The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
 

I've recently started reading this series and found it INCREDIBLY rewarding. I recommend it to any Stephen King or Sci-Fi/Fantasy fan or even action fan (I'm of the latter, I don't really enjoy King's horror stories, but the science fiction he has done is as good as his horror is to horror fans). I just finished reading book three recently, and eagerly await getting my hands on Book IV: Wizard and Glass. If you are a fan of all of Stephen King's other books, there are a lot of connections to his other books, such as actual characters and events and places. You don't have to have read any of them, though, I sure haven't. It's just fun for fans of Stephen King, I guess.

For those who don't know what the Dark Tower series is about, a basic generalization is it's the quest of a post apocalyptic cowboy, Roland, The Last Gunslinger, a Knight/Police Officer of his country Gilead, to find the Dark Tower and revive his dying world (a dark mirror of our own). He's also in pursuit of The Man In Black, a wizard who had something to do with the destruction by anarchy of Roland's homeland.

In the next book, he draws people from our world into his own: Eddie, a former heroin addict who has trouble with the Mafia; Odetta Holmes/Detta Walker, a rich black woman during the civil rights movement with a split personality disorder, and Jake, a young boy who is connected to Roland in a most dire way: Roland has been responsible for both once killing him and once saving his life.

The Dark Tower's vague purpose is revealed: it is a gateway to all dimensions and worlds and times, and is the 'power source' for them. To save Roland's world, he must make it there, although that is only part of the journey...

I won't reveal any more of the plot, that is enough to generalize it and give you an idea without ruining everything. It's GREAT reading.

I also don't feel bad about making this topic at this time, as the final book only came out recently, Book VII: The Dark Tower. Stephen King has written this series for the past decade, and is one of his finest works.

Word to the wise: the first book isn't incredible reading. It's okay, but you may feel the urge to put it down. I can assure you, if you stick with it, you will be blown away by the second novel, and be enraptured by the series, at least I assure you there is a good chance. I will point out that it's really short, actually, so you shouldn't have a problem getting through it in a couple of days, and then you can enjoy Book II: The Drawing Of The Three.

Here is a list of the entire series:

The Dark Tower

Book I: The Gunslinger
Book II: The Drawing of the Three
Book III: The Waste Lands
Book IV: Wizard and Glass
Book V: Wolves of the Calla
Book VI: Song of Susannah
Book VII: The Dark Tower

Good series... if you've read it, be satisfied with the ending. Try not to read the coda until you've enjoyed his original ending.

Yeah I really enjoyed it, especially The Waste Lands. Never really got into Wizard and Glass though.

I've only made it up to "Wizard and Glass", however I am really looking foward to the rest of the series.

This is one of my favorite series of books EVER. It's fantasticallly done. I liked Stephen King's novels, but never so much as this. It's really cool how he ties stuff in from his other novels as well. I finished The Dark Tower a few months ago, and now I'm reading all the books that are referenced to or involved in the series, then reading it again.

It's really very good. This Stephen King's Lord of the Rings.

I've read the entire series, and I loved them. However, I was a little saddened by the ending of the last book. I won't give anything away, but I'll say that it felt like he was rushing the ending.

I'm currently on the Walves of the Calla, and I am througholy enjoying the books. I am actually switching between listening to the books on CD and reading them.

I thought the ending gave the whole book a nice cyclic feel. Besides, like King said, the destination didn't mean nearly as much as the journey.

You mean Robert Browning said the destination didn't mean nearly as much as the journey.

I'm in the same boat as Raiden, the last two books had a sort of "Well, the fans are getting restless, better finish this stuff" aura about them. I mean, just look at the dates.

The Gunslinger (1982)
The Drawing of the Three (1987)
The Waste Lands (1991)
Wizard and Glass (1997)
Wolves of the Calla (2003)
Song of Susannah (2004)
The Dark Tower (2004)

If you do the math, he put at least 5-6 years in between each of the books, then rushed out the last 2-3 in two years. Would I have been slightly peeved if I had to wait till 2013 for the conclusion? A tad. Would it be worth it if the last book was as good as The Drawing of the Three (or my favorite in the series, The Wasteland)? Hells yes.

Not saying the last two books are crap, just...sorta thrust upon us instead of gifted.