Cheap Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5) (Book) (Stephen King, Bernie Wrightson) Price

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Customer Reviews of Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5)

A 500 page book masquerading as an 800 page one
It's been a while since I read The Wolves of the Calla, so I can't remember specifics. My overall impression, though, is that it was just way too long. I have no problem with a long book as long as the amount of story justifies the length, but Wolves felt like it was 800 pages merely for the sake of being 800 pages. King has often been accused of producing bloated work, but the fifth installment of the Dark Tower series is the first time I've really felt it as a reader: a plot that should lead to a taut, tense thriller is nearly rendered into a tedious essay on a society that doesn't really exist. This isn't even mentioning the fact that the detour to the Calla isn't really more than a subplot, anyway, as far as the overall Dark Tower story is concerned. The entire book takes place in one setting, and very little progress toward the ultimate goal is made. If The Dark Tower was a TV series, Wolves would be little more than a "filler" episode. <
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>Another complaint is that so much information is introduced that either never pays off or is clearly just a sloppy mechanism to solve some future conflict. There is a fixation with a certain number (eighteen, if I remember correctly) that is only vaguely explained and, predictably, turns out to be rather important in the end. So much vital information, rather than being discovered, just appears in the protagonists' minds without explanation, like some Jungian archetype. If this concept had been further explored, it might be intriguing, but as it is it feels like little more than a deus ex machina. There's also a lot of conflict afflicting the characters that is meant to increase tension as the time for the final showdown draws near, but then as they finally face the wolves, said conflicts just seem to disappear and have no bearing on the fight. <
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>So what's good? <
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>Well, there is a great novel lurking in there somewhere, insulated in the protective blubber. I love the idea of a fantasy version of The Magnificent Seven, and the final showdown, in spite of being only ten or twenty pages long, is a knockout. I like the return of Father Callahan from Salem's Lot, and it's interesting to see King tackle some of the exact same scenes, decades apart (to give you an idea of what a geek I am, I actually pulled Salem's Lot off the shelf and compared the scenes in question side by side). Apart from Wizard and Glass, Wolves probably has the most traditionally Western atmosphere of the first five books. The roont twins are carefully and sympathetically drawn--King has always had a way with mentally simplistic characters, although I daresay he tends to simplify their angelic qualities. I also love the mythology within the book, specifically the tale of the plate-throwing woman (don't remember her name, unfortunately) and the unique weapon she inspires among the women of the Calla. The ending is a cliffhanger that makes you want to race to the next book of the series to find out what happens. <
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>Overall, Wolves of the Calla is a worthwhile read, if for no other reason than that it's a vital entry in a longer series. I just wish King had gone over the manuscript a few more times, and had an editor who was capable of telling him "No" every once in a while.

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Good but pales in comparison to the first 4
Wolves of the Calla was the true beginning of the end for the series in not only the fact it was the first of the last three but also it was a major dip in quality. It seems very forced. It is also very short in comparison to the earlier books in the series.

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And The Tower is Closer ... (a little bit anyway)
There are better reviews for this book then i can provide, so i'll keep my perspective short a to the point. Wolves of the Calla is a good addition to the Dark Tower series but it does somewhat lack importance. We see new character development of our favorite "Ka-tet" and are introduced to some new, but not very important, characters as well. The book progresses the Gunslingers further toward their goal of reaching the Dark Tower, but it does so very slowly. Their is many pages of back story to secondary characters in the book, and though these stories are entertaining they are unnecessary and for the most part entirely irrelevant to the quest. The novel was very enjoyable (its still the Dark Tower)I just felt that much of this books trivial "palaver" or planning outweighs the significant parts of the story. I was just hoping for more progression in the quest then was made. You read 900 pages of Wolves of the Calla and at the end your not much closer to the Dark Tower then you were when you began. But with that said, <
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>The Tower IS Closer...