The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah (6)

I hate the man's politics--but his writing is, as always, wonderful. I am well into the final book in the series, and I have a really bad feeling about the ending, but that's not the issue here. The issue here is Susannah, and her little chap--who is actually Roland's child, thanks to the machinations on the demon/incubus/succubus in the speaking ring several books ago.

Just as there is little that is "normal" about Susannah, even now that she is coming to terms with her evolved and integrated parts of her former selves, and being forged in the furnace of hard experience travelling through Roland's World, the chap is...not normal. How not normal he is is a matter for debate--and for the last book in the series.

Both the last book--Wolves of the Calla--and THIS book, show us the emerging truths of Susannah, Jake, Eddie, Roland, and even OY, who as the faithful readers know is far smarter than most would give him credit for. The deeper meaning of Ka, Ka-Tet, and the quest for the tower, as well as the deeper essential nature of a "Gunslinger" is coming to fruition, and our band of heroes are finally coming into their own.

One can only hope when they finally DO make the movie--if the rumors of upcoming movies prove true this time--that they don't ruin it. Sadly, the initial rumors about casting make it perfectly clear that either the evil Trolls of HollyWeird, or King, or BOTH, are already conspiring to violate this wonderful series in ways that surpass our worst nightmares. In the meantime, For those who have walked and ridden with Roland and Co.--the end is almost here, the tower is drawing near, and that is all that matter right now.

I've been immersed in the Dark Tower series for a few years now. Usually, I binge read a few books in a row and then take a break. For some reason, "Song of Susannah" became the book I paused at. After finally finishing it for the first time, I realized what I've been missing out on all this time. This book is packed with incredible backstory and fascinating tidbits of lore. I think it might just be my favorite book in the entire series.

Part of The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. Highly Recommended!!!!!!! Too bad I could not give 10 stars.

#1 The Gunslinger - Introduction to the last Gunslinger, Roland. This book was wonderful. It introduces you to some of the characters of the series and gives you the Gunslinger's quest. #2 - The Drawing of the Three - Roland pulls future Gunslingers, Jake, Eddie, and Suzannah from our world over to his. I really enjoyed how this was done. The characters are very likeable (especially OY) #3 - The Wastelands - The Gunslingers make continue on their way. Blaine really is a pain. #4 - Wizard and Glass - Roland tells them the story of Susan, The girl at the window. A very sad thing that happened to him in childhood. A beautiful story. #5 - Wolves of the Calla - The gunslingers help a town that is about to have their children taken. Jake makes a friend his own age. A character from another King book is met. This book was well put together. #6 - Song of Suzannah - This one tells of something that Suzannah is going through. #7 - The Dark Tower - The quest is finally over. The tower is reached. But who will make it there? Believe it or not this book made me cry. #* - The Wind Through the Keyhole - This story takes place between some of the other books. It is Roland and his gang taking refuge from a storm and Roland telling stories to pass the time. The stories are beautifully written.

All of the stories in this series are exceptional. I love how they flow together. It really does seem like one continuous book.

I started out thinking I'd really dislike this installment of the series. It's the most critically review of all the books in the series and there are probably good reasons for that. Some have called it slow and tedious. Some have inquired about whether it's really a necessary plot-line in Roland's path to the Tower. At the end of it, I found it to be surprisingly good. This could have resulted because I started out with such low expectations. As I mention in my review of "W.o.t.C." I had become disenchanted with Susannah. I got so sick of reading about the "chap" that I gritted my teeth every time Mia or anyone else uttered the word. Even since T.D.o.t.T I never much liked Susannah-finding her both improbable and annoying--and by the end of "Wolves..." I was pretty much done with her. I was dreading reading this title as it bears her name. By the end, I'd found a whole lot of sympathy for her. She'd become quite complex, human, fragile, and believable. When she was weak, I felt weak with her. When she was strong, I rooted for her to win. I didn't want her gone after all. In fact, I wanted her to whip Mia into oblivion.

(Spoilers ahead.) So, here's what I didn't like. First, I bought the hardcover which comes with the usually-good illustrations. The illustrations were just awful in this book. Modern art nonsense. I suppose someone could argue that their schizophrenic representations are indicative of the mental turmoil Susannah suffers. Bah. They're junk. Fortunately, the drawings in Book VII are great! Second, I was disappointed that King prominently included himself in "Wolves" and was thoroughly disappointed that he brought Eddie and Roland to his house in this book. The way that whole scene ended up playing out sort of saved some of this for me and I came away not hating it as much as I did when they first suggested they needed to go find this wordslinger in Bridgton. Maybe some people are really down with this whole twist. I'm still not sold on it. I'm hoping that it doesn't feature nearly as much in the final book.

Song of Susannah is my favorite of Stephen King’s Dark Tower books so far.

