Stephen King Book Club

King says in the Afterward that the 60's are not fictional and that they actually happened. And somehow that reality is scarier than anything King could have ever cooked up. I believe future generations (if they actually exist) will look back on the 2010's and 2020's with a similar sense of alarm and disbelief.

This short story collection is unlike all of King's others. It's contains two novellas, and three short stories (two of them ALMOST being long enough to be considered novellas themselves). But the unique thing about the collection is that all five stories share characters and the premise of exploring the 1960's, and how they effected people during and afterwards. It's not just a collection. It's partly a novel in its own right.

The novella "Hearts In Atlantis" is not my favorite thing Stephen King has written. But it's probably the only thing he's ever written that I have no negative notes about. It is a perfect story in both premise and execution. "Low Men In Yellow Coats", is also a great and rewarding drama, made especially richer for tying into "The Dark Tower" and giving readers some ideas about what to expect from the upcoming last three books of the saga. The whole book is special though, even if the other three stories don't speak to me in the same way.

I think I can say that reading all five of these stories together makes this King's most rewarding book for the reader, at least until the final Dark Tower book itself. But it is great because it runs the narrative and emotional gamut in the space of a single book. I can't say enough good things about it. Collection Overall: 5 stars.

1960: Low Men In Yellow Coats

I've always dug this novella, especially because of The Dark Tower connections, but that was my best reading of it. I purely love it now.

It's pure arch, unvarnished melodrama at its essence. Liz Garfield is both one of Stephen King's ugliest characters ever and one of his most realistic characters ever. I find her so detestable because she's not a monster. She's not a psychopath or a sociopath, just a crappy mother and even crappier human being who blames everybody else for her own bad choices. And the friendship between young Bobby Garfield and AWOL Breaker Ted Brautigan is so heartbreaking because his mother's dislike of Ted and her trying to destroy him is irrational on every level.

At the beginning of the story Bobby picks his battles with his mother because he loves her. I appreciated by the end of the story he stopped doing that because he no longer does. Make no mistake: Bobby Garfield makes his own brand of mistakes. But he might never have made them if she hadn't screwed him up so much.

The scene with the baseball bat riveted me and I realize it must have been years since I read this book. And it really must have effected me on a subconscious level. I gave Gilda a similar scene a few years ago in Gilda And Meek without even realizing it or understanding where the rage in it probably came from. It's not a rip-off or an homage, it's simply something I felt needed to happen. I was not aware of there being ties to me having read this book, but I'm certain now that was the case.

I feel like as far as stories set in the early 1960's about kids growing up go, "Low Men In Yellow Coats" puts "The Body" to shame. I previously gave that beloved story a surprisingly bad review when I went over "Different Seasons", but this feels like a MUCH better story exploring the loss of innocence and ugliness of kids becoming adults. And it's so much better-written too! And Bobby, Carol, and Sully-John are sweet characters, not at all like the toxic crew Gordie LaChance surrounds himself with. Yeah, King has really grown as a writer and I believe this is his better representation of kids in the early 1960's.

King Connections of Note: The Dark Tower obviously. Ted Brautigan returns in the final book, his mysterious past is detailed, and his escape from Thunderclap is shown. The Low Men In Yellow Coats are called the can-toi there. This story also calls them "Regulators" which is a deliberate nod to the Richard Bachman novel of the same name. The vulgar cars the Low Men drive are surely the species of car of the Buick in the title of "From A Buick 8". Low Men can also be see in "Gwendy's Final Task".

Every bit of heartbreak and melodrama in this story is earned and feels incredibly raw and powerful. The Low Man telling Bobby at the end that he now understands his mother a little better is cruel as hell, and unfair because I don't find the comparisons remotely equivalent. And you can talk down Bobby because of his criminal tendencies if you must, but the fact that he erroneously believes his sins there ARE as big as hers which shows that he's actually a good person. He wouldn't be as messed up as he is if he weren't. The fact that it effected him so strongly means that he cared. It's not his fault he had a mother who had no idea how to guide that level of guilt and negativity. And that's the sad thing.

I love the ending because even though we eventually learn Ted DOES escape with the help of Roland and the Gunslingers, this story takes it further. The rose petals suggest Ted actually made it to The Dark Tower. And the fact that he sent them instead of being stuck in an eternal time loop suggests he wisely decided not to enter it. Another reason Ted is cool.

I can't get over how great this story is. 4 1/2 stars.

1966: Hearts In Atlantis

Wow. That was... perfect. I don't go out seeking perfect fiction. As a rule, I distrust it. But it occurring in a Stephen King book I read for pleasure is how I came by it, so I don't feel the anxiety and pressure I often feel when reviewing other revered stuff. But really, this is one of those few fictional projects that I have no notes for, and no complaints.

The subtext to the novella is beyond rich, and the idea of a group of kids destroying their lives for a card game is exactly as insane in practice as it sounds in my head. I find card games boring, and the idea that these students got so addicted to Hearts they risked getting thrown out of college and drafted in Vietnam is a perfect allegory for wasted youth. Pete arrogantly and cluelessly telling Stokes near the beginning of the story that he had plenty of time to waste is King hitting hard on the major theme he's exploring: How activists in the 1960's tried to save the world, and utterly failed. Will young activists of the current generation fail? The jury is still out there. Not just because the stakes are higher now and our victory far less likely. On the other hand, the reason the hippies failed is they became complacent. I don't see any of the younger generation taking anything for granted. Not with the climate crisis what it is.

What amazes me about the story is how unexpectedly funny it is. Ronnie Malenfant's joking about having broken in his sister made me laugh about as hard as some of the funniest jokes from Family Guy and The Simpsons. The story is heavy but it's also funny.

The truly heavy part is the students laughing at Stokes falling and nearly dying. It is a great sort of shame for both Pete and Skip, and there's no good explanation for it. And you admire the ugly truth Skip gives the doctor: "We were laughing at his misfortune." Scribner allows King to explore dark truths about human nature in a very literary way. Viking didn't seem to care too much about either King's soapbox or artistic aspirations.

Carol's fate is shocking, and horrible, and twistedly perfect. Because the entire story is about regret and failing their generation. Of course the most virtuous and influential person of Pete's young life is corrupted years later. The entire story is marred with tragedy.

I will say this about Ronnie, which is not evident in the next two stories. He's not all bad. He actually helps out in rescuing Stokes (and covering for him too). In "Blind Willie" and "Why We're In Vietnam" it's hinted he's turned into a monster. Well if he did, he's not entirely that, or at least he wasn't always.

Pete believing Stokes had sold-out for media fame is a great ending for that character. And the book ends with Pete and Skip as elders acknowledging they tried. And like most of the rest of the 60's activists, they failed. It's a bitter ending that puts a lump in my throat. King nails every bit of the allegory of 60's counterculture warriors being Atlanteans unable to prevent their land sinking. And the Hearts game and Carol's insistence on the importance of "information" drives those points home beautifully.

This is not my favorite Stephen King story. I've noted elsewhere perfect fiction makes me uneasy. But it's also the one and only Stephen King story I have no notes or complaints about. I was initially gonna give "Low Men In Yellow Coats" five stars, which it ordinarily would deserve. But I knocked half a star off because it's simply not equal to this. This is Stephen King as his best: He moves me rather than scares me. 5 stars.

1983: Blind Willie

I think this is the weak link of the book.

The premise is ridiculous and Nonsensical. William Shearman does penance for beating up Carol Gerber and war crimes in Vietnam... but pretending to be a blind guy and scamming donations as a street bum? How does that remotely make sense?

I sort of want to read the original edition of the story. I'm pretty sure King retrofitting it to fit in with the rest of the Hearts In Atlantis stories is the thing that makes it nonsensical. If it's penance, it makes no sense. If it's a random scam unrelated to everything else, it might actually be an interesting premise. The connection to Carol Gerber makes the idea lose a lot in translation.

King Connections: If Raymond Fiegler isn't Randall Flagg from "The Stand" I'll eat my hat.

That did not work. 1 1/2 stars.

1999: Why We're In Vietnam

Also a weak entry, with a completely underwhelming and unsatisfying ending.

Bobby Garfield thinks Sully-John is "kind" in "Low Men In Yellow Coats" but that isn't in evidence here. And while Willie, Bobby, and Pete Riley all have deep regrets for what happened to Carol, Sully's reaction to her is alarmingly vulgar and violent. The other people in the story remembering Carol want to remember the best of her, and give her the benefit of the doubt. Sully calling her the c-word and wishing she was dead makes me strongly dislike him.

I though the idea that Slocumb shot the other guy because shooting Malenfant wouldn't work was interesting, and the idea that Ronnie became a born-again Christian was freaking apt.

Deiffenbaker tells Sully that he hates their generation because they had the opportunity to save the world and they squandered it. I sense King is building a theme here.

Meh. 2 stars.

1999: Heavenly Shades Of Night Are Falling

It's a perfect Epilogue to the whole book, calling back and tying into the other four stories wonderfully. I'm glad Bobby grew up well-adjusted, and that Carol came through the darkness all right too. And Ted, being free, is still working his magic. And it's magic if he knew about Pete Riley and what he meant to Carol.

