Back to Old Friends

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

Review: 11/22/63

      Time-travel can be quite a complex topic to write on, and with Stephen King's interpretation, it is just plain fascinating and downright exciting (for me, at least). The startling differences between the America of 2011 and the America of 1958 through 1963 are easy to see. For one, people seem to be much more trusting, and there is less paperwork when making purchases. For example, when Jake goes to buy a gun, he receives it on the spot, sans-paperwork, or even a background check. Several times. Also, the cars are amazing, such as Jake's Ford Sunliner.

      I could go on and on about these differences, but this is a book review, not a cultural comparison. The idea behind this story is: A high school GED teacher, Jake Epping, reads a story penned by the janitor about the night his father massacred his family- just over fifty years prior. Later, Jake is taken to another time when a friend of his reveals a portal to 1958 in his trailer closet. What does Jake's friend want him to do? Spend five years in the past, follow Lee Harvey Oswald, and prevent the Kennedy assassination.

      This portal comes with conditions (of course). Say one were to travel to 1958, change something, and travel back to 2011. If this person were to take a second trip, everything that you changed in the first trip would be reset. Also, no matter how long one were to spend in the 'past', he/she will always come out two minutes later in 2011 then when they entered the portal.

      This 800-page behemoth will grab you with the first word, and keeps you through to the end. It might seem daunting, but the story is worth going through all 800-something pages.

      I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'll cut this review short. I strongly recommend this book for casual readers and those who like to look into deeper meanings.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

Overbooked With Books

      As is usual with me, I am reading several books at once. The Diary of Anne Frank, 11/22/63, Dune (I'm just now getting around to reading more of this), and Empire of the Sun. In addition, I have several books on my Christmas wishlist, which I outlined in an earlier post.

      I sit at the kitchen table, hot apple cider to my left, Dune and 11/22/63 to my right, wondering how I'll finish these four books by Christmas. Empire of the Sun is relatively close to being finished, so it should be easy to finish off by Christmas, but with the other three I am about halfway finished. What do I do? (I just downed the remaining third of my apple cider...)

     With a week and a half left of school before break, I'm trying to hope that I won't have too much homework, which will give me more time to read - but that probably won't happen. I didn't have any work today, as my government class went to see Lincoln. My second time seeing it: still just as amazing!

     Also, I should mention that I can't wait for the release of Stephen King's new book, Sleep Doctor, which is a sequel to The Shining. It should be awesome (just as anything done by King).

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

A Few Book-Baths

      Today I left 11/22/63 in my locker (it was pouring outside, I didn't want to get it wet), and it's got me thinking about the books I've destroyed or mangled over the years.

1. Eragon- I loved this book sooo much (even after figuring that it was essentially a mash-up of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings)... I read it so many times that it literally fell in two! I was naturally scared to death for a bit (okay... that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's true nonetheless) before I brought the two uneven halves to school, where a teacher did some fancy stuff with tape. To this day I don't know how it put it back together. About a year later, I sat and read on the swings, went in for dinner, forgot about it, and found it the next day, a wet heap of paper. Why I didn't think of rain, I don't know, and I was left with two halves of a soggy book haphazardly held together by peeling tape.
2. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers- My first time reading the book, on a trip to Disney World with family, I decided to bring the book down to the pool. We (we being me and my dad) sat at what I thought was far enough from the pool so that what we had would not get wet. Evidently that was not true- it received a light drizzle of water, enough to crinkle the pages, but not enough to cause the ink to spread. I was miffed, but it didn't ruin the vacation.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

This Year's Christmas Book List

      This year, my list for Christmas consists almost entirely of books (the two items that aren't books are a couple music albums that I've been waiting for). Here's the list:

1. The Wind Through The Keyhole, Stephen King
2. Carrie, Stephen King
3. The Catcher In The Rye, J.D. Salinger
4. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
5. 1984, George Orwell
6. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo
7. The Stand, Stephen King

     

Review: The Dark Tower VII- The Dark Tower

      Alright... It's over. I hate finishing good series, if only because I love living along with the characters, and finishing means I can't be with them anymore (almost sounds insane, right?). My life, since spring break early this year, has been nearly dominated by Roland, Eddie, Jake, Susannah, and Oy. I'm honestly wondering what it'd be like not reading about their adventures- because they have been such a constant force in my life. Anyway, how do I begin reviewing this 1000+ page book?

