The Syndicate

Two Minute Hate sounds fun.

1984

I love ASOIAF

bea wrote:Epi - the only issue I have with the gunslinger is that it was wrote early in his career, and at some points suffers a bit from slowness. For me the *most* interesting thing about reading the dark tower books is that as the books span his career you really get a sense of him changing as a writer from book to book. I haven't read insomnia as I've heard it's a wonderful cure for the disease it gets its title from. That said, yes he does like recurring characters, places etc, but it's no more confusing I think than when he mentions little asides to other things and events in other books (I'm thinking of the tommyknockers nod to the events happening in It.)

This. Definitely. If anyone is going to give The Dark Tower a try, you should commit to reading the first TWO novels before deciding whether or not you like it. I've talked to several fans of The Dark Tower that actually disliked The Gunslinger quite a bit....but then fell in love with the series in book two. Personally, I liked The Gunslinger. It's short, so even if you hate it you can breeze through it in an a couple of days. I read it in an afternoon. The second novel, The Drawing of the Three, is where the series really takes off. Books two and three are my favorites...though I liked all the books in their own ways.

And Epignosis....I wouldn't let what you've experienced via other novels put you off of trying the Dark Tower.

Epignosis wrote:I am currently reading:

Romance of the Three Kingdoms
The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever

I have the first four books of the Game of Thrones series I plan on starting soon.

I also have The Gunslinger on my nightstand (along with many other books), but I've been reluctant to start it. Stephen King was the author who broke me into becoming an avid reader, but the allusions to the Dark Tower series in his other books (Insomnia, The Stand, et. al) put me off.

What put you off exactly? I personally love the Dark Tower world/stories, but they are definitely not for everyone.

Almost halfway through The Wind Through The Keyhole.

I love The Dark Tower series, and this is a great addition so far. I love stories from Roland's youth.....I guess that's why I liked Wizard and Glass more than most people.