main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Amph "Go then, there are other worlds than these." The Dark Tower series discussion;

Discussion in 'Community' started by Jedi_Master_Anakin, Sep 3, 2003.

  1. Darth Dark Helmet

    Darth Dark Helmet Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Dec 27, 1999
    Even more so because he was a priest. So not is he unclean as a human, he's spiritually unclean as well.
     
  2. Calli

    Calli Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2000
    Bingo!

    Isn't the priest now a drunk as well? I thought I read that somewhere.
     
  3. DVader316

    DVader316 Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2000
    Ahh, that's right, DDH. Thanks for clarifying that about Callahan for me.


    And yes, in Salem's Lot Callahan is a drunk, although he seems to know he has a problem and isnt what Id call a raging alcoholic.
     
  4. wild_karrde

    wild_karrde Jedi Grand Master star 7

    Registered:
    Oct 8, 1999
    Just finished The Gunslinger. VERY good book. Can't wait to start the next one (After I read TFP ;) )
     
  5. DVader316

    DVader316 Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2000
    I think you'll like The Drawing of the Three even better. This is where the series really starts coming into its own, IMO. Easily my favorite of the DT books to date.
     
  6. Calli

    Calli Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2000
    I agree, The Drawing of the Three, is really where it gets cooking, and you feel like your in another world.

    Don't get me wrong, I love The Gunslinger,but the 3rd book, everyone is in place, you know.
     
  7. RubberDuckyfromSpace

    RubberDuckyfromSpace Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 28, 2002
    I don't know, I think I stand by my assertion that The Gunslinger gives the best impression of being in another world, if only because it's stylistically so different from the rest of the books.
     
  8. DVader316

    DVader316 Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2000
    Dont get me wrong, I really liked The Gunslinger when I read it, but it still felt disjointed to me, kind of like King didnt yet know what direction he wanted to take the series.
     
  9. RubberDuckyfromSpace

    RubberDuckyfromSpace Jedi Padawan star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 28, 2002
    Exactly, that's what I'm talking about. The fact that it's a series of disjointed vignettes that are only loosely connected and essentially almost plotless really put Roland's universe across to me better than the much more coherent books that followed. And it's just a matter of taste really. Some people have said it reads like a college kid trying to write something important, and it is. As a college student I can sympathize with that aim, and I also like books that come across as being what they are.

    For these reasons I'm not planning on reading the revised Gunslinger. Why mess with it? It works.
     
  10. Darth Dark Helmet

    Darth Dark Helmet Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Dec 27, 1999
    Some people have said it reads like a college kid trying to write something important, and it is.

    I'm one, and i dont' say it as a bad thing. I always thought the orginal had a certain amount of charm to it, and that's one of the reasons. And the reason, I didn't replace it with the new one version, I just bought it as an addition.
     
  11. Calli

    Calli Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2000
    See, I like the Gunslinger and I mean its the reason I'm into the series, but the disjointedness perturbed me.

    And who knows maybe that was King's idea.

    I plan on picking up the revised edition, its not going to be a replacement, but I'm curious.

    My husband keeps teasing me, by saying "Just say no to The Gunslinger :Special Edition".
     
  12. DVader316

    DVader316 Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2000
    Actually, I dont think that King planned The Gunslinger to come across as so disjointed in places. In the forward of the new edition he says that its written like that basically because he was a college kid then and didnt have all that much experience (like many of you have suggested). In fact, the reason he provided this updated version is because he wasnt too happy with the original and threw in a few scenes to flesh things out a bit.
     
  13. Darth Dark Helmet

    Darth Dark Helmet Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Dec 27, 1999
    And part of it to, is that it wasn't all written at once. One part was written very early, one part during Carrie, one part during The Shining, and so on. The writing of the book itself spanned about 12 years or so I think. Its hard to create a constant narrative writing it that way.
     
  14. Calli

    Calli Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2000
    Ok gang, I just bought the revised edition of "The Gunslinger" last night.

    I'm still reading the introduction and the forward.
     
  15. Calli

    Calli Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2000
    Ok, I'm already to The Way Station chapter in the revised edition.

    One question though, what is this business with the #19? Is it explained later on? I mean even King himself mentions 19 in his introduction.


    Ohhh anyone hear read Entertainment Weekly? Anyway every other week King has a column in the back. This past column was a contest. Anyone who guessed the sports landmark, is enter in a drawing to win 1 of 15 or so autographed copies of Wolves of Calla. Basically you figure out the answer by guessing which movie these movie quotes he gives you. The husband helped me out and I mailed off my entry last week.
     
