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Roland, Jake, Susannah, Eddie, and Oy- bound together in a quest for the Dark Tower. Their quest was considered to have been finished nine years ago with the publication of the seventh volume, titled The Dark Tower. Although only Roland made his way to the Tower, the series finale made for an exciting read, and it is a fitting capstone to a fascinating and thrilling series.

... Except it's not the final book. Last year, King wrote and published another book chronicling the quest for the Tower. Although published eight years after the The Dark Tower, it acts as a sort of bridge between the fourth book, Wizard and Glass, and the fifth book, The Wolves of the Calla.

I can't wait to read it. I absolutely love the characters, even though this time I know what their fates are. Eddie will still be shot to death, Jake will still be run over by a van, Susannah will still abandon the quest for New York, Oy will still die protecting Roland from Mordred, and Roland will still climb the Dark Tower, only to be sent back to the beginning of the series.

It will be awesome. Why not? It's a Stephen King novel... It's guaranteed to be good.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

Eddie Dies! (Dark Tower Spoiler Alert)

      If you haven't guessed through my previous posts, I am a huge Stephen King fan, and I'm reading the final book of his Dark Tower series, titled The Dark Tower. My absolute favorite character (I mentioned this in another post) is Eddie Dean, an ex-heroin addict from Co-Op City, in New York, New York. Drawn into Roland's world from the New York of 1987 through the use of 'doors' that transcend time and space, he is initially wary of Roland, and in fact attempts to kill him for not letting him through another of these 'doors', as he is suffering from heroin withdrawal and wants a 'fix'.
      Over time, though, Eddie does accept Roland as 'Dinh', high speech for leader of their 'Ka-tet', a group brought together by 'Ka', an equivalent of destiny or fate. Through their adventures, and my reading of these, I have fallen in love with Eddie (not in a weird way). With his attitude towards life, and his often- hilarious jokes, puns, and timely references to pop culture (up to 1987, the year he's from), I've come to view him as someone not just from a book, but a friend walking with me on the path of life.
      Unfortunately for all, readers and Ka-tet members alike, during the battle of Algul Siento, Eddie took a bullet to his head. His death was not sudden, but slow and drawn out. thankfully, though he did get a final word in to Susannah, Jake, and Roland before he stepped into the void.
      I think I've said enough- I don't want to reveal too much.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal