The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla (5) (Packaging may vary)

After the previous book in this series (Wizard and Glass) which is, for the most part, a flashback to Roland's past, Wolves of the Calla picks up with Roland's current quest and ka-tet again. Said quest, however, is almost immediately sidelined by the ka-tet's arrival at Calla Bryn Sturgis, a farming community where they become caught up in a Seven Samurai-style adventure to rescue the small town from the mysterious and terrifying "Wolves" who periodically show up to steal the town's children.

I have to admit that, at first, I was a bit wary that this book, like the previous Dark Tower novel appeared to be setting aside the overall story's main quest. While Wizard and Glass came as a bit of a reprieve from the driving momentum of The Drawing of the Three and The Waste Lands , I wasn't sure if yet another diversion from the quest for the Dark Tower wouldn't just start to feel like literary water-treading. And in the hands of a less gifted and imaginative writer, this would probably have been the case. Fortunately, however, King's world-building, character development, and solid story-telling skills give this book a lot of momentum independent of, but not totally disassociated from, the overall narrative arc of the series.

Like The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla hews closely to the tropes of the Western, albeit a Western filtered through Mr. King's dark and rich imagination. Once again, the story focuses on an ensemble cast, giving us a chance to view King's dying world through the eyes of the various members of Roland's ka-tet, as well as through the eyes of Father Callahan, who by strange paths has found his way to Calla Bryn Sturgis from the world of Salem's Lot . Most satisfying in this regard, is the page space given to Jake Chambers, the ka-tet's youngest member who must struggle with the consequences of his loyalty to his ka-tet and its mission.

Wolves of the Calla is a fine continuation of the Dark Tower series, and long-time readers are not likely to be disappointed. King's skills as a writer of horror-fiction are again put to good use as he gives us a story in which bad things are coming, but we find ourselves unable and unwilling to look away.

This is the third time I have read this book. I keep trying to finish the series, I haven’t read the last two books, so I always start over. With this being my third read through and having since read Salem’s Lot this may be my favorite book of the series. Father Callahan’s Tale within the book amazes me. How does Stephen King create multiple stories within a story? The book builds up to the very ending. I would recommend reading Salem’s Lot before this to get a greater depth of what Father Callahan has been through. You will see him in a whole different light.

This book is a masterpiece in so many ways. It is one of Steven King's best books, and by far the best book of the first 5 books in this series. This book has everything one could want in a book, time-travel, time & space dilation, evil "wolves" who prey on twins-destroying the brain of 1, good guys who come to the aid of the children, a talking robot in a primitive land, split-personalities, a traitor, as always a range of different characters, a woman-pregnant with a demon child, star-crossed lovers, a quest to save all worlds, and a big cliff-hanger leading into book 6. Other than the epilogue, I can't imagine anything I would have changed in this book to make it better. The book starts with the gunslinger & his party of 3 nearing the end of their journey to "Thunderclap", where they believe the Dark Tower and the future of all worlds lie. They are sought out by a party from a nearby town Calla Bryn Sturgis who seek their aid in protecting their children. Calla Bryn Sturgis is a subsistance level farming community, other than a walking/talking giant robot who will at times aid them in their physical work or in babysitting their children, and who warns them when the "wolves" are coming. For unknown reasons, almost all births in Calla Bryn Sturgis are of twins, and every few generations the town will be raided by unknown creatures wearing wolf masks who will kidnap one of every set of twins. The twins are then returned by train a few weeks later, but are severely brain-damaged. Efforts to hide the twins or fight the "wolves" in the past have been futile. Roland and group agree to help them. They also meet up with Father Callahan, a main character from another Steven King novel, 'Salem's Lot. We learn the history here, what happened to Father Callahan between the end of the book in Salem's Lot, and to when he ended up in Calla Bryn Sturgis. Father Callahan also has a present for them, Black 13 from the Wizard's Rainbow, which Roland believes can enable them to time/parallel world travel. Which will be definitely needed, because Roland and party have learned that the rose from previous books, located in NY is in great danger, none other then by Eddie's old drug boss, Ballazar. Roland also learns that Susannah is pregnant, and by all indications, the baby is from her encounter with the demon in Book 3, and not from Eddie. Unfortunately, nobody knows how long demon pregnancies last, so in addition to the intense work of figuring how to solve their 2 simultaneous problems of protecting the rose and the twins of Calla Bryn Sturgis, the group must also worry that Susannah will go into labor at an inopportune time. The storylines are thoughtfully interwoven, the ending unpredictable. The book was very hard to put down, as the story was so compelling. Then, the epilogue. It's not that the epilogue was bad, it wasn't. But the epilogue was a set-up for book 6, and I fear from the tone of the epilogue, that Book 6 may be crossing into "jump the shark" territory. Still King very seldom disappoints, so I have hope that my initial thoughts on the epilogue are wrong, and Book 6 will turn out to be every bit as entrancing as Book 5.

