt Canon!! I LOVE IT. Rhea the Coös is another character that I should hate, but she steals the show anytime she pops up - although she makes my skin crawl *shudders*
I just noticed I haven’t even acknowledged the parts that bookend Roland’s tale. They’re great too, and the tie-ins to The Stand will have any Constant Reader flailing!! And the writing. My god. Some of King’s best work in here. So many parts I just reread over and over. I truly feel like this is one of King’s best pieces of work.
My fangirling is over. For the time being. 5 stars.
January 12, 2015
Giving a Stephen King book 2 stars pains me a lot, but I can't bump it up to 3 stars just because he's my favorite author. This book was awful, and 500 pages longer than it should've been.
I get everyone's opinion that we need that backstory of Roland, but in my opinion, King could've just considered this a novella. Something that could be read if the reader wanted to. He made this the fourth novel, so that means the readers are obliged to read this if they want to continue on with the series. Honestly this actually felt like a novella, a really bad one, at least for me.
The beginning of this novel was amazing. It was a continuation of the riddle contest they were having with the villain. After the contest though, the backstory started. The backstory was terribly boring. I didn't care about anyone, not even Susan. It was about 500 pages of rambling on about his past and love for Susan. Like I said, King could've just made that into a novella. This is the first time that I just browsed through 500 pages. It was so boring I almost took a break from reading the book. I'll be honest and say I'll most probably forget everything in that 500 pages as soon as I'm finish writing this review.
I heard that the next 3 novels are a huge improvement, so that's a terrific thing to hear. Despite the abomination known as book 4, I'm still very much interested to continue on with the series.
1.5/5 stars. Too much backstory and romance. I was not interested at all, but in a few years I might reread this. I'll see what I think about Roland and Susan's relationship then.
I get everyone's opinion that we need that backstory of Roland, but in my opinion, King could've just considered this a novella. Something that could be read if the reader wanted to. He made this the fourth novel, so that means the readers are obliged to read this if they want to continue on with the series. Honestly this actually felt like a novella, a really bad one, at least for me.
The beginning of this novel was amazing. It was a continuation of the riddle contest they were having with the villain. After the contest though, the backstory started. The backstory was terribly boring. I didn't care about anyone, not even Susan. It was about 500 pages of rambling on about his past and love for Susan. Like I said, King could've just made that into a novella. This is the first time that I just browsed through 500 pages. It was so boring I almost took a break from reading the book. I'll be honest and say I'll most probably forget everything in that 500 pages as soon as I'm finish writing this review.
I heard that the next 3 novels are a huge improvement, so that's a terrific thing to hear. Despite the abomination known as book 4, I'm still very much interested to continue on with the series.
1.5/5 stars. Too much backstory and romance. I was not interested at all, but in a few years I might reread this. I'll see what I think about Roland and Susan's relationship then.
February 23, 2025
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
If you love me, then love me.
My second read of this novel brought me joy and fulfillment in the same way my first read did. I don’t think I’d change much of anything from my initial review. It stands true…
I was wary about this one as I opened its pages. Wary that we would be exiting our journey toward the tower. Wary that stepping back in time would somehow thwart our momentum and leave us languishing in inconsequential past experience. Wary that this love story would make our gunslinger seem less resolved, less unrelenting.
None of that of course is true. In fact, quite the opposite. This somehow completes my picture of Roland and helps snap the puzzle pieces into place. It helps explain his solitude and melancholy. It helps put a name to his aloofness. And our future journeys now have much higher stakes. Failure will not be tolerated and the wind will see us through. Back on the path of the beam and ready for more
If you love me, then love me.
My second read of this novel brought me joy and fulfillment in the same way my first read did. I don’t think I’d change much of anything from my initial review. It stands true…
I was wary about this one as I opened its pages. Wary that we would be exiting our journey toward the tower. Wary that stepping back in time would somehow thwart our momentum and leave us languishing in inconsequential past experience. Wary that this love story would make our gunslinger seem less resolved, less unrelenting.
None of that of course is true. In fact, quite the opposite. This somehow completes my picture of Roland and helps snap the puzzle pieces into place. It helps explain his solitude and melancholy. It helps put a name to his aloofness. And our future journeys now have much higher stakes. Failure will not be tolerated and the wind will see us through. Back on the path of the beam and ready for more
December 26, 2020
After all this time, laid out for all of us to read, we get the making of Roland! How Roland became the man we first met in The Gunslinger, is narrated by Roland in a tale of Wizard and of Glass. For some Constant Readers this is the book of The Dark Tower series, the making of The Gunslinger, or should that be the unmaking?
A superb neo-Western with Stephen King setting up the scene so well, in his own unerring style. You can smell the stables, see the spurs, taste the West... pray, get ready to reap, thankee sai. Overall Stephen King interlaces and integrates iconic stories (including some of his own) and more, with one Goddamn hard, coming of age journey! Yes - because if you thought Roland came of age with the story of winning his guns in The Gunslinger, pick up a copy of this book and get comfortable... or should that be get uncomfortable?
For me this book would have been almost perfect if the fate of Blaine and what happened after that was told in the previous book, The Waste Lands and that book ended with Roland starting his recounting. I don't think there's any room for anything else but the tale of Wizard and Glass. Some of the highs are so high - more wizard, lots of glass, there's Sheemie, there's the coffin hunters, town politics, Rhea and more...
...for me, one of the most real and heroic characters is Susan Delgado, whom akin to the treatment of Daenerys Targaryen by her male creator, could have had a better story and made the overall story even better? Ultimately I found The Drawing of the Three a great book, but it was also satisfying, Wizard and Glass is a great book, but at its heart, I find it unsatisfying... maybe it's closer to real life? 9.5 out of 12.
A superb neo-Western with Stephen King setting up the scene so well, in his own unerring style. You can smell the stables, see the spurs, taste the West... pray, get ready to reap, thankee sai. Overall Stephen King interlaces and integrates iconic stories (including some of his own) and more, with one Goddamn hard, coming of age journey! Yes - because if you thought Roland came of age with the story of winning his guns in The Gunslinger, pick up a copy of this book and get comfortable... or should that be get uncomfortable?
For me this book would have been almost perfect if the fate of Blaine and what happened after that was told in the previous book, The Waste Lands and that book ended with Roland starting his recounting. I don't think there's any room for anything else but the tale of Wizard and Glass. Some of the highs are so high - more wizard, lots of glass, there's Sheemie, there's the coffin hunters, town politics, Rhea and more...
...for me, one of the most real and heroic characters is Susan Delgado, whom akin to the treatment of Daenerys Targaryen by her male creator, could have had a better story and made the overall story even better? Ultimately I found The Drawing of the Three a great book, but it was also satisfying, Wizard and Glass is a great book, but at its heart, I find it unsatisfying... maybe it's closer to real life? 9.5 out of 12.
April 3, 2017
This buddy-read has been long- Some of our ka-tet have fallen...some have been left behind in the dust. We have picked up a few new members along the way- but only the strongest and most cunning will survive the whole journey to The Daaaaark Tooooooower.
Buddy-read with our fearless leader- Quick Draw Stepheny, Jumpin' Jeff, Calamity Bev, Welcome- Kid Colt Karly, and Dastardly Dan...and let us have a moment of silence for our fallen members- Bronco Bustin' Black Jackin' Jason- Jason's perverted name will be missed- as will Jason...and who knows maybe a year from now he will get past page 43. One can only hope. May luck be with you, my friend. Also missing in action- is the cute as a button Bloody Black Kit Kat- We lost Kat to.....THE MANGAAAA....Da da Daaaaaaaaaaa *key scary music*...and last but not least Shotgun Slingin' Steven- Steven was last seen fighting with a succubus in The Wastelands- This was a battle he unfortunately lost. Sorry Steven- We tried to save you...really we did.
WIZARD AND GLASS- book # four in the series- begins exactly where The Waste Lands leaves off...Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake "Ake", and Oy: are riddling with Blaine the Mono. After dealing with Blaine the Pain- the ka-tet ends up in Topeka, Kansas...where they are rewarded with Roland's story. The story of his past...The story of what made Roland...Roland.
His original ka-tet- Cuthbert Allgood and Alain Johns...
...his battles with baddies- Rhea of the Coos and The Big Coffin Hunters...
...and the love of his life- Susan Delgado.
This one is for the laaaaaaaaaaaaadies. Or men with curiosity and romance in their hearts- because over 1/2 of WIZARD AND GLASS is the love story between Roland and Susan and how Roland came to be the heart-broken, distant, cold- man we see before us. Some people don't want to know what made their hero that way...some like these things to remain a mystery. I am not one of those people- I like things explained, and I don't mind my heroes vulnerable and human.
WIZARD AND GLASS is my favorite of the series so far! I am sooooooo looking forward to the next buddy-read. Let the journey continue!!
