The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower Volume VII
Stephen King
Jonathan Ball
Hardcover, 672 pages, R259.95
Reviewed by Ian Jamieson, 10 March 2005
The seventh and final book in Roland's epic journey to reach the Dark Tower.
I had read the first three books in the series but gave up after that as
they weren't particularly good and didn't seem to be going anywhere. Book
Seven in the series is no better. In fact it is a lot worse.
A long (672 pages) rambling fantasy with a gunslinger instead of a warrior
as its hero, and his usual assortment of henchmen, and various adversaries
and problems to overcome.
Nothing very different about it, and it should have been cut in half to get
rid of some of the waffle, although I seriously doubt it would really have
helped. The fact that Stephen King brings his own name into the book every ten
or so pages is a self indulgent annoyance, and his coda at the end before
the final chapter is an insult to his readers.
King says "For an ending you only have to turn to the last page, and
see what is there writ upon." Well, do yourself a favour and do just
that, and realise why you should not waste you time with the rest of the book.
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