Wizard And Glass
Ratings345
Average rating4.1
One of my favourite books in the Dark Tower series, quite different to typical Stephen King books (if there is such as thing).
One of my favorite of the Dark Tower series. I love that this is basically an Arthurian Western, what a rare (to my eye) genre. There is the romance, the suspense, even horror, that make it so enjoyable to re-read. I don't have any long or complex thoughts. I am just so pleased to be revisiting the Tower quest again. That I can come back after years and be reading it and hoping things change and knowing that ka's like a wind — it heightens these.
Per quanto sia centrale il personaggio di Roland, la sua vita, cioè 3/4 del libro, è di una noia abissale! Sì, si legge, ma non riesco a partecipare come vorrei. Mentre il resto del libro è emozionante, c'è una bella chimica tra tutti i personaggi, gli antagonisti sono perfetti e soprattutto E' TORNATO RANDALL FLAGG, il gran bastardo, il cattivo cattivissimo che adori odiare! Quindi, peccato per lo spazio necessario ma sprecato, ma quel poco che mi interessava era al fulmicotone!
Book 4 in the Dark Tower series is both annoying as loveable.
Obviously the book picked up the story with Blain the mono, where it was left of in the Wastelands.
I liked the resolution of that storyline,although it was spun out a tad too long to my tasting.
Then of course the meat of the book is in the back story of Roland and his friends when they were sent away from Gilead.
Here comes the annoying part, first of all,the language, it irritated me quite a lot...in the end I got used to it, sort off, because, and here is the second nuisance, it is way too long.
For me, that middle part of the book could have been shortened with at least 100 to 150 pages. Yes, we get it, they were in love, yes we get it, they made love...a lot.
Now the good thing, the story puts a fundament under the Roland, Dark Tower, story arch.
It expanded on the world building and brought depth and tantalising connections with other King books.
In the end it was wrapped up quite well, so that lifted the book above the mediocre and it ended up as a 4 star book for me.
90/100
I feel like Kings world really starts to take shape with The Wastelands and now Wizard and Glass. I found the story to be well done and I love the back story. I can't give it a perfect score just because it's such a huge flashback that it breaks to pacing of the overall story of the dark tower. It's okay to have flash backs but 500 pages of a 700 book 4 is kinda tough. But King pulls off a nearly perfect novel even with that minor complaint
I have so many thoughts about this book, and no way to properly organize them. Let's give this a try.
This book is 1010 paperback pages. Around 900 pages in, I was sure I was giving this a three star rating, and was already writing my list of reasons in my head why this book is annoying. The last roughly 100 pages though was some truly all time 5 star material. Not because of what happens- the ending is actually pretty “quiet”- But moreso how the entire novel comes together to redefine everything that came before it, and realign everything that comes after it.
I've seen people talk about how much they love Roland as a character. I've enjoyed the previous three books, but I've never seen Roland as particularly great. This is the book where you learn who he is. Why he's doing what he's doing. What matters to him, and what his fears and traumas are. This book elevated Roland from a 4/10 to a 9/10 pretty quickly for me.
Most of this book is a large flashback to Roland's teenage years, and the first time he fell in love. And I really enjoyed this a lot more than I expected when it began. It was a surprisingly touching love story and I thought the entire thing overall was well done. The end “battle” with the antagonists was pretty refreshing too. I won't spoil it, but it handles this build up in a way that I don't see stories do very often.
So why was I originally going to give it three stars? Well:
-Here's as good a time as any to mention that I absolutely hate, despise, detest, the Mid-world lingo. So much. I like “forgotten the face of your father”, because it's just quirky enough to make sense but also be weird and mysterious. But I hate “Sai”, I hate “I wot”, I hate all the “thee” and “thy”, I dislike “cry your pardon” and I even hate “mayhap” most of the time. But I especially, fully, with my whole entire heart hate “thankee-sai”. Did Stephen King ever say this phrase out loud? Did he ever picture ROLAND saying this phrase? Nobody else said this out loud to him and begged him to reconsider? Truly? I don't believe it. This is the silliest fucking phrase I've ever seen in my life and it's used about 300 times in this book.
There are other “mid-world-isms” I'm probably forgetting. But overall, the dialogue in this book drove me crazy because we usually have Eddie, Jake, and Susannah to talk normal in contrast with Roland's dumb fake-child nonsense.