Buddy-read with our fearless leader- Quick Draw Stepheny, Jumpin' Jeff, Calamity Bev, Welcome- Kid Colt Karly, and Dastardly Dan...and let us have a moment of silence for our fallen members- Bronco Bustin' Black Jackin' Jason- Jason's perverted name will be missed- as will Jason...and who knows maybe a year from now he will get past page 43. One can only hope. May luck be with you, my friend. Also missing in action- is the cute as a button Bloody Black Kit Kat- We lost Kat to.....THE MANGAAAA....Da da Daaaaaaaaaaa *key scary music*...and last but not least Shotgun Slingin' Steven- Steven was last seen fighting with a succubus in The Wastelands- This was a battle he unfortunately lost. Sorry Steven- We tried to save you...really we did.
WIZARD AND GLASS- book # four in the series- begins exactly where The Waste Lands leaves off...Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake "Ake", and Oy: are riddling with Blaine the Mono. After dealing with Blaine the Pain- the ka-tet ends up in Topeka, Kansas...where they are rewarded with Roland's story. The story of his past...The story of what made Roland...Roland.
His original ka-tet- Cuthbert Allgood and Alain Johns...
...his battles with baddies- Rhea of the Coos and The Big Coffin Hunters...
...and the love of his life- Susan Delgado.
This one is for the laaaaaaaaaaaaadies. Or men with curiosity and romance in their hearts- because over 1/2 of WIZARD AND GLASS is the love story between Roland and Susan and how Roland came to be the heart-broken, distant, cold- man we see before us. Some people don't want to know what made their hero that way...some like these things to remain a mystery. I am not one of those people- I like things explained, and I don't mind my heroes vulnerable and human.
WIZARD AND GLASS is my favorite of the series so far! I am sooooooo looking forward to the next buddy-read. Let the journey continue!!
December 25, 2016
Fantastic! Fascinating to finally get some backstory for Roland and what a story! Loved it. I would say it's my favourite so far, but I also thought the Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three were 5 stars!
February 21, 2025
Continuing my journey of reading all of Stephen King's books in order and my second way around The Dark Tower. Wizard and Glass isn't quite a five star read for me but it's still epic. I can't imagine having to wait six years after the Wastelands but the recap at the start of this book is so well done.
This book kicks off where The Wastelands comes to a close with Blaine the pain, who is one of the strangest villains in a horror book, but honestly one of the best. For such a dark journey the start of this book is crammed full on humour (Eddie being responsible for most).
This book is beautifully written too, although SK is known for horror the fantasy style of writing suits him so well. Each member of the Ka-Tet has their strength a reason for being and this book really show this off. Eddie is always underestimated yet plays such an important role, I love his character especially and his growth from the first book to the last is perfection.
Although this book gets going straight off the Wastelands the majority is set in Roland's past, 80% of this book is Roland telling his story of how he got the way he is and why The Dark Tower is so important. I think the similarities between Roland's old friends and his new Ka-Tet are beautiful Cuthbert and Eddie are especially similar, I think Roland needs someone like this to ground him and bring humour to his life.
We are introduced to a lot of important characters and leave things fundamental for the rest of the plot, everything is written so well it never gets muddled or confusing, even though there are some complexities to this series.
As the reader imagined Roland's life has been very hard, this book is all about loss, grief and determination. The romance in this book is pretty impressive considering it's a horror book at heart. This book feels very Western is has shoot out, horses and plenty of cowboys which was really good fun. In true King fashion you know no one is safe and the body horror is expertly done.
Knowing what we know of Roland going into this book and how he's spoken about his past gives the reader anxiety when delving into Roland's past you can't help wondering why certain people have never been mentioned and asking yourself, where are they now.
I can absolutely see why some people might see this as one of the weaker books because it steers the reader away from the plot, and I somewhat agree. Yet this is still as masterfully written book in the series and well worth the read, is it worth six years of waiting I'm not so sure. I am excited for Wolves of Calla because I remember being completely blown away by it.
For me The Dark Tower is one of my favourite series of all time. The depth and thought that went into these book is astonishing and these characters will forever live in my mind, Oy included!
This book kicks off where The Wastelands comes to a close with Blaine the pain, who is one of the strangest villains in a horror book, but honestly one of the best. For such a dark journey the start of this book is crammed full on humour (Eddie being responsible for most).
This book is beautifully written too, although SK is known for horror the fantasy style of writing suits him so well. Each member of the Ka-Tet has their strength a reason for being and this book really show this off. Eddie is always underestimated yet plays such an important role, I love his character especially and his growth from the first book to the last is perfection.
Although this book gets going straight off the Wastelands the majority is set in Roland's past, 80% of this book is Roland telling his story of how he got the way he is and why The Dark Tower is so important. I think the similarities between Roland's old friends and his new Ka-Tet are beautiful Cuthbert and Eddie are especially similar, I think Roland needs someone like this to ground him and bring humour to his life.
We are introduced to a lot of important characters and leave things fundamental for the rest of the plot, everything is written so well it never gets muddled or confusing, even though there are some complexities to this series.
As the reader imagined Roland's life has been very hard, this book is all about loss, grief and determination. The romance in this book is pretty impressive considering it's a horror book at heart. This book feels very Western is has shoot out, horses and plenty of cowboys which was really good fun. In true King fashion you know no one is safe and the body horror is expertly done.
Knowing what we know of Roland going into this book and how he's spoken about his past gives the reader anxiety when delving into Roland's past you can't help wondering why certain people have never been mentioned and asking yourself, where are they now.
I can absolutely see why some people might see this as one of the weaker books because it steers the reader away from the plot, and I somewhat agree. Yet this is still as masterfully written book in the series and well worth the read, is it worth six years of waiting I'm not so sure. I am excited for Wolves of Calla because I remember being completely blown away by it.
For me The Dark Tower is one of my favourite series of all time. The depth and thought that went into these book is astonishing and these characters will forever live in my mind, Oy included!
January 12, 2022
This one picks up where The Waste Lands left off and we get the conclusion of what happens with the Ka-tet and Blaine the suicidal, riddle-obsessed monorail.
The majority of this book is the back story of Roland Deschain, his life in Gilead, his old Ka-tet with Cuthbert and Alain, their time in Mejis. But the story's core surrounds Roland's first love, Susan Deldago.
It doesn't end with a huge cliffhanger this time, they're just back on the path of the beam.
There's just always going to be one book in a series that's not as good as the rest, this one is mine because I don't think it adds anything to the overall story and can even be skipped.
Don't misunderstand though because it's a good book. It's worth reading. But it feels a little like filler and doesn't have enough of the characters we really want.
Should you buy it after completing The Waste Lands?
Of course you should! It's great! Just be forewarned that this is a different story to the one you've been reading, and the main characters, the one's you're really interested in.
It offers a lot of history into Roland’s character.
The majority of this book is the back story of Roland Deschain, his life in Gilead, his old Ka-tet with Cuthbert and Alain, their time in Mejis. But the story's core surrounds Roland's first love, Susan Deldago.
It doesn't end with a huge cliffhanger this time, they're just back on the path of the beam.
There's just always going to be one book in a series that's not as good as the rest, this one is mine because I don't think it adds anything to the overall story and can even be skipped.
Don't misunderstand though because it's a good book. It's worth reading. But it feels a little like filler and doesn't have enough of the characters we really want.
Should you buy it after completing The Waste Lands?
Of course you should! It's great! Just be forewarned that this is a different story to the one you've been reading, and the main characters, the one's you're really interested in.
It offers a lot of history into Roland’s character.
August 24, 2015
As Rhea of Coos hobbled over to her table, she gave Musty, her foul smelling mutant cat, a swift kick.
"I'll give ya a tongue bath later"!
Rhea was anxious to examine the contents of the bag the silver headed stranger had just dropped off. In the bag were two glass balls; both the size of grapefruits. One was shaded pink, the other a bright purple. She grasped the pink orb and immediately felt a warm tingling between her legs. Ermot dropped down the floor from beneath her skirt and crawled over to the garbage heap.
“Hehehe”, she cackled. “Let’s see what forspecial things I can see whilst looking at this marvelous ball.”
She picked up the orb and felt a current of energy go through her tired and creaky limbs. She saw that wretched Susan Delgado and that young pup from Gilead. And nothing else but for hours upon hours. It seemed that nothing else mattered and the courtship and mating dance would go on for eons. Her head felt like a sack of potatoes and she fell asleep.
She woke finding Musty, its extra lags dangling, licking the drool that had collected on the table. Rhea chased the cat off the table and looked for the bag with the other orb. The purple one. She picked it up and it went from a royal purple to hideous neon grape color. The purple enveloped her and her face took an even more gaunt and skeletal countenance; what was left of her hair dangled in her face.
She saw another ka-tet, a different one, but she couldn’t name the place they inhabited. She watched as two blonde female gunslingers dragged another tall, muscular fellow off a horse and dragged him over to a cellar door. He was hog-tied, so the women had to struggle to move him.
The taller of the two blondes opened the door and said, “Got someone here to keep you company, Stephen.”
