Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5)
Title: Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, #5)

Author: Stephen King
Published in: 2003
Date read: 10th February 2019
Score: 5/5
Genre: Fantasy, Dystopian, Thriller
Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Wolves of the Calla," published in 2003, is the fifth novel in Stephen King's epic Dark Tower series. It serves as a bridge, a western-inspired interlude that further develops the ka-tet's relationships and introduces new elements to the sprawling mythology, all while dealing with a classic King-style terror in a small town.
The story begins with Roland Deschain and his ka-tet—Eddie Dean, Susannah Dean, and Jake Chambers—continuing their quest to the Dark Tower. They arrive in a quiet, pastoral valley known as Cala Bryn Sturgis, or simply "the Calla." The town is populated by kind, simple farmers, but they live under a terrible and cyclical threat.
Every twenty-three years, a group of "wolves" rides out of the forest, abducting one half of the town's children. These "wolves" are not animals but grotesque, armoured, and seemingly robotic creatures who ride on mechanical steeds. The children they abduct are returned months later, horribly transformed and mentally empty, growing into hulking, nonverbal, and ultimately short-lived monsters known as "taheen."
The Calla's inhabitants, desperate for a way to break the cycle of fear and loss, plead for Roland's help. Roland, drawing on the traditions of the Gunslinger's code, agrees to help them, and the ka-tet begins to prepare the town for a fight against the "wolves." The narrative becomes a classic "Seven Samurai" or "Magnificent Seven" scenario, with the gunslingers training the villagers for an improbable battle.
A key element of this novel is the deepening of the characters' backstories and the series' mythology. A central plot line involves Susannah's discovery that she is pregnant. The child is not a normal baby but the product of her union with a demon, a mysterious and terrifying being that has been following the ka-tet. This revelation creates a profound personal and moral crisis for both Susannah and Eddie.
The novel also introduces a powerful plot device: a glowing orb from another world, which can be used to communicate across different realities. This Black Thirteen, another of the legendary crystals from the "Maerlyn's Rainbow" set, becomes a source of both danger and opportunity, hinting at the vastness of the worlds and the complexity of their journey.
The climax is a brutal and brilliantly choreographed battle, as the gunslingers and the villagers make a desperate stand against the invading "wolves." The action is tense and chaotic, but the real cliff-hanger comes from the novel's final pages, which reveal a shocking, devastating connection to the past and propel the ka-tet toward an uncertain and perilous future. "Wolves of the Calla" is a perfect blend of western, fantasy, and sci-fi, a crucial and richly detailed chapter in the Dark Tower saga.
Comments:
Best Dark Tower book so far, very clever! Following on from the previous one that I found hard going, this was a pleasure to read all through. I was far too excited by the link to another amazing King book with the arrival of a certain priest (FC).
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)
This page was updated on: 19th August 2025