my dark side of the dark towers

[tracie]

i can't understand if it's me or just something i can't connect to about the dark tower.i'm a life long lover of sk and have read nearly all of his books (if i haven't read it i watched it on a home movie),but i could never connect to the dark tower and i actually feel as if i have let mr king down.i picked it up years ago and nothing,picked it up after a year or two and nothing.my sister 2 yrs ago gave the whole series as a present and now i'm afraid to pick it up because i'm afraid of still not connecting with it.is it me or is it something i'm missing?

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Many people seem to find The Gunslinger difficult, Tracie (personally, I didn't); if you still feel like that I suggest you pick up DT2 -The Drawing oif the Three, and start there. Afterwards you'll probably feel like going back to The Gunslinger, but I've never met anyone who doesn't immediately get hooked by Drawing.

In fact, I usually recommend that newcomers to the incredible journey that is the Dark Tower buy the two first volumes at once so they can go into Drawing, should they have a WTF moment with Gunslinger.

And Dark Tower is IMO the greatest work in the history of literature, more than Homer, Beowulf or Canterbury Tales, so please give it a try.

Good luck!

Long days and pleasant nights

[LOTUS]

Hi,Tracie!

I have a question - which books of the series have you read?
Things really get going in The Drawing of the Tree.I,personally, had troubles getting into Gunsliger.Started once,a few years ago,but could not finish it.A few months ago,I decided to give it another shot.Again I waz not thrilled,but finally finished it and started The Drawing of the Three.Then my real DT adventure started!!!
Even if you don't get into the series,please do not feel that in any way you have let Mr.King down.I can tell you are a constant reader and you should be proud of it.

[Spideyman]

When you say you can not connect with The DT books- is it because it is not what you think a typical Sai King book should be-Possibly horror?

If you think it is just a "western", not so. It is a journey of Tet-Mates and Ka. IMHO, this series has just about every genre available. The character development is awesome.

Some have had difficulty with the first book, so may I suggest you start with the second, and see if this makes the connection. You can then go back to the first. Happy reading.

[EMARX]

If you can, try the audio book of DT1. I believe he wrote it in college and has admitted that he was being pretentious for lack of a better word. I feel the DT is one novel in seven volumes. Maybe treat the first one as a prologue.

[tillyn]

Tracie i know how you feel , lady sai, but do as JD said,( our resident Father Callahan) you will not be disappointed. As of today (mar.22) i am half way through DT. v11 and the tale is a very good one. I'm going to be glad i'm done,(been reading all since beginning of Feb.) but at the same time i know i will carry the tale through out my day.

LONG DAYS AND PLEASANT NIGHTS

[Turd Ferguson]

I never had any trouble getting into The Gunslinger. I first read it when I was 17. I read it again a year later, then hunted down other books in the series. The rest is history. Pencil me in as a diehard DT fan.

[Srbo]

Well, I`m now 200 pages into Wizzard & Glass ( and the previous three books were MARVELOUS , IMHO and I`m pretty sure that, when I finish the series, I`m gonna feel like JD - greatest work in literature ever.

I know already that, by quality, The Drawing beat my all time favorite The Stand, even though I am emotionally connected to that book, but what`s better is better, JMHO.

[Prince of Darkness]

Hi,

AWES (And What Everybody Said).

In my opinion, The Gunslinger was the easiest read of them all (besides, I seem to recall) Drawing of the Three.

I finished it in a marathon spurt of two days, or less, I think. Perhaps only two hours? I can't remember now, but it was an exhilarating ride!

Plug through Tracie, and if you still have problems with The Gunslinger, just go on to Drawing of the Three and go back to the first installment when done.

And don't feel as if you've let Sai King down, you are a Constant Reader, and if you can't finish his magnus opus you should be proud of one fact - you tried.

Long days and pleasant nights