The way Carol revealed herself to Bobby was narrative bliss. Pure storytelling magic.

King Connections: The idea that Raymond Fiegler is Randall Flagg / Flagg from "The Stand" and "Eyes Of The Dragon" is solidified by Carol / Denise claiming someone from her past taught her the ability to become "dim".

Not a great story in and of itself. But it feels like a satisfying wrap-up to everything else. 4 stars.

For Stephen King Book Club I am reviewing the printed screenplay rather than the miniseries. But even though it's been a few years since I last saw it, I still suspect there will be some overlap in this review.

Out of all the TV stuff King has done "Storm Of The Century" is his favorite. And I see why he likes it. The conflict is so arch it borders on Biblical, and the downbeat ending was unusual for network television at the time. So I get the appeal. And no lie, the finished miniseries is pretty good. But I am reviewing the screenplay, and a lot of it is flawed and by extension than means the miniseries is too.

I want to take this first complaint off the table early on because it's not fair to complain about the screenplay for the miniseries' failing. But every time I read this screenplay it bewilders me how badly miscast Jeffrey DeMunn was as Robbie Beals. He's supposed to come off as a more hapless version of Big Jim Rennie from Under The Dome, but not only is DeMunn thin and not sloppy like the screenplay says he should be, but the way DeMunn played the character worked against what they were trying to get across. I felt sympathy for Beals in the miniseries I shouldn't have because DeMunn played him as a deer caught in the headlights. And the instances where he brushes up against the hero Mike Anderson's authority are played wrong too. He doesn't strike me as the thoughtless ahole he should be. He's a strict prig. And that level of anger is different enough that I feel it gives him a sense of authority with the audience he should not have. As an actor DeMunn's demeanor is TOO credible. And that makes the miniseries a LOT less effective than it should be.

But as far I know, that's really the only thing the miniseries lost in translation from the screenplay.

All things being equal however, I have to admit I don't much like the subtext to the story. I get it's a Biblical allegory, and the stuff about Legion and the colony in Roanoke is spooky and cool. But Stephen King is a writer who is inconsistent about some of his bigger themes. He often shows a small town or community being forced into an impossible position and asks if they CAN band together for the common good, or is the conflict going to tear them apart. In "The Stand" the good guys crushed it. In "Sleeping Beauties", rationality won out in the end after a hard fought battle. In "Under The Dome" sinister, human machinations made it so the good guys never had a chance. "Storm Of The Century" takes a similar jaundiced view of small communities and them facing a crisis. And I have said before that a lot of King's portrayals of small-town people boiled down to simple snobbery and elitism. And I especially feel that here. Why?

Okay, so I get Mike Anderson is supposed to be Job. And this is not something King could have known in 1999, but it's something I've become painfully aware of in the meantime. A political consensus, especially a uniform one, is purely impossible in a large group of people. No matter how rational or irrational the position, there is always going to be a not inconsiderable pushback from a small contingent in that group. And I'm saying that goes not just for political things. But for things like THIS especially? King isn't just not giving a small island town proper credit for all standing against Mike doing the right thing. It's not realistic. There would be at least a dozen people who saw things Mike's way, and that's only if I completely accepted the idea that Linoge would have scared all the rest of them.

King's problem, and the moral dilemma he sets up is that Mike's position is irrational. It's RIGHT, but the townfolks willing to give Linoge anything he wants is the rational position. What King does not understand is that a large chunk of society IS irrational, and is unwilling to do things in their own best interest. I can believe all of the parents turning against Mike's idea to stand and fight. Surely there had to be a handful of goofballs in that townhall who wanted to fight the good fight because they didn't have the same skin in the game as the parents. And I think the election of 2016 was a wake-up call for King, and I suspect if he wrote this screenplay after it, Mike would no longer be standing alone and shouting against the wind. That's not how unpopular political opinions work. In fairness to King, this idea is almost plausible to me before 2016 happened. I only notice it's bogus in hindsight. If I looked up my DVD review of the miniseries on my Dreamwidth Journal there is no doubt in my mind that specific thing totally escaped my notice. I didn't even think of it as a mistake because I had no context to understand that it was and how and why it was either. And frankly, I wish I never knew that.

The ABC King miniseries tended to have repetition of children's rhymes (IT's was of course The Itsy Bitsy Spider) and I have to say it probably isn't as spooky in practice as King thinks it is. I imagine if I rewatched the miniseries I'd react in the proper horror at the kids singing that mindlessly as Linoge is taking over their minds. If I saw the bit with a near catatonic Cat Withers singing it after have realized she bludgeoned her boyfriend to death, in 2023, I'm pretty sure I'd laugh. I'm pretty sure I'd find it stupid. Maybe the miniseries worked it out so it was scary onscreen (not impossible) but I think I'd roll my eyes in 2023. Just a hunch.

Speaking of the kids, King is able to write interesting small children. Danny Torrance from "The Shining" springs immediately to mind, as does Ki Devore from "Bag Of Bones". I think his portrayal of the kids in this screenplay sucks. And maybe it's because he knew if they were gonna cast kids this age they couldn't do any of the heavy dramatic lifting of books. You'll note that Danny and Ki were aged up a few years in their screen adaptations for this reason. But I don't like the kids because they don't feel like credible characters in their own right. All that matters is how worried the parents are about them. They aren't characters at all. They're currency. Or a McGuffin if you like that better. I would like to think that's because King was thinking ahead to casting real-life kids. But it doesn't stop them all from being generic TV brats.

I'll tell you one thing I liked about the bleak ending. I like how unforgiving Mike Anderson is with her former friends and he ex-wife. Hatch is actually miffed at the end and wants him to get off his high horse. But Mike's high horse is all he has, and all he needs to treat Hatch and Molly with nothing but hatred and contempt. It's weird Hatch is trying to reason with him at the end. Mike has every right to hate him and his wife. And I like that King gave him that moral high ground unambiguously, even if as noted before, the town hall sentiment wasn't real-world credible for being uniform. I dig how pissed Mike is.

Andre Linoge is an elegant villain. The line he says that gets me is when Ralphie asks him why he's wearing the cuffs he says, "Because I choose to." King has NEVER given any of his other characters, hero or villain, a line that simply cool and telling in its brevity. That's not how King usually writes his characters. It's not an unusual line for a different writer. But it's way brisker and cooler than King usually writes his baddies.

Mike's version of the Job story is pure Stephen King. I doubt he came up with it himself, but he always puts great stuff like that in his works. It's fabulous, especially Mike calling the punchline back in the townhall.

The cool thing about the story is as far as Biblical allegories go, there is a lot to unpack. Mike Anderson is the really the only person who outright denies what Linoge accused him of, even if cheating on a test is no big deal compared to everyone else's sins. Why is that? Hatch is present with Linoge more than any other character than Mike. Why is he the only character Linoge doesn't spill a dirty secret about? Is is because Hatch simply doesn't have one? That specific unanswered question is the kind of thing allegories like this SHOULD raise. What is Linoge going to tell Ralphie when he realizes he can never see his parents again? Will Ralphie be so under his spell at that point he won't even care? And was Molly right? DID Linoge rig the game to target Ralphie because of the fairy-saddle? It would make a sick kind of sense if he did, but to me it would be even more outrageous and unfair if he didn't. All of these are good questions to be asking.

King connections of notes: Little Tall Island is Dolores Claiborne's island, although we don't know where she is during this storm. King also has Cat reading the kids the book "The Little Puppy" and mentions it was a favorite of Danny Torrance's from "The Shining".

I think King's opinion of this was probably a little high, based on the screenplay. But I don't recall having any issues with the miniseries itself (outside of DeMunn) so maybe the execution fixed most everything else. Either way, it's imperfect. 3 1/2 stars.

I did an essay about this book awhile back (because I disagreed with it) so here is an actual review. Although since I STILL disagree with it it might more accurately be called a rebuttal.

First of all, I want to acknowledge, that as a work of nonfiction, it's actually not insufferable, which if you ask me is King's entire problem with his nonfiction. He's not trying to be edgier-than-thou / too-hip-for-the-room for once. And while I don't approve of his suggestion to turn off the TV when you want to write, at least his opinion has evolved to say that as a medium it sometimes has value.

I don't write like Stephen King does. I don't regret that fact, and I have zero problems doing it. My problems with King's real-life opinions in general is how iron-clad he believes them to be, and that as a writer he is somehow entitled to speak for every single person who attempts that craft. King has deeply held convictions about all writers and creative types that I'm offended at not just because I don't recognize myself in them. But I also recognize that all writers are different types of people, and King's "one size fits all" rhetoric about the profession demeans our individuality not just as writers, but as people. There's less of that in this book than previous nonfiction books and articles. But I think a lot of King's opinions boil down to snobbery rather than insight.

There are some great tips to be found in here. I don't find him telling people how to start their process as useful. I can go weeks without writing my fiction and pick up like no time has past. Similarly, I never have to let my scripts breathe because I'm afraid I'll change them the first chance I get without distance. I do shockingly few second drafts. And outside of spelling errors, I think what I come up with is fine.

The other thing I disagree with King about is something I disagree with ALL writers about. King believes scripts need to delete "unnecessary" words. I have never EVER seen the point in doing so. Reading is FUN. And my stories are fine (to me at least) as they are. Just because it's a given in writers' courses that you must "trim the fat" doesn't mean every single writer needs to do that. I like that my scripts are wordy and unwieldy. I feel like cleaning the excess verbiage up to make it more acceptable to modern writing standards would make it sound a LOT less like my own voice. King is right that you have to take readers into account about stuff like that. But if the reader isn't there to READ, and enjoy dialogue and back-and-forths, why ARE they there? Is it possible I have enough faith in how thick my work is because I actually think it's interesting? Or does that violate another one of King's ironclad rules that he uses to speak for everybody?

I love King's disdain for adverbs though. Not because I agree that they are unnecessary, or added words for no reason. But because the examples he gave made the passages sound badly written. And it amazes in this same damn book while talking specifically about how awful dialogue attribution adverbs are, he mentions how much he loves J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. Every time I read those books, every time there was a line that was something like "Hermione said darkly" or "Harry said loyally" I would always wonder to myself how much better these books could potentially be if the prose was written by someone with a MINIMAL speck of writing talent. No lie. They are great stories and ripping yarns. Told badly by a poor writer. King hating adverbs and showing special disdain for dialogue attribution adverbs makes me wonder how he's a fan of Rowling at all.

King also talks about his writing pet peeves, and I'm flummoxed he is actually annoyed by somebody saying the words "That was cool." I'm not saying Stephen King is uncool, but you'd really only have issues with that statement if you WERE uncool. It's such a noncontroversial statement for other people.

It's also the way real people talk, by the way. King talks about people writing and complaining about the language he uses, and uses the s-word as his main example. But he also mentions he gets grief for using the n-word. And his justifications for ALL of that boil down to "This is the language of the blue-collar rural characters I am writing, and this is their truth". I'm supposed to take that excuse at face value from a person who places such a negative value judgment against things being declared cool?

And I'm sorry Uncle Stevie, you make that excuse for the f word, or the s word, but when you start excusing hurtful racial and homophobic slurs because this is how people in you class and circle... Get the hell out of that circle. Get a new circle. There is no need for a white writer to EVER use the n-word in fiction. EVER. And while we are on the subject, a LOT of King's usage of that word, particularly in the 1980's was gratuitous, not realistic, and done on the same level of wannabes like Quentin Tarantino and Ralph Bakshi. Stephen King's repeated casual use of the n-word wasn't truthful. It was him engaging in Edgelord behavior before popular culture even understood what that was.

I mentioned the book is well written. Despite all of those previous complaints, it is. And while I believe that writers should definitely use their own process and judgment in how to begin and continue, and not worry about what King (or me for that matter) say, some of the book is damn useful.

Up until last winter when David Zaslav from Warner Discovery was writing off people's work for taxes I wanted to sell my comic at some point. Because of that, there's no way I ever will, but when I was thinking about it, I thought King's story of the composite person of Frank, and the letter they wrote for potential agents was probably the most useful thing in the book. Really detailed some excellent steps to get yourself out there, made better by the fact that King goes over that great letter bit by bit and discusses how each small thing worked in Frank's favor. Useful as hell.

I feel bad for King recounting his accident, because it IS the elephant in the room, and the nonfiction book would feel incomplete without a full accounting of it. But at the same time I realize that epilogue doesn't fit anything else King has written here, and was something he was probably pressured to write, either from the publisher, or a physical therapist. And it's good King has gotten a healthy outlook about it. But even though that accident actually improved the final two Dark Tower books, I can't help feel like it took a little out of this one.

The biographical start to the book is the part I responded best to. King isn't on a soapbox, he's just telling how he got to where he is. Some of the anecdotes are funny too. I see a lot of his genius brother David in the "Messiah" in the short story "The End Of The Whole Mess". In the afterward to "Nightmares And Dreamscapes", King claimed the character was based on his brother, but little did I know HOW much.

The unfinished story example that King uses near the end of the book intrigued him enough to finish it in a story called "1408" in the book "Everything's Eventual".

There's an amusing essay by Owen King at the end about audiobooks he used to record for his dad when he was a kid (his defense of Dean Koontz's Watchers to people who have only heard the ludicrous premise is totally fair). Joe Hill and Stephen King do a revealing question and answer section at well. And King lists a bunch of books he likes for three separate editions of the book. The book is pretty damn thorough, is what I'm saying. I don't agree with every conclusion King reaches. But he sure as hell has enough material to back up his arguments, which is more than I can say for my own brushing back on him. If you want my advice on the best way to write, it's "Don't listen to anyone else." And yeah, that includes me.

A pleasurable, and pleasurably frustrating nonfiction read. But then King has always been a pleasurable and pleasurably frustrating fictional author, so that's totally on-brand. 4 stars.

I never looked back too fondly on this book (and King doesn't like either) it but the truth is every time I read it I'm reasonably entertained and enjoy it at the time. Not sure why I always look back on it less fondly, but I do want to point out it's one of those supposedly "poor" works of fiction that doesn't actually feel that way when you are going through it and you only think that when it's in the rear-view mirror. The movie UHF is another one of those projects, although in fairness to "Dreamcatcher", even now having just put the book down, there isn't the exact same sense of shame for what I just enjoyed and laughed at in UHF. For whatever that's worth.

My favorite part of the book is Owen Underhill telling Henry to keep repeating that they were going to be heroes. There is something very funny and comforting about it, and it gets Owen off his ass at least.

Science fiction has never been King's strong suit, but there is no question this is better than "The Tommyknockers". Don't know if King feels that way or not (he hates both books) but it is.

Kurtz is one of King's better (and crazier) villains too so that's another reason this book doesn't deserve all the crap it gets.

I had a couple of problems with the book that I can safely discuss. I thought the ways Beaver and Pete died (or in Pete's case went to his fate) were too "horror movie". I can't really sympathize with Henry and Dudditz's grief over those deaths when they occurred solely because those characters were doing unbelievably stupid and careless things. Usually King avoids characters, specifically the good guys, behaving "horror movie stupid" but he didn't bother doing that here and it irks me.

The other problem is something that has always been a weakness of King's. King clearly distrusts psychiatry for his own petty reasons, and thus his portrayal of Henry's job and his suicidal ideation is just... pure crap. No reputable psychiatrist would let that gross patient get away with using their session to simply discuss the gross things they were eating. King also having Henry identify his failure with that patient as having been a psychiatrist who told his patient the truth is another thing that says King's irrational fear of shrinks is really hindered him in creating a believable one. Reputable therapists tell their patients the truth all the time. That's how the patient is able to work through their stuff.

Henry's plans to commit suicide also don't feel credible because King focuses on Henry's various plans to do it rather than the pain that is causing him to WANT to do it. It's like King believes that mindset is purely random and occurs for no actual reason. Which is b.s..

Just for the record, this novel contains some King language I can't stand, that he's used before, but I couldn't really call him on it before this. Beaver tells his friends if they ever tell anyone he sang to Dudditz to stop him crying "I'll never chum with you guys again." No kid would EVER say that in the 1970's. Just because people in 1950's spoke in such a square manner doesn't mean kids from later eras ever would. Nobody uses the phrase "chum with" anymore. The only person I ever hear use it is Stephen King. Uncle Stevie, stop trying to make "chum with" happen. It's not fetch.

King Connections: Much of the novel takes place in Derry and the Losers Club, Pennywise, the Great Flood, and the Standpipe from IT are all either mentioned or seen. Also mentioned are Shawshank Prison from "Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption" and the town of Jerusalem's Lot from "'Salem's Lot".

I enjoyed most of it, but ask me again in six months, I'll have totally forgotten this review and tell you I didn't. ***1/2.

I cannot dismiss Peter Straub's contributions here. And I would like to acknowledge that outside of "The Talisman", this is the only other thing of his I've read. That being said "Black House" is my favorite Stephen King book, even if he only cowrote it. It's the best. It satisfies me on nearly every level. Part of the ending is deliberately frustrating too (seriously no punishment for the vile and loathsome yellow journalist Wendell Green?) but the book is just great all the way through.

It's the best prose attached to King's name too. Critics have speculated that specific thing is down to Straub but it doesn't stop it from being true. The first person narrative told by the perspective of a storyteller riding on the back of demon crow is a brilliant conceit, and the Narrator of this story is King's most fun and insightful storyteller since the dude who told us "Eyes Of The Dragon".

