The Dark Tower saga by Stephen King is one of my favorite series. It interweaves fantasy, science fiction, horror, and even romance into a powerful story that pits one lone gunslinger—Roland Deschain—against worlds trying to prevent him from reaching and fixing the Dark Tower.
The series has been finished now for years, but the King of Horror just couldn’t stay away. When a door to Roland’s world opens up, Stephen King walks through it, and Dark Tower fans in Spring 2012 will be receiving an extra story in his most epic of tales. It is titled The Wind Through the Keyhole and will feature cover and interior artwork by Jae Lee.
A few days ago, the plot summary hit the internet(s). Here is what we know about the new Dark Tower novel:
For readers new to The Dark Tower, THE WIND THROUGH THE KEYHOLE is a stand-alone novel, and a wonderful introduction to the series. It is a story within a story, which features both the younger and older gunslinger Roland on his quest to find the Dark Tower. Fans of the existing seven books in the series will also delight in discovering what happened to Roland and his ka tet between the time they leave the Emerald City and arrive at the outskirts of Calla Bryn Sturgis.
This Russian Doll of a novel, a story within a story, within a story, visits Mid-World’s last gunslinger, Roland Deschain, and his ka-tet as a ferocious storm halts their progress along the Path of the Beam. (The novel can be placed between Dark Tower IV and Dark Tower V.) Roland tells a tale from his early days as a gunslinger, in the guilt ridden year following his mother’s death. Sent by his father to investigate evidence of a murderous shape shifter, a “skin man,” Roland takes charge of Bill Streeter, a brave but terrified boy who is the sole surviving witness to the beast’s most recent slaughter. Roland, himself only a teenager, calms the boy by reciting a story from the Book of Eld that his mother used to read to him at bedtime, “The Wind through the Keyhole.” “A person’s never too old for stories,” he says to Bill. “Man and boy, girl and woman, we live for them.” And stories like these, they live for us.
I don’t know about you, but I’m super excited about this book. Roland’s tale might be finished, but the dynamic between the characters can be more fully explored. I can’t wait to read what Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy are up to with our most persistent of gunslingers.
Ka is a Wheel…
YAY!!! I’m excited – I Looooooove Stephen King and the Dark Tower series!!!! This goes to the top of my TBR pile!
I don’t know how I could be excited really
I already know the horribly depressing ending….
Wow, both of these comments really capture the pull I’m feeling. There’s no doubt I am super excited about it, but man that ending was “horribly depressing.” The comics are looking really good, though. Ah, who am I kidding? I can’t wait to read it!
Come on, March!
- Ray
I won’t read it. The ending to the series was so horribly flubbed. I’ve moved on to better story arcs…Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time ending looks to me much more fulfilling.
This sounds rather interesting. We all know what happens at the end of the road and although many think is was rather dismal for such a great adventure, I thought it was brilliant. And I would like to see more of what Stephen King has to bring, or at least in between. Why not read what else happened? This is a fictional story after all, why not prolong the journey?
The ending to the story is not depressing it is just like real life.
A wheel we may never escape.