-I did really enjoy the long flashback, truly. But it needed an editor with a backbone. You could cut 150 pages from this 800 page flashback and lose LITERALLY nothing substantial, and you could cut another 50 and lose barely anything else. I'm all for marinating in a story, but there were entire pages I skimmed and didn't miss a single relevant thing to anything happening. That's not good.
-The book randomly turns into a Wizard of Oz reenactment, complete with magic shoe tapping. What, and I say this with much fervor, the fuck? I know this was King's post-Cocaine days but you wouldn't know it from this sequence. I'm sure this has some literary merit to somebody but I think this is the only full blown mistake in the plot to me.
-This isn't just Wizard and Glass, but something that bothers me about storytelling in general- when a character tells other characters information for the first time and then that information just happens to be super relevant immediately. Roland just basically arrives in Kansas and says, “Well, speaking of Kansas, one time I was in a small town” and talks for LITERALLY days and then 10 minutes after he's done, the story he is telling the group JUST SO HAPPENS OUT OF NOWHERE to be directly relevant to their quest all of a sudden. I understand the narrative impulse, it makes sense to put relevant backstory and info into the book where it's going to be relevant. But oh my god, Roland and the group travel for months on end! Just have him tell the story and then be like “they walked around for another month. Oh and then X happened”. Or something!! Roland just randomly getting an urge to finally open up at this time and place just feels too convenient.
-similar to above, but I also hate when a character tells a bunch of info and then someone asks for additional info and the character says, “I just told you so much, I am so drained, don't you know we are book characters? We can't take a quick water break and press on with the info! Instead, that follow-up info is for a different book! Duh!” People don't talk like this, and pretending they do is frustrating. I can tell friends stories for hours. Even emotionally draining ones. And then if I'm drained, I just wait like 10 minutes or something and then I”ll tell them the rest.
-a previous book made an overt decision to save a certain antagonist from death, and built him up to be a threat. He shows up and is then disposed of permanently within two pages, affecting exactly nothing whatsoever. This is just a problem that happens when you take 20 years to write a series, you don't follow through with buildup effectively, but it was still an odd choice.
So, you see the dilemma. I will never read this book again, most likely. And yet, I think it's the best written of the series so far, and almost the most enjoyable. It made the main character of the series a fully dynamic character, and for that, I applaud it. So, 4 stars.
Onwards on the Path of the Beam!
2.5 stars
In my review of The Gunslinger which is the first book in this series I mentioned that not a lot happened but I was still hooked and wanted to continue with the series. That is pretty much the case for this book as well and this is the 4th book.
There was more happening in this book though. The majority of this book was a flashback to Rolands youth and while there was quite a bit happening I was bored and I found it to be a little pointless. At least it seems pointless at this point because it didn't really do much to propel the story forward.
Honestly that's all I have to say about this book. It could have been way shorter in my opinion and if I wasn't reading Kings books with a group I would have probably DNFed this book and gave up on the series but I am going to be reading the next book soon.
Stunning work from King. Honestly, the story felt a bit rushed in some places and slow in some others, but overall, a good background to the Gunslinger s story and a nice progeession towards the Dark tower. For that I tell God thankya.
Took a while, but was enjoyable! The change of pace was a bit disorienting, but I found myself eagerly getting sucked into the story of young Roland and his old ka-tet.
Disappointed. After the growing progress and excitement from the first three books especially with the cliff hanger, book 4 is a huge let down. I did the 28 hour audio book. After the first few hours where it mixes with King's “the Stand”, it does a reversal and goes into a back story that is so boring. Side note: never heard a book that uses the word “fart” so much. It just drags along. After about 10 hours I checked reviews and learned that the end goes back to the Dark Tower quest. I skipped to the last 2 hours (Part 4) and its back on track. So glad I skipped 14hrs. Hope the last 3 books stay on track.
My heart could barely handle getting through this book, which covered a crucial piece of Roland Deschain's (the gunslinger's) backstory. Intrigue, romance, murder, riddling, and good old-fashioned gunslinging await in Wizard and Glass.
A man can admire a brick wall - the craftsmanship and effort that goes into building it, the quality of the brickwork, the shelter and privacy it provides once it's built.
