Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4)

Title: Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower, #4)

Author: Stephen King

Published in: 1997

Date read: 16th December 2018

Score: 3/5

Genre: Fantasy, Dystopian, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Wizard and Glass," published in 1997, is the fourth novel in Stephen King's epic Dark Tower series. It is a monumental work that serves as both a pivotal narrative and a profound flashback, revealing the tragic and formative events of Roland Deschain's youth.

The novel begins where "The Waste Lands" left off, with Roland's ka-tet – Eddie, Susannah, and Jake – having defeated the insane monorail Blaine the Mono. They find themselves in a mysteriously deserted version of Topeka, Kansas, our world, now a desolate wasteland following a superflu plague (a direct link to King's novel The Stand). Here, they encounter a sinister, enchanted castle and a deadly wizard, Mers-Tavern, who holds a powerful, ominous globe known as the Pink Crystal or Wizard's Glass.

When Roland and his companions gaze into the glass, they are pulled into a powerful vision of Roland's past. The majority of the novel then becomes a long, detailed flashback to Roland's youth. The narrative shifts back to Gilead, Roland's home kingdom, before its fall.

The story centres on a young Roland, his first two friends Cuthbert Allgood and Alain Johns, and his first great love, Susan Delgado. After Roland passes his Gunslinger test at an unusually young age, he and his friends are sent away to the Barony of Mejis for their own protection.

In Mejis, they become embroiled in a dangerous plot involving the powerful witch Rhea of the Cöos, an evil conspiracy to supply oil to John Farson (a revolutionary who would eventually bring down Gilead), and a hidden supply of Pink Crystals. Roland falls deeply in love with Susan, a pure-hearted girl promised to a cruel mayor. Their forbidden romance takes place against a backdrop of political intrigue, betrayal, and violence.

The flashback section details Roland's first true test as a Gunslinger. He must not only protect his friends but also navigate the complexities of love, loss, and the devastating consequences of betrayal. The climax of the flashback is a brutal confrontation with Rhea and her dark allies, a tragedy that will forever shape Roland's cynical and solitary nature and lead to the death of his loved ones.

After the flashback concludes, the ka-tet returns to the present. The Wizard's Glass shatters, and they realize the dark implications of what they have just witnessed. The novel ends with the ka-tet continuing their journey toward the Dark Tower, now with a much deeper and more tragic understanding of their leader, the last Gunslinger, and his personal, heart-breaking history.

Comments:
This is a great book that fills in lots of background information that helps the story. I have to be brutally honest though, some sections were just too heavy going for me and it took so much strength to get through them. I am sure that many other King fans will hate me for saying that, perhaps it was that I was not in the ideal place for reading at the time but the truth is, I found the middle hard going and not-enjoyable. This soon passed and it returned to the type that I love. At least I can answer which is my least favourite of the Dark Towers books with certainty.

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)