"deep allegorical fantasy"
Roland Deschain of Gilead knows he is obsessed over finding
the Dark Tower, but does not care. He will follow the Man
in Black wherever he goes and for how long it takes even
into eternity until he catches this person, if he is a
person, and force him to reveal the locale of the Dark
Tower. If others die at his hands after meeting the
Gunslinger so be it. Currently he tracks his prey across a desert stopping at a
way station where he meets a child whom he thought at
first was his target, albeit two feet shorter. The kid is
John "Jake" Chambers from 1977 New York City wherever in
hell that place is. Shockingly to the solitary Deschain,
instead of his usual killing or just another soul left
behind, Roland allows Jake to accompany him on his trek
towards the mountains, the Man in Black, and ultimately the
Black Tower. This is somewhat of a reprint, but Stephen King has added
back in edited out sections and rewritten some passages.
The story line retains the strange, deep allegorical
fantasy reminiscent of the cult movie El Topo with less
gore and Michael Whelans' drawings add to that overall
eerie feeling. The desert looms so vast and is so critical
to the plot that the audience will see it as a character
unto itself. The other key players fit in this TS Eliot
Wasteland meets the Stand environs. Fans of the horror
master and those who appreciate a powerful parable fantasy
will join the Gunslinger and Jake on their quest. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted June 8, 2003
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