Let's unpack what I like about the book. The first thing I noticed and approved of all the way back when I first read it a couple of decades ago is how emotionally healthy Jack Sawyer is. And how rare and refreshing that fact is. For most genre that does a decades later update of a child character who went through an ordeal, the first instance of the character the writers of the sequel inevitably shows that the adventure back then broke the child hero, and they are an unhappy and dysfunctional adult. If the character in question is female it actually behooves the writers to saddle her with gross sexual habits and deviances as well. 20 years later most creators believe the right storytelling move is making the reader / viewer actually REGRET the adventure they formerly enjoyed enough to read the sequel to in the first place. If you asked me the narrative logic of doing that, I can safely tell you there IS none. Which is why Jack being a brilliant retired police detective living in a house he loves, spending his time with a friend he loves (and Henry Leyden is just the COOLEST), and having a girl from another world he instantly falls in love with makes me wonder why every other decades later sequel makes this crap so freaking hard. I am as excited to see "Our Old Friend" as the Narrator suggests I should be, because I actually like him even more as an adult BECAUSE he's well-adjusted.

Henry Leyden is a great character. His death doesn't make me cry the way Wolf's did in the original book, but the cool thing about is it it wasn't a waste. The writers gave Henry his due and one last chance to be there for his best friend with crucial information of the Fisherman. The reader isn't upset at Henry being a martyr just because they loved him and the writers cruelly took him away from us. What they wisely did instead was give him a memorable, noble self-sacrificing death, that's equal parts funny, and awesome, and charming and purely that character. Wolf made me cry more. But I woulda killed for that poor kid to have been allowed to die with this much dignity.

Like "The Talisman" "Black House" is NOT exactly a horror book. It's more horror and less fantasy than "The Talisman", but when the Narrator points out the body count of the heroes should have been higher at the end of the adventure, if you are speaking of horror books, that's correct. And yet the scene of the Thunder Five rolling down the hidden woods' path to Black House itself as their reality becomes nightmarish is some of the scariest stuff King has ever written removed link Because he and Straub get us inside their heads, you see.

I love the biker Beezer St. Pierre. The thing I love most about him is Jack impressed the hell out of him with the thing with the lilies (great moment by the way, and another high point of King's career) and he now believes he can do no wrong. This concerns the biker Sonny, but Beezer's respect for Jack IS kind of WEIRD if you think about it. When Jack is essentially roughing up Ty at the end (only because he needs to) Beezer is flustered enough to tell Jack to knock it off or he'll knock him on his ass. Jack roars "Shut up!" and the big burly fearless biker startlingly DOES. What this tells me is that Beezer, the leader of the Thunder Five, recognizes JACK as his Alpha. And is it any wonder this fact worries and confuses Sonny and Kaiser Bill? I DO find it endearing, and since I too love Jack, it makes me love Beezer. But it IS quite irrational if you unpack the reasons for it and discover that specific level of admiration is probably WAY more than deserved. But Hollywood's GOT something, you know? From the Talisman, even still. That might be the actual thing Beezer is vibing on.

I can safely safe the crime scene mess as Ed's Diner is all Stephen King. Stephen King does very different morals about both police and civilians in different stories. I think French Landing is a little scummier than MOST of his Maine haunts (although not ALL of them). And his police are of the admirable kind seen in Castle Rock and "From A Buick 8" instead of the corrupt cops from "Rose Madder" and Derry from "Gwendy's Final Task". But King reaches different conclusions all the time. Here it's that a small group of people you barely know can't be trusted to keep a major secret. In the VERY next book "From A Buick 8" the moral is the EXACT opposite, that only small town cops can keep things within their own ranks. King never has a firm moral to preach. People and situations differ every single time. Which is kind of nice and makes his stuff unpredictable.

I feel both sympathy and disgust in equal measure at the Mad Hungarian. The bit with the flashlight over Wendell's head redeemed him a bit, but really, the dude sucks.

And yeah, major props to Straub for the prose if that was all him. But I think King handled most of that crime scene mess himself. It's exactly the kind of stuff he does. When the cop is angry and in wonder that these crazy people in this violent mob who want to take "souvenirs" from a little girl's murder site, think the COPS are acting poorly by denying them that I agreed with her disgust. And this part is less complimentary of King, who DOES tend to look down on small-town folk. His judgments of small-knit communities ARE sometimes favorable. During this scene King's cynicism is showing entirely.

There are a lot of cool little moments I like. I loved the scene of Jack watching Lily's movies on in the background. And I loved learning that as a kid he always hated the occasions his mother died on film. That is a relatable and believable detail that makes me love Jack even more.

Jack's love of Judy in the mental ward and Sophie in the Territories is pretty awesome. It makes the Epilogue feel like a happy ending too.

I love when Jack asks Henry what the best song and album was, Henry says if he's aware that is a very personal question. It totally is.

When I recently reread "The Talisman" my outlook about the character of Speedy Parker was dark. Not just because of the stereotypical race stuff King and Straub rubbed the reader's nose in the mid-80's. In hindsight him browbeating a 12 year old kid into doing what he did is actual psychological child abuse. Beezer and Doc are upset at Jack's harsh tone to Ty Marshall at the end. But it's a tenth of the manipulative guilt trip Speedy put him through as a kid. And I like that "Black House" plays up the idea that Parkus (sporting Gunslinger regalia of all things) might be this dark and unforgiving jerk and that Speedy was a performance for a scared young kid. When Jack is asking him questions about how to find the Fisherman Parkus yells "Shut. Up." scaring both Jack and his new love Sophie. What I love is eventually Jack calls him on this new dour and unpleasant persona and then Parkus sort of is like "You're right. My bad." But I had dark thoughts about Speedy the last time I read "The Talisman". "The Talisman" attempted to excuse what Speedy did as necessary and part of the hero's journey. In hindsight, I don't agree with that idea even a little bit. "Black House" is cool because it says I'm right to distrust that fact about him coldly using Jack as a political pawn and means to an end.

King Connections Of Note: Direct sequel to "The Talisman" of course. "The Talisman" has always been considered a Dark Tower related book, mostly due to the concept of Twinners and other Multiverse stuff. "Black House" firmly ties the Narrative to The Dark Tower story itself in MANY ways. Black House itself resembles the haunted mansion from "The Waste Lands". Blaine and Patricia the Monos from that book are mentioned. Speaking rings can be seen in "The Gunslinger" and "The Waste Lands". The lead Breaker is mentioned to be Brautigan, as seen in the final book "The Dark Tower", as well as the story "Low Men In Yellow Coats" from "Hearts In Atlantis". The vampiric hospital workers here are hinted to be the Little Sisters Of Eluria from the short story Dark Tower prequel "The Little Sister Of Eluria" from the collection "Everything's Eventual". And finally the haunted mansion Rose Red from the miniseries "Rose Red" is referenced too. The ending of the book of the Narrator telling the reader they can stop and be happy at the second to last chapter and not be made miserable by reading the actual ending is also later done in the final Dark Tower book. Like here, the actual ending that King warns us to stay away from is nowhere NEAR as bleak as he warns.

I mentioned Wendell Green. He's certainly a King creation. Only King could create a character that loathsome and self-serving and someone that believes every weakness of his that PROVES that he sucks is secretly something that shows deep down how daring and brave and amazing at his job he is. Did I mention this obnoxious punk getting NO punishment for the crap he puts our characters through doesn't sit right with me? Because it doesn't.

Wendell screaming "Rape!" when he did shows that specific character deserved to be MAJORLY punished as the end and I'm pissed that he wasn't. Also him bringing up the murderous chant at the police station after Jack had already calmed things down? Yes, this character skating to a happy ending pisses me off like nothing else.

A third book was planned, but I assume that is off since Straub died. I understand why that is, but part of me is curious to see how King could potentially end the story on his own. He probably won't out fo respect to his friend, but the critic blurbs at the beginning mention they are dying for another sequel and I could use some damn closure too here, Uncle Stevie. As painful as that might be for you. Hint. Hint. Jack is pulled places in "Black House" he doesn't want to go because it reminds him of painful memories. Maybe that means King SHOULD finish the story on his own at some point. You made Jacky be a coppiceman when he didn't want to here, Stevie. Maybe it's your turn to do the same.

What do I think of The Fisherman? Nothing Special, although since he ultimately works for the Crimson King, clearly better Big Bads than him are worth being impressed by. Burnside strikes me as a pretty gross fellow and I don't find him remotely compelling.

I love that before he discovers Henry's body, Jack had decided to tell him old friend the truth about the Territories. I love the idea that Jack believes he would have been wild about Wolf. You know, I think he would have been at that. I actually loved Henry almost as much as Jack did.

I like that Jack's talent as a coppiceman is to simply listen. King and Straub describe the technique, and show us how it works with Potter and how and why he refuses to use shortcuts. And I mentions it's cool Jack was blessed by the Talisman and is amazing at his job as homicide detective. But as a person trying to save the Beams, I kind of get why Parkus is frustrated with him. He tells him over and over again none of this is to do with either the Territories OR Twinners, and Jack like a dope is still preparing for the final battle like it IS. He cannot wrap his head around it. The most eye-opening demonstration that Jack doesn't understand how important and significant this mission is, is when Parkus refers to the cavalry to rescue the Beams Jack's like "That's us." And Parkus is like "No, you dope, that Roland of Gilead and the Gunslingers. Whatever your part is in that expect it to be both brief and relatively unimportant."

