The Dark Tower [for those who've read all eight books]

[Dont be a lemon]

I've read all eight books in chronological order and finished last night so I'm about to talk about the ending so if you've not finished or haven't started get the hell out right now!!!!!















So Roland is forced by the Tower/Gan/God to do the last X years of his quest over and over until he learns to not be a jerk who wants to go into the Tower (I think?). But does that mean the whole world(s) and everyone in them gets sent back X years too? And are the Tower and the Beams really in danger each 'cycle'? Or was it only the original quest that meant anything and the rest are punishments until he stops being a murderous jerk? Are the people even real in his punishment quests?

There's other things I might get around to nitpicking but Roland's ending seems stupid and illogical by the series' own way of things. It doesn't make sense.

Please discuss with me

 

[RolandF1]

I've read all eight books in chronological order and finished last night so I'm about to talk about the ending so if you've not finished or haven't started get the hell out right now!!!!!















So Roland is forced by the Tower/Gan/God to do the last X years of his quest over and over until he learns to not be a jerk who wants to go into the Tower (I think?). But does that mean the whole world(s) and everyone in them gets sent back X years too? And are the Tower and the Beams really in danger each 'cycle'? Or was it only the original quest that meant anything and the rest are punishments until he stops being a murderous jerk? Are the people even real in his punishment quests?

There's other things I might get around to nitpicking but Roland's ending seems stupid and illogical by the series' own way of things. It doesn't make sense.

Please discuss with me

You're right. Which is why I absolutely hate the ending. Stephen King's worst, and he's written some really rotten endings. It's illogical, makes no sense, all that Keystone world stuff is thrown out the window, and all that character development with the Spider Kid and the Crimson King leads to what? In fact, what did it all lead to really? Nothing.

Thanks for playing! Please don't send me hate mail! Signed Stephen King.

 

[Andre]

It's a crap ending. The series turns from a great read into 'I am so clever' (but s**t) when he puts himself in the story.

And you're spot on for the question is anything at risk each time. If so then on one of the repeats Roland would cop one of those stray bullets and game over.

And you could argue given how good a gunslinger he is, how they all would have made it to the end, if on one of the sliding door episodes Roland stumbled away from the crab creatures at the beach and didn't lose fingers on his hand. Which is really the same person makes it, if not even more arrogant, so do they all repeat it or because he brought someone to the Tower without them dying/leaving he's redeemed?

 

[DIG]

Great, epic series. God I read the first and last book about 20 years apart.

Ending was a cop out and an absolute shocker. After such a long journey, for King to just crap all over his "Constant Reader's" face like that was unforgivable.

 

[Dont be a lemon]

Series took a big dive once he made himself a character in book 5 both because that's kind of retarded but because it stopped being about them finding things in the epic and zany and crazy Mid-World but running around New York and Maine and loser enemies who can't pull anything off.

The first four books were really good. Fifth and sixth still enjoyable albeit with a crummy change in direction. Seventh similarly okay until the last 50 pages where it truly falls apart. The ending of Susannah is moronic and Roland's story end is so completely illogical that it's painful to read and to think the author, a professional author, though it was remotely decent. Five months on and I'm still so disappointed that is what I read to finish the story

If a studio ever adapts (which I hope) I would completely advise them to after the fourth book's material to come up with their own story.

 

[Donstuie]

A great series (almost) tainted by a poor final chapter. The end itself didn't bother me too much as I could understand the whole "It's the journey, not the destination" thing King was going for, and the cyclical nature of it. But what did annoy me about it was King's blatant middle finger to readers who wanted to see what happened when he went into the Tower, referring to his monologue about how the reader was ruining it for themselves and barely able to hide his scorn. It's as though he wanted to leave fans frustrated and annoyed, purely out of spite.

Anyway, moreso than the ending, what bothered me about the last book was the following:
1. The death of Randall Flagg. A total copout ending for (IMO) Kings greatest character. To get dispatched so easily and early, without even a final battle, was very disappointing.
2. The final battle. After so much build-up, so much hype, all the big baddy can do is throw bombs from the tower's balcony, then disappear thanks to the deus ex machina they find at the end.
3. Mordred. Again, so much hype and like Flagg, gets taken out too easily.
4. Susannah meeting a bizarro Eddie and Jake at the end and thinks everything's ok. Really? The 'real' ones are dead, and even with the world-bending they can't come back. But no, this great strong character is settling for shells of the people she loved.

Despite these criticisms though, the series as a whole is an epic fantasy and IMO King's best work.

 

[Righteo]

It's funny how the ending grew on me in the years following completion, I now think that was the only way it could have ended.

Great series, very hollow feeling after finishing them though. Really hope one day HBO sinks their teeth into creating a TV adaptation, would absolutely s**t on GOT if done well.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

So they're making a movie out of this.

