[electronic resource] /, 718 pages
English language
Published April 2, 2003 by Signet.
A 700-page fantasy featuring Roland-the-Gunslinger, an adventurer who is seeking the source of life. Fourth in the Dark Tower series, the novel flashes back to the heroic deeds of his youth and his romance with Susan, his great love.
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.