And the end of the book speculates perhaps there IS more for Jack to do to save the Beams, but as we later saw, there really was not. Even King writing the third book on his own probably couldn't change that fact. The canon is pretty much "set" there.

I love the wise and vulgar 2 headed parrot. I know I've heard a similar saying to, "God loves the poor worker above all else. That's why he made so many of them.". But it's still a pretty funny saying, especially if you pop an f-bomb in the middle of it. I love that parrot.

Again, out of everything King has written, screenplays, and teleplays included, "Black House" is my favorite. The ending is basically a nonstop Crowning Moment Of Awesome for the heroes and it's kind of refreshing to see the heroes of a horror book simply waving around a magical bat and taking care of business. "Doctor Sleep" also impresses me for this reason, but I think "Black House" is actually the better book. But it's my favorite King thing of all time. *****.

This is a book about an unsolved mystery. A few years later Stephen King will return to the idea with "The Colorado Kid". I think "The Colorado Kid" is the better book. If only because the young woman reporter the two older guys are trying to impart the lesson to actually understands it. Here, I find Sandy Dearborn's anger at Ned Wilcox's stubborn refusal to accept there is no answer righteous. I find Ned annoying myself.

Another difference between "The Colorado Kid" is the reader only knows as much as Vince and Dave do. Or at least as much as they are willing to tell. Because of both "The Dark Tower" and "Low Men In Yellow Coats" from "Hearts In Atlantis" we have a little more context for what's going on than the characters in the book do. The stranger who leaves behind the Buick (clearly a can-toi) wears a black coat instead of a yellow one, but the flashiness of the car marks him as one of the Low Men, as do the descriptions of his scarred and "wrong" face. It's clever that in a story told mainly (but not entirely) in the first person from several characters' viewpoints, we know more than all of them put together. I think that's cool. Although it perhaps pokes at the lesson Sandy is trying to teach Ned. Which is another reason I prefer "The Colorado Kid".

The story of the live alien coming through and the troopers killing it is horrific because King suggests them doing it is instinctual and we all would have done the same in their place. And it's as good as murder, and when King is describing it, I worry that if I were put in that place that's what would happen. Nothing frightens me more than the idea of me losing control of my faculties or actions. It's why I don't permit mind control in fiction I write. King suggesting something like that works on a primal level is the most terrifying and horrible thing in the book to me.

Speaking of terrifying and horrifying, HERE King REALLY goes for the gross-out. I think the story he wrote with his son Joe Hill "In The Tall Grass" is nearly as gross, but I think the only story more revolting and disgusting he's written is "In A Tight Place" from "Just After Sunset". Like Tight Place, I actually LIKE this book, while "In The Tall Grass" is a story I loathe. But if you read this book, your gag reflex is gonna get a huge workout.

King Connections: Besides The Dark Tower stuff I mentioned, Inside View is mentioned once. And that's pretty much it. As it is set in Pennsylvania, an unusual setting outside of most of his Maine stories, there is very little connection with everything else besides that.

It's an interesting (if totally revolting) book. ***1 removed link

This is probably King's best short story collection so far. I don't love every story, but the amount of pure stinkers is MUCH lower than in Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, and Nightmares And Dreamscapes. King's short story writing is on a more solid footing here.

It should also be mentioned that both the title story "Everything's Eventual" and "The Little Sisters Of Eluria" both tie HEAVILY into "The Dark Tower" so the book is required reading for King fans for that alone. I don't much dig the Eluria story, but "Everything's Eventual" is totally Eventual. Hell, I think a LOT of the stories in this collection are. A turning point for King's short fiction. Collection Overall: 4 1/2 stars.

Autopsy Room Four

It's a funny and scary story with a hilarious ending. If you don't laugh at the final line in the story, there's something wrong with you.

King Connections: The Autopsy room is in Derry.

The story is by turns horrific and hilarious. 4 stars.

The Man In The Black Suit

Scary story but it's a rare King story that is probably PG-13 at worst. Unlike "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon", "The Eyes Of The Dragon", or "The House On Maple Street", I wouldn't recommend it to children (they wouldn't dig it). But like "The Doctor's Case" and "The Colorado Kid" King uses a lighter touch with language and violence.

King Connections of Note: The Narrator Gary mentions him having written for the newspaper The Castle Rock Call.

In the Afterward King admits he's surprised so many people like it and that it shows creators are often poor judges of their own work. But I lean more towards King's thinking in finding it average instead of great. The visual description of the Man In The Black Suit himself is pretty frightening. But I feel the story itself leaves something to be desired. 3 stars.

All That You Love Will Be Carried Away

It's a really interesting premise and story but I wish King had fought the New Yorker harder for the happy ending for Alfie he had planned.

But it's a great idea for a story and Alfie and his worries about the book of graffiti sayings being read and misinterpreted after he died are entirely relatable. I guess I'm a sucker for guys whose last name is Zimmer.

I think the most fun and interesting thing about the story is Alfie's deconstruction of the graffiti messages and what he thinks they mean. It's almost like a scholarly poem review over stuff that might simply be pure insanity. And Alfie is right that if it IS merely insanity, that should probably be documented and studied anyways.

I hope those lights came on at the end, and that Alfie actually wrote that book he was thinking about. I hope that very much. 3 1/2 stars.

The Death Of Jack Hamilton

In the accompanying Afterward King talks about how the outlaws of the Depression-era fascinated him, and yeah, he wrung a DAMN good story out of it. All things being equal, the story of how Johnnie Dillinger got the scar on his lip is one of my favorites in this entire collection. The stuff with Homer and the flies is unbelievable and when King says that part is true, I STILL don't believe it!

Homer paints a very compassionate picture of Dillinger outside of the rest of history. Which is both fascinating and understandable. And you realize many criminals and monsters aren't considered such by their friends and loved ones. Johnnie Dillinger walked on his hands as Red Hamilton lay dying just to make him feel better. I love that bit.

The hijacking of the car from the family is fun because the mother is such a wet hen that Dillinger pretty much has to turn off the charm and let her know as personable as he is, he DOES actually mean business. I was kind of annoyed with her too.

It seems like King actually did some research here which is totally not usual for him. I'm impressed.

One of the best stories in the entire book. 5 stars.

In The Deathroom

I love the idea that King wanted to write a Kafka type story of a hellish deathroom but give it a happy ending. Why the hell not? It's one of the benefits of being a writer. You can write whatever the hell you want. Either way King got a gripping and exciting yarn out of it. Cathartic ending if you ask me. Fletcher is a great and sympathetic hero. 4 stars.

The Little Sisters Of Eluria

I have never been crazy about King's Dark Tower stories set entirely in Mid-World with no characters from OUR world to interact with Roland. And yeah a great deal of this is gross (The sisters eating Roland's spend made me want to wretch). Because Mid-World is a pit.

That being said the ending felt a bit beautiful and as if it belonged in a better story than this one.

King Connections:

Some of Tak's chants from "Desperation" can be heard and the comic adaptation of the story more fully ties it into it. John Norman is from Delain, the setting of " The Eyes Of The Dragon". Here it is described as a kingdom of stories. What ever happened to that storyteller anyways and where is the sequel to that we've always been promised? The Little Sisters and their tents can also be seen in the Territories in "Black House".

Didn't dig it. 2 stars.

Everything's Eventual

This is a great story. I think the thing I like is that Dinky's kind of jerk. He's a homophobe and just all around unpleasant. And yet when push comes to shove, he decides to fight back against the way he's been used and all of the bad things he was tricked into doing. I like that some people are not above redemption.

King Connections of Note:

Surprisingly Dinky returns in the final book of "The Dark Tower" series, as one of the renegade Breakers who helps Roland and his tet. Dinky talks about "Golden Years", a TV show created and mostly written by Stephen King back in the early 1990's. Him saying most people wouldn't remember it is probably true. Its run on network TV was ridiculously brief.

The story is totally eventual. 4 1/2 stars.

L.T.'s Theory Of Pets

It's a funny and enjoyable story but I don't agree with King that the horrific ending fits. It doesn't RUIN the story by any means. But it also doesn't feel like the right ending either. This is sometimes a problem for King, and considering he always writes through the story with no outline and unsure of the ending, it's actually sort of impressive The Wrong Ending doesn't happen more often than it does.

But this is the wrong ending. 3 1/2 stars.

The Road Virus Heads North

This is an old-school Stephen King horror short story. That is not a compliment. The main character suffers from horror movie related stupidity like in the most cliched of his earlier short fiction. About the best thing I can say is that I forgot Kinnell managed to save his Aunt Trudy which is actually a bit refreshing. But the rest of the story is a drag.

King connections: Derry again. 1 1/2 stars.

