This book contains the biggest lie a writer ever told me. It‘s in the Author‘s Note at the end:The fourth volume in the tale of the Dark Tower should appear - always assuming the continuation of Constant Writer’s life and Constant Reader’s interest - in the not-too-distant-future.It took six years for the next book to come out. Six. Goddamn. Years.Six years may not seem too bad to fans of authors who only release a book every decade or so, but there’s a couple of factors that made this false statement particularly bitter. The Waste Lands ends on a nail biting cliffhanger. I literally yelled aloud in frustration the first time I read this back in 1991 and realized that I’d have to wait for the next book to learn the fate of Roland and his friends. Still, after some reflection it didn’t seem that bad. The next volume would appear ‘in the not-too-distant-future’, right? Besides this was Stephen King, the writer who churned out 1000 page books like McDonald’s makes Big Macs. No big deal. I’d be reading it by ‘92. 1993 at the latest.Five goddamn years later, and I’d gone from Stephen King and Dark Tower fan to the kind of crazed fury usually reserved for jilted lovers. It didn’t help that King was cranking out big fat books including some utter shit like Insomnia and Rose Madder. Yet no fourth Dark Tower book, and every now and then I’d reread the first three volumes and dream of the day when I’d finally learn what happened next.The odd thing is that it still kind of pisses me off even now that the series is finished. I get that same sense of frustration when I read this remembering the six goddamn years between books while seeing all kinds of other King novels come out. It’s too bad because this was my favorite of the first three books until frustration turned it into an irritating loose end.And I’ll confess something that makes me a small, petty person. Deep down in my shriveled black soul, I’m resentful and jealous of anyone who reads the series now or who started reading it when the last three books were coming out like clockwork at the end. They didn’t suffer like the ones who read this and waited six years. Then read the fourth one and waited SIX MORE GODDAMN YEARS FOR THE FIFTH ONE. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT! BETWEEN 1991 AND 2003 STEPHEN FUCKING KING, ONE-OF-THE-MOST-PROFILIC-WRITERS-I’VE-EVER-READ, MANAGED TO WRITE JUST ONE GODDAMN DARK TOWER BOOK AND IF THAT MINIVAN HADN’T VERY NEARLY KILLED HIS PROCRASTINATING ASS, I’D PROBABLY STILL BE WAITING!!*ahem* Excuse me. I’ve still got a few unresolved issues with old Steve about this series.And what about the story in this book? Roland is training Eddie and Susannah to be gunslingers, but he’s going crazy from a paradox he created in the last book by time hopping to our world and changing an event that altered his own timeline. They also find a creepy old decayed city filled with a murderous mob and have to deal with a monorail that is criminally insane.It’s terrific, but I think the waiting drove me a little mad. And now King has been making noises about possibly doing another book that would fill some of the SIX GODDAMN YEAR GAP between #4 and #5. You’ll pardon me if I don’t hold my breath.
Another stunning installment in the Dark Tower series, The Waste Lands brings our quest for the dark tower that much closer, and actually giving it plenty of momentum which is, I'm told, possibly to be dashed in further installments.Where The Gunslinger was a correlating collection of stories and The Drawing of the Three brings the main characters together, The Waste Lands actually moves the quest forward, gives some background (not a ton mind you), and gives us some direction.I'm really enjoying this series and I'm starting to realize why. Besides the fact that I am glued to the pages for hours at a time, I really like the idea of this mysterious world giving guidance to the Gunslinger and his band. Instead of opting for the prophecy motif, King's world is much more mysterious and less traditional.***Beware spoilers for the The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three***Our crew of gunslingers, or Ka-tet as we find out they are called because they are a group of people on the same mission whose fates are intertwined, begin this part of the journey in the middle of their training as gunslingers. They are the last of their kind and therefore, Eddie, Susannah Dean, and Roland are the only gunslingers in the entire world.Because Roland saved Jake (the kid at the waystation in The Gunstlinger) from Jack Mort in The Drawing of the Three, his memory has now split in two because Jake's death was his entry into Roland's world. This is making Roland a bit crazy at the moment.They are almost immediately attacked by a malicious and ravenous bear, Shardik, who we find out is actually a Guardian of one of the entrances to the 6 mystical beams that will lead to the dark tower. Oh, and did I mention Shardik is also a cyborg? Yeah, this just gets crazier and crazier.The ka-tet follow the beam to Mid-world where more adventure is to be had, but not before picking up another member.I had always thought they were in Mid-world when they weren't in "our" present day world, but I guess I'd read too much going into this. In The Waste Lands, there's actually a point where the ka-tet goes into Mid-world.At this same time, but beginning in Book 2 of The Waste Lands, we also begin to follow Jake in "our" world. He's having the same problems as Roland and his mind is also warring with itself. While trying to make it in a high-pressured prep school, Jake is about to give up. Not only is Jake going insane, but it is almost as if he is reliving certain occurrences. This leads him on his own journey and I'll leave it at that before I get too spoilerific.***End major spoilers***I know Stephen King is known for his horror, but I haven't felt much of that influence really until this book. Toward the end, I was actually dreadfully frightened and I loved it.Why Read The Waste Lands?When I really think of it, I can't believe the entire plot can be summed up so simply; a gunslinger is after a dark tower. And I guess only Stephen King can make something so simple so amazingly addicting.I can't wait to get on with the series. It's unique and well-crafted. You can't help but care for these characters even though it sometimes seems like Stephen King doesn't. You will be glued to the page, it's just a fact.4.5 out of 5 Stars (Absolutely loved it!)