Best one yet!

While on their continuing quest for The Dark Tower, Roland and his ka-tet are waylaid by a village in crisis. The gunslingers - because they are all gunslingers in their own right, by now - have to decide whether they can help. And if they can help, they must, and are not allowed to accept any kind of payment, according to the Gunslinger Code.

This book mostly concerns that side quest, but there's a helluva lot of depth, and along the way, they discover much that will aid them in their main quest.

In my review of the last book (Wizard and Glass) in this series, I lamented the long, drawn-out, and somewhat inappropriate backstory. Well, this one ALSO has a significant chunk of backstory to share, but it's nothing like the one in Wizard and Glass. This one's entirely appropriate and perfectly paced, and we're constantly reminded that it is, in fact, a backstory.

In many ways, it forms somewhat of a sequel to 'Salem's Lot. I'll say no more than that, but if you haven't read that book, I strongly suggest you do so before reading Wolves of the Calla.

Back to the main story of this book: the village and its inhabitants are so richly detailed, none of them are "cardboard cutouts" by any means, and their own unique dialect is presented so beautifully, so consistently... I can only call it a literary masterpiece.

Around about 85% of the way through, I started noticing the odd typo here and here. These were clearly things that the editors missed (but in a book this long, who can blame them?). If you know me, you'd know that normally a single typo would be enough to destroy any book's chances of getting a five-star review from me. But in this case, I was so engrossed by the time I spotted the first one, and there are so comparatively few of them, that it didn't matter.

As the author himself advises in his introduction, I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you haven't read the first four (skip the "point fives", though - just read the main story), but if you've been struggling through, I promise you you won't regret sticking with it for this one!

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.

Fans of The Seven Samurai (and its Westernized version The Magnificent Seven) will immediately recognize the opening situation of this book: a small farming village that is periodically raided, with its residents trying to figure out what to do about it that won't just result in their entire town being demolished. The raiders in this case are 'Wolves' who take one of each pair of twins born in the town (of which there are an inordinate number, nearly all births), but unlike most raiders, they return their booty at a later time - but by then the twin has been brain damaged (or 'roont') and have various physiological changes that turn them into short lived giants. The farmers' solution: hire a group of gunslingers (right out of the movie!). And of course the 'gunslingers' they get are none other than Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake.

But why should Roland interrupt his quest for the Dark Tower to help these people? In answering this, King brings into play something that has not been greatly obvious (though certainly present) in the prior books, the standard of ethics ingrained within Roland, part of his original world, of not just chivalry and nobles-oblige, but a groping for an absolute standard of right and wrong. This thematic line actually runs through just about all of King's books, but within this book I think it comes into clear focus, and must be the underlying lynch-pin of the Tower itself. Also apparent is the new focus King has brought to this work. In the earlier four books, there was a tendency to wander, to bring in items that seemed to have little relevance to over-arching story line. Here, there is a taut plot line, and an explicit explanation for the hows, whys, and makeup of this fantasy universe, a universe that can now be seen as encompassing all worlds, both `real' and fictional. In this, he seems to be following in the footsteps of Robert Heinlein's last few works (and Heinlein is directly referenced a couple of times in this work), in which Heinlein effectively tied all of his works together in a multi-verse of alternate time lines and author-created worlds.

