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Literary Disappointments (or, the Decline of the Dark Tower Series)

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by fadeaway, Mar 17, 2004.

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  1. fadeaway

    fadeaway Member

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    Are there any books you have read that you consider to be disappointments? It's a terrible feeling to get your expectations up so high, eagerly awaiting some beloved sequel, only to have them come crashing down when it turns out to be utter crap.

    I feel that way about Wolves of the Calla, which I just finished the other day. Stephen King's Dark Tower saga has long been my favorite series of fiction. It combines two of my favorite genres, western and fantasy, beautifully. The Gunslinger was wonderful, creating one of the most intriguing settings ever conceived, with a swift and exciting story. The Drawing of the Three was a step back from the first book, but it still held my interest. The Wastelands is probably my favorite of the series. The setting is fleshed out even more, with non-stop action and tons of suspense.

    After these three, however, the series takes a huge nosedive. Wizard and Glass was a monumental disappointment in my eyes. The beginning portion (regarding Blaine) and the ending (in the crystal palace) were top notch, but the flashback in the middle, which comprised about 80% of the novel, was painfully slow and dull. Nevertheless, since it ended well, I assumed that book 4 was merely a bump in the road of a series that was bound to pick up with the next volume.

    Oh, how wrong I was. Wolves of the Calla is garbage. The whole story is completely pointless and could have been written in three chapters without anything being lost. For King to drag it out into a 700 page novel is a travesty.


    *** Mild Spoilers below ***

    A good third of the book isn't really a part of the Dark Tower series at all, but is a sort of sequel to Salem's Lot, delivered in flashback form by Father Callahan. This whole portion is rather bland, and mostly features Callahan getting drunk off his ass. There are some neat vampire killing scenes, but the whole thing is rather forgettable. This stuff has no place in the Dark Tower series.

    The issues surrounding Sussanah's pregnancy are kind of interesting. It's a bit lame that there is yet another schizophrenic personality surfacing, but I enjoyed the imagery of her wandering through the bog, scooping up and devouring fat toads and leeches.

    Andy the Messenger Robot was a great character. There should have been a lot more devoted to him. Instead, we get reams upon reams of moronic townsfolk blabbing in their idiotic accents. "Do ya fine. Thankee sai big-big!" :rolleyes:

    King never takes us to Thunderclap! This is the biggest disappointment of all. He constantly hints throughout the story that Roland and the crew will eventually travel there, and offers a few tantalizing glimpses, but nothing ever develops and the reader is forced to endure yet more of the dreary Calla farmers and their lame little community. There was even some blatant forshadowing at the end of Book 4 that the ka-tet would be going into Thunderclap, but it never materialized. Frustrating beyond belief. King will probably take us there in the next one, but there was absolutely no reason why it couldn't have happened here.

    The final battle was anticlimactic. The "fearsome" Wolves, which were built up throughout the whole story to be some kind of unstoppable, vicious force, got pasted by the gunslingers rather easily. I actually felt sorry for them. The whole thing lasted only a few pages, and was pretty straightforward.

    The ending was stupid, and leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Why is King bringing himself into the story? Man, that is so utterly lame that I have trouble believing it is actually happening. King is trying way too hard to incorporate his other works into the overall story, when he should be concentrating on continuing the masterpiece created in the first three novels. Little glimpses into the other worlds are fine, but this latest twist has all the subtlety of a jackhammer. It seems like a sleazy attempt to generate interest in his previous stuff, and sell more old books. It makes me sad that such a promising series has deteriorated so badly.

    I feel very uneasy about how this series might play out in the final two novels. I'll definitely read them, but my expectations are tempered.





    The next novel I read will be The Order of the Phoenix. I hope I'm not disappointed like I was with Wolves. I don't think Rowling will let me down. :)
     
    #1 fadeaway, Mar 17, 2004
  2. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Member

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    Interesting. I thought Gunslinger was good (if raw), the next 2 books were not worth the paper they were printed on and Wizard and Glass proved that Stephen King could actually write now. Given that we obviously have diametrically opposite tastes in literature, I have to now consider reading the 5th installment because of your criticisms. :)

    On the subject, though, I know the feeling you mean. However, when I get it, I just stop reading. There's too much good literature in the world to waste my time on a book that isn't getting the job done. I used to slavishly work my way through books regardless of how I liked it, until one day when I was 400+ pages through The Idiot (after all, it's Dostoyevsky, how can that be bad?) and I decided I just wouldn't put up with it any longer. Very liberating.
     