      Let's start with the positives. I could go on and on. The character growth among these five is stunningly amazing- even Oy, despite being a dog/raccoon- type creature (called a billy-bumbler). Of course, Eddie is my favorite character by far... His jokes were timely and awesome, and brought an element of hilarity to bad situations. The fulfillment of Roland's dream, laying his eyes on the Dark Tower, was great. Roland's being thrown back to the beginning of the series is a concept I find fascinating, and has me thinking. How many times has he been through the journey? After Susannah's, Eddie's, and Jake's reunion in New York, will they appear in Roland's next journey? Is the Crimson King still trapped as a set of eyes on a balcony of the Tower, or is he back in action? Have the Beams been permanently saved, or will Roland have to stop the Breakers again? Will Roland have to face off with Mordred again? The questions go on and on.

      Here come a few things that set me off a bit. One, I feel like that with the amount of energy put into the fact that Mordred was this sort of evil guy that would help destroy the Tower (or Roland), his death seemed a bit quick and inconclusive to me. I almost felt a bit let down by the fact that he posed so much of a threat throughout this book, yet he didn't really hinder Roland and friends much at all (except for the huge sidequest he caused, in Song of Susannah, but that's another book). Two: I'm still not sure how I felt about the inclusion of lightsabers  (Although those were in Wolves of the Calla), exploding snitches, and all the pop culture references that were put in to move the plot along. (Hey Jude is popular in both worlds?) I'm left wondering whether King had lost inspiration at these parts, or was trying to tie our world and Roland's together.

      All in all, I loved the series. I have it up there with Lord of the Rings as a series (although there's no way King matched the extensive background that Tolkien put into Middle-Earth). Might I add how coincidental it is that I finished the series on the nineteenth of November? (The number nineteen is a big plot element throughout the series.)

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

The Status of my Reading

      Here I sit, on the floor of my bedroom again, wondering what I shall write about next. Should I outline where I am in my readings? 

1. The Dark Tower- I'm nearing the end of this crazily intense book. They're finally closing in on the epitome of their quest- The omnipresent Dark Tower, the nexus of all existence. At the point I've read to, Roland and Susannah have traveled into the White Lands of Empathica, a snowy tundra plagued by blizzards. 
2. Empire of the Sun- The war is over, yet Jim is still lost alone outside Shanghai- although aided by parachutes of food dropped by B-29's piloted by Americans. 
3. The Diary of Anne Frank- I bought this over the last week from a book fair at school. I've wanted to read this for a while, and upon seeing it I thrust it into my parent's hands and made them buy it for me, even though I have more than enough money for it. *snickers* Anyway, it's fascinating to see the perspective of someone who actually experienced the Holocaust, rather than the textbook definitions many people live by. 
4. Dune- Realizing I haven't picked this one up for more than a week or two, I don't have much to say on this one. Just goes to show what happens when I read multiple books at once. Well, Thanksgiving break is coming up soon, so I should be able to put in some reading time. Hopefully.

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

Literature By Character

      In this post I'll list out some of the characters I've loved the most throughout my readings. They won't be in any particular order, just a general list of my favorites.

• Eddie Dean (Dark Tower series, Stephen King)- I really like Eddie for millions of reasons, but mainly because he has such a dark past to him, yet he's such a purely awesome and hilarious person... and I feel like if I would have acted much like he did had I been put in all the bizarre situations that Roland put him through. 
• Samwise Gamgee (The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien)- He's such a great, loyal friend who never leaves Frodo's side. Of all the characters in LotR, I've always identified with him the most, with all the motivations that drive him.
• Johannes Verne (The Lonesome Gods, Louis L'Amour)- He's well-read, he's sure of himself, and there's something definite about him that I identify with. I genuinely wanted to see what he would do next.

       Yeah, it's a short list... I'll make another post when I think of more.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

So Far This Year....

I've read:

1. The Gunslinger, Stephen King
2. The Drawing of the Three, Stephen King
3. The Wastelands, Stephen King
4. Wizard and Glass, Stephen King
5. Full Dark, No Stars, Stephen King
6. Coming of the Third Reich, Richard Evans
7. The U.P. Trail, Zane Grey
8. Riders of the Purple Sage, Zane Grey
9. The Lonesome Gods, Louis L'Amour
10. Wolves of the Calla, Stephen King
11. Song of Susannah, Stephen King
12. Salem's Lot, Stephen King

      It seems like ages ago since I started The Gunslinger, the first installment of Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I'd gladly review all of these books, but alas, that would entail me reading them again. That would take another year, give or take a few weeks. I will post a review of The Dark Tower, the final installment of King's series, once I finish, which should take a couple weeks among school and other things.

