The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7)

Title: The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7)

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 2004

Date read: 30th March 2019

Score: 5/5

Genre: Fantasy, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Dark Tower," published in 2004, is the seventh and concluding novel in Stephen King's epic Dark Tower series, bringing the sprawling, multi-genre saga of Roland Deschain and his ka-tet to its long-awaited climax. It directly follows the events of "Song of Susannah," as the quest to reach and save the Dark Tower reaches its final, desperate stages.

The story sees the ka-tet fractured and scattered, but all relentlessly drawn towards their ultimate destiny.

Roland Deschain and Eddie Dean are in Maine, pursuing the final pieces of their puzzle, which involves confronting Stephen King himself (as a character in the narrative) and ensuring the survival of the author's own life, crucial for the Tower's existence. They also encounter new, terrifying threats in the desolate landscapes.

Jake Chambers and Father Callahan are in New York City, tasked with securing a vital property that holds a doorway to the otherworld and is essential for the ka-tet's final journey. They face the monstrous vampires and other denizens of the Dark, culminating in a devastating sacrifice.

Susannah Dean, still battling the possession by Mia and the imminent birth of the demonic child, is forced to confront her deepest fears and make agonizing choices to escape her monstrous captors and rejoin her ka-tet.

As the separate threads begin to weave back together, the ka-tet faces their most formidable enemies: the manipulative and powerful Man in Black (Randall Flagg), whose true nature and ultimate goals are finally revealed; the forces of the Crimson King, who seeks to destroy the Tower and unravel all of existence; and the terrifying, reality-bending creatures known as Can-toi and low men.

The novel is a relentless journey across multiple realities and perilous landscapes, filled with high-stakes battles, profound emotional moments, and shocking revelations about the nature of Ka, the Tower, and the entire multiverse. Roland's unwavering obsession with the Tower is tested against the bonds of his ka-tet, leading to heartbreaking sacrifices.

The climax is the final confrontation at the Dark Tower itself, where Roland must face the Crimson King and make the ultimate decision about his quest and his own fate, finally revealing the cyclical nature of his journey and the true meaning of the Dark Tower. It's a complex, emotionally charged, and polarizing conclusion to a monumental literary achievement.

Comments:
I was so emotionally involved in these books, I remember where I was when I finished this book and this series. I went to my allotment (a short lived experiment) and sat in the greenhouse and read the final few chapters where I knew that I would not be disturbed. I was thrilled and devastated with the end but also in absolute awe at the very last sentence. These books truly are Stephen King's "Lord of the Rings" and I am sure that JRR Tolkien would have been equally flattered if he had read these.

Books that we've read by Stephen King (68):
Carrie (1974), 'Salem's Lot (1975), The Shining (The Shining, #1) (1977), The Stand (1978), Night Shift (1978), The Dead Zone (1979), Firestarter (1980), Cujo (1981), The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1) (1982), Different Seasons (1982), Christine (1983), Cycle of the Werewolf (1983), Pet Sematary (1983), The Talisman (The Talisman, #1) (1984), Skeleton Crew (1985), It (1986), The Drawing of the Three (The Dark Tower, #2) (1987), The Eyes of the Dragon (1987), The Tommyknockers (1987), Misery (1987), The Dark Half (1989), Four Past Midnight (1990), The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3) (1991), Needful Things (1991), Dolores Claiborne (1992), Gerald's Game (1992), Nightmares and Dreamscapes (1993), Insomnia (1994), Rose Madder (1995), The Green Mile (1996), Desperation (1996), Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4) (1997), Bag of Bones (1998), The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon (1999), Hearts in Atlantis (1999), On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), Black House (The Talisman, #2) (2001), Dreamcatcher (2001), Everything's Eventual (2002), From a Buick 8 (2002), Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5) (2003), Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, #6) (2004), The Dark Tower (The Dark Tower, #7) (2004), The Colorado Kid (2005), Cell (2006), Lisey's Story (2006), Duma Key (2008), Just After Sunset (2008), Under the Dome (2009), 11/22/63 (2011), Full Dark, No Stars (2011), The Wind Through the Keyhole (The Dark Tower, #4.5) (2012), Dr. Sleep (The Shining, #2) (2013), Joyland (2013), Mr. Mercedes (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #1) (2014), Revival (2014), The Bazaar of Bad Dreams (2015), Finders Keepers (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #2) (2015), End of Watch (Bill Hodges Trilogy, #3) (2016), Elevation (2018), The Outsider (2018), The Institute (2019), If It Bleeds (2020), Billy Summers (2021), Later (2021), Fairy Tale (2022), Holly (2023), You Like It Darker (2024)