    #2 JuanValdez, Mar 17, 2004
  3. fadeaway

    fadeaway Member

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    A copy of The Idiot has been sitting on my shelf for months, but I haven't bothered with it yet. Maybe I'll give it a shot. ;)
     
    #3 fadeaway, Mar 17, 2004
  4. JeeberD

    JeeberD Member

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    W&G is my favorite of the series. Different stroke for different folks.

    I do feel the say way about King writing himself into the story. I don't like that at all...
     
    #4 JeeberD, Mar 17, 2004
  5. Mulder

    Mulder Member

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    Should have stopped when he did... Great imagery (I always pictured Roland as a young Clint Eastwood that got older throughout the series). I just refuse to continue with the books at this point though.
     
    #5 Mulder, Mar 17, 2004
  6. MR. MEOWGI

    MR. MEOWGI Contributing Member

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    I have read the Bantam novels that were written attempting to continue the saga from the original Star Wars trilogy. They sucked! But I read them anyway, being the SW nerd I am. :eek::D
     
    #6 MR. MEOWGI, Mar 17, 2004
  7. VesceySux

    VesceySux World Champion Lurker
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    That's depressing to hear. I finished books 1-4 of the Dark Tower series earlier this year, and I'm eagerly awaiting the paperback release of Wolves of the Calla. You're putting a damper on my enthusiasm.

    Here are my Dark Tower rankings:

    The Wastelands > Drawing of the Three > Wizard and the Glass > The Gunslinger


    ... and MR. MEOWGI, I've read EVERY single "New Jedi Order" Star Wars book out (except the last one). They've increasingly gotten worse and worse (and more far-fetched). I'm holding out hope that the last book will be decent...

    ... Oh, and one more thing: The Hyperion series is AWESOME. I'm halfway through the last book (Rise of Endymion), and the series as a whole easily rivals the Ender's Game series and blows away the new Dune books (but doesn't touch the original Dune series).
     
    #7 VesceySux, Mar 17, 2004
  8. mateo

    mateo Member

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    Oh just you wait, the super-hyped "event" that made Rowling cry when she wrote it.......booooo.

    I agree with VesceySux, the Hyperion series is awesome. I thought Calla was lame as well but I was on a 14 hour flight so I was more forgiving.
     
    #8 mateo, Mar 17, 2004
  9. fadeaway

    fadeaway Member

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    I think I may have learned what the "event" was by accident. Not 100% sure though.

    I don't know much about Hyperion. I'll give it a look.
     
    #9 fadeaway, Mar 17, 2004
  10. Mrs. Valdez

    Mrs. Valdez Member

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    I'm in a book club working our way from the bottom up of the Modern Library's top 100 of the last century. At this rate we'll get to number one in about five years. In any case, coming in at number 99 is The Ginger Man. IMO, this book definately does not belong in the top 100 given all the much better books they left off (noteably The Lord of the Rings which made the Readers list at number 4 and C. S. Lewis' That Hideous Strength which makes my personal top 10).

    For a fun way to spend a few minutes you might want to check out how many of these you've read:

    Lists of Bests
     
    #10 Mrs. Valdez, Mar 18, 2004
  11. peleincubus

    peleincubus Member

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    thanks mrs. valdez i have a nice little list of stuff to read.

    ok i lied its a really looooong list but i think i have some free time coming up.
     
    #11 peleincubus, Mar 18, 2004
  12. PhiSlammaJamma

    PhiSlammaJamma Member

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    Great Expectations discusses you're whole thought. A good read.
     
    #12 PhiSlammaJamma, Mar 18, 2004
  13. Supermac34

    Supermac34 President, Von Wafer Fan Club

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    I'm a big nerd and have read all of the Wheel of Time series.

    It is the epitome of a series that has dragged on until it has almost crapped out. I think everybody just wants the series to have a strong finish...looking for the lost glory of the first 4 books.

    In another series...the Song of Ice and Fire series...those books have actually gotten better and better as I've progressed through the series.