      Coming of the Third Reich stands out as the only non-fiction work I've read this year. That admittedly took quite an amount of effort to stave through, much to my surprise. As you can see, as I've mentioned several times in other posts, I'm a big Stephen King fan. What I'm also really into (I don't think I've mentioned this yet) is the Western genre, particularly Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour. I have a couple L'Amour books in my shelf yet unread.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

My Shelved, Yet Unread Books

      There are, of course, many books that I want to read. But first, as I naturally would do, I have quite a few books on the shelf yet to read. Half-Price Books will be the death of me.

      What do I have to read? The next three Dune Books, and a couple Louis L'Amour books (on the bottom of the picture). Right now, I'm reading Empire of the Sun, The Dark Tower #7, and the first Dune (top of the picture).

      Although only four of these books actually belong to me, you can see how much of a bookworm I am. Also, you can see the genres and styles of literature I'm into right now. Science-fiction, a genre I haven't explored much beyond Star Wars, is one that I'm very slowly stepping into. It's very much like walking into a cold pool- you have to take a while to get used to it. Post-apocalyptic fiction is one of my favorites- I Am Legend (the book, not the movie) is a prime example, and one I liked quite a bit. The Dark Tower series is part Western, part science-fiction, and part post-apocalyptic fiction- it's an amazing series with great characters, ideas, and a great plot. I've been living it since spring break earlier this year, and I almost can't bear the thought of being on the final book.

      Empire of the Sun, a Historical Fiction novel, revolves around the experiences of a young kid in Shanghai after the Japanese invade in the late 1930's. I find it to be a very emotional book, and it is based off the author's own experiences.

      Anyway, that's what I have on the shelf now- at least until I go to another bookstore.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

Authors I’d Like to Meet

      Who wouldn't like to have a long conversation with the people they admire? Ask them why and how they did what they did? Here's a list of authors I'd like to meet and talk with.

1. Stephen King
2. Michael Crichton
3. J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Louis L'Amour
5. Zane Grey
6. Ray Bradbury
7. Douglas Adams
8. J.G. Ballard
9. Isaac Asimov
10. Charles Dickens

What would I ask them? Here's another list.

1. How did you find your love for and talent with writing?
2. Where did you get the ideas for your stories?
3. How do you feel about the success of your novels?

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

Those Random Little Book-Shops

      You know what I love more than anything, other than a good book and a glass of Snapple? The little, quaint book shops you see in small towns- not the big chains, like Barnes and Noble, but the small independent shops. There's something a bit more personal and nice about the small shops, that they're free of huge, generalizing advertizing and such. That you know that they're run by individual people, not by huge corporations. 

      For example, while in Cape Cod this summer, I ran across this small shop, I think it was called the Yellow Umbrella (something like that). It was small, nice, not over-the-top. We stopped by for a quick look, then moved on to more sightseeing, but it sat down and occupied the back of my mind until I decided to drag everyone back there. I just had to buy a book. I high-tailed it to the back of the shop (which was about five steps), and looked for the Stephen King (you see, I'm obsessed) section. I looked through for a few moments, picked up a copy of Salem's Lot, paid the cashier, and now my memories of the rest of that trip to Cape Cod are connected to that book.

      Of course, I think all stores that sell books are cool, but there's just something different about those smaller, individually owned shops.

Stay safe with Hurricane Sandy!

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal

My Current Reading Addiction

     Being the avid reader that I am, I have noticed a trend in the books that I read. Once I read a book, and I like it, I seem to become almost an addict to the works of that author, in a way. I have done so with J.R.R. Tolkien (author of the Lord of the Rings), and also with Michael Crichton (author of Jurassic Park). This 'addiction' of sorts lasts maybe for a year or two, as I become tired of the author.

     Right now- I'm into Stephen King novels. He's got to be one of the best authors of our time (okay, I admit, I am a bit biased). I'm wrapping up the Dark Tower series as of the moment I type this.. afterwards I'll take a short break as I take a chunk out of the backlog of books I have yet to read.

     What I love about the stories he writes isn't the horrific scenes or the extreme level of detail that he goes into, but the depth of the characters the he creates. You end up truly loving the characters, and want to  cheer them on through their hardships and congratulate them when they succeed with something. When you finish the book, you feel as if you had really known each character, and that they had been there for part of your life. It almost affects you when a character suffers a grievous loss, or they suddenly die in some way.

     There are so many possibilities when you really take some time to read. The written word can express so much more than film, I think. Novels aren't constrained by the amount of time people are willing to spend reading something, but rather how much people would rather read, and I believe that makes a big difference.

Long days and pleasant nights,
Neal