The Dark Tower thread

[TMF Jeff]

I've never read the Talisman so I don't really know, but this series seems to be tying all of his previous works together, so it seems likely.

 

[Ayla ny]

I’m pretty sure Santa will bring me a copy, (my ex-mother-in-law buys me the newest King every Christmas) I can’t wait!

 

[BigJim]

One thing I thought was funny in Wolves was the way Stephen King novels were mentioned in the book. King obviously has a very high opinion of his own cultural impact, and he cannot conceive an alternate universe in which his novels have not been written 🙂

Funny thing I noticed...

When looking through the door marked "The Lady Of Shadows" in The Drawing Of The Three, Eddie Dean is seeing out of Odetta Holmes eyes and because she's moving in a wheelchair, he likens it to the cam shot in the film The Shining where it's taken from Danny's eye-view, as he pedals his trike around the hotel. From that it's obvious that Eddie Dean has seen the film and lives in the real world, as opposed to one where the stories of Stephen King are "real life". How in the name of arse then, does Don Callahan turn up three books later? Also, if he's familiar with The Shining, how come Eddie doesn't recognise King's name?

Jeff, without giving too much away... does Wolves tie into the wolves in The Talisman? that was such an incredible book and I would love to read what the characters in it are up to now.

No, it isn't linked to it. 🙂 The wolves of the Calla, are more linked to Shardik.

 

[Ayla ny]

Shardik? oh man... now I'm gonna have to dig through my bookshelf... I don't remember what that is!

 

[drew70]

Ayla, check out the first few chapters of The Wastelands. I believe that's where Shardik is mentioned.

Jim, your question/complaint of the dichotemy in Donald Callahan's reappearance in a world where Stephen King's books are well known fiction...Don't take this wrong, but I think you've got that "picky/twat" thing going again. 😛 Even with all the detail, it's just a story. Any story can be picked apart to find inconsistancies. Why are there no bathrooms on The Starship Enterprise? Why doesn't Sauron of Mordor use Visine? There's no shame in overlooking such things for the sake of enjoying the story, as long as those things don't get too ridiculous,

 

[BigJim]

I'm sure you're right Drew. I notice "continuity errors" all the time. Like the cock-ups that were made in the third Terminator film about the ages of various people and the years the evets of the first two films were supposed to happen in. All in all, you'd have to set the events of the first film back from 1984 to 1978 to make things fit.

Of course, Roland's world and the Tower exist at the centre of all existences. I suppose you could postulate that fiction and reality could co-exist there in perfect harmony. Then again I could just be an incredibly sad individual with nothing better to do...
(Probably right.)


n.b. Drew, did you say you were a doctor?

 

[BigJim]

Why doesn't Sauron of Mordor use Visine?

What the hell is that??? 😕 😕 😕

 

[Ayla ny]

thanks, drew! this just shows me that I really do need to give them (yet another) reread before I dive into #5. it’s been a few years, and many many books, since The Wastelands. that was the one that had the riddling train and slipped into The Stand for a bit, right?

I know how I am tho... if I get Wolves for Christmas, I won’t be able to wait, and I'll end up reading it and THEN rereading the entire series. 🙂

 

[BigJim]

. it’s been a few years, and many many books, since The Wastelands. that was the one that had the riddling train and slipped into The Stand for a bit, right?

That's right, that's the one.

 

[BigJim]

Re: I....

If I read ONE MORE TOLKIEN REFERENCE in this thinly-veiled rip-off I'm gonna run my electric GO-CART over him!

For those of you who may want to know more about this, please visit my "Stephen King Drinking Game" thread, also located in the GD forum.

What's the URL?

 

[drew70]

Jim, Visine is a brand of eye medicine for red or irritated eyes. The commercials say that Visine GET'S THE RED OUT! Perhaps it's not marketed in the UK but over on this side of the pond it's advertised mostly by Ben Stein. Stoners throughout the decades have relied on Visine to mask their high.

Amnesiac, come on now. Stop holding back. Tell us what you REALLY think.

 

[BigJim]

Ah, so that's it. Thanks Drew. By the way, I meant my question perfectly seriously. I think I remember you saying you were a doctor in another thread. Was that right?

 

[WraithTickler]

I've gotten further into Wizard and Glass and just reached the section with Roland's flashback. So far so good. Haven't read through the Stand, but I loved the reference and am familiar with the story from snipets and the made for TV movie, which was good, but did cut out the ending with Flagg.

I have to say I don't mind the Tolkien references at all. King makes it very clear in the beginning that he was influenced by Tolkien in his being 19 intro, and that his goal was a Tolkienesque epic in the world of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I see items like Blaine's riddles as simply as a matter of paying homage to the good old Oxford professor and the influence his work had, but I see also that King is unique enough to take the story and make it his own.

I think one thing that's interesting and probably will get more developed later on is the blending of technology and magic, something that helps combine the different elements together, from the western to the ruined future presented in Lud and even among Topeka in the wake of captain Trips, though lately the magic element has been sparse.

