Paperback, 696 pages
English language
Published April 2, 1997 by Hodder & Stoughton.
The dark tower beckons Roland, the gunslinger...
And in a terrifying journey Roland determines to reach his destiny with the companions he has gathered along the road; wheelchair-bound Susannah Holmes, narcotic prisoner Eddie Dean, a boy named Jake and his pet creature Oy, are all willing participants in the harrowing quest.
Through the scarred, devastated urban wasteland to the Mid-World where cavernous black holes threaten the structure of the tower, time grows thin and the past becomes a riddle. On and on, the malevolent monorail hurtles, threatening destruction as the pilgrims desperately bargain for survival.
Hidden dangers lie at every junction of their destined path: from the terror of Roland's relentless, cunning enemy to the temptation of the wizard's glass, a powerful force in Roland's first love affair.
Still the tower awaits.
The master of horror and suspense draws on his unique genius to create the powerful world of the …
The dark tower beckons Roland, the gunslinger...
And in a terrifying journey Roland determines to reach his destiny with the companions he has gathered along the road; wheelchair-bound Susannah Holmes, narcotic prisoner Eddie Dean, a boy named Jake and his pet creature Oy, are all willing participants in the harrowing quest.
Through the scarred, devastated urban wasteland to the Mid-World where cavernous black holes threaten the structure of the tower, time grows thin and the past becomes a riddle. On and on, the malevolent monorail hurtles, threatening destruction as the pilgrims desperately bargain for survival.
Hidden dangers lie at every junction of their destined path: from the terror of Roland's relentless, cunning enemy to the temptation of the wizard's glass, a powerful force in Roland's first love affair.
Still the tower awaits.
The master of horror and suspense draws on his unique genius to create the powerful world of the Dark Tower. Wizard and Glass is a compelling, poignant and terrifying tale which is both a stand-alone novel and the eagerly anticipated fourth volume in the besting The Dark Tower series. --front flap
One of the best-written tales Sai King has ever put to paper. The characterization and world-building and the story were all high-points to me, and the love story he weaves is wonderfully bittersweet. After 3 books, getting this backsyory retroactively makes Roland a cooler character.
sheemie solos
I appreciated this foray into Roland’s backstory even though it was slower and less adventurous than previous books in the series. Not my favorite by far but certainly an important piece of the Dark Tower puzzle.
This might have been my favourite of the Dark Tower series thus far. I loved getting some of Roland's backstory, especially!
End me.
I'm not a fan of Stephen King in general, but The Dark Tower series has me enthralled!
This book seems to elicit mixed responses from Dark Tower fans. Some of my friends love it, others hate it. And I can understand both sides...
The wraparound story, that of Blaine and the return to the path, almost seems forced and orthogonal to the meat of the book.
The inner story, that of Mejis and Susan Delgado, is ultimately good, but at first I was very put off by it. It felt like it took a long time to get going. I even took a many month break (at roughly 20% complete, iirc) where I had mentally checked out of the book. I picked it up again on a lark over Christmas and plowed thru towards the end. As I did I found myself more and more engaged with the story.
I get why this story exists, and I think it's well done. But I also understand why it …
This book seems to elicit mixed responses from Dark Tower fans. Some of my friends love it, others hate it. And I can understand both sides...
The wraparound story, that of Blaine and the return to the path, almost seems forced and orthogonal to the meat of the book.
The inner story, that of Mejis and Susan Delgado, is ultimately good, but at first I was very put off by it. It felt like it took a long time to get going. I even took a many month break (at roughly 20% complete, iirc) where I had mentally checked out of the book. I picked it up again on a lark over Christmas and plowed thru towards the end. As I did I found myself more and more engaged with the story.
I get why this story exists, and I think it's well done. But I also understand why it frustrates some King/Dark Tower loyalists. I look forward to moving on to the next book, though I might take some time before I dive right in.
This book has always been my favourite of the series. I really enjoyed reading about Rolands past since it provides a better understanding of his character. Additionally, we meet his best friends, his first great love and the empire before its collaps. As it is typical for King the plot is very exciting and rich of cruel antagonists. If I ever revisit the series, I will read this book for sure.
