The Waste Lands
Published: August 1991
Author: Stephen King
Genres: America, Dark, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Media Tie-In, Science Fiction, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller, Western
Book 3 of 7: The Dark Tower
Check the summary of this book here:
The Waste Lands Summary
The Review:
Stephen King's The Waste Lands is a gloomy fantasy book. It is the third installment in The Dark Tower series. Grant released the first limited edition book with full-color illustrations by Ned Dameron in 1991. This book was republished in 2003 to coincide with the release of The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla.
The Waste Land, a poem by T. S. Eliot written in 1922, is repeated in the first few pages as the book's title. Furthermore, the book's two main sections ("Jake: Fear in a Handful of Dust" and "Lud: A Heap of Broken Images") are titled after lines from the poem.
The Wastelands is one of the most highly fascinating volumes in The Dark Tower series, especially for novices to the series.
The characters from The Drawing of the Three return in this book, and it is here that the essential adjustments required for such a difficult task as defeating The Dark Tower's disease begin.
We, the readers, grow up with the characters and witness them take on the roles of heroes, as fated or, better yet, as their ka has always been.
This volume's thrill and mystery will keep you up at night, unable to leave Roland and his world alone.
By the conclusion of this book, you will certainly be among those who yearn to see the Field of Roses and proudly proclaim the names of your dead loved ones as you stand in the shadow of The Dark Tower.
I like the whole Dark Tower series, and Roland and his team continue to impress. You'll want to keep reading since the experiences keep you wanting more.
This is an amazing book, and it's one of my favorites in the Dark Tower series. The author lays the groundwork for the story in the first two novels.
In the second novel, he fleshed out the framework of the gunslinger he sketched out in the first, while also introducing a supporting cast.
It is in The Waste Lands that Stephen King begins to gain traction in his pursuit of the Dark Tower. It's understandable to think that the first two volumes were a little sluggish. They had to be like that.
The first book was a little slow, and the second was a little faster, but this third book moves even faster, and it's a pretty good book overall.
If you've read the first two volumes and are thinking, "Maybe I've had enough of this Dark Tower thing," I'd recommend giving this one a shot too.
In many respects, The Waste Lands is the point in Stephen King's Dark Tower Series that he starts to sound like Stephen King in his prime. It's a little wordy at times, but that's forgiven since the plot is so incredibly excellent.
In other words, in the ways that count, this book continues the epic narrative that began with The Gunslinger.
There's a feeling that this book is larger than it is. Roland and Eddie, Susannah and Jake, Oy and Lud, and the Tick Tock Man - all of it will stay with you long after the final word on the last page of the novel has been read.
The fundamental components of Roland's universe begin to come into perspective in this part of the series. It serves as a sort of core element, linking the dreamy gloom of the first novel to the frantic action of the second.
It's easier to forgive the cliffhanger today than it was when I first read the novel and had to wait 5 or 6 years to find out what happened.
However, ending the book in the middle of the action is difficult. If you don't have Wizard and Glass ready to go when you complete The Waste Lands, you'll go insane waiting to read it once you finish this one.
If The Drawing of the Three is when the Dark Tower's tale begins to take shape, this book is where it evolves.
The cliffhanger ending isn't that horrible now that the series is over, but I'll be honest, I was put off by it the first time I read it and then had to wait years for the following book. Now that the series is complete, you will be able to go on to the next book with ease.
A stunning continuation to the Dark Tower saga! While some readers struggled with The Gunslinger, Books 2 The Drawing of the Three and 3 The Waste Lands were well worth the effort.
These works elicit a wide range of emotions, resulting in a rich and fulfilling environment.
I don't have the new prints, and according to several acquaintances, the gorgeous color prints were deleted from the 2016 prints.
That was sad because they brought more dimension to the narrative, so see if you can get copies with illustrations.
However, it doesn't matter to me whether you have the illustrations or not since our imaginations can construct better representations of what's going on as we read.
Final Thoughts:
This novel has a lot of action and is practically continuous tension. This is also the first novel in which Roland's universe is revealed to have "moved on" and why. Hint, read The Stand.
I must advise you once again since this book is a cliffhanger to the extreme; if you're getting close to the conclusion, make sure you have the next book Wizard and Glass nearby.
This book is not suitable for youngsters under the age of 13 or for those who struggle to keep up with novels that skip about a lot.
I can't picture the fan reaction when this was first introduced while I was reading this series. With a cliffhanger ending and years till the next book.
When I start a series after it has already been completed, I feel so much better since I don't have to wait years for the next book to find out how the hero's party gets out of their current situation.
However, it is a fantastic episode that sets the tone for Wizard and Glass. Many George R. R. Martin fans, I'm sure, believe he's the only one capable of such a feat since they haven't yet read Stephen King, the master storyteller.
It's a fantastic narrative that serves as a vital and intriguing chapter in the larger drama.
However, due to the cliffhanger conclusion as well as the prior plot tie-in and information that is required to proceed forward in the series, it would not be sufficient as a stand-alone novel.
That is why, before attempting to read this book, I recommend reading the preceding novels in order.
Synopsis:
“In this third volume, several months have passed, and Roland's two new tet-mates have become trained gunslingers. Eddie Dean has given up heroin, and Odetta's two selves have joined, becoming the stronger and more balanced personality of Susannah Dean. But while battling The Pusher in 1977 New York, Roland altered ka by saving the life of Jake Chambers, a boy who - in Roland's world - has already died. Now Roland and Jake exist in different worlds, but they are joined by the same madness: the paradox of double memories.
Roland, Susannah, and Eddie must draw Jake into Mid-World and then follow the Path of the Beam all the way to the Dark Tower. Along the way, our tet stumbles into the ruined city of Lud, and are caught between the warring gangs of the Pubes and the Grays. The only way out of Lud is to wake Blaine the Mono, an insane train that has a passion for riddling, and for suicidal journeys.”
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords:
Blaine Is A Pain, Blaine The Mono, City Of Lud, Eddie And Susannah, Eddie Dean, Kindle Edition, New York, Path Of The Beam, Rolands World, Tower Series, Wizard and Glass
Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 100/100 Yes.
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