"A man searches for a tower that is falling apart which in turn would destroy the world that he lives on, but a lot of the book is on his adventures."
Eric, Resident Scholar
"The Dark Tower is one of the greatest stories ever told. It is an epic fantasy adventure about a quest to save existance. The Tower is crumbling, and the Gunslinger and his companions must stop it before all structure and order of the universe collapses."
aelusion, Resident Scholar
"The last of the Gunslingers- a dying caste of knights- is traveling across a hard-pan desert to attain revenge on the Man in Black, Walter. "
Levi Benson, Resident Scholar
"
Scribner, Sep 2004, 35.00
ISBN: 1880418622
In spite of shifting time and place, Roland the Last Gunfighter knows he is nearing his destination and thus the final confrontation of his quest. The center of the time-place continuum, THE DARK TOWER, beckons just beyond the horizon. However, as he has learned through his dangerous journey time is not linear and his path still has detours and setbacks as Roland and his ka-tet battle vampires in New York City's Dixie Pig.
That takes a bite out of his compatriots, but Roland knows the real adversary is Mordred, Mia's offspring from him and the were-spider Crimson King. Mordred, the essence of pure evil, confronts Roland to stop him from completing the mission. Though experienced with killing his own blood, Roland normally has no chance against his superpowerful antagonist. As members of his ka-tet fall, Roland needs the help of a talented somewhat befuddled individual to attain any chance of defeating his son.
The key cast members remain consistent to their personalities, especially Roland as the silent hero (from the 1960s spaghetti westerns).
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book Descript. of chases or violence - 10% planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40% Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%
Tone of book
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy story on current Earth
Mental/magical powers focus
Yes
magical powers:
- clash between evenly matched magical power(s) (fantasy)
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- champion of justice
Age:
- 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
- magical being
Has magical powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- can change shapes
- mind reading
- clairvoyant
- can see into the future
- can cast all sorts of spells
- is very quick
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Setting
Terrain
- Desert
- Mountains
- Forests
- Domed/Underground City
Earth setting:
- 20th century
- distant future
Takes place on Earth?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
How much dialogue?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