What do You think about The Waste Lands (2003)?
The beam all things serve it!A multi-layered story of thrill and adventure.A band of pilgrims, knights set upon a journey, a journey in ultimately that they will come to realise fear and terror, love and courage. Journey to a ultimate goal a destination the Tower and this strikes a similarity to our own goals and journeys today to happiness and sadness, paradise and hell, success and failure, light or darkness. As we follow this band upon their paths we warm to their fears and courage, humour and love. This is the magic of King's writing he uses normal people and pits them in mayhem, evil and demons and immerses us in the thick of it so well and you feel their struggle and success with fear and evil and prosper.Reminiscent of Tolkien's Ring epic story and tales from H.P Lovecraft."Susannah, who had read her Tolkien, thought: This is what Frodo and Sam saw when they reached the heart of Mordor. These are the Cracks of Doom."The merry band of pilgrims came to The Drawers and entered the waste lands.I must bid farewell but the search for The Tower will now enter another chapter (book 4) as they are faced with the End-World, and a Dark malicious magician waiteth named the Wizard or the Ageless Stranger.Robert Browning wrote a poem called "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came," and begins it describing this terrible and enigmatic figure 'The Wizard':My first thought was, he lied in every word,That hoary cripple, with malicious eyeAskance to watch the working of his lieOn mine, and mouth scarce able to affordSuppression of the glee, that pursed and scoredIt's edge, at one more victim gained thereby.""All of Mid-World had become one vast haunted mansion in these strange latter days; all of Mid-World had become The Drawers; all of Mid-World had become a waste land, haunting and haunted"“This closeness and sharing of minds is called khef, a word that means many other things in the original tongue of the Old World—water, birth, and life-force are only three of them. Be aware of it. For now, that’s all I want.”“Each member of a ka-tet is like a piece in a puzzle. Taken by itself, each piece is a mystery, but when they are put together, they make a picture . . . or part of a picture. It may take a great many ka-tets to finish one picture. You mustn’t be surprised if you discover your lives have been touching in ways you haven’t seen until now. For one thing, each of you three is capable of knowing each other’s thoughts—”“SEE YOU LATER, ALLIGATOR, AFTER A WHILE, CROCODILE, DON’T FORGET TO WRITE.” http://more2read.com/?review=the-waste-lands-the-dark-tower-3-by-stephen-king
—Lou
2.5 books. That's how long it took me to become a fan of the Dark Tower. I read 40 pages of this 3rd installment a year ago. There it sat, a plain donut among a box full of sprinkles, and jellies, and chocolate frosted oh-so-niceties, a shit stain on the underpants of my mental library collection.And there I was, dreading going back to it, not really digging it but knowing deep down in my small, black, oil-pumping heart (funny, those adjectives work for many of my various parts) that I should like this series. What was it missing? What was I missing?Oy veh, it's right on the tip of my tongue. I'll ask my coy joy boy toy Roy if he knows.... and there you have every Adam Sandler movie summed up. O'Doyle rules.Anyway, my boss is always telling me to focus... only she's from another country and it sounds like Fuckus... which mind you, is also very distracting. I think I need a palaver to remind myself where I was.POINT 1 - I hate palavers. Let's recap the story, but for the reader's or the author's sake. So I begin this review in the middle where the palaver occurred. It sucked and was boring.POINT 2 - Jake came back! Yay I was so excited I knitted a sweater out of all my body hair. Except Jake's scenes started off sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo boring. As boring as reading that many oooooo'sSo other than some snot worms, the first 167.4 pages kinda stunk.Then Jake enters a rundown house and King surprises with one of the most exciting scenes I've read by him in a long while. At two-star book moves up to three just like that. He keeps the interest going with demon rape/sex (is it rape if... well, I'll let you decide - I ain't getting involved). Still, I would think that would have left at least one, if not two, or even all four travelers traumatized in the worst way, but they're all like - explicit spoiler alert - (view spoiler)[ "demon fucked me with his icy cold wiener schnitzel... What eva! (hide spoiler)]
—Jason Parent
The thing with this series is that it just gets better along the way. This review might contain some spoilers? I'm not sure if some people would consider them as spoilers, so read at your own risk! You've been warned.The most amazing thing about this book would be the fact that Jake fucking Chambers is back! If you've read my review of The Gunslinger (book 1) then you'd know how much I love that kid. We can be friends again King, that much I can say. (view spoiler)[ Fuck you, Roland. You let him go again. You promised you wouldn't. Even though you saved him in the end, you're still one mother fucking asshole who should burn in hell. I still like you as a character though, but fuck you nonetheless. (hide spoiler)]
—Will M.