Lunch At The Gotham Cafe

The story is gruesome but it's also perversely funny. King nails it in the foreword: The divorcing couple are FAR crazier than the murderous Maitre D. By far. Which is the most subversive thing about it. What I especially like is it's told in first person by the male in the relationship. He doesn't seem to understand how crazy he and his wife sound to the reader upon him writing all this down.

The story also made a striking cover for the book too. I really like it. 4 stars.

That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is In French

I hate this story and its bummer ending, and it's patently the kind of story I'd hate. If it IS Hell, I dislike the notion Carol has probably been condemned to it for having an abortion.

But truthfully, as much as I hate the story, I will give it this: King says in the Afterward he THINKS it's about Hell and the notion that Hell is repetition. I like the fact that not only is he not sure, despite having written the damn story, but he apparently is allowing the reader to come up with their own interpretation for what is going on. I can't think of an interpretation where I don't think the story sucks, but it's good I'm allowed one. That kind of thing proves King is a good writer / storyteller, even if I hate the story in question. 1 star.

1408

This is easily the scariest story in the collection. King never planned to finish it, but it's good he did. It is SO scary.

King doesn't actually scare me too much usually. This specific story gives me the willies.

As much as I hate the main character Mike Eslin is how awesome I think the character of Olin is. Imagine if Stuart Ullman from The Shining were actually awesome and ten steps ahead of Jack Torrance and you'll get the tiniest inkling of why I think he's cool.

King Connections: The story was originally a writers' exercise in King's how-to guide "On Writing". King invited people on his website to come up with their own endings to the scenario before ultimately deciding that actually sounded like a dandy idea for him to do himself.

That was awesome. 5 stars.

Riding The Bullet

The ending to this horror story is surprisingly measured, considering the terrible choice Alan was forced to make. But I think despite the fact that the choice didn't work out as horribly for his mother as he thought it would, just the fact that he made it at all is the real drama and tragedy of the story. I think 7 years for her considering her lifestyle was DAMN fair if you ask me. But it won't stop Alan's feelings of guilt and responsibility.

And really would any of us that young made a different choice than he did? I'm trying to picture myself agreeing to ride off with George Staub instead of my mother at 21 and I just can't do it.

King is annoyed more people talk about the format of the ebook rather than the story itself. My impression of the story is that it's not especially scary as far as King goes. But it explores big themes of love and betrayal in a real and relatable way. I wonder if that's a review King ever expected someone to note about it. I'm also pretty sure he would dig the fact that the aspect of the story that resonated with me was the emotional stuff instead of the surface scares. 3 1/2 stars.

Lucky Quarter

This is a pleasant, quick read. But I never for the life of me could ever figure out the point to it or what King was trying to say when he wrote it. Even the foreword is no help. It tells how King got the idea, and the fact that he wrote the story long-hand, but I still don't freaking get it. 2 1/2 stars.

I always thought the miniseries Rose Red was a serious disappointment. Not just compared to the solid-as-hell Storm Of The Century. But also compared to the other ABC miniseries based on Stephen King's works. I had never read the tie-in book to Rose Red until very recently, and I'm pleasantly surprised how solid it is. It's actually far better than the project it's actually advertising.

King didn't write it but that's a selling point in my mind. Ellen Rimbauer's voice feels very distinctive and its own for this reason, and the story feels fully formed and almost realistic because it doesn't resemble King, or the many writing techniques he uses (and I would argue sometimes overuses).

The same types of dumbasses who believed The Blair Witch Project was a documentary propelled this book to the bestseller list because they mistook is for nonfiction. Honestly, how stupid are people? They really get on my nerves sometimes.

One of the pleasures of reading King-adjacent stuff for Stephen King Book Club. ****1 removed link

The Gunslinger Born: Part 1

Interestingly the first comic adaptation of the flashback of the first book is better than the book. I think the first Dark Tower book is ALL kinds of gross and shady, and this had enough time and distance to make some of the more horrible ideas sound interesting.

I never really took note of Roland saying he didn't train David, he "friended" him before. What a great way to put that before Facebook was ever thought up.

If I have a negative note it's that the very first words in the comic were NOT "The Man In Black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed." Yes the first page leads UP to those words. But if you are telling the origin story to this franchise right, they MUST be the first words.

But it's surprisingly better than The Gunslinger book. 4 stars.

The Sacred Geography Of Mid-World

Robin Furth wrote a whole bunch of supplementary prose and essays as back-ups to fill up the pages of the comic. I don't believe they were included when the comic was reprinted in Trade Paperback form. But I'm rereading the original comics, so I'll review them too.

This one is interesting. It also includes an illustrated map of the Barony Of New Canaan.

King Connections of Note: Twinners from "The Talisman" are referenced, as is Todash space, sort of as a reference to "The Mist". 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

The Gunslinger Born: Part 2

Too gross for my liking, but that's Rhea of the Coos for you.

Clay Reynolds killing the dude he was cheating at cards with was kinda badass though.

When discussing Marten's many names the one I could tell was on the tips of the writer's tongue but went unmentioned was Randall Flagg.

The Crimson King is a spider monster here, more in line with the idea of him from "Insomnia" than his final appearance in the last Dark Tower book.

Not great. 2 1/2 stars.

Maerlyn's Rainbow

This origin story of Arthur Eld, the Crimson King, and the Wizard's Rainbow is boss though. Robin Furth had some great ideas about Mid-World that were sadly retconned in "The Wind Through The Keyhole". For instance here Maerlyn is a dark and evil figure but King himself later suggests Maerlyn is benevolent.

King Connections: The creatures described in Todash Space most definitely resemble the monsters from "The Mist".

Cool stuff. 5 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 stars.

The Gunslinger Born: Part 3

This one is kind of fun. Cuthbert steals the show getting the drop on Roy Depape the way he does. He's so funny.

The previous issue speculates that Marten and John Farson are one and the same. Here it's confirmed that they are in fact different people, a decision King came to midway through the books. The cool thing about the comics is that in the books the characters declare Farson a psychopath and a total monster who wants to cause chaos and bring about the end of everything. But the truth is we never SEE Farson in the books, so as far as we know, that could just be Affiliation propaganda. But when we see him in the comics with the human skin mask and playing cricket with human heads, he's every bit the sociopath the books claimed he was.

Roland however was a total ass to Susan at the dinner. And I thought that in the book too. 3 1/2 stars.

The Guns Of Deschain

Interesting. 3 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

The Gunslinger Born: Part 4

Roy Depape is SUCH a cold-blooded bastard, and I'm glad the scene where the weedeater hopefully asks him what kind of metal his information has bought him, Depape says "Lead," and shoots him is included. The book is pretty long, so that scene might have gotten a bit lost with everything else going on. The briefer comic highlighting it makes it seem as memorable as a moment that cruel and badass should be.

That being said, I wasn't bowled over by the rest of the issue. We were in kind of a holding pattern for most of it (even though we got extra scenes of Marten and George Latigo not seen in the book) and the cliffhanger was gross. I mean, the scene is gross in the book too, but I sure as hell don't think they should have ended the issue with it. 3 stars.

The Laughing Mirror: Part I

This prose story also didn't interest me much. 2 stars.

Issue Overall: 2 1/2 stars.

The Gunslinger Born: Part 5

The artwork of a nude Susan wandering off in a trance to cut her own hair was quite beautiful.

You can hate Roland all you want. But I think when he told Cuthbert that Jonas did what he did to steal their guile, and with him he succeeded, he was right. Yes, he was probably right for all the wrong reasons. But it says something that a Roland working at diminished judgment is still usually more on-the-ball about things like that than Cuthbert is.

Cool. 4 stars.

The Laughing Mirror: Part II: The Seduction Of Rhea

Very interesting and creepy origin story for Rhea.

King Connections of Note: Rhea is from Delain, and a version of her is indeed mentioned in "The Eyes Of The Dragon", although because the Coos is mentioned there, the entire story probably takes place on a different level of The Dark Tower. 4 stars.

The Laughing Mirror: Part III: The Corruption Of Jonas

One of the things I love about Robin Furth is that she often points out how stupid and counterproductive the all-or-nothing Gunslinger test is. Every failure is creating a skilled gunman in exile set against Gilead and ripe for Farson's machinations. Part of the reason Gilead fell to a false prophet like Farson is because on some level it DESERVED to fall.

Furth takes some amazing liberties here, envisioning Jonas as Cort's foster brother, and the idea that he was an actual good person, who turned into a victim and was warped by the shard of the mirror. There is very little pity to be had for the Jonas as seen in the book. For Furth to explain that his corruption was not his own decision is interesting (even if I disagree to the subtext there on a moral level). 5 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

The Gunslinger Born: Part 6

Dire happenings. I was never crazy at how the flashback in Wizard And Glass ended so it's no surprise I didn't much dig this issue.

One REAL beef. In the book it's suggested Jonas DOES actually care about and digs Coral Thorin. I don't like the comic suggesting the opposite, because in the book it was his ONLY noticeable virtue. I don't like the suggestion in hindsight that it wasn't real. 2 stars.

Charyou Tree: Part I: The History Of The Charyou Tree

Scary concept. And it sounds real-world plausible too. Stephen King's version of Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. 3 1/2 stars.

