The Road to the Dark Tower: Exploring Stephen King's Magnum Opus

I cannot heap enough praise on this outstanding review of Stephen King's Dark Tower series except to say that your quest for the Tower is not complete until you read it. Vincent highlights themes, patterns, and notable occurrences from all seven books. Even if you read the seven Dark Tower books in a row (and certainly if you have been reading them over a 15 or 20 year period), you would miss the brilliance of having a single overview of the series to connect a lot of the dots I never noticed. I think this is a MUCH better read than the two-volume Concordance by King's research assistant; that series is more of a glossary or index whereas this book is an ANALYSIS and review of the series. ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER starts out with seven chapters each devoted to the individual books, followed by an awesome chapter reviewing other Stephen King books that related to the Dark Tower series or characters - the obvious ones (Insomnia, Black House) and the surprising ones (a short story in Skeleton Crew, or Roland's appearance in Eyes of the Dragon). Then there is a chapter for each of the major characters, followed by several essays analyzing the series in the context of other great literary works. You get a complete picture of the Dark Tower series - which makes it all the more brilliant to view at once - and even a tantalyzing hint that King and Peter Straub may unite again for the third book in the Talisman/Black House series. I felt like I was back walking the path with Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy one more time as I read this book, and came to appreciate the series' ending even more. You will delight in the subtle clues throughout the seven books as to how certain characters ended up, and have a stand-alone cross-reference of King's other works' references to the Dark Tower is worth the price of the book alone. A must read for Dark Tower fans!

Stephen King's magnum opus "The Dark Tower" has deeply affected many readers, including myself. With fascinating characters, rich dialogue, and the fantastic imagery of a world that has "moved on", this tale encompasses everything an epic should be. In "The Road to the Dark Tower", Bev Vincent has given us the perfect companion for the tale. Its point to point summaries of the seven novels are extremely in depth, with original input from Bev on the more important details of each book. Those who have read "The Dark Tower" know that there is much left open for the readers to discuss, and Bev offers some interesting thoughts and feelings about some of the more open ended concepts such as Roland's fate and the convoluted timeline in Mid-World. In the later chapters, he (Bev) analyzes King's related works and uncovers some connections that even hard core constant readers might not have picked up on. But perhaps the most fascinating part of the book, at least in my opinion, is his chapter on the works that first influenced King to begin Roland's quest. With research as thorough as a professional historian, Bev shows us how deeply ingrained the concept of a dark tower is within our ancient and modern literature. Having looked back at what I have just written, I realize that I am in no way capable of telling you just how well researched and written this work is, and I can only say that if you are a fan of the "The Dark Tower" series, than you will greatly enjoy this analysis of the quest. So, if you are a fan, do yourself a favour and pick up this intriguing piece of work, then maybe you can come back here and write a review more worthy of it. Hope to see all of you on the road to the Tower.

After over three decades and nearly four thousand pages, Roland the Gunslinger's journey has come to its end as the adventurer confronts his destiny inside that strange edifice, the focal point of all existence.Given the considerable amount of time and effort one must devote to reading this epic, many might breathe a sigh of relief upon finishing and move on to other literary wonders. On the other hand (especially if you're one of King's devoted Constant Readers), you might feel the need to immediately begin rereading the seven-volume series in order to relive what you no doubt considered a pleasant experience (a desire in keeping with the spirit of King's ending, in which we learn that ka really IS a wheel). If you fall into the second category, allow me to suggest a pleasant appetizer to precede your literary repast, Bev Vincent's perceptive book-by-book analysis of King's Gunslinger books, titled THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER. A thorough, eminently readable exploration of King's fantasy epic, THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER combines telling insight with a true fan's appreciation of the series, and will surely enhance your enjoyment of subsequent re-readings. Vincent adopts a systematic approach to his analysis, initially providing a brief factual history of the series, from its origins during King's college days to the publication of the final volume of Roland's story on King's birthday on September 21, 2004. Finishing that, he proceeds to discuss each successive volume of the series, offering detailed synopses of each work. Further up the "Road," Vincent offers chapters on "Related Works," "Dramatis Personae," "Epics, Influences and Ka," and "Art and the Act of Creation." He finishes strongly with a chapter entitled "Magnum Opus?" which attempts to put the Dark Tower series in perspective against King's entire body of work, followed by several useful appendices. Vincent is respectful of his subject matter, but never fannish in his commentary; his affection for his subject matter is evident, but never becomes mawkish. The book, which exhibits the respected journalist's deep knowledge of all things King, also is noteworthy for the fact that Vincent had King's cooperation, allowing him to explore avenues that were closed off to other essayists. In the end, the only criticism one can level at the book is the absence of a detailed index, a virtual requirement for a work such as this whose reason for being lies in its examination of even the smallest of details. It's a flaw that can be forgiven, however, in light of the pleasurable reading experience this book provides to Dark Tower fans.

With The Road to the Dark Tower, Bev Vincent has done a wonderful job of capturing the spirit, the breadth, and the richness of Stephen King's Dark Tower series and compiling it into a 350 page reference guide. Eager readers beware: this book contains spoilers to all DT books as well as many of King's other works. It is not intended to be read by anyone who hasn't finished all of the Dark Tower novels. Vincent captures the essence of each of the seven DT novels in a single chapter, providing not only synopses, but ties to other novels, examples of King's influences from literature and life, and analysis on each book and the progression of the series. I especially enjoyed his presentation on the difference between the original Gunslinger (Dark Tower I) and the revised edition. For me, who has read the entire series once and DT I-IV several times, the synopses were less important than the analysis and references. Vincent also points out foreshadowing that appears throughout the entire series that I either missed or had forgotten. Most interesting to me in this book were the other chapters and the appendices. Vincent provides both a summary and a timeline of the publication of all of the Dark Tower novels that shows a real knowledge of the publishing industry. He also provides several other timelines (FACT and FICTION) that help fill in gaps or put events in perspective. Finally, I enjoyed the chapters on King's other works and how they tie to the Dark Tower series. While some of these ties have always been obvious to serious King fans, Vincent provides much that had not occurred to me. I found myself comparing this book to Hy Bender's wonderful Sandman Companion. As I did, I realized the only thing missing from The Road to the Dark Tower are interviews between Vincent and King like those between Bender and Gaiman in the Companion. Overall, however, this is a marvelous reference work and companion piece to the Dark Tower series and a must have for DT junkies and scholars.

Bev Vincent has done an incredible job here, not only with the history, analysis and review of King's Magnum Opus, but with bringing this project to publication. Congratulations Bev! The book, in itself, is an indispensible resource and a must have for any Dark Tower junkie. I found myself learning and remembering things forgotten with the turn of each page. The first ten chapters of the book deal with the publication history of the series, present a comprehensive analysis of each individual book (the original Gunslinger as well as the revised Gunslinger) and give an insightful look into each individual main character. I was surprised by the sheer amount of information packed into this volume, and how enjoyable it was to read. My particular favorite section is the Appendices where Bev creates a timeline for the events of the Dark Tower Cycle. One of the biggest things I struggled with when reading these volumes was keeping track of how much time had elapsed. Bev does a wonderful job clearing that up. All in all, I'd have to say 5 stars, well worth the money. For years to come, as I reread Stephen King's Magnum Opus, I'll make sure to keep this volume close at hand.