It's hard to admire a brick wall when you're about to careen into it, though, and that's what Wizard and Glass felt like. The beginning was excellent, the ending fantastic, and by itself the flashback part, telling the story of teenaged Roland and his beloved Susan, was interesting. But dropping a 500-page flashback into the middle of your novel - one that even the other characters interrupt and complain about the length of - completely kills the momentum of the story. Here's to hoping the next book gets back on track.
Executive Summary: This book to me is by far the best in the series. It's the reason I love the Dark Tower. I've read it more times than I can remember, and I highly recommend it.Audio Book: Another quality reading from Frank Muller. I've gotten used to him the last 3 books, and now I'm sorry this was his last.Full ReviewWhen I first was recommended the Dark Tower I was in high school. This was the most recent book. When I got to it's end I wanted more. There was no more to be had.You could almost read this stand alone if you skip the parts at the beginning and end as most of it is a flashback. I was shocked when I read some people consider this the worst book in the series. I consider it the best, by far. Maybe it's because of when I read it. Or how many times. In fact this is the first time I've read it since the final 3 books came out. I had started it a few times since, but never read the whole thing.This book was a staple of my end table in the living room. It basically became a platform for my remote controls. When I moved into my house in 2008 it got boxed up separately from my other books and along with my living room stuff, and ended right back up on my end table.I finally put it back on the shelf sometime last year, but it still feels odd to not see it there. I worried this book wouldn't stand up to my teen-aged notions of what is good. I had no reason to worry. I love this book just as much now as I did then.So this is a book review, maybe I should say something about the content of the book, rather than rambling on? Sure. Why not?[b:The Waste Lands 34084 The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) Stephen King https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1389762449s/34084.jpg 1810634] leaves off on one hell of a cliffhanger. The worst by far of any of the books. I feel bad for anyone who had to wait for this book. This book wraps that up in pretty short order.The bulk of this book is a flashback to Roland's childhood. It picks up right where things left off in [b:The Gunslinger 43615 The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) Stephen King https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375776480s/43615.jpg 46575].The stories of Roland's childhood fascinate me. Maybe because the world was still in the early parts of “Moving On”. Maybe its because Roland's so young and hasn't experienced all the trials and tribulations to come.Maybe it's because in some ways I like his Original Ka-Tet better than his current one. Or at least Cuthbert. I could read a whole spin-off about Culthbert Allgood.This book has by far the best action sequences in the whole series, including this amazing stand-off with a rival ka-tet. By the last week or so I didn't want to stop listening. I started bring the book in the house with me and finding excuses to listen to it, including in the morning while I was getting read for work. I could probably turn around and start listening to it again, but I have to continue on my journey towards the Dark Tower with [b:Wolves of the Calla 4978 Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) Stephen King https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1419360231s/4978.jpg 2754911]. I've probably hyped it to an ideal it can't live up to, but it should come close.If you actually made it this far in my gushing pretending to be a book review I Say Thankee Sai.
Better than I remember, but still a bit long-winded. Perhaps I was too young to appreciate the love story the first time around.
Well, finally the story starts to feel mature and akin to other Stephen King books I've read and enjoyed. The whole tale within a tale was gripping and the reader of the audiobook version (Frank Muller) really brought it to life. His Cowardly Lion impression towards the end was terrific!
I give it three stars because, like other Stephen King books I've read, it's enjoyable but forgettable. The exception thus far would be The Stand and It, both of which I've read more than once. Although I'm guessing that, by the time I get to the end of the Dark Tower series, I'll be strongly inclined to read the first one again. I've heard that from a lot of people, and I can see why now. The circular references and fluidity of the timeline add a certain something, so it might very well be worth going back to the beginning once the end is reached.
And he blew my mind again. While only about 10% of this book further the plot and the rest is a flashback into Roland's past, I wouldn't have wanted to miss a single page. What an amazing (and surprisingly romantic) story within a story. There was one passage that felt a bit too long but other than that this book was perfect. 9/10 points. Read a full review at the SFF Book Review
A strong narrative and some intriguing backstory to the enigma that is Roland make this a riveting read.
Another amazing chapter in The Dark Tower saga. This book gave a great insight into Roland and his story as a young man. I just love this series!
