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Audio CD Description At one point in this final book of the Dark Tower series, the character Stephen King (added to the plot in Song of Susannah) looks back at the preceding pages and says "when this last book is published, the readers are going to be just wild." And he's not kidding. After a journey through seven books and over 20 years, King's Constant Readers finally have the conclusion they've been both eagerly awaiting and silently dreading. The tension in the Dark Tower series has built steadily from the beginning and, like in the best of King's novels, explodes into a violent, heart-tugging climax as Roland and his ka-tet finally near their goal. The body count in The Dark Tower is high. The gunslingers come out shooting and face a host of enemies, including low men, mutants, vampires, Roland's hideous quasi-offspring Mordred, and the fearsome Crimson King himself. King pushes the gross-out factor at times--Roland's lesson on tanning (no, not sun tanning) is brutal--but the magic of the series remains strong and readers will feel the pull of the Tower as strongly as ever as the story draws to a close. During this sentimental journey, King ties up loose ends left hanging from the 15 non-series novels and stories that are deeply entwined in the fabric of Mid-World through characters like Randall Flagg (The Stand and others) or Father Callahan (Salem's Lot). When it finally arrives, the long awaited conclusion will leave King's myriad fans satisfied but wishing there were still more to come. In King's memoir On Writing, he tells of an old woman who wrote him after reading the early books in the Dark Tower series. She was dying, she said, and didn't expect to see the end of Roland's quest. Could King tell her? Does he reach the Tower? Does he save it? Sadly, King said he did not know himself, that the story was creating itself as it went along. Wherever that woman is now (the clearing at the end of the path, perhaps?), let's hope she has a copy of The Dark Tower. Surely she would agree it's been worth the wait. --Benjamin Reese Visit the Dark Tower store Over 30 years in the making, spanning seven volumes, Stephen King's epic quest for the Dark Tower has encompassed almost his entire body of fiction. Find every volume of this fantastic adventure, an interview with the master himself, and much more in our Dark Tower Store. Authors on Stephen King Mystery writer Michael Connelly thinks Stephen King's "one of the most generous writers I know of." Thriller author Ridley Pearson says "King possesses an incredible sense of story..." Read our Stephen King testimonials to find out what else they and other authors had to say about the undisputed King of Horror. The Path to the Dark Tower There are only seven volumes in Stephen King's Dark Tower series but more than a dozen of his novels and short stories are deeply entwined with the Mid-World universe. Take a look at the non-series titles, from Salem's Lot to Everything's Eventual. Can you find the connections? History of an Alternate Universe Robin Furth, an expert on Stephen King's Dark Tower universe if ever there was one, has created a timeline of Mid-World, the slowly crumbling world of gunslinger Roland Deschain. Read it and get up to speed on a world of adventure. Hail to the King Fans applauded and critics howled when Stephen King was awarded the National Book Foundation's Medal for Distinguished Service to American Letters. In typical fashion, King accepted the honor with humility and urged recognition for other "popular" authors. Listen to a clip of his acceptance speech, then order the entire speech on audio CD.

Customer Reviews The Perfect Ending Spoiler: Alot of people seem dissapointed by the ending, but I don't think it could have happened anyother way. Roland was the Roland from Browning's poem, and the childe errant from a thousand epics before (and hopefully after). The story in this mode is really the story of quest, not destination. Of course, for the story to be interesting, the protagonist must believe that gaining the tower may redeem humanity. Perhaps that is one reason the early books in this series were so compelling; as a young man I almost believed that when Roland gained the tower, I would learn something so shocking and profound it would change my life forever. In the end humanity cannot be saved by one act, however heroic. But we may come to grasp the shocking and profound gradually over the course of such a journey. The journey of childe Roland is one such journey. But it is a journey each generation imagines and follows in their own time. If Roland had found redemption, King would have denied a fundamental aspect of the epic hero - each generation will reinvent him for their own ends. Whatever respite King could have granted Roland would have been temporary and false, for future writers will be forever summoning Roland to quest anew. Ironically, although by gaining the Dark Tower Roland was unable to save humanity (or even himself), humanity does save itself in the course of its perpetual struggle for the unobtainable (the dim knowledge that only grows by undertaking such along and hopeless task). In that sense, by gaining the Dark Tower only to lose it, Roland may have found the only salvation available to any of us. Naysayers suffering Roland's fate (some spoilers contained) As I read these horrid low-star reviews, I get the feeling that the reviewers themselves are much like Roland- so fixated on the ending, on the destination, that they fail to see the importance of the journey itself. King stepped outside the box in the latter part of his series, inserting himself as a character and creating a circular ending that was sure to either fascinate or infuriate his readers. The powerful symbolism in this series is lost on the infuriated ones, for they don't understand that even the killing of Flagg is not sealed in stone once Roland began his journey once again. It is so easy to get worked up in the details and how the ending just wasn't enough, but keep in mind that King ended his story in a way that was right to him and that he felt was appropriate. He was true to himself and to Roland, leaving open the possibility that perhaps he will follow Susannah, or whomever his companion is, through the door next time and save his soul. And it would do those disappointed Constant Readers much good to do the same. King in Context (no spoilers) Don't fret over the naysayers and disappointed "Constant Readers" who have rated this book low -- this is truly the crowning achievement of a literary career that has spanned more than three decades. Ever since reading 'Salems Lot in 8th grade, I have been hooked on Stephen King -- The Stand narrowly edging "It" as my favorite works of his. Until this series, that is. I was fortunate enough to meet Roland of Gilead shortly after he was introduced to a few loyal readers (my 1st ed., 2nd printing of "The Gunslinger" is one of my most prized possessions). But I did not realize how deeply this series represents the very core of Stephen King's being -- his character, his philosophy, his own "ka". The Dark Tower series is an extraordinarily poignant and personal display of *who* Stephen King is. Yes, his character makes several appearances in the last couple of books; but this only serves to reinforce the context of the story. The real life (our world) near-death experience Stephen King suffered on Maine's Highway 7, and the career-ending accident of his "voice" in autumn 2001 (Frank Muller, who read many King books to the "Books on Tape" crowd -- q.v. "Author's Afterword" in Wolves of the Calla), served to hone King's muse to deliver these near-apocalyptic crescendos of Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake and Oy. The Dark Tower is heartbreaking, it is joyous, it is everything that a story SHOULD be -- and it is rendered all the more powerful because King is showing us his innermost secrets. This is a glimpse into the mind of one of time's greatest literary geniuses, and we get to share in the journey. Side note on the ending (still no spoilers): Some of you will be content with the first "ending"; others will be inquisitive enough to read the "Coda" (I waited two days before curiosity got me). Your choice will be determined by who YOU are, and King gives you ample opportunity to explore your own psyche before rendering a decision. And say "Thankya".