This had to be read. It had to be known. There are three pillars in Rolands growth that occur before our time and this is the telling of one of those sections. To know him today we must know him before and although we know what we know, and know it must end in tragedy--like a trainwreck we watch and turn the page...waiting...waiting...for the moments we know must unfold.
This was a good book. Regardless of it taking a break from the trials and trivials of the journey I liked to get to know Alain, Cutherbertson and his gilly whose name for a moment escapes me..
Then to have these repeating symboloisms like Rhea of the Coos and the Wicked Witch, the Crimson King, Big Coffin Hunters--it all makes for some interesting moments to be shared.
Once done with our revivial of the past and or ka-tet stronger than ever …
This had to be read. It had to be known. There are three pillars in Rolands growth that occur before our time and this is the telling of one of those sections. To know him today we must know him before and although we know what we know, and know it must end in tragedy--like a trainwreck we watch and turn the page...waiting...waiting...for the moments we know must unfold.
This was a good book. Regardless of it taking a break from the trials and trivials of the journey I liked to get to know Alain, Cutherbertson and his gilly whose name for a moment escapes me..
Then to have these repeating symboloisms like Rhea of the Coos and the Wicked Witch, the Crimson King, Big Coffin Hunters--it all makes for some interesting moments to be shared.
Once done with our revivial of the past and or ka-tet stronger than ever the sojourn, but a moment in time, to the Emerald City--or was it more just a mirage? I don't know. The thinny was strong here but it's time to find the Beam again and onwards we go.
My appreciation for this book has grown since I first read it. After [b:The Gunslinger|43615|The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375776480s/43615.jpg|46575], I think this is my favorite book in the series.
Most of the story is told in flashback to the days immediately after Roland first became a gunslinger, when he and two companions – Cuthbert and Alain, of whom we've heard mention of in the books before now, but without any detail – are sent to a small town far from the city of Gilead where Roland's father and the other gunslingers are trying desperately to keep their land from falling to the Good Man, John Farson, and his increasingly powerful army. As such, it is basically a western-romance-mystery with a fairly tightly woven plot (despite its length) and plenty of insight into the development of Roland's character, complete with the impetus for his pursuit of the serially …
My appreciation for this book has grown since I first read it. After [b:The Gunslinger|43615|The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, #1)|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1375776480s/43615.jpg|46575], I think this is my favorite book in the series.
Most of the story is told in flashback to the days immediately after Roland first became a gunslinger, when he and two companions – Cuthbert and Alain, of whom we've heard mention of in the books before now, but without any detail – are sent to a small town far from the city of Gilead where Roland's father and the other gunslingers are trying desperately to keep their land from falling to the Good Man, John Farson, and his increasingly powerful army. As such, it is basically a western-romance-mystery with a fairly tightly woven plot (despite its length) and plenty of insight into the development of Roland's character, complete with the impetus for his pursuit of the serially eponymous Dark Tower and the tortured memories of those he has left in the wake of his pursuit.
I'm also happy because the first part of the book fairly quickly resolves one of the most annoying elements of the entire series for me (at least, to this point), Blaine "the Pain" Monorail. I mean, it's a serviceable device for getting Roland and his ka-tet much further along the Path of the Beam than they otherwise would, but man, I just hate that stupid contraption. And Little Blaine was the most annoying aspect of it all.
At any rate, I remembered liking this story from my first read through years ago, but this time around I was a little surprised at how much I liked it. If you can make it through [b:The Waste Lands|34084|The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower, #3)|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1389762449s/34084.jpg|1810634], which is my least favorite of the Dark Tower books (up to this point), don't stop. I promise Wizard and Glass is definitely worth the effort.
Compared to the previous books, the pacing here seemed slower for me or I got a bit less hooked, but still it's an amazing story and it really ramps up near the end
A disappointment from the previous two entries that is not aided by its abysmal length.
A strong narrative and some intriguing backstory to the enigma that is Roland make this a riveting read.
I'm not much of a pop fiction fan, but I am drawn to King's opus for some reason. I really enjoyed the turn this book took to explain the driving force behind Roland's unyielding obsession with the Dark Tower. I can understand how some readers would not respond well to this turn because it really slows down the momentum of the current quest.
Best of the Dark Tower series so far.