She turned to the other one and said, "Pistol Packin’ Rootin’ Tootin, best we fetch the sledge hammer ‘n make sure this big fellow don’t decide to wander off.”
“It’ll be my pleasure, Quick Draw”, said the other. And both howled with laughter.
Rhea grinned as the two got to work.
"I'll give ya a tongue bath later"!
Rhea was anxious to examine the contents of the bag the silver headed stranger had just dropped off. In the bag were two glass balls; both the size of grapefruits. One was shaded pink, the other a bright purple. She grasped the pink orb and immediately felt a warm tingling between her legs. Ermot dropped down the floor from beneath her skirt and crawled over to the garbage heap.
“Hehehe”, she cackled. “Let’s see what forspecial things I can see whilst looking at this marvelous ball.”
She picked up the orb and felt a current of energy go through her tired and creaky limbs. She saw that wretched Susan Delgado and that young pup from Gilead. And nothing else but for hours upon hours. It seemed that nothing else mattered and the courtship and mating dance would go on for eons. Her head felt like a sack of potatoes and she fell asleep.
She woke finding Musty, its extra lags dangling, licking the drool that had collected on the table. Rhea chased the cat off the table and looked for the bag with the other orb. The purple one. She picked it up and it went from a royal purple to hideous neon grape color. The purple enveloped her and her face took an even more gaunt and skeletal countenance; what was left of her hair dangled in her face.
She saw another ka-tet, a different one, but she couldn’t name the place they inhabited. She watched as two blonde female gunslingers dragged another tall, muscular fellow off a horse and dragged him over to a cellar door. He was hog-tied, so the women had to struggle to move him.
The taller of the two blondes opened the door and said, “Got someone here to keep you company, Stephen.”
She turned to the other one and said, "Pistol Packin’ Rootin’ Tootin, best we fetch the sledge hammer ‘n make sure this big fellow don’t decide to wander off.”
“It’ll be my pleasure, Quick Draw”, said the other. And both howled with laughter.
Rhea grinned as the two got to work.
February 15, 2016
It pains me to give this book just 2 stars but I skimmed more than a quarter of it, because I just want to get to the goddamned tower, take a selfie, then go home.
January 11, 2025
First book of the new year
I know a lot of fans of the dark tower dislike this book (or believe it slows the pace of the series by having a large flashback) but I absolutely adore it. It's really nice to read about Roland as a teenager and to see why he ended up as a tortured loner.
Also the book breaks my heart every time I read it (you bastard Mr King)
I know a lot of fans of the dark tower dislike this book (or believe it slows the pace of the series by having a large flashback) but I absolutely adore it. It's really nice to read about Roland as a teenager and to see why he ended up as a tortured loner.
Also the book breaks my heart every time I read it (you bastard Mr King)
May 2, 2016
There is a kind of echo in the bright air, a yearning for other places in the blood, a loneliness in the heart that sings like the wind.
Who is Roland?
What secrets are hidden in the past of the last gunslinger of Gilead?
The questions are stuck in your mind from the very moment you open the first book in the series and read the best opening sentence ever written. The enigmatic nature of Roland’s character is part of what made him one of my favourite protagonists of all time and one of the saving graces of this series, along with his equally mysterious counterpart, the man in black.
I feel like I’ve been walking through fire. Against all odds, I’ve survived the ordeal of having to read about three impressively boring characters and their tedious, seemingly never-ending adventures. To get to this.
After a surprisingly strong beginning in a very interesting new location, Roland finally relents to the demands of his companions and begins the tale of his youth. A tale of the days before the Fall of Gilead. A tale of John Farson, and a tale of war. A tale of three young gunslingers being sent to the distant Barony of Mejis. A tale of the beautiful Susan Delgado. And a tale of Maerlyn’s Rainbow.
I’ve seen so many people hating this book. Stephen King fans who had to push themselves through it to continue, people who gave up on the series because of it. Well, I’m happy to say that Wizard and Glass saved the series for me.
For it is here, in the sleepy Out-World Barony of Mejis, that Mid-World's last great conflict will shortly begin; it is from here that the blood will begin to flow. In two years, no more, the world as it has been will be swept away. It starts here. From its field of roses, the Dark Tower cries out in its beast's voice. Time is a face on the water.
Dark Tower reviews:
#1 The Gunslinger
#2 The Drawing of the Three
#3 The Waste Lands
#4 Wizard and Glass
#5 Wolves of the Calla
#6 Song of Susannah
#7 The Dark Tower
Who is Roland?
What secrets are hidden in the past of the last gunslinger of Gilead?
The questions are stuck in your mind from the very moment you open the first book in the series and read the best opening sentence ever written. The enigmatic nature of Roland’s character is part of what made him one of my favourite protagonists of all time and one of the saving graces of this series, along with his equally mysterious counterpart, the man in black.
I feel like I’ve been walking through fire. Against all odds, I’ve survived the ordeal of having to read about three impressively boring characters and their tedious, seemingly never-ending adventures. To get to this.
After a surprisingly strong beginning in a very interesting new location, Roland finally relents to the demands of his companions and begins the tale of his youth. A tale of the days before the Fall of Gilead. A tale of John Farson, and a tale of war. A tale of three young gunslingers being sent to the distant Barony of Mejis. A tale of the beautiful Susan Delgado. And a tale of Maerlyn’s Rainbow.
I’ve seen so many people hating this book. Stephen King fans who had to push themselves through it to continue, people who gave up on the series because of it. Well, I’m happy to say that Wizard and Glass saved the series for me.
For it is here, in the sleepy Out-World Barony of Mejis, that Mid-World's last great conflict will shortly begin; it is from here that the blood will begin to flow. In two years, no more, the world as it has been will be swept away. It starts here. From its field of roses, the Dark Tower cries out in its beast's voice. Time is a face on the water.
Dark Tower reviews:
#1 The Gunslinger
#2 The Drawing of the Three
#3 The Waste Lands
#4 Wizard and Glass
#5 Wolves of the Calla
#6 Song of Susannah
#7 The Dark Tower
January 9, 2019
At a crossroads in rural Maine in early 1970, a young Stephen King meets with The Dark Man and discusses his future in writing and specifically a forthcoming book called Wizard and Glass.
DM: So we gonna close this deal or what? I got people waiting –
SK: I dunno, Mr. – what do I call you again?
DM: Friend, you call me friend, right? Come on Stevie, I thought we’d been through this, you came to meet with me and I’m acting in good faith here, you got some other agenda? Something I should know about? Can’t I trust you? Are you not trustworthy?
SK: Yes, yes, I just – my eternal soul seems like a high price –
DM: An investment is what this is, don’t think in terms of price, think investment. I see big things for us, Stevie, and I’m investing in you, and this partnership. We’re gonna be partners right?
SK: Um, yeah, just, you know, this is a little, a little scary.
DM: Hahahaha! I LOVE that about you. Listen, I’m a humanist, OK? I’m into what’s right for you, and listen, Stevie, baby, you and me are going to DEFINE scary for the next few decades, OK?
SK: OK.
DM: Alright, so you’re going to have some success with those ideas I gave you, you’re going to get established, you’re going to be HUGE. But that’s just a start, you’re going to publish a little book called The Gunslinger in a few years.
SK: A western?
DM: Ha! You’re quick kid, you’re keeping up. Yes … aaaaaand, no … it’s so much MORE than a western, an American fantasy, but also more than that, a western CIVILZATION fantasy. This has deep roots, babe, and you’re going to be my front man.
SK: Cool.
DM: It is cool, isn’t it? OK, The Gunslinger is going to start the Dark Tower series, like the name?
SK: Yeah –
DM: Awesome, OK, and the FOURTH book, is going to be called Wizard and Glass, you following me –
SK: Wizard and Glass, fourth book –
DM: Mind like a steel trap, this one, OK, Stevie, Wizard and Glass is going to be about a storytelling, about a multiverse and about the origins of our hero.
SK: Who’ll be the hero?
DM: Roland of Gilead, but all in good time, my friend, but trust me, readers, YOUR readers, will love the way this continues the Dark Tower story and provides some background. We learn about the protagonist’s heraldic past (and this will be the best part of the book, all about the world where Roland comes from, tying this story to the other Dark Tower books and also building on much of your other writing) and a lot more about the other characters and your world building, which is intricate and brilliant, this will be your masterwork. And remember this, that there are other worlds than these.
SK: But what about the protagonist? What other characters? My world building? The world of the Dark Tower?
DM: Ha! All in good time, and we’re going to throw in some connections to the Wizard of Oz, more multiverse stuff you’ll like.
SK: Baum? Wizard of Oz, really?
DM: Baum’s an old colleague of ours, you’ll get to meet him, you’ll like him.
SK: I get to meet L. Frank Baum … but he’s dead.
DM: You’re getting ahead of yourself, Slick, we’ve got some business first, now, just a little pinprick and –
SK: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
DM: - but you may feel a little sick. Can you stand up? Good, I do believe it’s working, you ready?
