Paperback, 896 pages
Published Oct. 1, 2003 by New English Library Ltd.
[The Dark Tower][1] IV
Part IV of an epic quest. Roland the Gunslinger and his followers have to contend with a sentient monorail intent on killing itself and taking them with it. While seeking to return to the Path of the Beam that will lead them to the Dark Tower, Roland tells his friends a story about the tragic loss of his first love, Susan Delgado. ([source][2])
[1]: openlibrary.org/works/OL81600W/The_Dark_Tower_1-7 [2]: stephenking.com/library/novel/dark_tower_wizard_and_glass_the.html
I appreciated this foray into Roland’s backstory even though it was slower and less adventurous than previous books in the series. Not my favorite by far but certainly an important piece of the Dark Tower puzzle.
An incredible love story which feels so out of place when it starts and so right when it ends. This story improves the series for me. There is a scene where the witch fiddles with Susan's genitalia that is disgusting and feels unnecessarily male-focused but King does a great job with young romance and doesn't shirk from the sex, which comes across as informed and (shockingly) in good taste. I love the characters and the story in the framework of the larger story.
