The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands (Dark Tower, The)
The third volume in the #1 nationally bestselling Dark Tower Series, involving the enigmatic Roland (the last gunfighter) and his ongoing quest for the Dark Tower, is “Stephen King at his best” (School Library Journal).
Several months have passed since The Drawing of the Three, and in The Waste Lands, Roland’s two new tet-mates have become trained gunslingers. Eddie Dean has given up heroin, and Odetta’s two selves have joined, becoming the stronger and more balanced personality of Susannah Dean. But Roland altered ka by saving the life of Jake Chambers, a boy who—in Roland’s world—has already died. Now Roland and Jake exist in different worlds, but they are joined by the same madness: the paradox of double memories. Roland, Susannah, and Eddie must draw Jake into Mid-World and then follow the Path of the Beam all the way to the Dark Tower. There are new evils…new dangers to threaten Roland’s little band in the devastated city of Lud and the surrounding wastelands, as well as horrific confrontations with Blaine the Mono, the piratical Gasher, and the frightening Tick-Tock Man.
The Dark Tower Series continues to show Stephen King as a master of his craft. What lands, what peoples has he visited that are so unreachable to us except in the pages of his incredible books? Now Roland’s strange odyssey continues. The Waste Lands follows The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three as the third volume in what may be the most extraordinary and imaginative cycle of tales in the English language.
Several months have passed since The Drawing of the Three, and in The Waste Lands, Roland’s two new tet-mates have become trained gunslingers. Eddie Dean has given up heroin, and Odetta’s two selves have joined, becoming the stronger and more balanced personality of Susannah Dean. But Roland altered ka by saving the life of Jake Chambers, a boy who—in Roland’s world—has already died. Now Roland and Jake exist in different worlds, but they are joined by the same madness: the paradox of double memories. Roland, Susannah, and Eddie must draw Jake into Mid-World and then follow the Path of the Beam all the way to the Dark Tower. There are new evils…new dangers to threaten Roland’s little band in the devastated city of Lud and the surrounding wastelands, as well as horrific confrontations with Blaine the Mono, the piratical Gasher, and the frightening Tick-Tock Man.
The Dark Tower Series continues to show Stephen King as a master of his craft. What lands, what peoples has he visited that are so unreachable to us except in the pages of his incredible books? Now Roland’s strange odyssey continues. The Waste Lands follows The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three as the third volume in what may be the most extraordinary and imaginative cycle of tales in the English language.
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Community Reviews
The third book in the Dark Tower series. This is a re-read but once again while I remember the whole, I've forgotten the details. We're travelling along with Roland, the Gunslinger, Eddie and Susannah, newly discovered Gunslingers.
Eddie and Susannah, having been brought through their doors from New York City, are learning from Roland how to be a Gunslinger. He is apparently a very good teacher because both Eddie and Susannah are able to prove their worth and dexterity very early on. Roland, on the other hand, is slowly falling apart mentally. We know from the first book that Jake met up with Roland and traveled with him to see the Man in Black. But Jake died, sacrificed by Roland for the Dark Tower ("Go then, there are other worlds than this"). Roland remembers all of this happening, yet, it didn't happen, because Roland killed the man who initially killed Jake. This is all very complicated but you'll get it. He is living in double memories and it's driving him mad. Unfortunately, Jake Chambers is in NYC and living in his own hell because he knows he's supposed to be dead in "real life" and he's supposed to meet Roland and die again. But he goes on living, trying to understand what's happening to him.
Eventually, through a horrifying process, Jake makes it to Mid-World and back to Roland and the others. Their minds clear and they continue the journey to the Dark Tower. Almost 600 pages of adventures also give us Oy, a billy-bumbler, who befriends Jake and, oh my goodness, I want an Oy of my very own. Alas.....
We're left with Blaine the Mono. Blaine is a pain. And Blaine ends this novel by taking our friends on a riddle-filled, suicide trip at 800 miles per hour.
I've summarized this greatly because well, you need to read it. This is a fantastic adventure. I started reading it on a plane to NYC (coincidence? I think not!) and was just pulled right back in. Fantastic.
Also, Stephen King actually published Charlie the Choo-Choo. It arrived yesterday at my home and it's just as creepy and awesome as you think it would be (you have to read Wastelands to understand this!!!)
Eddie and Susannah, having been brought through their doors from New York City, are learning from Roland how to be a Gunslinger. He is apparently a very good teacher because both Eddie and Susannah are able to prove their worth and dexterity very early on. Roland, on the other hand, is slowly falling apart mentally. We know from the first book that Jake met up with Roland and traveled with him to see the Man in Black. But Jake died, sacrificed by Roland for the Dark Tower ("Go then, there are other worlds than this"). Roland remembers all of this happening, yet, it didn't happen, because Roland killed the man who initially killed Jake. This is all very complicated but you'll get it. He is living in double memories and it's driving him mad. Unfortunately, Jake Chambers is in NYC and living in his own hell because he knows he's supposed to be dead in "real life" and he's supposed to meet Roland and die again. But he goes on living, trying to understand what's happening to him.
Eventually, through a horrifying process, Jake makes it to Mid-World and back to Roland and the others. Their minds clear and they continue the journey to the Dark Tower. Almost 600 pages of adventures also give us Oy, a billy-bumbler, who befriends Jake and, oh my goodness, I want an Oy of my very own. Alas.....
We're left with Blaine the Mono. Blaine is a pain. And Blaine ends this novel by taking our friends on a riddle-filled, suicide trip at 800 miles per hour.
I've summarized this greatly because well, you need to read it. This is a fantastic adventure. I started reading it on a plane to NYC (coincidence? I think not!) and was just pulled right back in. Fantastic.
Also, Stephen King actually published Charlie the Choo-Choo. It arrived yesterday at my home and it's just as creepy and awesome as you think it would be (you have to read Wastelands to understand this!!!)
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