A Gunslingers Guns:

Essay talking about the various types of guns gunslingers and their apprentices use in Gilead, followed by the famous Gunslinger Litany. 5 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 stars.

The Gunslinger Born: Part 7

I'm glad they used a bit of a lighter touch on Susan's death. The full-panel spread is dynamic but I felt King was milking her supposed virtue in that scene in the book beyond all credibility. Roland left you and your unborn child to be burned at the stake for his damned Tower, Susan. You are actually ALLOWED to be pissed about that. 3 stars.

Charyou Tree: Part II: Come, Reap!

Pretty bleak story.

King Connections: The Red Witch comes from Garlan, one of the lands from "The Eyes Of The Dragon". According to The Dark Tower Concordance, Robin Furth does NOT believe that story takes place in the same Universe as Mid-World, at least not on Our Roland's level of The Tower. It very interesting how much Eyes Of The Dragon stuff she puts in these essays while that is true. ****.

Issue Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

The Long Road Home: Part 1

The Dark Tower comics are now working without a net. While The Gunslinger Born was a straight up adaptation of the flashbacks from "The Gunslinger" and "Wizard And Glass", this miniseries (and many future ones) are in fact telling new stories about Roland's past that were only referred to in passing, or merely hinted about. Sort of exciting if you think about it.

The stuff that really interested me was Sheemie's stuff at the end. We were made aware Sheemie had psychic powers in the final book because he was one of the Breakers. But the comics introduce the idea that he wasn't born with then and they were created with his encounter with the Dogan here. Interesting notion. 4 stars.

Welcome To The Dogan: Part I: The Ghostly Queen

The robots at the end are clearly the same kind as Andy the Messenger Robot from Wolves Of The Calla. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

The Long Road Home: Part 2

The bridge crossing was pretty riveting.

Honestly, though, this is not my favorite of the miniseries. "Running away to home while Roland is in a coma" is unsurprisingly not the most interesting premise the franchise has ever cooked up. 3 stars.

Welcome To The Dogan: Part II: The Evil Uffi

This suggests Cuthbert and Alain's ancestors were actually buddies with Arhur Eld. Talk about a couple of Gunslinger legacies. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 stars.

The Long Road Home: Part 3

Oh, my God! The giant raven! SO great!

For some reason, "an unkindness of ravens" sounds even creepier than "a murder of crows" does.

An out of it Roland killing a mutant wolf with his bare hands is beyond badass.

Good one. 4 stars.

Welcome To The Dogan: Part III: City Of The Dead

This bit was also super scary. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

The Long Road Home: Part 4

I love when Roland comes face-to-face with the Crimson King for the first time he quips that he expected him to be taller and smell less of dead cow meat.

Good example of "Now I've seen everything" for Bert. Sheemie is not the hero we want, but he's the one we've got. Great cliffhanger for that reason. 4 1/2 stars.

Mid-World Mutants:

Crap like this is why I LOVE the Supplementary material by Robin Furth. 5 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 1/2 stars.

The Long Road Home: Part 5

The notion that the Crimson King is the first and true heir to Arthur Eld is fabulous because Roland's "cousin's" claim is legit: He was here first. What he plans to do with the keys to the Kingdom is another story (and utter madness) but it's interesting that the King can lay actual claim to the power he wants. 4 stars.

Invoking The Guardians

I loved hearing the full nursery rhyme for Maturin the Turtles Beam Guardian. 4 stars.

North Central Positronics

This issue is a feast of Robin Furth essays, and besides a cool map of End-World, Furth tells us that NCP's ultimate goal was constructing an artificial version of The Dark Tower. Needless to say this is not just new information, it explains a LOT. Totally wish "A Wind Through The Keyhole" didn't retcon the comics. There are some enlightening answers to be found here. 4 1/2 stars.

Dogans

An essay about Dogans, natch. 3 1/2 stars.

Le Casse Roi Russe

About the Crimson King's castle and keep. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

Treachery: Part 1

I sort of see the point of the resentment of the rest of the gunslingers in training. I actually don't think it's fair that Alain and Cuthbert were awarded their guns without the trial either. The risk of exile to me is the most important part of the trial. No matter WHAT they accomplished in Mejis, getting their guns without ever having that specific thing hanging over their heads isn't actually fair. Granted I don't think it's actually fair ANY of the students have that hanging over their heads, but that's another story. 3 1/2 stars.

Injured Hawks And Failed Gunslingers

And here's the other story. Robin Furth again points out that the all-or-nothing gunslinger trial is completely counterproductive and merely results in Gilead creating its own worst enemies. The thing that bugs me is this should be self-evident and this has still been the custom for centuries.

The essay is preceded by the Gunslinger Litany as are all the essays in this volume. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

Treachery: Part 2

I like Aileen Ritter and how she refuses to forget the face of her mother in her version of the Gunslingers Litany. Cool. 4 stars.

Women Of Mid-World And The Cult Of Oriza

About the Patriarchy of Mid-World.

Furth neglects to mention the best and baddest-assed part of Lady Oriza killing Gray Dick at the dinner with the sharpened plate: She did it entirely naked. That's a pretty huge detail to leave out especially because it speaks to what a pig Gray Dick was for insisting that as a condition for the meeting, and what a warrior goddess Oriza was for remaining unflappable during the encounter anyway. "May your first day in Hell last ten thousand years, and may it be the shortest," is also a totally hardcore thing to tell someone you are about to kill. 3 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

Treachery: Part 3

Not much interested me in this part. 2 1/2 stars.

The Shadow Of The Rose

This is almost assuredly an origin story for the Little Sisters of Eluria. 4 stars.

The Long Road To Treachery

Weird to put a recap at the end of the comic's third issue, but okay.

King Connections Of Note: Take note: although not written by Furth, Marten Broadcloak is called "Flagg" and "The Walkin' Dude", his aliases from "The Eyes Of The Dragon" and "The Stand" EXPLICITLY for the first time in the supplementary material. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 stars.

Treachery: Part 4

I love Cuthbert telling Roland he loves him always looking on the bright side. Yup. That's Roland all right.

The rest of the story was cool too. 3 1/2 stars.

The Manni, The Tower, The Touch And The Rose

This reveals that "There are other worlds that these" is a Manni phrase. Which suggests Jake had The Touch all the way back during "The Gunslinger". Interesting.

King Connections: Todash space (as seen in "The Mist") is only briefly mentioned, but the concept of twinners, introduced in "The Talisman" and "Black House" is explored more fully in this essay than it ever was in the Dark Tower books themselves. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

Treachery: Part 5

Aha! We finally are getting the story about the musician Cort reportedly murdered for cheating at the Fair-Day Riddling contest! He's Farson nephew. Explains a lot.

And Charles' death proves John Farson is the biggest bastard in Mid-World. Even Marten uses the light touch compared to him.

It was good, but Charles death WAS upsetting. 3 1/2 stars.

Regicide, Poison Gardens, And The Training Of Apprentice Gunslingers

Guide to some of the poisons of Mid-World. Many of these can be found in OUR world too.

King Connections: Dragon's Sand is from "The Eyes Of The Dragon", and the land of Garlan from that book is again mentioned.

Fascinating read. 5 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

Treachery: Part 6

Devastating (but inevitable) ending.

Weird they didn't point out that the dude CHEATED at the Riddling contest. Winning it was the least of his sins in Cort's mind.

I like that one of the riddle answers was a raven and a writing desk. And the answer is described as obvious.

Ah, what might have been between Roland and Aileen. Aileen is only briefly mentioned once in the first book (also as Roland's potential intended) but I like the role she is given in the comics.

That last page killed me. 4 1/2 stars.

Mid-World Fairdays And Mid-World Riddling

Hearing what makes a good riddle (the changing of human perspective) is super fascinating, and the essay gives us several good riddles too. 5 stars.

Issue Overall: 5 stars.

Marten Broadcloak as Merlyn's bastard offspring from the moon Goddess Selina? Yes, please. Also yes to the idea that the Wizard's Rainbows are his siblings and he was having sex with his sister, the Grapefruit. Equally dramatically juicy is his anger that the Grapefruit killed Gabrielle Deschain. It sounds like he actually loved her, but his sister was properly jealous of that fact. Great notion.

King Connections: "Randall Flagg" and "The Walkin' Dude" are explicitly named as Martin for the first time in the comic itself. The alias Rudin Filaro is mentioned in the comic for the first time too. Delain is also from "The Eyes Of The Dragon".

Long-awaited and worth the wait. But because "The Wind Through The Keyhole" retconned SO much of the comics, does that mean Walter O'Dim's origin story here ALSO takes place on a different level of the Tower? That idea is both possible and frustrating. *****.

Fall Of Gilead: Part 1

Clever way to kill Cort (although it is retconned in "A Wind Through The Keyhole") and this is pretty much the story in which things go from bad to worse. 3 1/2 stars.