I'd,

- ditch Stephen King being a character at all
- no jerking around in Maine of all places
- throw most of the last two books in the bin and come up with something else
- **** that ending right off, that goes without saying

 

[RolandF1]

So they're making a movie out of this.

I'd,

- ditch Stephen King being a character at all
- no jerking around in Maine of all places
- throw most of the last two books in the bin and come up with something else
- **** that ending right off, that goes without saying

Spoiler

In Roland's last moments in the books he has the horn he blows at the Dark Tower, the final piece that completes his final journey to the Dark Tower. The teaser poster King has posted implies this is a sequel to the book series and the final journey.

 

[DIG]

That's quite clever actually. They can follow the original plot but can deviate also, particularly with the ending.

The less King himself is involved in all this though the better, had his hands all over the Cell adaptation and it was awful, a shocker.

 

[Showbags]

So they're making a movie out of this.

I'd,

- ditch Stephen King being a character at all
- no jerking around in Maine of all places
- throw most of the last two books in the bin and come up with something else
- **** that ending right off, that goes without saying

****SPOILERS****

I actually didnt mind the ending. Sort of made sense with all the 19 references throughout. It was the 19th loop around for Roland. Im guessing we should get the number 20 popping up in the movies alot.

Love the fact it is a continuation of the books. They can make it alot more accessible to non DT fans without pissing off the majority of the hardcore fanbase.

They really need to redo Mordred and Randall Flagg's endings. Just seemed so quick and pointless, plus redo The Crimson King's involvement, he was a major disappointment after all the buildup. Seemed like something out of a Mario game or something just throwing bombs.

 

[JoondalupJ]

I've read all eight books in chronological order and finished last night so I'm about to talk about the ending so if you've not finished or haven't started get the hell out right now!!!!!

I read only one book. It actually couldn't go anywhere, for me .

And sometimes I think not only TV producers but authors get a great idea and it moves and then it gets bogged, and finishing it becomes a major problem and it becomes a million different angles, then never solves anything for some readers.
Like TV's Lost, and The Returned , they just went no where, they really lost the plot.

I did read the Stand, BRILLIANT! Had me from the start and all the way.
But I couldn't get into this gunfighter , although I did finish the one.
I just thought this is too big, too long, I can't wade through this , so I haven't returned to any of the others.

No doubt King is a genius though.













So Roland is forced by the Tower/Gan/God to do the last X years of his quest over and over until he learns to not be a jerk who wants to go into the Tower (I think?). But does that mean the whole world(s) and everyone in them gets sent back X years too? And are the Tower and the Beams really in danger each 'cycle'? Or was it only the original quest that meant anything and the rest are punishments until he stops being a murderous jerk? Are the people even real in his punishment quests?

There's other things I might get around to nitpicking but Roland's ending seems stupid and illogical by the series' own way of things. It doesn't make sense.

Please discuss with me

 

[Lance Uppercut]

It's a crap ending. The series turns from a great read into 'I am so clever' (but s**t) when he puts himself in the story.

And you're spot on for the question is anything at risk each time. If so then on one of the repeats Roland would cop one of those stray bullets and game over.

And you could argue given how good a gunslinger he is, how they all would have made it to the end, if on one of the sliding door episodes Roland stumbled away from the crab creatures at the beach and didn't lose fingers on his hand. Which is really the same person makes it, if not even more arrogant, so do they all repeat it or because he brought someone to the Tower without them dying/leaving he's redeemed?

Couldn't agree more. I loved TDT series so much. I remember finishing the one where they've just boarded Blaine the Train and being distraught there weren't no more, and it was a year long wait.

But the last 2 (or 3) books sucked arse terribly. And the ultimate moment it jumped the shark was that horrible attempted meta bullshit of having himself as a character in the book. Waaaay too much bathwater drunk at that point.

God it was disappointing. Then, that endings. FMD. Kills Randall way too easily. Wtf was he even about if he way so useless Finally gets to the keystone of the multiverse, the mighty dark tower, and goes through the door and... heck me. I get ka is a wheel but he may as well have finished with "and then he woke up and it had all been a dream"

 

[RolandF1]

Anyone bother to see the absolutely terrible film adaptation? My eyeballs are still bleeding.

Yes. Crap. Moved on with life.

 

[Andre]

Anyone bother to see the absolutely terrible film adaptation? My eyeballs are still bleeding.

Ironic at the same time you had The Dark Tower and IT as movies, with one being a good adaptation (and good movie) and the other being one of the worst book to movie adaptations of all time.

 

[SM]

Have read the first two books of this recently. Must say I loved the second while struggling through the first (glad it was quite short by King's standards). Is the remainder of the series more like the second?