SK: Ready for the Dark Tower and the fourth book Wizard and Glass. But what’s Mid-World?
DM: So we gonna close this deal or what? I got people waiting –
SK: I dunno, Mr. – what do I call you again?
DM: Friend, you call me friend, right? Come on Stevie, I thought we’d been through this, you came to meet with me and I’m acting in good faith here, you got some other agenda? Something I should know about? Can’t I trust you? Are you not trustworthy?
SK: Yes, yes, I just – my eternal soul seems like a high price –
DM: An investment is what this is, don’t think in terms of price, think investment. I see big things for us, Stevie, and I’m investing in you, and this partnership. We’re gonna be partners right?
SK: Um, yeah, just, you know, this is a little, a little scary.
DM: Hahahaha! I LOVE that about you. Listen, I’m a humanist, OK? I’m into what’s right for you, and listen, Stevie, baby, you and me are going to DEFINE scary for the next few decades, OK?
SK: OK.
DM: Alright, so you’re going to have some success with those ideas I gave you, you’re going to get established, you’re going to be HUGE. But that’s just a start, you’re going to publish a little book called The Gunslinger in a few years.
SK: A western?
DM: Ha! You’re quick kid, you’re keeping up. Yes … aaaaaand, no … it’s so much MORE than a western, an American fantasy, but also more than that, a western CIVILZATION fantasy. This has deep roots, babe, and you’re going to be my front man.
SK: Cool.
DM: It is cool, isn’t it? OK, The Gunslinger is going to start the Dark Tower series, like the name?
SK: Yeah –
DM: Awesome, OK, and the FOURTH book, is going to be called Wizard and Glass, you following me –
SK: Wizard and Glass, fourth book –
DM: Mind like a steel trap, this one, OK, Stevie, Wizard and Glass is going to be about a storytelling, about a multiverse and about the origins of our hero.
SK: Who’ll be the hero?
DM: Roland of Gilead, but all in good time, my friend, but trust me, readers, YOUR readers, will love the way this continues the Dark Tower story and provides some background. We learn about the protagonist’s heraldic past (and this will be the best part of the book, all about the world where Roland comes from, tying this story to the other Dark Tower books and also building on much of your other writing) and a lot more about the other characters and your world building, which is intricate and brilliant, this will be your masterwork. And remember this, that there are other worlds than these.
SK: But what about the protagonist? What other characters? My world building? The world of the Dark Tower?
DM: Ha! All in good time, and we’re going to throw in some connections to the Wizard of Oz, more multiverse stuff you’ll like.
SK: Baum? Wizard of Oz, really?
DM: Baum’s an old colleague of ours, you’ll get to meet him, you’ll like him.
SK: I get to meet L. Frank Baum … but he’s dead.
DM: You’re getting ahead of yourself, Slick, we’ve got some business first, now, just a little pinprick and –
SK: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
DM: - but you may feel a little sick. Can you stand up? Good, I do believe it’s working, you ready?
SK: Ready for the Dark Tower and the fourth book Wizard and Glass. But what’s Mid-World?
February 28, 2013
September, 2012:
All right. I've had a few glasses of wine, and I finally feel ready to talk about why I so very much HATE THIS FUCKING BOOK.
Please, don't get me wrong. I'm a HUGE Tower Junkie. By the time I got this book, I'd already read and re-read the first three more times than I could count, and even though it was only 6 years after TWL, I'd really been waiting 9 years total.
15 years after this book came out (and I've probably read the whole thing 5 or 6 times, and skimmed it many more than that) I am still just as pissed as I was that November day in 1997 when I closed the cover at the end for the first time.
My reaction is the same today as it was then. "What the actual fuck, Unky Steve?"
The first 100 pages? BRILLIANT! This is why you see TWO stars instead of just one. That was an excellent payoff after the cliffhanger we'd been left with (again, FOR SIX YEARS) and I remember poor 18 year old sj thinking "Oh, shit, is this going to be BETTER than The Waste Lands?!"
Sadly, 18 year old sj and every other sj that has thought "Hey, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought? Everyone else seems to love it! Let's try that again!" has been sorely disappointed.
Actually, everything is pretty okay up until Roland starts talking about his past over the gunslinger burritos.
Here's the primary reason I HATE THIS BOOK SO MUCH:
Susan. Fucking. Delgado.
I hated her the moment she stepped on the page, singing at the moon on her way to the house of Rhea of the Cöos. Singing Careless Love, come the fuck on, already I can't stand her. Seriously.
Also, since Roland was telling the story from her point of view, I knew she was going to play a major role and therefore would be EVEN WORSE because I HATE ROMANCE IN MY QUESTS!
(In the spirit of all honesty, I think my vitriol is a little stronger in recent years, because I knew a girl that TOTALLY IDENTIFIED with Susan Delgado [spoiler, I hated her!] and now even though I hated it before, I HATE IT EVEN MORE NOW because I could not STAND that girl.)
"Oh, but sj! Surely, you can't JUST hate the one character! What about the Mejisian Standoff? WHAT ABOUT CUTHBERT AND ALAIN? WHAT OF THEM, I BEG OF YOU?"
(heh, I totally love how adamant my non-existent audience is in my head)
Yes, all right? I LOVE Key-youth-bert and Alain.* I think Sheemie is awesome (especially being a grown-ass adult that has ALL OF THE BOOKS at her fingertips). I thought Rhea was a pretty damned great villain and I LOVED Jonas.**
They weren't enough to save the book for me though.
Because I just couldn't bring myself to care.
What do I care about some shitty coastal town on the Mid-World Mexico/Texas border? No, seriously. Why am I supposed to care about some stupid town where the diction is terrible and the people can't even put together a good plot?***
UGH.
I am tearing my hair out just THINKING about it.
NOT TO MENTION, we make ZERO PROGRESS towards the Tower. THE WHOLE REASON I'M READING THE DAMN BOOKS IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Nononononono.
No thank you. I will just continue to skim this one (after the awesome Blaine stuff, natch) from now til the end of time, and just concentrate on reading the books in the series that I actually LIKE.
It blows my mind that this is the highest rated book of the whole series. Completely.
*I totally had conflicting early versions of his name, btw. I'm pretty sure he went from Allen to Alan to Alain, which was what Sai King finally settled on. Please tell me someone else remembers this?
**I still think he should be played by Lance Henriksen in the doomed but inevitable film adaptation.
***As in caper, not the overall plot.
[eta] 22/2/13
As I re-read The Stand, I find myself even MORE aggravated with this book because of the way Flagg is portrayed (and even more so in the later DT books).
I still hate this stupid book. HAAAAAAAAAAATE.
All right. I've had a few glasses of wine, and I finally feel ready to talk about why I so very much HATE THIS FUCKING BOOK.
Please, don't get me wrong. I'm a HUGE Tower Junkie. By the time I got this book, I'd already read and re-read the first three more times than I could count, and even though it was only 6 years after TWL, I'd really been waiting 9 years total.
15 years after this book came out (and I've probably read the whole thing 5 or 6 times, and skimmed it many more than that) I am still just as pissed as I was that November day in 1997 when I closed the cover at the end for the first time.
My reaction is the same today as it was then. "What the actual fuck, Unky Steve?"
The first 100 pages? BRILLIANT! This is why you see TWO stars instead of just one. That was an excellent payoff after the cliffhanger we'd been left with (again, FOR SIX YEARS) and I remember poor 18 year old sj thinking "Oh, shit, is this going to be BETTER than The Waste Lands?!"
Sadly, 18 year old sj and every other sj that has thought "Hey, maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought? Everyone else seems to love it! Let's try that again!" has been sorely disappointed.
Actually, everything is pretty okay up until Roland starts talking about his past over the gunslinger burritos.
Here's the primary reason I HATE THIS BOOK SO MUCH:
Susan. Fucking. Delgado.
I hated her the moment she stepped on the page, singing at the moon on her way to the house of Rhea of the Cöos. Singing Careless Love, come the fuck on, already I can't stand her. Seriously.
Also, since Roland was telling the story from her point of view, I knew she was going to play a major role and therefore would be EVEN WORSE because I HATE ROMANCE IN MY QUESTS!
(In the spirit of all honesty, I think my vitriol is a little stronger in recent years, because I knew a girl that TOTALLY IDENTIFIED with Susan Delgado [spoiler, I hated her!] and now even though I hated it before, I HATE IT EVEN MORE NOW because I could not STAND that girl.)
"Oh, but sj! Surely, you can't JUST hate the one character! What about the Mejisian Standoff? WHAT ABOUT CUTHBERT AND ALAIN? WHAT OF THEM, I BEG OF YOU?"
(heh, I totally love how adamant my non-existent audience is in my head)
Yes, all right? I LOVE Key-youth-bert and Alain.* I think Sheemie is awesome (especially being a grown-ass adult that has ALL OF THE BOOKS at her fingertips). I thought Rhea was a pretty damned great villain and I LOVED Jonas.**
They weren't enough to save the book for me though.
