Dark Tower Thoughts

Thanks for the long email. I've been done with the book since the beginning of this week and was just bursting because I had so much to say, but no one to say it to. I didn't want to call you in case you hadn't finished and no one else I know has read it. So before I even begin to respond to your thoughts, I'll start with my own (which do overlap with yours). After that, I'll tackle anything that you said that I did not cover. That's my plan anyway. I loved the book. I really did - definitely my favorite of the last three. I was disappointed in some spots, but overall, I really enjoyed it. The characters are really what made the journey worth taking for me. That's how I usually feel about any book I read. If I don't like the characters, more often than not, I will not enjoy the book. And the characters, in this more than any other King work (well, The Stand comes close) became so real to me. Not that Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake and Oy weren't already real, because (I think I may have mentioned this to you before) I am drawn to other worlds in works of fiction (I suppose the pun is intended). Be it literature or TV or movies or whatever, I love taking part in the creation of other worlds. And the worlds of the Dark Tower exist in my mind. I don't think I can really accurately describe what I mean (and I'm veering away from my point), but works like Lord of the Rings and Buffy/Angel and The Dark Tower have created these alternate realities that to me actually exist. Does that make me a little unstable? Yeah, probably because of the very real pain that I feel for the characters residing in these worlds, but it makes me enjoy them even more. There are moments in my life that I remember only because of some fictional event. I still feel the shock and pain of characters on Buffy dying on TV. Not as bad as that first moment, but the pain is still in my mind and is very real to me. For our buddy Steve to make me feel these same things is a supreme achievement in my opinion. I have NEVER had the emotional reactions to any form of printed matter in my life as I had to this book. I even found myself a might bit sad at Pere Callahan's death, and I felt as if I hardly knew him. Last Wednesday night was when I read about Eddie's death. I wanted to take my time with the book (cuz it was the end, you know?) but all that ka-shume stuff going on and the breaking of the tet and all, and I had to continue on at like 1am, when I had work the next day. I still have not fully recovered from last Wednesday night. Eddie Dean was my favorite of the tet. But before even beginning the book, I knew he was going to die. (I didn't think Jake would, however - but I'll get to that) I was in extreme denial from before page one, but I knew it was going to happen. Still, I wasn't ready. Not even a little bit. I miss Eddie. I think it sounds insane, but I miss him, and I really think I could have used him to get through the rest of the book. But I knew that Roland was going to be alone at the end and they all had to disappear some way, and I wouldn't believe that Eddie would have left as Suze did, so I knew that he was a goner. And I figured that he was the first. All that said, I still wept. And I couldn't sleep. So I tried to read further and found I couldn't do that either. I could not physically read. Never happened before. It was like literary impotence. Then the next day, I get to read about Jake. The fucking bastard killed him. I know he made it mean something and he was surprised by it (blah, blah, blah....). And it happened again. All I could see in my head were Oy's sad gold-ringed eyes. And I couldn't continue. I was walking around in a state of almost depression it felt like. They were gone, and Jake was gone waaaaaay before I could even fully accept poor Eddie's demise. (Which is probably why I still have not accepted it.) And the thing was, with the father/son stuff before the battle at Algul Siento (sp?) with the Breakers, I was upset about Eddie, but I kept thinking, at least it wasn't Ake. And then it was, and then I cried again. Side Note: Did you see the quote at the beginning from the song "Hurt" written by Trent Reznor? I read it and wondered, to whom does that quote refer? Is it to his characters because they will feel pain? Is it to his Constant Reader to whom his dedicated the book? Is it perhaps to himself because his journey is over and he is in pain because of it? Probably it's all of the above, but as soon as I read that, the ka-shume took over my mind, though I didn't know that that's what it was for 300 pages. So that's my long way of saying, "Damn, he wrote some fully developed characters in those 800+ pages." Which is a sentiment you echo, I believe. He even had my liking Susannah again, who I have had a very rocky relationship with. But that discussion can wait for another day. Onto other matters.... Mordred was cool. I did enjoy his interchange with Randy, but at the same time was disappointed. I guess I just overestimated Flagg's importance (and allegiance, too - he always struck me as CK's right hand man, when in DT, he was more of a freelancer), but I wanted to see him interact with the tet one more time. But I did like Randy's chapter. Mordred kept a-coming and being a-hungry, but he was taken down so easily. All of Susannah's shit with Mia and all the trouble it caused in Wolves and Song, and it leads us to Oy biting him really hard and him getting taken down with 2 shots from Olan? (Side note: I sniffled again at Oy's last words, and my damn eyes are tearing now.) I mean, c'mon! Not even concerning ourselves with #5 & #6, a good part of #7 was built on developing Mordred as a force to be reckoned with - one that Roland should have been worried about. I was "nervous" (but not really cuz I knew Mr. Deschain was going to reach the Tower) that Mordred was really gonna cause problems. But it was all that build up and characterization and sympathy that I felt for the poor freakish thing for a non-fight. That disappointed me. Dandelo - Is he It (Pennywise)? Or a close relative? Could he have been sent to that place after being killed in Derry? Was that his point? So Sai King could throw in another cameo? My reasons for suspecting this: 