Monday, September 01, 2008

The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla


Stephen King’s fifth Dark Tower novel was fantastic. Many of its final moments were surreal. Each of the lead characters, including the addition of Pere Callahan, were given strong storylines separate from the goal of the novel. They are gunslingers. They quest for the Tower, but they also do what gunslingers are supposed to do. They help.

I was so happy with Wolves of the Calla. It is a bit longer than the last Dark Tower installment, Wizard and Glass, but it felt shorter. There wasn’t the sense of wordiness I got with the fourth book. There was a story to tell and King told it. I couldn’t wait to keep reading, to know what happened next.

I have to admit that there was one thing that I didn’t like about the book, the illustrations. I don’t know who decided on them, but I don’t feel like they properly represented the story. Of course, each reader pictures Roland and his ka-tet differently in their minds, but if they say a character is supposed to have red hair or another is supposed to have black hair with streaks of grey, I would like that reflected in the drawings placed within the pages of the novel.

Another thing I have to mention (I hope this doesn’t ruin anything for someone who hasn’t read the novel yet) is the ‘shout out’ to Marvel Comics. Marvel, as some people might know, published a Dark Tower graphic novel. It is a story in addition to the seven book series. I haven’t read it yet, but it is sitting on a shelf next to the other novels. As a fan of Marvel and someone who has started to be interested in graphic novels, I’m glad of the match. I’m excited to see what future collaborations will bring.

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