Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Mahon  I'm interested that several people here felt that the first volume in the Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger, was the most difficult to enjoy. I really liked it, and it was my enjoyment of that book that led me to read the second volume, which I've just finished - and, again, really enjoyed.
Anyone got any views on the third volume - The Waste Lands? Having enjoyed the first two, am I likely to enjoy this one as much?
And, given that I don't generally read horror novels, should I take my enjoyment of The Dark Tower series to suggest that I should try some of Stephen King's more mainstream novels? |
I definitely agree with Hoopy about
The Waste Lands being the best of the bunch. I also greatly enjoyed
Wizard and Glass, which is the fourth volume and, in my opinion, was almost as great as the third. I enjoyed reading it mostly because it gave us so much information as to what made Roland the man he was shown to be in the previous and later books.
If you enjoy The Dark Tower series of books and are looking to read more of Stephen King's works, I always suggest The Stand right off. I think it's his best piece of work, especially if you get the complete version. I personally also enjoyed Desperation, The Talisman, and Needful Things. He also has some great short stories in Nightmares and Dreamscapes (my favorite being "Dolan's Cadillac") and in Everything's Eventual. You might want to try the short stories first, as I think they stay pretty consistent to his writing style in the novels.
He also tells a couple of great tales writing as Richard Bachman...personally I adore The Long Walk and think it's a great character study. Either way, if you like The Dark Tower books, you'll more than likely enjoy his other works.