There are several reasons. For one thing, King picks up right where the last book, Wolves of the Calla, left off, with Roland’s companion Susannah partially possessed by Mia, a former demon determined to have her baby in Susannah’s body. And unlike some of the earlier subplots in the series, this one ties directly to the main story: Mia’s child will be no ordinary boy—he’s foretold to be Roland’s doom and the Breaker of the last Beams supporting the multiverse. Upping the urgency even more, one of those Beams fails early in Song of Susannah. In short, the stakes are high and the story gripping.

Until King enters the story. Literally—as a character.

This threw me at first. Earlier books in the series have referenced some of King’s other works, most notably The Stand and Salem’s Lot. And some of the characters were starting to realize that they might be characters, fictional constructs rather than actual people. But in Song of Susannah, King is one of those constructs.

It’s easy to see this as indulgent. Every character an author creates contains a bit of that author, but explicitly writing yourself into your self-proclaimed “Ur Story” like this is only a character sheet and a twenty-sided die away from roleplaying. And Song of Susannah isn’t a tongue-and-cheek take on self-aware literature like Redshirts. The Dark Tower series takes itself pretty seriously (well, as seriously as a series with “lobstrosities” can). It’s an epic tale that didn’t start with any indication that it would feature such a device.

I also balked out how King’s inclusion of himself took me out of the story. The best books allow you to get lost in them; they’re not just words on a page—they’re experiences. But when the author appears on the page, you’re forced to acknowledge that you’re reading something he/she wrote, and it destroys the illusion.

So given those reservations, why did I still like Song of Susannah? Because as I went further, King pulled me back in by making himself a believable character. He doesn’t shrink from his brushes with alcoholism and drug use. He’s not a hero: he’s a person, flawed but trying. And I’m okay with that.

I’m also excited to read the final book in the series. I wasn’t sure that would be the case when I set out on this journey with Roland and (later) his band of gunslingers, but if nothing else, Song of Susannah suggests the Dark Tower will finish strong.

Given the rather venomous reaction criticism of the rather un-poetic nature of this particular book have received from certain members among us of the writing community, I'll try to avoid making any such comparisons. Frankly, I'm not sure why you'd want to read anything that sounds like Stephen King writing poetry--the two that he has published were absolutely terrible, and a testament to the fact that he should never write anything other than prose.

That said, you'll notice, if you're a dedicated reader of the series, that this book is very similar to the fifth and not so much to any of the other books in the series. This is new for this particular series of books, primarily because these last three were released in the course of a year and a half and the previous four took over twenty. Let's take a look at the good and the bad, shall we?

I'll start with the bad, because I'm better at that. For one thing, I think that this book (in light of the events of Wolves of the Calla and The Dark Tower) is terribly patched together. And I mean that literally. It comes up to only a little over four hundred pages, and there's a couple of hundred that could easily have been lifted out of the next book in the series and dropped in here without so much as a ripple. On the whole, I think that would have been better for everybody, and it kind of bothers me the way that this particular book seems to rush along when compared to its neighboring titles. It also does a lot of introducing of plot elements that it makes absolutely no attempt to resolve, which is just lazy writing and what some would call a shameless argument to get people to buy the final book.

The writing itself is pretty much as it was in the fifth story, which is to say that it's much like Stephen King's usual storytelling voice, only with a little bit of manufactured dialectic thrown in for good measure. It lags in places and trips along quickly in others, but on the whole the story is still not as fast paced as, say, The Waste Lands--after four hundred pages, there's still only perhaps one or two action scenes of any note or moment. Most of the story is again spent in conversation and internal monologue, which is fine by me, but if readers are expecting a return to the past for the series, they had best think again.

Extended character development is mostly not a factor in this book, but that's probably more due to the fact that these characters should already be familiar to readers than anything else. The characters, at this point, are what they are, although I will admit that there was an apparent glaring flaw in Eddie's conduct halfway through the book (where his primary concern suddenly does a complete 180) that I don't think is explained anywhere near adequately. I'll also say right now that I hate it when authors try to write books that know they're books. You'll know what I'm talking about when I read the series, but ever since Illuminatus! it's been nothing more than gimmicky noise to me (as it was then). I don't have much taste for it, but I believe most readers will find it a novel concept.

As a Dark Tower book, I'd put this one near the bottom, if only because so little of any import actually HAPPENS in this volume. As a book in general, I'd say it's about what you'd expect from a Stephen King book. The writing will keep your attention and keep you turning the pages, the plot will be interesting enough to keep you involved but nothing that will leave you gaping in amazement, and the language and character backstory will again be some of the best elements.

For Dark Tower fans, it goes without saying that this book goes in their collections. For others, I'd recommend that you try out the first two or three books and then make your decisions--by the time you get to here, you'll either be sold on the series or you won't.