Decido qui di raccogliere i miei appunti e le mie varie impressioni per l'intera saga della “Torre Nera” di Stephen King, composta da:
La torre nera I: L'ultimo cavaliere
La torre nera II: La chiamata dei Tre
La torre nera III: Terre desolate
La torre nera IV: La sfera del buio
La torre nera V: I lupi del Calla
La torre nera VI: La canzone di Susannah
La torre nera VII: La torre nera
in un'unica recensione, per dare un'idea generale dell'intera opera, di cui va detto subito che ogni volume è strettamente legato l'uno con l'altro e va letto sequenzialmente, dunque si potrebbe considerare un unico librone, la cui lettura parte dal primo libro per arrivare all'ultimo.
La torre nera è una serie di romanzi di fantasy, fantascienza, horror e western dello scrittore americano Stephen King. La serie è definita dai suoi fan la massima espressione Kinghiana, infatti questa serie ha profondi richiami con quasi tutte le sue altre opere.
La serie è stata recentemente adattata per una miniserie di fumetti della Marvel e da molto tempo si parla di un film per il cinema o per la tv.
La serie si ispira ai poemi Childe Roland alla Torre Nera giunse di Robert Browning, e lo scrittore nelle sue interviste indica tra le varie fonti anche Il Signore degli Anelli e la trilogia cinematografica western di Sergio Leone, tra cui Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. E il personaggio di Roland è stato più volte accostato al viso di Clint Eastewood.
Il personaggio principale, Roland appunto, è l'ultimo membro vivente dell'ordine dei cavalieri conosciuti come pistoleri. Il mondo in cui vive è abbastanza differente dal nostro anche se presenta strane similitudini: organizzato come una società feudale, condivide le tecnologiche con il vecchio West Americano, così come poteri e reliquie magiche appartenenti ad un'avanzata società ora scomparsa da tempo. Tutta la trama verte sulla ricerca di Roland: trovare la Torre nera, un edificio leggendario che si dice essere il punto di snodo dell'universo. Molto spesso nel libro si dice che il mondo di Roland è “andato avanti”, sembra infatti che questo mondo abbia subito una trasformazione e uno sconvoilgimento per una guerra devastante. In questo suo viaggio alla ricerca della Torre verrà mano a mano affiancato da altri personaggi: Eddie Dean, Susannah Dean, Jake Chambers, Oy il bimbolo, Susan Delgado che fronteggeranno personaggi negativi come L'Uomo in Nero e il Il Re Rosso.
Questa la trama molto spogliata e sintetica i sette volumi. Quattromila pagine, scritte in ben trentaquattro anni, non sono affare da poco, un'impresa che pochi scrittori sono riusciti a compiere portandosi dietro fino alla fine svariati milioni di lettori. Il mondo descritto è molto complesso, ma non si può fare una buona recensione di quest'opera senza citare il Ka, che può essere descritto come il destino o il fato, ma in realtà è molto più complesso. O il Ka-tet, che è la convinzione che un gruppo di persone sia unito dal destino, o dal Ka. Questi due concetti sono alla base dell'intero scritto che ruota sopra al “Tutto-Mondo” che è il mondo/universo in cui vive Roland. Il Tutto-Mondo è diviso in regioni, Entro-Mondo, Medio-Mondo, Fine-Mondo e Oltre-mondo. La geografia è molto variegata. È composta da deserti, montagne, pianure e vaste terre desolate.
Sia i personaggi qui accenati, così come i concetti che ho cercato di riportare sono da considerarsi solo i principali di quest'opera che è davvero immensa e che copre uno spazio narrativo davvero ampio.
Considero questa serie la migliore opera di King, insieme all'Ombra dello scorpione; credo inoltre che la lettura sia imprescindibile per chi ama il genere fantasy, questa storia è una delle più belle dell'intero immaginario di questo genere letterario.
La lettura, che come ho detto all'inizio, deve essere continuaitiva, non è mai pesante, ne impegnativa e i sette volumi sono praticamente uno più belli dell'altro. Tutta la storia, dal momento in cui il famigerato uomo in nero fugge nel deserto fino alla sua conclusione, non è mai stata il punto di forza. Sono piuttosto lo stile, le singole situazioni e soprattutto i personaggi che hanno reso la serie avvincente e a tratti irresistibile.
La Torre Nera è anche un'opera pieno di momenti indimenticabili, scritti magistralmente, che restano impressi nella mente per ore e giorni dopo averli letti.
“L'uomo in nero fuggì nel deserto e il pistolero lo seguì” - S. King