1. His imprisonment and abuse of Pat Danville, a special child.2. The name he gave the robot was Stuttering Bill (as in Denbrough) Which took me way to long to realize, cuz I'm reading and I'm like "Why does the name Stuttering Bill sound familiar?" until it comes to me that it was the name of a character that I read in a book maybe 3 months ago.3. There was a brief mention of his face looking like that of a psychotic clown, I believe. Also some reference to him looking like a bug or insect.4. The glammer he used on his house is something It (Pennywise) did frequently in It (the book).5. His empathic ability to feed off of Roland's laughter is similar to It's (Pennywise's) ability to feed off of everyone's fears.6. Also, It (the book) is supposed to related to the Dark Tower and outside of the Turtle stuff, I don't really see how It (the book) does, unless Dandelo is It (Pennywise). I guess he was there to get Pat and his artwork and erasers into the book in a fun, entertaining way. I was happy to see Brautigan again. Sheemie too. I was hoping to once again see Traveling Jack or Sparkus, but I didn't see how King could easily work them in or what purpose they would serve. Regardless, I would have liked to see them again, especially after all the Tower references in Black House. But I think the book did wrap most everything up very well. And I think I feel the same way as Steve feels about the ending. I don't particularly like it, but it's the right ending. About three quarters through the book, I had a feeling that the last words of the series would be the same as the first. It wasn't a fully developed theory, but I knew I was right as soon as I started the last section. I did really like the book though. I was sad when I finished because it was over, and I haven't really stopped thinking about it. At slow points in my day, I'll be thinking about it, sigh, and say to myself, "I can't believe that [insert name of ka-tet member not named Susannah or Roland here] is dead." I hope I'll get over it. I do have more to say and I'd like to directly respond to your words, but the workday is almost up, so I have to save this to a disk so I can email it to you when I get home. I did need to share some of my thoughts though, so thankee, sai. And I know I will have even more to say to you when I see you next, cuz the thoughts just keep on coming (especially late at night, it seems I think my best when I'm alone, driving home on the Southern State, making all these crazy conclusions - I should get a tape recorder.) I use parentheses a whole damn lot - where would this email be without them? I know as soon as I send this I'm going to be annoyed because I forgot to mention some vital insight, but alas, I must go. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts. Enjoy mine and I hope to email you again in the next week or so with a direct response. (Ka is totally a spiral, by the way.) Guess I'll see you for our Halloween shindig and we'll actually be able to chat then. Long days and pleasant nights,Peter But wait...there's more... The previous stuff in this email I wrote last Friday at work, but I didn't get a chance to email it because we had a busy weekend. So before I email it today, I wanted to update it with some thoughts I had last night. Regarding Roland's redemption and ka as a spiral...Roland has obviously done this before, but has never done it quite right. But this last time, something changed that made him take the Horn of Eld. Something different has happened that has brought him one step closer. But what if it's not just his actions that have to change, but more importantly his character? What makes Roland continue to the Tower even though everything and almost everyone is telling him to stop? He has repaired the Beams, the world will not end, but still he has to see the Tower. If he, instead of Jake, had died to save Stephen King's life then the Beams still would be saved, and Roland entering the Tower would be prevented. What else would have to be done? What else of great importance happened after Jake's death besides Roland entering the Tower? Susannah found her way "home" and Mordred was killed by Roland (and Oy). Was it important for Roland to be there to help Suze get home or to kill Mordred? I think if you look at Roland's main flaw being his character, his pride, his desire, his arrogance that makes him walk on the path of the Beam until he enters the Tower, and he forsakes that hubris to save Jake's life, maybe that will be his redemption and the end of his spiral. Roland was ready to do it, too. He didn't want Jake to fall again, and if not for his hip, perhaps he would have stopped Jake from sacrificing himself. Roland was almost there; almost ready to forsake his Tower for someone he loved. Maybe that is the action that needs to be taken, but it cannot be taken without a change within Roland. I don't remember in which book, but in one Sai King wrote that his readers should be prepared for the very real possibility that Roland won't reach the Tower. What if that is Roland's path to redemption? Not reaching the Tower, but saving it and saving the life of the boy who he once let drop so he could get closer to his attainment of his Tower. For one reason or another, this go round wasn't the time for Roland to make his sacrifice, maybe the next time is. Also, if Roland is repeating, are the rest of the tet repeating as well? Does he still drop Jake? Does he still draw Eddie and Susannah? Is it the same Jake/Eddie/Susannah? Is it different people entirely? I would assume that it is the same group and that they are part of his finding redemption. So, in effect, I suppose, they are almost as much to blame for his repetition as he is. And with his redemption comes theirs as well. Maybe with Roland's sacrifice, Jake, Susannah and Oy die defeating Mordred and then all 5 can meet in the clearing, their jobs finally done. The Tower is saved, existence is saved, and the gunslingers can finally rest. Because although they died, Eddie and Jake aren't dead, unless Susannah's world is purely glammer. Roland's death saving Jake is not just redemption for Roland; it is redemption for them all. That's what I fell asleep to last night, so I decided to share. I think that's all for now.