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Dark Tower series- Stephen King

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crystal_seed
Post subject: Dark Tower series- Stephen King
Posted: Thu 09 Feb , 2006 9:18 pm
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Who has read them?
What do you think about them?
Have you found any similarities to Tolkien (King mentions he was influenced by LOTR, or the Hobbit or both)?
(I have only read up through #3 The Waste Lands, so please no plot spoilers after that ;) )

Anyone know the answer to the Gunslinger's riddle in that book? (I have seen another version of the same riddle circulating through a chain email).

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Dave_LF
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Posted: Tue 04 Apr , 2006 9:16 am
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I've read them. #4 was the best; I felt like they went downhill starting with #5. I think King is better at building suspence than resolving it, and a lot of his books have unsatisfying endings. Plot elements build and build and build, and then just fizzle out (after the obligatory cosmic climax on a weird astral plane).

I did notice a lot of sideways Tolkien references scattered about. One example: the train engages the group in what should be a familiar-sounding conversation at the beginning of book 4.

Which riddle are you talking about? I must have forgotten it.


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crystal_seed
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Posted: Thu 20 Apr , 2006 8:12 pm
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WOW... a reply, thanks Dave :D (I still haven't gotten around to reading the rest of the series but I will- even if I have to slog through it at the end).
Hope married life is treating you both well :cheers:

Thanks for your comments, it's good to hear someone elses thoughts about the books. I used to read King a lot, prefer his book 'The Stand' over most the others- but lost interest around the time he wrote 'Thinner' and didn't take up reading his books again until I saw this 'Gunslinger' series.

Blaine the Train kept reminding me of TORN- speaking in all high case. :LMAO:

Hhhmmm, the riddle-

'What's better than all the gods and worse than Old Man Splitfoot? Dead people eat it always; live people who eat it die slow.'


I have some ideas...

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Dave_LF
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Posted: Sat 22 Apr , 2006 8:52 pm
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The marriage is going well, thanks for asking. It's hard to believe it's been 8 months already.

I know the answer to the riddle, but I don't remember reading it in the Dark Tower books. I think I must have heard the same slightly-different version you mentioned.


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None_Elf_Ear
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Posted: Tue 17 Oct , 2006 6:46 pm
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All right. Actually, SK is one of my favourite authors, and I could ramble hours and hours about him/his works, without getting bored a single bit. Unfortunately, I haven't read the above-mentioned books yet, but I would me more than glad to discuss any others possible. Like IT. My very special one, next to many others, but still the best :)

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Dawnnamira
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Posted: Tue 17 Oct , 2006 9:47 pm
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The only Stephen King book I've read so far was the script of "Storm of the Century". I loved it.

I haven't had the money when I see his books, and when I see his books, I don't have the money. :(

But, I'm really looking forward to it.

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None_Elf_Ear
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Posted: Tue 17 Oct , 2006 11:06 pm
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I have got a tiny collection of Romanian SK translations, counting e.g. Shining, Dolores Claiborne, Christine, Pet Sematary ... unfortunately no IT, until now. Still have read it for about 5 or 6 times, each time from the local library. It's quite expensive, that is.

The English versions I have read as online texts. Such books as The Long Walk or The Langoliers, counting among my favourites.

I've got two of his books in German as well, thanks to a sweet friend from here, whom I thank from the bottom of my heart. Must read them when I'll have the necessary competence to do so.

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EdaintheRanger
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Posted: Fri 01 Dec , 2006 12:23 am
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Hmm I've not read much Stephen King. Being frightened doesn't really do me.

Though I have read one Dark Tower book, about the travels of the Gunslinger. I can't remember which one I read, only that it was a revamp of the early stories that he wrote. Must have been that time when he went back to the books and decided he should finish them. He mentions something about a road accident in the author's note. I also remember that he wrote about how Tolkien inspired him to write, but he made a conscious effort to develop his own take on the quest story.

I saw the Langoliers as a TV movie, and that spooked me a bit, along with this other short which starred Christopher Lloyd (he of Back to the Future fame) but that was just bizarre. Flesh eating, wind-up, false teeth...

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Sidonzo
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Posted: Tue 19 Dec , 2006 2:04 pm
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I LOVE the Dark Tower series and most things by Stephen King. I too loved book 4 (Wizard and Glass) the best...some very poetic writing in that one in my opinion though it is slow at parts. I loved the whole fantasy/western/sci-fi feel of it. The whole concept of Roland's world being like ours far in the future after nuclear war destroyed it thrills me to no end. I love all of the little glimpses into what Roland's world would have been like (such as the city of Lud) when it was at the apex of its civilization. And then there is the civility and chivalry of Gilead and the gunslingers, but outside it's borders the world has quite run amok with all of the radiation muntants and decaying technology...just a fanastic vision of a world in my opinion. The characters are spectacular too...they all hold a special place in my heart. :D

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Ugluk
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Posted: Fri 02 Mar , 2007 12:19 am
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I read the entire Dark Tower series. I was disappointed by the end, and thought they got progressively tiresome over the last few books. The Gunslinger was quite good (although a little hard to follow in places), and I think The Drawing of the Three is the best book of the series. Wizard and Glass was very difficult to get through, and I didn't like The Waste Lands at all - nothing happens. King is superb at writing scenes, but he packs so much filler into the rest of it that the really good parts of his books are few and far between. I think he could have chopped about 50,000 words out of books 3-6, easily, and made each one much better.

Last edited by Ugluk on Tue 15 May , 2007 6:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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oldtoby
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Posted: Fri 02 Mar , 2007 4:28 am
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Quote:
50,000

:lol:


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Crucifer
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Posted: Thu 14 Jun , 2007 6:33 pm
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I loved the end of the series. I thought it was very... Ummm...
*scurries off to search for a word*


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