….And 6 months later, I’m finished! I really don’t know why it took me so long to get through this one. I just kept putting it aside. It’s a 700 page book with tiny font, so I just kept dreading it, even though it’s in the middle of a series that I’m invested in. And I should be kicking myself for not finishing it sooner.
The Dark Tower series is arguably some of Stephen King’s best writing. Taking decades between books must have been infuriating for fans, however, some of us are fortunate enough to start the series once it has been finished. This book is mostly a flashback of young Roland and his love, Susan. Susan has been noticeably mentioned, but absent from the first three books of the series, so you know they are separated somehow. And learning the backstory is fantastic. You get to see a side of Roland that you just never expected. And he even cracks a joke in this book. Yep, just one. But it’s progress.
Randall Flagg is back as the Man in Black. The plague from The Stand is mentioned, as well. The Stand is my favorite SK book, by far. And I plan on rereading it again this year. I will be heartbroken if it doesn’t hold up against my memories. But, I have a feeling that it will be just as great as I remember.
Pleasant Nights 