Because I just couldn't bring myself to care.
What do I care about some shitty coastal town on the Mid-World Mexico/Texas border? No, seriously. Why am I supposed to care about some stupid town where the diction is terrible and the people can't even put together a good plot?***
UGH.
I am tearing my hair out just THINKING about it.
NOT TO MENTION, we make ZERO PROGRESS towards the Tower. THE WHOLE REASON I'M READING THE DAMN BOOKS IN THE FIRST PLACE!
Nononononono.
No thank you. I will just continue to skim this one (after the awesome Blaine stuff, natch) from now til the end of time, and just concentrate on reading the books in the series that I actually LIKE.
It blows my mind that this is the highest rated book of the whole series. Completely.
*I totally had conflicting early versions of his name, btw. I'm pretty sure he went from Allen to Alan to Alain, which was what Sai King finally settled on. Please tell me someone else remembers this?
**I still think he should be played by Lance Henriksen in the doomed but inevitable film adaptation.
***As in caper, not the overall plot.
[eta] 22/2/13
As I re-read The Stand, I find myself even MORE aggravated with this book because of the way Flagg is portrayed (and even more so in the later DT books).
I still hate this stupid book. HAAAAAAAAAAATE.
September 29, 2021
Hey, I have a booktube channel (youtube for book reviews, etc.), and I include Wizard and Glass in my Dark Tower Ranking list here. Please subscribe if I've earned it!
In a sentence: Stephen King does Tombstone (the movie) to great effect.
With only about 25% of actual series plot development (or 500 pages sandwiched between plot development), you'd think I would hate this book. Had I not known about this beforehand or had I waited 6 years for more Dark Tower, I'd probably be singing a different tune.
Then again, I love me a western and to call them Gunslingers on top of it all (such a cool word), I'm pretty sure I would have loved Wizard and Glass no matter what.
After quickly resolving the cliffhanger at the end of The Wastelands, Roland Deschain proceeds to tell his story that he has obviously been needing to tell for quite a while. I honestly thought we wouldn't have a resolution to that particular scene until much later in the book with the flashback in the middle of that. I'm very glad my expectations were wrong.
Roland, at only 14 years old, is sent to Mejis with his two good friends Mat and Perrin... I mean Cuthbert and Alain. I couldn't help but draw the comparison to the Wheel of Time as it's pretty close, but also vastly different.
In book one, The Gunslinger, we found out that Roland became the youngest gunslinger ever at the age of 14 and Roland's flashback picks up immediately after.
As far as the people of Mejis know, these youths were in fact truant youngsters who were sent on a mission to count. That's right, count everything from fish nets to horses. In reality, they are sent there to get them out of harm's way, but what they find instead is a group not dissimilar to The Cowboys from the movie Tombstone named the Big Coffin Hunters.
At this point in the history of Mid-World, the Affiliation is the governing body, to which Roland and his friends belong, but which is facing the growing problem with the Good Man, who's inciting rebellion among other things.
Innocuous mission turns dangerous, sweet. But that's not all you get, you'll also find one of the best love stories you've ever read. More you say? There's suspense, tragedy, gunslinging, and one of the most amazing scenes I've ever read involving the best stand-off you'll ever find anywhere.
EDIT: How did I forget to add the greatest love story ever told. I think I was worried about spoilers, but what the hey! Roland and Susan Delgado. Period. King proves he's a master with all the good stuff in this book, this love story is one of the best.
Regarding the famous (or infamous) Wizard of Oz elements
If King wants to tell the rest of this series through flashbacks, I'm on-board. I really hope to hear more about Cuthbert and Alain and if not both, then at least Cuthbert. Can he please join the new Ka-tet? Pretty please?
While I didn't quite know what to expect, but knowing at least that there was a lengthy flashback, the more I think about it, Wizard and Glass is my favorite volume in the Dark Tower so far. The flashback story is amazing and ratchets this series up in scope and epicness, giving method behind the madness.
If you haven't read The Dark Tower series, you're in for a treat. What? I'm the last person to do so? Well, I love it. I don't reread books much, but I will definitely do so once I'm done. This series is epic and tragic in every sense of each word. You will not regret it.
5 out of 5 Stars
Ps. Did I mention there's gunslinging?
In a sentence: Stephen King does Tombstone (the movie) to great effect.
With only about 25% of actual series plot development (or 500 pages sandwiched between plot development), you'd think I would hate this book. Had I not known about this beforehand or had I waited 6 years for more Dark Tower, I'd probably be singing a different tune.
Then again, I love me a western and to call them Gunslingers on top of it all (such a cool word), I'm pretty sure I would have loved Wizard and Glass no matter what.
After quickly resolving the cliffhanger at the end of The Wastelands, Roland Deschain proceeds to tell his story that he has obviously been needing to tell for quite a while. I honestly thought we wouldn't have a resolution to that particular scene until much later in the book with the flashback in the middle of that. I'm very glad my expectations were wrong.
Roland, at only 14 years old, is sent to Mejis with his two good friends Mat and Perrin... I mean Cuthbert and Alain. I couldn't help but draw the comparison to the Wheel of Time as it's pretty close, but also vastly different.
In book one, The Gunslinger, we found out that Roland became the youngest gunslinger ever at the age of 14 and Roland's flashback picks up immediately after.
As far as the people of Mejis know, these youths were in fact truant youngsters who were sent on a mission to count. That's right, count everything from fish nets to horses. In reality, they are sent there to get them out of harm's way, but what they find instead is a group not dissimilar to The Cowboys from the movie Tombstone named the Big Coffin Hunters.
At this point in the history of Mid-World, the Affiliation is the governing body, to which Roland and his friends belong, but which is facing the growing problem with the Good Man, who's inciting rebellion among other things.
Innocuous mission turns dangerous, sweet. But that's not all you get, you'll also find one of the best love stories you've ever read. More you say? There's suspense, tragedy, gunslinging, and one of the most amazing scenes I've ever read involving the best stand-off you'll ever find anywhere.
EDIT: How did I forget to add the greatest love story ever told. I think I was worried about spoilers, but what the hey! Roland and Susan Delgado. Period. King proves he's a master with all the good stuff in this book, this love story is one of the best.
Regarding the famous (or infamous) Wizard of Oz elements
If King wants to tell the rest of this series through flashbacks, I'm on-board. I really hope to hear more about Cuthbert and Alain and if not both, then at least Cuthbert. Can he please join the new Ka-tet? Pretty please?
While I didn't quite know what to expect, but knowing at least that there was a lengthy flashback, the more I think about it, Wizard and Glass is my favorite volume in the Dark Tower so far. The flashback story is amazing and ratchets this series up in scope and epicness, giving method behind the madness.
If you haven't read The Dark Tower series, you're in for a treat. What? I'm the last person to do so? Well, I love it. I don't reread books much, but I will definitely do so once I'm done. This series is epic and tragic in every sense of each word. You will not regret it.
5 out of 5 Stars
Ps. Did I mention there's gunslinging?
May 24, 2021
Blaine the mono-rail races on beneath the demon moon, hurtling toward certain destruction with Roland and his ka-tet onboard. Still with an unbridled yen for riddling, still brooking no silliness. We know that the world has moved on, and that time is different now, it tends to slip. We are introduced to the witch, Rhea of the Coos, and a vile nasty old soul is she. She sees things that no one should know, and it would be best if nothing is done to call her attention or incur her wrath. Bonfires, stuffy-guys, big coffin hunters, and the Charyou tree all have their parts to play.
This is the volume that deals primarily with Roland's past, how he grew into the man that he is. His training to become a gunslinger, and his true love, Susan. And how a decision made way back then turns into a relentless obsession with finding the Dark Tower.
This is my fourth or fifth read of volume 4 in the series. It is with some sadness that I lower my rating from 5 stars to 4, but I did not enjoy it as much, too much time spent on the romance, I suppose. But as I gaze into the Wizard's glass, I see that the Wolves of the Calla comes next, and I am ready to return to the path of the Beam. Long days, and pleasant nights.
This is the volume that deals primarily with Roland's past, how he grew into the man that he is. His training to become a gunslinger, and his true love, Susan. And how a decision made way back then turns into a relentless obsession with finding the Dark Tower.
This is my fourth or fifth read of volume 4 in the series. It is with some sadness that I lower my rating from 5 stars to 4, but I did not enjoy it as much, too much time spent on the romance, I suppose. But as I gaze into the Wizard's glass, I see that the Wolves of the Calla comes next, and I am ready to return to the path of the Beam. Long days, and pleasant nights.
March 3, 2016
DNF at 55%
Yoo hoo! You know what this is? This is me abandoning the fourth book in the Dark Tower series:
Well, metaphorically.
It is so frustrating to feel myself forced to abandon this book, especially since things were getting better in the previous one. You see, I thought book 1 was okay, 2 was better, but book 3 was great. I really liked it, so I expected this one to be better, or at least as good as the other ones had been. But no, it was bad.