    I read C.S. Lewis's space trilogy....the first 2 were good...the last was kind of boring.

    There were a couple of crummy Chronicle of Narnia books in the 7 part series, however the overall series panned out well.

    Both Thomas Covenant Chronicles series were good, however both had one weak book.

    This sounds kind of funny, but I thought that Moby Dick would be an awesome book...but I was disappointed...I liked most other school books.

    Also...I like Shakespear, but Romeo and Juliet is the weakest of his plays...yet it is the most famous...Macbeth, Hamlet, Midsummer Night's Dream...all much better.
     
    #13 Supermac34, Mar 18, 2004
  14. Phillyrocket

    Phillyrocket Member

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    I completely agree with oneof the above coments about Stephen King writing himself in Calla as lame. That book just moved waaaayyy too slow for me.

    ***spoilers below****

    However, the flashback couple of pages where how Alain died and the charge on Jericho Hill was almost worth reading the rest.

    All that being said, Wolves was definitely the worst of the series, my favorite being Wizard and Glass. (Sorry fadeaway just can't agree with you). The gooshy 80% part of the love between Roland and Susan really stayed with me. Anyone who was or is really in love in their teens can no doubt connect with the characters.

    About those best of lists, I see Stephen King's It ranked 84 under best fiction (readers list). People It is the best piece of fiction ever written period. No one can intertwine so many different issues, emotions, and plots into one story than the master. But Kings real gift is his ability to bring out the characters where you relate to them on so many levels.

    And who the hell voted all those Ayn Rand books up there?!?!
     
    #14 Phillyrocket, Mar 18, 2004
  15. rocks_fan

    rocks_fan Rookie

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    I've read all of them several times, even got a 1st print of W & G (with the color print illustrations) and I found it good, but not the best. I still find The Waste Lands the best. I just like that one the best, can't really justify it.

    Wolves of the Calla was good, but it as somewhat of a letdown compared to the rest of the series. It did have some good spots, but I'm REALLY getting tired of Susannah being the end all be all character. I don't particularly care for her and yet King persists in making her the focus of things. This is ROLAND's quest dangit!

    Anyway, I like how he seems to be tying in other works, especially The Stand and even Eyes of the Dragon (if I'm not mistaken) and I'll keep with it. Shoot the last two books are both coming out this year it's too late to stop now.

    BTW if anyone wants a good scifi/fantasy series check out George R. R. Martin. his series doesn't have an overall title, but the books are (in order):

    A Game of Thrones
    A Clash of Kings
    A Storm of Swords

    The forth book, A Feast for Crows, is coming out in a couple of months. There's LOTS of characters, and lots of deaths (including main characters, gives you a nice "WTF?" feeling) and all in all an excellent series of books.
     
    #15 rocks_fan, Mar 19, 2004
  16. fadeaway

    fadeaway Member

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    I enjoyed it too when it was done subtlely, as a sort of background thing. Now, though, it seems as if King is going to come right out and create a direct bridge between the Dark Tower and his other fictions. Callahan realizing that he's a fictional character is just so... dumb.



    Cool. I'll keep them in mind.
     
    #16 fadeaway, Mar 19, 2004
  17. studogg

    studogg Member

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    you know, I always kind of expected this series to go downhill. Stephen said it was the hardest story he has ever had to write and wasn't sure if he could even finish it.
    The fact that he seems to be concluding rather quickly after such a gap in the release of the first few makes me think he is rushing it just to get it done. Kind of like what Georgie has done to Star Wars Parts I & II. With that said, I will eagerly read the rest of the series because of how enticing the story is. And, like watching a train wreck, I will watch Star Wars part III
     
    #17 studogg, Mar 20, 2004
  18. JeeberD

    JeeberD Member

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    #18 JeeberD, Mar 25, 2004
  19. VesceySux

    VesceySux World Champion Lurker
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    That was actually kind of funny. Thankee-sai!
     
    #19 VesceySux, Mar 25, 2004
  20. Supermac34

    Supermac34 President, Von Wafer Fan Club

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    Actually the series does have an overall title..."A Song of Ice and Fire". That is the series I put in my post. Many of the books you have to search to see that it is part of that series. You might not like this series if you think that the good guys should always win.
     
    #20 Supermac34, Mar 25, 2004
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