The saga of Roland Deschain, Gunslinger of the line of Eld, and his "ka-tet," (those whom destiny hath joined), continues in "Song Of Susannah," the sixth, and penultimate novel in Stephen King's phenomenal Dark Tower series. As all readers should know by now, Susannah Dean is the woman who was born when her two former personalities, Odetta Susannah Holmes and Detta Walker merged. She has now been overtaken by a third persona, the demon-mother Mia, pregnant with her "chap," Mordred, who presents a deadly threat to the ka-tet and their mission. Eddie Dean, previously a drug addict and mule in New York City, is Susannah's husband, Roland's right-hand man, but not the father of the child Susannah/Mia carries. Jake Chambers, is a boy from Manhattan who died twice in Book #1, was subsequently and symbolically reborn in Mid-World and is Roland's surrogate son. Oy, is their talking pet billy-bumbler, and all around Gunslinger helper. And Pere Donald Callahan is the ka-tet's newest member, from Calla Bryn Sturgis, and before that from Stephen King's novel "Salem's Lot." Together the six walk the path of the Beam, searching for the Tower, that magical edifice which holds together time and all universes. Their quest is to prevent the destruction of the Tower, and the unthinkable consequences, by the fearsome Crimson King and his evil forces.

"Song of Susannah " opens where "Wolves of the Calla" left off, with Jake, Callahan and Oy going through the door in the Cave near Calla. Their destination is 1999, New York City, and their mission is to find and help Susannah avoid the horrors which await if Mia takes total control of her body. The woman/women are also about due to go into labor, and will be at the mercy of the Crimson King's sinister "low men" if not rescued in time. Jake, Callahan and Oy must also find and take possession of the mighty and deadly Black Thirteen.

Roland and Eddie travel through the same door to East Stoneham, Maine, in the year 1977, to buy the vacant lot located at Second Avenue and Forty-Sixth Street in Manhattan, where grows the precious Rose, the manifestation of the Tower on Earth. The two Gunslingers must find Calvin Tower, who is in hiding near town with his friend Aaron Deepneau, and convince Tower to sell them the property. Meanwhile, Enrico Balazar and his thugs have also traveled to East Stoneham, to murder Tower and Deepneau and gain control of the lot. If they do, the lot will be bought and the Rose captured and destroyed by North Central Positronics and Sombra, the multilateral corporations responsible for much of the wasteland Mid-World has become.

The first four Dark Tower novels are amongst the best pop fiction I have ever read, and certainly King's best work. I love this epic saga, and Roland in particular, who is certainly my ideal classic hero. There have been more than a few times when I became so engrossed in the story I almost forgot I was reading fiction - so real did the Gunslinger and his ka-tet seem, and so grave their danger - and ours. Nothing less than the future of all universes and time is at stake here. Right? Book five was somewhat of a disappointment. Instead of multiple plots, much action, taut writing and increasing tension, the novel was overlong, slower paced, included too much repetition and filler, and of all things, introduced the author as a character, as well as brought forth a character from one of King's early books. I had read "Salem's Lot" years ago and had forgotten much of the story - thus I missed out on a good part of "Wolves of the Calla's" significance. Why weren't loyal readers warned to brush up on King's prior novels? Still, I thought it was an above average read, although not even close to the quality of the previous four novels.

Stephen King has become increasingly self-indulgent and this becomes quite evident in "Song of Susannah." The first books are so good that it would be impossible to spoil them for me, and nothing can permanently detract from the ka-tet's members, nor their mission. However, by not only making himself a character here, but a major character, King errs greatly. Just as Susannah has been taken over by Mia the host, King's ego has dominated the talented author. King even describes his own laugh as, "charmingly goofy." Puleeze!! The result is not worthy of the series. King has Roland and Eddie visit him and the three discuss the Dark Tower series. Brave, serious, purposeful Roland actually becomes frightened when he realizes he is but a figment of the author's imagination. The dark drama suddenly takes on a circus-like atmosphere. For a minute, I felt kind of like a kid being told there's no Santa Claus. The introduction of King's biographical material, etc., and reinforcing that the heroes are fictional, diminishes the power and magic of Roland of Gilead, Mid-World, et.al., and brings the reader crashing back to reality, in my opinion. I also found distracting and irrelevant the CODA or King's writer's journal, which highlight events in the author's life from 1977 - 1999. Why?

Not only would I never discourage anyone from reading "Song of Susannah," I firmly believe that those who miss out on this extraordinary series are denying themselves some major literary pleasure. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. I highly recommend all 7 books, although I have yet to read the last one. At this point, I don't care how King ends his epic. I just know that he has taken me, so far, on a glorious 3500 page ride, (approximately), and I have loved almost every minute of it. Nothing that occurs in the final book, or that happened in this one, can spoil my glorious experience with the Dark Tower. I do believe in calling it like it is, though, and Mr. King got it wrong with this one...but it is still a decent book. JANA