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| Phone: 845-679-1002 | | FAX: 845-679-3874 | | Email: | | [email protected] | | US Mail: | | 84 Zena Road | | Kingston, NY 12401 |  |
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| Song of Susannah (The Dark Tower, Book 6) | | by Stephen King, Darrel Anderson | | Donald M. Grant/Scribner |  | | | | List Price: | $30.00 | | Our Price: | $20.40 | | You Save: | $9.60 (32.00%) | | | Release Date: | 08 June, 2004 | | Media: | Hardcover | | ISBN: | 1880418592 | | | Availability: | Usually ships within 24 hours | | Average Review: |  Based on 194 reviews. |
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| | | Average Customer Review: Based on 194 reviews. | |  Dark Tower VI - The best thus far?
I never thought I'd say I loved a book more than I love The Drawing of The Three. Even as I read the second installment of the still-forming Dark Tower story, I knew I was in love and that no other story (or piece of a story, as the case may be) would ever come close. However, I'm glad to say that I have proven myself wrong. Song of Susannah excels in doing what all the DT books have done so far: giving us great action, making us jump out of our seats, creating a rich backstory, and of course, it will make you turn the pages faster than you thought was possible. Without getting into spoiler material, DT6 clears up a lot of what happened in Wolves. Susannah's bond with Mia is explained, as are some of the Crimson King's desires. Some readers were scared that the story was getting too schticky when Roland and Crew discovered that Callahan and the events in 'Salems Lot were apparently works of fiction from a writer named Stephen King. Rest assured, this issue is dealt with in a decidely appropriate manner. Also, there's always the question of the rose. I won't say much, but the rose is handled. In true Dark Tower fashion, the book ends with multiple cliffhangers, but I think they're definitely better than the excrutiating ending of The Waste Lands. I'm sure it sounds like I've ne'er seen the book, much less read it, but I'm being vague as to not give too much away. Trust me, when you read this you'll love all of the "Holy Crap!" moments. It seems as if each chapter (stanza) is packed with them. All in all, I'd rate it as my favorite thus far, and I am officially a slave to King until the final installment hits the shelves. Hopefully the next few months pass without incident, say thankya. | |  King does it again!
For me, the high-water mark of the Dark Tower series was book 3, The Waste Lands. That book (along with It) is to me the epitome of all that is good about King. His best skill is the ability to trap the reader inside his imaginary world - to make us feel like it's real. When Jake walks into that abandoned lot on that hot summer afternoon in The Waste Lands, and approaches the Rose, it feels real. The creeping horror of the children's book "Charlie the Choo Choo" feels real. For me, books 4 and 5 of the Dark Tower were adequate, but not quite up to the lofty heights of King's best work. Now, in Song of Susannah, King tries again to build that epic sense of reality, that magnetic drawing-us-in quality that his best work posesses. In order to facilitate this, he turns to a literary device, the author-as-character. Although it's been done before (even in comic books, like Grant Morrison's Animal Man), here King manages to make it fresh and unique. And, although at first blush some may feel it pulls the reader out of the story, if one suspends disbelief even for a few pages, the skills of Stephen King will soon bring him or her back, deeper than ever before. The world now holds its breath for book seven, when all will be revealed. | | Serves as a great set-up for the final volume
Some potential spoilers ahead:After reading "Song of Susannah" I've come to the conclusion that this 6th installment in "The Dark Tower" series should be seen more as a set-up for the final volume rather than judged as a novel in and of itself. Of course, this is the case for every "Dark Tower" book in essence. But "Song of Susannah" is even more so. Look at it as a "bridge" that links all the events of the past 5 volumes to the grand epic conclusion and you will not be disappointed. I get the impression that those who did not like this book were expecting another "Wastelands" or at least another fast-moving installment. "Song of Susannah" is not that. But that doesn't make it a bad read. Actually just the opposite: I read it with just as much anticipation and excitement as I did the other installments, not so much for the action but rather, to find out more about the mysteries of the Dark Tower. In this sense "Song of Susannah" delivers. But don't think that this book lacks action. The shootout between Roland and Eddie and Jack Andolini's goons is worth the price of admission alone, and is easily one of the most action-packed and thrilling segments out of all the "Dark Tower" novels. It's loads better than the battle with the Wolves from the last installment. Of course, a very large part of the book focuses on Susannah's "situation" with the demon child she's carrying in her womb. We get to learn the exact purpose of her pregnancy through dialogue with Mia. And what Susannah learns is something which I can freely admit I never saw coming. Inevitably, there has been a very mixed reaction to King including himself in this book. I'm still not really sure where I stand on this. I don't necessarily have a problem with him doing so, and I found the way he did it to be rather clever. But I don't know, for me it somewhat took away from the whole "mystique" element of this saga. It just seems out of place for some reason. Then again, King could very well tie things together in the final book and make more sense out of it. I suppose we should wait to see where he's going with this until we make a final judgement about his decision to include himself. To sum up, "Song of Susannah" is definitely a worthwhile continuation in "The Dark Tower" saga. I don't give it the full 5 stars only because that praise will (hopefully) be more appropriate for the final book, which I'm sure will be one amazing ride. As I said previously, look at "Song of Susannah" more as a connecting piece to the final installment rather than as a novel by itself. And keep this in mind as you read it; things will fall into place better that way. |
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