Opinions on the Dark Tower ending..

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I could live with the insertion of himself, as soon as I figured out he wasn't actually writing the story as it were.

--A

[Zenlunatic]

I thought the ending was weak. Weak for King. Which is still better than most could do. But, I was disappointed in the way he handled the Crimson King - come on, an old guy throwing grenades....the dude was built up in not only the Dark Tower books but he has references to him in his other books...this was an important character! The whole thing with Patrick coming along at the end and handling him through the drawing was pretty deus ex machina, if Patrick was going to be so important he should have been introduced in the story earlier (he was in Insomnia as a kid). (And don't get me started on how he handled Flagg - the guy, although an evil bastard, deserved more, IMO) But these are just my opinions, it's his story and he did what he felt he had to do with the characters, I would have preferred if he had taken years between them, like the earlier novels, but I guess he had a flash of mortality and couldn't wait to finish them, since he still seems to be whipping out novels, perhaps we'll get that "do-over"

[Luke The Unbeliever2]

Wow! It's been a long time since I've been around...

Another thought came to me reading this thread.

I really didn't mind the whole thing with King inserting a semi-autobiographical version of himself into the story.
I mean, in a way, an author breathes life into an entity existing solely in their own imagination. King had stated how much difficulty he had in finding the key to open his mind to Roland's story. Take Robert E. Howard's words as food for thought. That man actually felt that Conan stood over him as he wrote.

Perhaps that points to some eccentricity some authors may develop, in regards to them growing so close to something they've created.

Roland obviously didn't like King, he said so. King may have more than likely felt unworthy to be the author of Roland Deschain's story. I always felt like King involved himself in the story as a way to, umm...validate the idea that "there are other worlds"...so to speak. Kinda like looking through a window to see yourself looking through a window etc.

I think it was a way for King to make Roland and Eddie as real as he could. By making them real he showed us that they weren't his tools, he was theirs.

I don't see that Roland and Eddie were compromised by King's appearance in the novel. Honestly, I think Roland Deschain scares Stephen King...really.

[Avatar]

Good post. It annoyed me at first, but as soon as I realised that fictional-King wasn't actually writing the story or dictating Roland's actions, in other words, he was as much a tool as Roland was, I started to get over it.

--A

[Luke The Unbeliever2]

Good post. It annoyed me at first, but as soon as I realised that fictional-King wasn't actually writing the story or dictating Roland's actions, in other words, he was as much a tool as Roland was, I started to get over it.

--A

Exactly.

[vasko]

Just finished it last month.
I only really see it as a happy ending for Suzannah tbh. The Eddie and Jake that she ends up with aren't our Eddie and Jake. Ours are dead. She can get to know this new pair and maybe fall in love again, we dont get that chance.
Roland's 'end' is painfull to read but I think it works for me.
As a whole I loved the series but I think it started better than it finished.
Kings inclusion rubbed me up the wrong way too, still not convinced.

[M5Dad]

I just found this forum, being new to the entire community. Although the original post for this was a good year ago, I feel compelled to share my thoughts as well.

I'm a huge SK, more with his new stuff rather than his old. I do feel that by adding himself into his own book, it took on a bit of egomania that was a huge turn-off to me. I mean, come on - this guy has just about everything one could want. Fame, fortune, etc. I guess if you have the kind of power that he does over his readers, than you can do what you want without consequence.

Additionally, I too was terribly upset with the ending, almost as much so as with the Sopranos, but I won't get started on that. King's comments regarding the journey are a bunch of crap in my view. The journey was OK, but not great IMO. A couple of the books I simply pushed to move through in order to get near the end. His ending almost reminds me of a child's writing in which an good ending can never be imagine, and it ends with "..... and then I woke up.....".

Anyway, a good author, a crummy end to a series....

[Orlion]

Okay, maybe I'm not remembering it correctly, but didn't Jake die all ready at the end of the first book? Then came back in the third? How would an incarnation deal cheapen things more then they all ready were?

[Avatar]

I do feel that by adding himself into his own book, it took on a bit of egomania that was a huge turn-off to me...

Welcome to the Watch.

I really did think that at first, but I got over it, I really did. King writes himself as much a tool as Roland was. If you think about it, Roland had done those things long before King ever wrote them. It wasn't really a case of "the god of the story appears," if you know what I mean. King wasn't "Gan."

As for his notes...well, I'm reminded of something Orson Welles said..."If you want a happy ending, it depends on where you stop the story."

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't thrilled with a lot of the last books...the Jake/Eddie/Susannah part of the end was cheap and un-King-like. (Personally, I prefer his older work to his newer.)

Okay, maybe I'm not remembering it correctly, but didn't Jake die all ready at the end of the first book? Then came back in the third? How would an incarnation deal cheapen things more then they all ready were?

Well, yes, he did, (and Jakes death in book 1 was awesome), but at least there was a better rationale behind his reappearance. (I know it wasn't really Jake qua Jake who reappeared at the end, but you know what I mean...

In book 1, Jake arrives at the Waystation because Jack Mort (or Walter) pushed him in front of a car. Jake meets Roland, Jake dies. In book 2, Roland kills Mort before he can kill Jake...so Jake doesn't die and doesn't meet the gunslinger...but Roland remembers meeting him...causing some sort of feedback until they reattach the loop later down the line.

So it makes a kind of sense. Finding an alternate Jake and Eddie alive in an alternate world is too happily ever after for King.

(Roland's eternal journey however, is not.)



--A