See, the thing is that after the horrible cliffhanger in book 3, I expected lots of intense scenes and continuing with their quest, but instead we got Roland's backstory.
If it were a character I like, I don't think I'd be bothered a lot. The problem here, though, is that Roland is my least favourite character, and that's because he's so stiff and boring. I didn't give a damn about his past.
Again, if the backstory was intriguing, I wouldn't have been so bothered, but again it was a fail. Why? Because romance.
Yeah, so we go from a crazy talking train and riddles to... kisses and blushes.
Not a good change, is it?
Aaaaand again, a romance wouldn't have bothered me that much if 1) it hadn't been so cheesy, 2) if that was what I wanted, and 3) if the whole book (or rather what I managed to read) didn't feel as if King had no clue as to what to write. Like... yeah, I want this to be an epic fantasy quest, but I don't know what to do with my characters now so I'll just write a flashback while something comes to my mind.
It's so annoying, and now thanks to that I'm doing something that may appear outrageous: I'm DNFing this, but I will continue the series. Maybe important things happen in this book, but a summary from Wikipedia is what will save me from total confusion if something from this book is mentioned later.
Now I'll just say it's a pity so many pages were wasted in an unnecessary and eye-roll worthy romance and hope book 5 finally picks up the story with the rest of the characters I actually like, because I really miss Eddie, Jake and Susannah (and Oy too).
Yoo hoo! You know what this is? This is me abandoning the fourth book in the Dark Tower series:
Well, metaphorically.
It is so frustrating to feel myself forced to abandon this book, especially since things were getting better in the previous one. You see, I thought book 1 was okay, 2 was better, but book 3 was great. I really liked it, so I expected this one to be better, or at least as good as the other ones had been. But no, it was bad.
See, the thing is that after the horrible cliffhanger in book 3, I expected lots of intense scenes and continuing with their quest, but instead we got Roland's backstory.
If it were a character I like, I don't think I'd be bothered a lot. The problem here, though, is that Roland is my least favourite character, and that's because he's so stiff and boring. I didn't give a damn about his past.
Again, if the backstory was intriguing, I wouldn't have been so bothered, but again it was a fail. Why? Because romance.
Yeah, so we go from a crazy talking train and riddles to... kisses and blushes.
Not a good change, is it?
Aaaaand again, a romance wouldn't have bothered me that much if 1) it hadn't been so cheesy, 2) if that was what I wanted, and 3) if the whole book (or rather what I managed to read) didn't feel as if King had no clue as to what to write. Like... yeah, I want this to be an epic fantasy quest, but I don't know what to do with my characters now so I'll just write a flashback while something comes to my mind.
It's so annoying, and now thanks to that I'm doing something that may appear outrageous: I'm DNFing this, but I will continue the series. Maybe important things happen in this book, but a summary from Wikipedia is what will save me from total confusion if something from this book is mentioned later.
Now I'll just say it's a pity so many pages were wasted in an unnecessary and eye-roll worthy romance and hope book 5 finally picks up the story with the rest of the characters I actually like, because I really miss Eddie, Jake and Susannah (and Oy too).
May 11, 2015
After a riddle contest with Blaine the Mono, Roland and his ka-tet continue on their quest for the Dark Tower. While camping, Roland reveals the story of his youth and his first love.
The best part of this was Roland's backstory. You see that he wasn't always the killing machine he's become and learn a lot more of the backstory of the series as well. Astute Stephen King readers will appreciate the world they go through after entering the thinny.
The only complaint I have about this one is that I could have done without all the Wizard of Oz business. It seemed like he just slapped that on to wrap things up.
The 2011 re-read:
My opinion of Wizard and Glass has been colored somewhat by the passage of time. While I enjoyed the tale of Roland's first love and the confrontation with the Big Coffin Hunters, the flashback seemed about a hundred pages too long, like maybe Stephen King wasn't sure where he wanted the story to go next and decided to do some stalling.
That's not to say I don't like Wizard and Glass. It's just my least favorite of the first four Dark Tower books. It's still pretty good, though. The tension mounts as Roland and his young ka-tet head toward their inevitable conflict with the Big Coffin Hunters. It reminds me a lot of the battle between the Earps and the Cowboys in Tombstone.
The middle book of the Dark Tower is still a satisfying read, no matter what your opinion of the extended Flashback. Roland's back story makes him an even more tragic figure than before.
The best part of this was Roland's backstory. You see that he wasn't always the killing machine he's become and learn a lot more of the backstory of the series as well. Astute Stephen King readers will appreciate the world they go through after entering the thinny.
The only complaint I have about this one is that I could have done without all the Wizard of Oz business. It seemed like he just slapped that on to wrap things up.
The 2011 re-read:
My opinion of Wizard and Glass has been colored somewhat by the passage of time. While I enjoyed the tale of Roland's first love and the confrontation with the Big Coffin Hunters, the flashback seemed about a hundred pages too long, like maybe Stephen King wasn't sure where he wanted the story to go next and decided to do some stalling.
That's not to say I don't like Wizard and Glass. It's just my least favorite of the first four Dark Tower books. It's still pretty good, though. The tension mounts as Roland and his young ka-tet head toward their inevitable conflict with the Big Coffin Hunters. It reminds me a lot of the battle between the Earps and the Cowboys in Tombstone.
The middle book of the Dark Tower is still a satisfying read, no matter what your opinion of the extended Flashback. Roland's back story makes him an even more tragic figure than before.
September 2, 2017
Yeah, it's happening, finally finished. It's funny I got halfway through this book in like a day then it took me over a week to read the second half, not due to a lack of interest, more the world around me suddenly got more exciting. See this is why friends suck, they get in the way of reading phenomenal books by making you have a life.
Anyway, what I thought of this book. Well, FINALLY I learned about Roland's history. I mean sure I knew about Martin and his mother, and how he originally became a gunslinger, but the story of Susan and the town of Hambry, and of course Merlin's rainbow. There was just so much to digest in this book. I'm so happy I still have three left. It's going to be a sad day when I'm done with this series.
This book was a real western romance, more so focusing on Roland and what made him the gunslinger he is when the reader is first introduced to him. Putting this in the fourth book really worked for me and really strengthened Roland's arc. I was more than familiar with the sorta man he had become, now I finally see the man he used to be and the human emotions he used to feel before hisobsession pursuit of the dark tower.
Anyway, what I thought of this book. Well, FINALLY I learned about Roland's history. I mean sure I knew about Martin and his mother, and how he originally became a gunslinger, but the story of Susan and the town of Hambry, and of course Merlin's rainbow. There was just so much to digest in this book. I'm so happy I still have three left. It's going to be a sad day when I'm done with this series.
This book was a real western romance, more so focusing on Roland and what made him the gunslinger he is when the reader is first introduced to him. Putting this in the fourth book really worked for me and really strengthened Roland's arc. I was more than familiar with the sorta man he had become, now I finally see the man he used to be and the human emotions he used to feel before his
July 21, 2021
“If it's ka, it'll come like a wind, and your plans will stand before it no more than a barn before a cyclone”
The amount of time it took me to finish this volume should not be held against the work itself but Ka. This volume took much longer to read than anticipated, from being chosen just 3 months into a new position to train all departmental new hires to shifts in one's home life.
On the whole, it is easy to see why this volume is so polarizing amongst the fandom. On the one hand, it does very little to further our ka-tet towards the Dark Tower. On the other, it gives Roland an unforgettable air of realism and background. It was essential to the story and the world, even if it did lack some of the urgency of the previous volumes.
It, however, also introduced some incredibly engaging characters; some I was despondent to see go, and others I was cheering from the mortal coil.
This was, much like the book has our ka-tet doing, a slower ambling exploration of a walk, and I'm ok with that.
“Stand and be true” Roland and company, until we meet again.
The amount of time it took me to finish this volume should not be held against the work itself but Ka. This volume took much longer to read than anticipated, from being chosen just 3 months into a new position to train all departmental new hires to shifts in one's home life.
On the whole, it is easy to see why this volume is so polarizing amongst the fandom. On the one hand, it does very little to further our ka-tet towards the Dark Tower. On the other, it gives Roland an unforgettable air of realism and background. It was essential to the story and the world, even if it did lack some of the urgency of the previous volumes.
It, however, also introduced some incredibly engaging characters; some I was despondent to see go, and others I was cheering from the mortal coil.
This was, much like the book has our ka-tet doing, a slower ambling exploration of a walk, and I'm ok with that.
“Stand and be true” Roland and company, until we meet again.
April 1, 2025
“The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass” by Stephen King, the thirteenth stop on my epic Dark Tower journey, dives deep into Roland the Gunslinger’s backstory—my favorite character—and it was an incredible ride.
