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In over 30 years, Stephen King has demonstrated his mastery and versatility over the written word. He has shown us that he can write a good horror novel as well as some great dramatic stories that have garnered him a major recognition by the National Book Foundation. However, before he was a writer he was a reader as well as a fan of spaghetti westerns such as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. He was fascinated by Robert Browning's poem Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came, a picaresque poem of a knight on an endless quest. The poem ends abruptly as Roland finds the Dark Tower and is ready for something, leaving readers guessing. Inspired by this classic work, Stephen King has fulfilled his lifelong dream of writing what he feels to be his best work. Part western, part epic novel, The Dark Tower series is a labor of love that he could now afford to work on. It is one of the best current sagas in popular fiction that will give permanence to Stephen King's legacy. WOLVES OF THE CALLA is the fifth of a completed seven-book series involving Roland, the last gunslinger and his group of apprentices, his ka-tet. Together they are searching for the Dark Tower, a nexus that connects all worlds, including present-day Earth, which is slowly disintegrating. The fabric of existence is slowly deteriorating and Roland may be its last hope. Following the Path of the Beam they are led to Calla Bryn Sturgis, a small Western-style town about to lose its most precious treasure with no way to stop it until these strangers came to town. Every generation or so a group of horsemen known as Wolves come into town stealing the town's most precious resource. Anyone who resists is killed, no questions asked. In fewer than 30 days the Wolves are going to come, only this time they will encounter some resistance with the help of the gunslingers. They will be going against the odds, but they are used to it. Everything happens for a reason and all paths to the Tower leads to ka, or as we know it here, destiny. At 936 pages it is impossible to describe what makes this work so great with the space I am given. This is probably one of Stephen King's most ambitious novels out there today. Aside from the terrific adventure story, this book is filled with lots of literary influences. Tolkien, Hawthorne, Shakespeare, Pirandello, and even Marvel Comics are some of the numerous influences inside this work. It is a long book that took me over two weeks to read but it was one of the most satisfying times I've ever had reading. This is the kind of book that will be discussed for years and years to come if given half the chance. This review only scratches the surface. This book is worth every minute given to it.
Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, May 2006
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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