Poisoned Pen, Poisoned Book: The Fall Of Cortland Andrus

Robin Furth points out her initials are R.F. and that the psychic paper seen in the story is from Doctor Who (Which she incorrectly calls Dr. Who). 3 1/2 stars.

Matricide:

About Gabrielle's death. 2 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

Fall Of Gilead: Part 2

Sheemie steals the show when he's confused for a Not-Man.

Roland gone a little too emo for my tastes. I get the guilt he feels for killing his mother but him acting like he actually DESERVES the rope is a bit much (which is me putting that mildly). 3 1/2 stars.

The Art And Discipline Of Creative Continuity

Robin Furth discusses the struggles of plotting the story based on what was in the books, and what she had to invent on her own. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

Fall Of Gilead: Part 3

Cort's kind words about both Roland and Aileen on his deathbed are super rewarding and worth the price of admission. That is a horrific cover too.

Sheemie being Sheemie is also great.

Poor Bert. This really is the cruelest arc.

Speaking of which, that cliffhanger with Vannay being murdered slays me too. 4 1/2 stars.

Aileen Ritter And The Female Gunslinger

A nonfiction essay of Furth discussing coming at the story from a female perspective and how she wanted to do right by the women of Mid-World. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 1/2 stars.

Fall Of Gilead: Part 4

Poo's getting real. Things go from bad to worse in this devastating chapter. 3 1/2 stars.

The Many Legendary Rolands

Furth discusses the Roland from "Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came" as well as other famous Rolands from history, myth, and legend. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

Fall Of Gilead: Part 5

Devastating. Heartbreaking. Effecting. 4 1/2 stars.

In Defense Of Gilead

Essay describing the weapons beneath the city in more detail. 4 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 1/2 stars.

Fall Of Gilead: Part 6

The last page of Marten raising Farson's flag over Gilead says everything. As does Farson slaughtering the women and children in hiding.

Dark, dark comic. 4 stars.

Planning The Fall Of Gilead

Robin Furth details some of the struggles she faced while plotting this pivotal arc. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

Battle Of Jericho Hill: Part 1

That's probably my favorite ending of the comics. Roland says, "We leave immediately!" and Sheemie is all, "Can I pee first?" and Roland says, "We leave right after Sheemie pees." That's fabulous.

Great ending. 4 1/2 stars.

The Road To Jericho Hill

Robin Furth discusses how she and the reader got to this stage of the saga. 3 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 1/2 stars.

Battle Of Jericho Hill: Part 2

It was good, but THAT ending was a little too dark for me. 3 1/2 stars.

The Machines Of Mid-World

About well, guess. The ancient Gods of Mid-World being known as "Can-Char" is interesting. 3 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

Battle Of Jericho Hill: Part 3

Poor Sheemie. Things are going from bad to worse. 4 stars.

The Blue-Faced Barbarians

This article didn't interest me much. 2 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

Battle Of Jericho Hill: Part 4

And it turns out the camp is Jericho Hill. Because of course it is.

Roland simply shooting "Marten" is pure Roland. Of course, it's never that easy.

I have sympathy for Randolph. I'm amazed I seem to be the only one.

Poor Alain. We knew it happened this way, but it doesn't make it any easier to see.

Big stuff happening. 4 1/2 stars.

The Great God Amoco Lord Of Thunder, Lord Of Death

I'm not going to say this is unintentionally funny, but it DOES feel satiric, as seriously as Furth treats the prose. The essay is about God creation myths for... oil corporations. As straight as the "history lesson" is played, I can't help but feel Furth might have her tongue firmly planted in her cheek as she's telling it. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 1/2 stars.

Battle Of Jericho Hill: Part 5

I love that when Roland and Bert insist on going into battle against the thousand soldiers that they will refuse any quarter or surrender. Better yet, when everyone else has been killed, and Roland is the last one left, the Barbarian Chieftain says "Surrender," and Roland's all, "I refuse to accept your surrender." The Gunslinger has a sense of humor after all.

What a great issue. The ending of Roland getting up and vowing vengeance feels a little pat, but how else was it supposed to end? This is still great stuff. 5 stars.

My Most Memorable Dark Tower Moments

Furth essay about her best experiences working on the comic. 5 stars.

Issue Overall: 5 stars.

The Journey Begins: Part 1

The dizziness is a great callback to the time loop at the end of the final novel.

I also like the twist that the person we were following at the beginning of The Gunslinger Born turned out to have been The Man In Black after all.

Great cliffhanger with Aileen too. 4 stars.

The Journey Continues

Robin Furth Essay about the challenges of writing this unknown era of Roland's life. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

The Journey Begins: Part 2

Never dug the idea of the ghost of Hax being in the story.

Roland's monologue over Aileen's dead body was beautiful. Say what you will about Roland, he is a romantic and secretly has the soul of a poet.

A billy-bumbler? Not-Men? WHAT?!

Pretty gross versions of Slow Mutants too.

Cool. 4 stars.

The Journey Continues

Furth discusses the liberties she took in the issue. When she's describing that whatever the fans believe should have happened exists on a different level of the Tower, she is describing Headcanon. I love writers who allow us to make up our own damn minds about stuff like that. 3 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

The Journey Begins: Part 3

It amazes me we hadn't gotten to the story of Hax yet.

The ghost stuff with "Present Day" Roland is weird, but Hax expressing "Rigret" at the end it interesting and unexpected too.

Interesting issue in general. 3 1/2 stars.

The Journey Continues

I wish Furth and Peter David has been able to put Roland declaring the hanging "Not such of a much" in the comic itself. It's a great phrase. 3 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

The Journey Begins: Part 4:

It's weirdly fun, but it also feels like we've gotten on a bit of a tangent. 3 1/2 stars.

A Talking Billy-What???

About Billy-Bumblers / Throcken.

King Connections: Type One Vampires are mentioned. These horrible creature were introduced in "'Salem's Lot", with Kurt Barlow as the first and most horrible example.

The notion of the Grandfather Fleas was always wild to me and one of the most cool notions of the final three Dark Tower books.

Neat-O. 4 stars.

Issue Overall:: 4 stars.

The Journey Begins: Part 5

It's kind of cool Roland is allowed to sleep with Susan Black and she doesn't die. I like that.

I thought the climax is the Dogan with the Not-Men was tight. Roland telling a dying Billy Aileen would take care of him puts a lump in the old throat.

I love the Narrator pointing out Roland isn't great at clever quips. Still effective though, don't you think? Totally works.

My favorite of the five parts. 4 1/2 stars.

The Wheel Of Ka...

Furth discusses Ka while trying to avoid spoiling the time loop ending of the last book. Not very effectively, I might add.

King Connections Of Note: Twinners from "The Talisman" are mentioned again. Hell, the BOOK "The Talisman" is mentioned by name when they are. 3 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 1/2 stars.

The Little Sisters Of Eluria: Part 1

Faithful adaptation so far, but the comic Narrator seems to be having a little more fun than King himself did. Which I didn't begrudge the comic for remotely. 4 stars.

My Most Memorable Dark Tower Moments

Robin Furth discusses the road to Eluria.

King Connections: Furth brings up the Queen's Pavilion from "The Talisman".

Cool. 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

The Little Sisters Of Eluria: Part 2

A lot of panels in this one, which is something I like.

King Connections: The chants of the Little Sisters are identical to Tak's from the novel "Desperation".

Interesting. 4 stars.

The Little Sisters Of Eluria And The Language Of The Unformed

Here Furth speculates on what turned the Sisters against The White and the story's connections to "Desperation". The parallels are myriad and fascinating. 4 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 4 stars.

The Little Sisters Of Eluria: Part 3

This delves a little deeper into John's origin story than the novella does, but frankly that never interested me. It's likely it took up so much of this issue so they could spread out the material long enough for five issues. It feels very much like padding. 3 stars.

The Dark Bells: Part I:

Furth decided to write a prose story detailing the origins of the Little Sisters and their connection to the mythology of "Desperation".

King Connections: I said "Aha!" when we saw the can-tahs from "Desperation". 4 stars.

Issue Overall: 3 1/2 stars.

The Little Sisters Of Eluria: Part 4

The scene of the Sisters drinking Roland's spend is less graphic than in the novella, but it's equally revolting.

I DO dig the fact that Ralph the Slow-Mutant has a certain level of low cunning to him. He probably did Roland a favor there, slaughtering John when he did. The Little Sisters might have noticed what Roland was up to otherwise. 2 1/2 stars.

The Dark Bells: Part II

The story title is apt. Dark, dark story. 3 stars.

Issue Overall: 2 1/2 stars.

The Little Sisters Of Eluria: Part 5

The ending is kind of beautiful. It is in the novella too, but the artwork does some heavy lifting for us here. Roland's expressions at the end are wonderful, and I don't know, unusually effective. I think it was a great ending to a very faithful adaptation. 5 stars.

The Dark Bells: Part III

Making Sister Jenna's father Bertrand Allgood is an interesting notion. It fits into the the saga's notion of both Ka and bloodlines. Very cool idea. 4 1/2 stars.

Issue Overall: 5 stars.