Before my review, I’d love to share my specific path in The Dark Tower series. I spent a few months researching how to get the most out of King’s magnum opus. I asked fellow Constant Readers, amazing librarians, and horror readers who confirmed this was the best route for the ultimate Dark Tower reading experience…
The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything's Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
Here are the trigger warnings I found while reading this novel…
- Pandemic
- Racism
- Violence against animals
If any of these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, this was a genuine page-turner! I couldn’t wait to continue reading it due to the aftermath of “The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands.” Please don’t worry; I’d never spoil anything, but this was a great way to start this novel. It was creepy yet exhilarating since I had no idea what would happen. The cliffhanger from the previous book and reading “Charlie THE Choo-Choo” for another huge plot twist were all mind-boggling.
Also, for those of you who are taking this journey to The Dark Tower, King summarizes what transpired before starting the next book. Since so much is happening with many characters, situations, antagonists, and everything else, this helped as a friendly reminder of what happened before the next set of events.
I enjoyed this “story within a story” style as it gave me a deeper look into Roland’s backstory with Gilead, his mother, and his early love life. I do wish “The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass” was a bit scarier, but I get it. This felt like a much-needed break from the usual horror found in previous books of the series, but regardless, I enjoyed it immensely.
One huge thing that made up for it was an epic tie-in to another popular novel by King! No spoilers here, but when you realize it, it’ll blow your mind as it did mine.
So far on my journey to The Dark Tower, I love the true meaning of a ka-tet. The symbolism with friends, doing the right thing, fighting evil, and so much more, has been a fun recurring theme to read about. As I’ve always said for decades now, friends can be family, and in many cases, that’s all the family you need to navigate life.
Even though I wish there had been a bit more horror here, I loved all the action in the various fight scenes throughout the novel. They were fantastic and action-packed, and again, I couldn’t stop reading once they happened.
Now, when it comes to the ending, it’s just three simple words, my friends: OH MY GOD!!! The ending was so magnificent that I read it twice because at first, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. It was so insane that it left me speechless. I’ll be thinking about this ending for many years to come.
I give “The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass” by Stephen King a 5/5 for another memorable reading experience and an extensive look at what makes Roland the Gunslinger tick. I loved his backstory, this new ka-tet's adventures, and a drop-the-mic ending that still has my jaw on the floor. This is another King classic, and I’m so excited to see how everything in The Dark Tower ends.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, since I already found a wizard and a glass, it’s time to look through a keyhole to find some wind.
Before my review, I’d love to share my specific path in The Dark Tower series. I spent a few months researching how to get the most out of King’s magnum opus. I asked fellow Constant Readers, amazing librarians, and horror readers who confirmed this was the best route for the ultimate Dark Tower reading experience…
The Stand
The Eyes of the Dragon
Insomnia
Hearts in Atlantis
‘Salem’s Lot
The Talisman
Black House
Everything's Eventual (The Little Sisters of Eluria)
The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger
The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three
The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands
Charlie the Choo-Choo
The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole
The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah
The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
Here are the trigger warnings I found while reading this novel…
- Pandemic
- Racism
- Violence against animals
If any of these trigger you, please do not read this novel. Moving along, this was a genuine page-turner! I couldn’t wait to continue reading it due to the aftermath of “The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands.” Please don’t worry; I’d never spoil anything, but this was a great way to start this novel. It was creepy yet exhilarating since I had no idea what would happen. The cliffhanger from the previous book and reading “Charlie THE Choo-Choo” for another huge plot twist were all mind-boggling.
Also, for those of you who are taking this journey to The Dark Tower, King summarizes what transpired before starting the next book. Since so much is happening with many characters, situations, antagonists, and everything else, this helped as a friendly reminder of what happened before the next set of events.
I enjoyed this “story within a story” style as it gave me a deeper look into Roland’s backstory with Gilead, his mother, and his early love life. I do wish “The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass” was a bit scarier, but I get it. This felt like a much-needed break from the usual horror found in previous books of the series, but regardless, I enjoyed it immensely.
One huge thing that made up for it was an epic tie-in to another popular novel by King! No spoilers here, but when you realize it, it’ll blow your mind as it did mine.
So far on my journey to The Dark Tower, I love the true meaning of a ka-tet. The symbolism with friends, doing the right thing, fighting evil, and so much more, has been a fun recurring theme to read about. As I’ve always said for decades now, friends can be family, and in many cases, that’s all the family you need to navigate life.
Even though I wish there had been a bit more horror here, I loved all the action in the various fight scenes throughout the novel. They were fantastic and action-packed, and again, I couldn’t stop reading once they happened.
Now, when it comes to the ending, it’s just three simple words, my friends: OH MY GOD!!! The ending was so magnificent that I read it twice because at first, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. It was so insane that it left me speechless. I’ll be thinking about this ending for many years to come.
I give “The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass” by Stephen King a 5/5 for another memorable reading experience and an extensive look at what makes Roland the Gunslinger tick. I loved his backstory, this new ka-tet's adventures, and a drop-the-mic ending that still has my jaw on the floor. This is another King classic, and I’m so excited to see how everything in The Dark Tower ends.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, since I already found a wizard and a glass, it’s time to look through a keyhole to find some wind.
July 18, 2022
The Dark Tower continues to be incredibly intriguing and unique. I've liked books 2-4 roughly the same amount and can always expect a super weird and fun read with these books.
February 21, 2025
4.5 ⭐
*Light Spoilers for those that have read nothing of the series*
The nerve of this ”old sonovabitch”! Am I right?!
King, I mean.
Book 3, ‘The Waste Lands’, is published in ’91 and ends on an absolute cliffhanger. Then 6 years later King releases book 4, ‘Wizard and Glass’, quickly tidies up the cliffie and then proceeds to write the greater part of an 850-page novel as a series prequel around 14-yr-old Roland and his original ka-tet, rather than kicking on with the main plot.
For this reason, it’s a bit of a divisive entry, even still without needing to wait 6 years between books, and I went in with pretty low expectations after reading some of the problems others had expressed but I’ve gotta say, there’s a good possibility that these naysayers have forgotten the faces of their fathers! Come gather round the fire, kiddos, ‘cos Uncy Roland’s got a story to tell and it’s a fucking treat!
In no way should the novel as a whole work, structurally, but somehow in King’s unhinged, maniacal way, it does. What you get is a Part I that has Roland and his current ka-tet (Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy) in a life-or-death riddle-off with Blaine the Train (who’s a real pain FYI). A Part II (The aforementioned prequel) that showcases a 14-yr-old Roland and his original tet-mate’s (Cuthbert and Alain) harrowing experience in the seaside town of Hambry. A town in which Roland also encounters his first love, Susan Delgado. This Part is a Tragedy masquerading as a slow but intentful, character-driven, Western Fantasy Horror. And, finally, a Part III that brings us back to current events and throws us headlong into a bastardisation of ‘The Wizard of Oz’…. Sorry, cully? No, no, you heard that right, red shoes and all, we’re off to see the Wizard! Don’t try to make sense of it, just give yourself up to the beam and submerge yourself in the troubling but true mind of the madman King!
”I shoot with my mind”
Boredom was a common complaint among those who disliked the entry and while I will say that a savvy editor might’ve been able to shorten the tale a little bit without hurting it considerably, I couldn’t honestly tell you what I’d leave out. In my experience, most books have a bit of a lull at some point but it never came for me here; I was always eager to open it up again.
Not that Roland’s telling of past events is anything exceptional; it’s a tale of all-consuming adolescent love, explored fairly well for a man who was approaching 50. Perhaps with an excess of eroticism given their ages (female characters, in general, are pretty prone to heat between the legs and throbbing in their loins) but, for the most part, palatable and on the money.
”Roland turned over on his other side, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. His rest was thin and lit by the crudely poetic dreams only adolescent boys have, dreams where sexual attraction and romantic love come together and resonate more powerfully than they ever will again”
But it’s also a further exploration on the theme of individual destiny or ka , particularly in the way that Roland’s painstaking choices and sacrifices in strict service to his own, have shaped the man we readers now recognise him as. To me, this was absolutely critical in better appreciating Roland’s obsession with the Dark Tower and just how scary his tunnel-vision could be. This is a man who had already made irreversible choices and sacrificed everything in the name of ka, before he was even 16 years old. We’d seen it previously as readers but it’s so much clearer now; nothing means more to Roland than turning his visions into reality in pursuit of The Dark Tower.
"If it's ka, it'll come like a wind, and your plans will stand before it no more than a barn before a cyclone."
"He never had a friend he didn't kill, never had a lover who's not dust in the wind."
So, that’s all good but what really kept this ticking along so seamlessly for me was simply the vivid characterisation and the persistently unsettling atmosphere of the town of Hambry. And I mean, these elements are just vintage King really, aren’t they?