I for one cannot wait to finish Wizard and Glass (and now I can with a break in my finals) and still eagerly await my midnight showing of Return of the King at 12:01 AM on Dec. 17th. ^_^

 

[BigJim]

Don't worry about the magic bit of it. Not only does Roland see Flagg again at the end of Wizard and Glass, but the fifth book sees quite a change of dynamic. Roland is becomming almost sidelined because he's getting arthritis, which leads Eddie to come more to the fore as a Gunslinger. In one of his retrospective moments even Roland realises that Eddie would become the leader if he dies. Jake has changed quite a bit by the fifth one too. He's had his fair share of gunslinger training by now and can chuck his dad's .44 Ruger around with the best of them. It also becomes apparent that he's incredibly strong in "the touch". Roland thinks he's even more so than Alain ever was.

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

I love reading the dark tower series. roland is a great man for all people to look up to. I have read the first four books three times each and just read the fifth one. I liked all of them. The one tihng aobut the dark tower that i love is how it combines every other story KINg ever wrote and it sticks it head in most Stories. From the stand refernece to Dragon's eyes to salem's lot and everything else. this is KING at his best! I really wish they would do a series of movies on the dark tower. I agree eastwood is good choice, but i tihnk if wayne were alive, he be the best choice. Also lee marvin, steve mcqueen, and a few others could do well as roland also.

i just hope roland makes his quest to the end. he is getting older and is not as good anymore but a beat up old gunslinger is better than a army of regular folk or mechanical wolf things anyday.

The other thing i love is the concept of KA. It is a great thing and i actually use the word ka-tet sometimes when pondering my friendships with people. also i believe if it is ka- roland will make it to the tower and fix it. I just do not know if the tower really is in a vacant lot in our new york or some other world and some other time

 

[drew70]

Ah, so that's it. Thanks Drew. By the way, I meant my question perfectly seriously. I think I remember you saying you were a doctor in another thread. Was that right?

No, I think you may have me confused with somebody else, Jim. I'm a Network Engineer in the once-lucrative-but-now-ludicrous field of Telecommunications. I deal with data pipes from 56K up to OC-192. I deal with SONET, ATM, Frame Relay, X.25, TCP/IP. I work on equipment from Cisco, Nortel, Lucent, Alcatel and Tellabs. The fun just never stops!

 

[BigJim]

I agree eastwood is good choice, but i tihnk if wayne were alive, he be the best choice. Also lee marvin, steve mcqueen, and a few others could do well as roland also.

Wayne was too fat to play Roland I think. Too monotonous in voice too. Am I the only one who thinks John Wayne was at best, an average actor?

Mel Gibson 10 or 15 years ago would have been a good Roland. Perhaps even now, as the gunslinger aged drastically at one point. He has the ability to act with his eyes in truly frightening/dramatic/emotional ways that I think would have done Roland fine, say thankya.

I have a strange mental model for Roland though. I picture him as being facially quite like Scott Hall, the ex WWF star. (Still refusing point-blank to call it WW smegging E!) Not as tall as him of course, as Hall is about six fot six inches. It's not identical, but it's close. I think it comes from the cover illustration of him that I saw first, which was from a first edition of the first two books, many years ago.

Even stranger is the mental image I have of Eddie Dean. I've superimposed the image of the store manager who used to be my boss, when I worked for Iceland supermarket, when I was 19. Paul Winfield the guy's name was. The reason it's strange is because Eddie Dean is in his early 20's and has long, black hair. Paul was in his early to mid 30's and had ginger hair that he kept shaved right off, so there was only stubble. Nor did he look anything remotely like the depiction of Eddie Dean in the pictures from which I took my image of Roland.

Go figure. 😕 😕 😕

 

[Admiral Trouser]

Given the parrallels in charecter between Aragorn and Roland, I'd say Vigo Mortissan (sp?) would make a fair choice; He's got that ability to exude stature, but in a really subtle fashion. I reckon he could get Roland down to a tee without too much effort...

AT

 

[HOLLYWOOD]

another great choice to play the last gunslinger would be jack palance from City Slickers. somehow i see roland as a tough as nails son of a bithc who do not laugh or talk much but can kick major ass. That is why i suggested Wayne. Was wayne the best actor? I doubt it but he fit a good role and was the best at it. Wayne was also probably the best drinker and western action hero of all time. I used to think of roland as a western cowboy type of thing in a post nuclear world. now i not really sure what roland world is anymore as the fabric of space, time and all worlds is being destroyed by Walter, Randall flagg or whatever you really call the master of evil.

 

[BigJim]

Now that's an idea! Viggo I could go for.

 

[BigJim]

Oh thank whichever deity looks after the Constant Reader! Part 6, Song of Susannah is even now in my sweaty mitts, awaiting vivisection and digestion!!!