  16. DVader316

    DVader316 Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2000
    Yea, I get EW in the mail and am still trying to figure out the answers to those quotes. ;)



    BTW, King's monthly column is miles better than that awful Joel Stein **** they were shoving down our throats before they wised up and hired SK.
     
  17. Jedi_Master_Anakin

    Jedi_Master_Anakin Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    Just finished 'The Stand'.

    You know what kinda creeped me out about it more than anything? The fact that I liked Flagg throughout the book. Don't get me wrong, I thought he was evil and horrible, but something about him made me like him in spite of it.

    But I think it has a possibility that the world in 'The Stand' is Roland's world as well. It makes a lot of sense, considering the fact (only one example) the city of Lud, and how it had amazing resemblence to New York City. My bet that is after a number of generations, the Captain Trips survivors finally became hostile and began to anihilate one anther using post-modern warfare. Considering they would have had time to relish and grow on what damaging warfare already existed. Like in "The Waste Lands" when Eddie mentions the possibility of the Waste lands being a result of a Nuclear fallout, and Balin responds saying "Nope. It was a lot worse than that. And it's not over yet." I think it might be that after the ending of Flagg the world may have blown eachother to bits and thus "the world moved on" as it were.

    But who the hell knows?>

    Peace and Unity

    JMA
     
  18. Darth Dark Helmet

    Darth Dark Helmet Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Dec 27, 1999
    We know that the world of The Stand is not Roland's world. In DT4 they enter in the world of the Stand for a time, by passing through a thinny while riding Blaine, and its very obvious that they are in a different where and when. So much so, that they lose the path of the Beam while there.

    I agree that Flagg is a very likable character. He's evil and has fun being evil, he loves his work. Its a quality that makes him fun to read.
     
  19. DVader316

    DVader316 Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2000
    Yea, Im glad that Flagg had become a recurring character in King's books, and Im especially happy that he'll be a part of the climax of the DT series. Seems appropriate.
     
  20. Jedi_Master_Anakin

    Jedi_Master_Anakin Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 25, 2002
    Helmet,

    King has hinted in recent interviews that the "Roland's World = The Stand World" theory may not be so farfetched...

    While it's true that in DT4 they came to the Stand world, but they don't know when it was. Just look at it like this. Eddie was a child in Jake's when, and an Adult in his own. That would mean, there is a possibility of mutliple whens for each given area. The place they may have came to in DT4 may just have been another when in the Stand World, that perhaps everyone had died in, or just hadn't had the battle with Flagg yet. But who knows?

    Peace and Unity

    JMA
     
  21. DVader316

    DVader316 Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2000
    Random question : In Wizard and Glass, was it ever stated that Rhea was the last of her kind ? Because I was thinking back to the short story The Little SisterS of Eluria and Im pretty sure that it was said the women in that story were her sisters and were quite obviously witches as well. I was just wondering if there was a contradiction because the short story is supposed to take place after DT4's flashback, IIRC.
     
  22. Darth Dark Helmet

    Darth Dark Helmet Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Dec 27, 1999
    I haven't read Little Sisters in awhile, so don't take this as total fact. But I believe Rhea of Coos is just a straight up witch, and the Sisters are Vampires. But then I haven't read it in a bit, so I could be wrong/
     
  23. Jedi_Daniel

    Jedi_Daniel Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jun 16, 2002
    I find this site very interesting. I was reading through it for hours. Some very interesting theories on the Dark Tower.
     
  24. Calli

    Calli Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 17, 2000
    I just always took it that she was a witch. Haven't read "Sisters" though to be for sure.

    It would make since if she was, cause Rhea to refresh herself drinks Aunt Cord's blood.

    Ohh well I finished the revised edition. I like it. He doesn't change that much, just cleans up a little of the wording and adds a scene or two. Though he flashbacks to Susan burning on a piar in his minds eye.I liked that he confirms that the piano player in Tull is the same one from Mejis.
     
  25. DVader316

    DVader316 Jedi Knight star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2000
    Ahh, I see. Thanks, guys. I have Everything's Eventual buried somewhere in one of my drawers at home so Ill try and check that out later. I dont know why, but for some reason I kept thinking that they had some kind of connection with Rhea. I would have sworn that she was mentioned numerous times, although admittedly its been a while since Ive read it so I could be wrong.

    If DDH is right about the Sisters being Vampires, though, I wonder if they'll be in the new book and somehow be tied in with Father Callahan...

    Thanks for the link, Jedi Daniel. Im going to check it out now.