You wanna talk characters? Let’s talk Rhea of the Cöos, the decrepit and hateful crone living in squalor with her 6-legged cat whom she likes to lick clean herself and her mutant pet snake whom she derives an otherwise unforthcoming sexual pleasure from ("no man could do you like Ermot could do you"). A positively vomit-inducing Bruja whose acrid breath and piss-soaked clothes seem to materialise from the pages as vapour to assault your senses. A creature that makes your skin crawl as she lay hands on the ”Oh so young and pretty” Susan Delgado, as though she were laying her hands on you directly.
You wanna talk suffocating atmosphere of wrongness? Let’s talk about the Thinny of Eyebolt Canyon, the whining and ”rotting sore eating through the flesh of reality” or the orange light of the Demon Moon on Reaping night! Or the kind of hypnotised groupthink of the townsfolk. All of these classic King-esque paranormal horror elements culminate in a devastating, maniacal crescendo as Roland’s story comes to an end. Some of the finest, most absorbing King I’ve encountered.
Finally, I have to give a shout out to Frank Muller, not the luxury watch guy but the narrator on the audiobook of which I probably used for about 25-30% of this novel just to keep it chugging along until I could get back to my physical copy. The characters, though most regularly being variations on a kind of Western drawl accent, call for a fair amount of diversity in voicing. You’ve got Rhea the Witch with her kind of “Come here my pretty” tone, then the slightly more delicate characters such as Susan or Olive Thorin and even the inn-boy, Sheemie, who was slightly on the slower side (“If the inn-boy was a halfwit, she'd known a lot of folks in her time who were running on quarters and eighths.”) etc. Etc. But I think Muller was, overall, really great to listen to and I don’t often feel that way about audio narrators so if you're going down that route, even partially as I did, give him a crack!
That’ll do from me. Thankee-sai if you made it this far! I wish you long days and pleasant nights :)
*Light Spoilers for those that have read nothing of the series*
The nerve of this ”old sonovabitch”! Am I right?!
King, I mean.
Book 3, ‘The Waste Lands’, is published in ’91 and ends on an absolute cliffhanger. Then 6 years later King releases book 4, ‘Wizard and Glass’, quickly tidies up the cliffie and then proceeds to write the greater part of an 850-page novel as a series prequel around 14-yr-old Roland and his original ka-tet, rather than kicking on with the main plot.
For this reason, it’s a bit of a divisive entry, even still without needing to wait 6 years between books, and I went in with pretty low expectations after reading some of the problems others had expressed but I’ve gotta say, there’s a good possibility that these naysayers have forgotten the faces of their fathers! Come gather round the fire, kiddos, ‘cos Uncy Roland’s got a story to tell and it’s a fucking treat!
In no way should the novel as a whole work, structurally, but somehow in King’s unhinged, maniacal way, it does. What you get is a Part I that has Roland and his current ka-tet (Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy) in a life-or-death riddle-off with Blaine the Train (who’s a real pain FYI). A Part II (The aforementioned prequel) that showcases a 14-yr-old Roland and his original tet-mate’s (Cuthbert and Alain) harrowing experience in the seaside town of Hambry. A town in which Roland also encounters his first love, Susan Delgado. This Part is a Tragedy masquerading as a slow but intentful, character-driven, Western Fantasy Horror. And, finally, a Part III that brings us back to current events and throws us headlong into a bastardisation of ‘The Wizard of Oz’…. Sorry, cully? No, no, you heard that right, red shoes and all, we’re off to see the Wizard! Don’t try to make sense of it, just give yourself up to the beam and submerge yourself in the troubling but true mind of the madman King!
”I shoot with my mind”
Boredom was a common complaint among those who disliked the entry and while I will say that a savvy editor might’ve been able to shorten the tale a little bit without hurting it considerably, I couldn’t honestly tell you what I’d leave out. In my experience, most books have a bit of a lull at some point but it never came for me here; I was always eager to open it up again.
Not that Roland’s telling of past events is anything exceptional; it’s a tale of all-consuming adolescent love, explored fairly well for a man who was approaching 50. Perhaps with an excess of eroticism given their ages (female characters, in general, are pretty prone to heat between the legs and throbbing in their loins) but, for the most part, palatable and on the money.
”Roland turned over on his other side, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. His rest was thin and lit by the crudely poetic dreams only adolescent boys have, dreams where sexual attraction and romantic love come together and resonate more powerfully than they ever will again”
But it’s also a further exploration on the theme of individual destiny or ka , particularly in the way that Roland’s painstaking choices and sacrifices in strict service to his own, have shaped the man we readers now recognise him as. To me, this was absolutely critical in better appreciating Roland’s obsession with the Dark Tower and just how scary his tunnel-vision could be. This is a man who had already made irreversible choices and sacrificed everything in the name of ka, before he was even 16 years old. We’d seen it previously as readers but it’s so much clearer now; nothing means more to Roland than turning his visions into reality in pursuit of The Dark Tower.
"If it's ka, it'll come like a wind, and your plans will stand before it no more than a barn before a cyclone."
"He never had a friend he didn't kill, never had a lover who's not dust in the wind."
So, that’s all good but what really kept this ticking along so seamlessly for me was simply the vivid characterisation and the persistently unsettling atmosphere of the town of Hambry. And I mean, these elements are just vintage King really, aren’t they?
You wanna talk characters? Let’s talk Rhea of the Cöos, the decrepit and hateful crone living in squalor with her 6-legged cat whom she likes to lick clean herself and her mutant pet snake whom she derives an otherwise unforthcoming sexual pleasure from ("no man could do you like Ermot could do you"). A positively vomit-inducing Bruja whose acrid breath and piss-soaked clothes seem to materialise from the pages as vapour to assault your senses. A creature that makes your skin crawl as she lay hands on the ”Oh so young and pretty” Susan Delgado, as though she were laying her hands on you directly.
You wanna talk suffocating atmosphere of wrongness? Let’s talk about the Thinny of Eyebolt Canyon, the whining and ”rotting sore eating through the flesh of reality” or the orange light of the Demon Moon on Reaping night! Or the kind of hypnotised groupthink of the townsfolk. All of these classic King-esque paranormal horror elements culminate in a devastating, maniacal crescendo as Roland’s story comes to an end. Some of the finest, most absorbing King I’ve encountered.
Finally, I have to give a shout out to Frank Muller, not the luxury watch guy but the narrator on the audiobook of which I probably used for about 25-30% of this novel just to keep it chugging along until I could get back to my physical copy. The characters, though most regularly being variations on a kind of Western drawl accent, call for a fair amount of diversity in voicing. You’ve got Rhea the Witch with her kind of “Come here my pretty” tone, then the slightly more delicate characters such as Susan or Olive Thorin and even the inn-boy, Sheemie, who was slightly on the slower side (“If the inn-boy was a halfwit, she'd known a lot of folks in her time who were running on quarters and eighths.”) etc. Etc. But I think Muller was, overall, really great to listen to and I don’t often feel that way about audio narrators so if you're going down that route, even partially as I did, give him a crack!
That’ll do from me. Thankee-sai if you made it this far! I wish you long days and pleasant nights :)
March 11, 2024
I’m reluctant to say too much about the book as it would contain spoilers so I’ll just give a vague idea and say how I felt about it..
Another beautifully written story continuing on from the last which is set in a post-apocalyptic world. Through the eyes of Roland and his ka-tet the book further explores the concept of ‘ka’ the very essence of a being, a central theme in the series.
”Ka is a wheel, he thought. Or as Eddie Dean liked to say, whatever went around came around.“
King's work is a masterpiece that stands as a testament to his genius in storytelling. His writing style is unparalleled, filled with vivid imagery and deep emotional depth. The characters in this story are beautiful, complex and multi dimensional, with their stories and motivations driving the book forward, heroes and villains alike. The world building is detailed and immersive drawing you into other worlds with ease.
”If it’s ka, it’ll come like a wind, and your plans will stand before it no more.” - Susan Delago
The ending, while leaving room for further exploration, provides a satisfying conclusion, making it a must read for anyone who appreciates a well crafted story that blends elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Again my fourth read through and I’m still finding sections pulling on my heart strings an emotional roller coaster for sure. I love this series more every time I read it..
Another beautifully written story continuing on from the last which is set in a post-apocalyptic world. Through the eyes of Roland and his ka-tet the book further explores the concept of ‘ka’ the very essence of a being, a central theme in the series.
”Ka is a wheel, he thought. Or as Eddie Dean liked to say, whatever went around came around.“
King's work is a masterpiece that stands as a testament to his genius in storytelling. His writing style is unparalleled, filled with vivid imagery and deep emotional depth. The characters in this story are beautiful, complex and multi dimensional, with their stories and motivations driving the book forward, heroes and villains alike. The world building is detailed and immersive drawing you into other worlds with ease.
”If it’s ka, it’ll come like a wind, and your plans will stand before it no more.” - Susan Delago
The ending, while leaving room for further exploration, provides a satisfying conclusion, making it a must read for anyone who appreciates a well crafted story that blends elements of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Again my fourth read through and I’m still finding sections pulling on my heart strings an emotional roller coaster for sure. I love this series more every time I read it..
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