Wizard and Glass: 4 (Dark Tower) by Stephen King see more by Stephen King Studio Viking BooksLabel Viking Books

Closer Look List Price: £26.55 From: Viking Books From: Viking Books Salesrank: 96166 Released: 2003-06 You Save: £ (%)! Lowest New Price: Click Here  Pages: 704 Format: Hardcover Customer Rating: Also Shop International: (Not all items available internationally)          Wizard and Glass: 4 (Dark Tower) Editorial Review: Wizard and Glass, the fourth episode in King's white-hot Dark Tower series, is a sci-fi/fantasy novel that contains a post-apocalyptic Western love story twice as long. It begins with the series' star, world-weary Roland, and his world-hopping posse (an ex-junkie, a child, a plucky woman in a wheelchair, and a talking dog-like pet named Oy the Bumbler) trapped aboard a runaway train. The train is a psychotic multiple personality that intends to commit suicide with them at 800 m.p.h.--unless Roland and pals can outwit it in a riddling contest. It's a great race, for the mind and pulse. Films should be this good. Then comes a 567- page flashback about Roland at age 14. It's a well-marbled but meaty tale. Roland and two teenage friends must rescue his first love from the dirty old drooling mayor of a post-apocalyptic cowboy town, thwart a civil war by blowing up oil tanks, and seize an all-seeing crystal ball from Rhea, a vampire witch. The love scenes are startlingly prominent and earthier than most romance novels (they kiss until blood trickles from her lip). After an epic battle ending in a box canyon to end all box canyons, we're back with grizzled, grown-up Roland and the train-wreck survivors in a parallel world: Kansas in 1986, after a plague. The finale is a weird fantasy takeoff on The Wizard of Oz Some readers will feel that the latest novel in King's most ambitious series has too many pages--almost 800--but few will deny it's a page-turner. Customer Reviews: Wizard and Glass Book was in excellent condition, this was a hardback replacement for a somewhat worn paperback This one makes all of them so far worth the effort The first three books in this saga have been very much about setting a scene, and a set of prime characters - all the more necessary because of the idiosyncracies of the world in which it is set, and it's relationship to other worlds, including ours. This one makes the most significant step forward so far. It revolves around a story within a story - Roland tells the immensely rewarding story of how his quest for the Dark Tower began. Taking up the bulk of the book, this story finally resolves our uncertainty about how we got to where we are, how Roland's character was formed and essentially what the whole saga is truly about. King's master story-telling skills really show themselves at their greatest in this section. Though still immensely atmospheric, it tells a compelling and captivating story that is difficult to put down. We know from the offset one of its key outcomes - but the fascination is to find out how that outcome comes about. And the story contains a number of false trails, twists and turns to match the best whodunnit. Prior to reading this volume, the series had still been "on trial" for me. However sacriligeous that may seem to devotees, I had started tentatively with volume 1, hoping to know by the end of it whether or not I wanted to continue through the whole saga. However, by the end of that volume, I still did not feel able to make that decision. I recognised the potential of course, and was intrigued, but needed to know how it would develop before making my decision. Volume 2 still did not inform my decision fully - it continued to intrigue me, and certainly showed the closest identification with the science fiction genre. It was also, in some ways, the most brutal so far. But still I did not have the feel for which way it would go. By the end of book three, I had now become quite familiar and fascinated with the scenario in which the saga is set, identified with the ka-tet of five that was now clearly in place, and was intrigued to know what had happened to this world, an apparent "reflection" of our own world to bring it to the state it was in, but was still unsure whether this might be meandering randomly or taking me in a (as yet unidentified) definite direction. Obviously each book left me feeling it was worth carrying on to the next- but still not yet committed to the entire saga. This book satisfied my uncertainty, and showed that my tenacity so far had been justified. It is now clear that we have an imaginative saga that really does combine the best of Westerns and of Science Fiction, and has the power to enthrall. Roland's story of the past is sandwiched between the ongoing story of the ka-tet "in the present". The one small criticism is one I share with a previous reviewer. Despite the dominance of this volume by this story from the past, the ongoing story of the ka-tet that closes the volume out after his story is told is, in itself, very significant to their "mission" and is worthy of being told at a suitable pace, whereas, presumably because of the length of the volume overall, it has the feel of being rapidly told, and not afforded the time that its place in the overall story appears to justify. Nonetheless, even in doing so, King has managed to leave us in a position where we really want to know what happens next, and to root for our heros in the pursuance of their quest. I have now committed to the remainder of the saga by buying the remaining 3 books. Best Dark Tower so far... I really enjoyed the Dark Tower Vol 1: Gunslinger because I was quickly immersed in the idea of a western/fantasy crossover. The mystery and potentially epic scale of what once might have been in Roland's world and the possibilities of what lay ahead didn't disappoint (even if the Slow Mutants did nothing for me). And although I've stuck with and enjoyed much of the Tower ever since I must admit I have been disappointed with giant robotic bears, lobsters and talking trains... and the character of Eddie is just plain irritating. And then came Volume 4: Wizard and Glass. This was the novel I wanted all along! A beautiful western it is too, with believable characters, love, action, tragedy, subterfuge, and a stunning backdrop you can really visualise. Even the witch with her crystal ball is done very well in spite the deliberate cliche. I won't go into details on the storyline because its already been said elsewhere. And then, inevitably, the flashback narrative that makes up the bulk of this novel returned me to the "present", and once again I felt disappointment at being confronted with characters I had little interest in (Why would Roland's friends be giggling and joking moments after hearing his tale of ultimate despair?)and a ridiculous Wizard of Oz homage ending which comes close to wrecking the entire experience. I think Stephen King's writing style is also far better when detailing Roland's history. At least the graphic novels all focus on this element of the series and I look forward to reading them once I've reached the Tower itself. (EDIT: I reached the Tower. The VERY ending is worthwhile and stayed with me for days, but a huge part of the narrative portrays Stephen King as hugely narcissistic and self-indulgent. If you can put up with this then the journey is just about worth it. WIZARD AND GLASS is definately the best novel out of all seven!) Illuminating instalment Whilst around 150 pages of this hefty tome are taken up by continuing the story of Roland's ka-tet of Eddie, Susannah, Jake and Oy, the bulk of this epic continuation of the saga is taken up by the explaining Roland's past, and in particular his relationship with Susan Delgado whilst away on his first mission as a gunslinger after besting Cort. The story passes at a rollicking pace, with the storytelling compelling and plot gripping. King surpasses himself in his portrayal of a young Roland and his first ka-tet of Alain and Cuthbert, creating characters which are supremely believable and which it is extremely easy to identify with. With Susan joining them, it's a quartet that carries the book's many twists and turns, and which easily shoulders the burden of the plot. The world is also far different from the Mid-World we are used to from earlier books, with the Western-like promise from The Dark Tower: Gunslinger Bk. 1 finally being realised, with its exaggerated events and incidental characters being right out of a John Wayne classic. This book is an essential part of Roland's quest for the Dark Tower, and given that it can also be read as a standalone, it's more than worth the five stars. Another great book in series I wasn't sure how many stars to give this book because while I really enjoyed the first 100 pages or so, with the escape from Blaine the Train and the last 80 pages are so were excellent, too. I found the flashback really boring and actually skipped over most of it. There is a flashback to when Roland was 14 but it lasts about 570 pages! And it really isnt neccessary to the plot either. Overall, a good entry in the series. If yiou like the flashback, great, you'll love this book. If not, it can be easily skipped. And the Wizard of Oz world in the last 80 pages was brilliant idea. Looking forward to the next in the series. Related Categories: >> >>Books >>Subjects >>Fiction >>General