Jake and Eddie both come in for some strong character development here, something I felt had been somewhat lacking in books III and IV, and Roland himself exhibits some characteristics that are new but quite fitting. Father Callahan (from Salem's Lot) is introduced as a major player, and his story forms an important sub-plot to this work, though I did feel as if this story was overly drawn out, and could have used a little judicious pruning. Susannah becomes the foreshadow of the next book, as once more she seems to develop multiple personalities, and may be pregnant with the Red King's child.

There is pathos, humor, satire, sacrifice, and soul-searching abounding here. Perhaps a little on the wordy side, but as another step towards the Dark Tower, this book achieves its goals well. For anyone who has read the prior books and become hooked by Roland's world, I think this book will satisfy.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

"The saga of "Roland Deschain, Gunslinger of the line of Eld, and his ''ka-tet,'' (those whom destiny hath joined), continues in "Wolves of the Calla." Susannah Dean, formerly the duo-personality Odetta Susannah Holmes and Detta Walker, Eddie Dean, previously a drug addict and mule in New York City, Jake Chambers, a boy from Manhattan who died twice in Book #1, and was subsequently and symbolically reborn in Mid-World, and Oy, their talking billy-bumbler, together walk the path of the Beam. They search 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.

On the borderlands of Mid-World lies the remote village of Calla Bryn Sturgis. Almost all of the children born here are twins. Once every generation a large group of raiders, seemingly indestructible wolf-like creatures called The Wolves of Thunderclap, descend upon Calla and take one from each set of twins who fall within a certain age group. When the abducted children are returned, they are terribly changed, all severely retarded with reduced life-spans. The wolves are due to raid in just 30 days. A few of the town's people, who want to fight and defend their offspring, learn of the presence of the Gunslinger ka-tet in a nearby forest. They ride to meet the group of four, plus Oy, to ask for assistance. The Gunslingers' acquiescence represents a temporary divergence from their path and their trust in Ka (destiny).

Meanwhile Susannah has a "chap" growing in her womb and Eddie is not the father. Her malady of old also returns, which seriously threatens to destroy the ka-tet when it is at its most vulnerable. Back in 1977, NYC, a single rose grows in a vacant lot on Second Avenue and Forty-Sixth Street. This is not just any flower, but the manifestation of the Tower on Earth. The same forces which seek to destroy the Tower are relentlessly trying to kill the Rose, and must be deterred at all cost. There is a magic portal, a Door in a cave near Calla, which enables Gunslingers to travel back and forth between New York, New England and Mid-World. Increasingly chaos and darkness are spreading to Earth, and elements from Earth's culture are showing up on the Tower side of the Door, ominously foretelling of future events.

My only problem with "Wolves of the Calla" is the introduction of defrocked priest Donald Callahan, and his overly long, repetitious story, directly out of author King's novel, "Salem's Lot." Now I read that book years ago, when it was first published, and loved it. However, I can barely remember the plot. A large part of this novel involves Father Callahan and his past. I have invested lots of time and energy enthusiastically following the adventures of Roland and his merry group of Gunslingers through thousands of pages of prose. If I had been forewarned that a reread of "Salem's Lot" would assist me in appreciating "Wolves of the Calla, I would have done so, without hesitation. I am, if nothing else, a committed Dark Tower follower. But no one advised me, alas. And I do feel I missed-out on a portion of the story. I was, frankly, bored at times. I believe that Mr. King owes more to his loyal readers than to go off on a long self-indulgent walk down memory lane with a character, and plot, created many years ago. Other than this, I loved the book and believe it is a worthy continuation of one of my all time favorite epic sagas.

Once again, the narrative is as rich as ever in its description of characters, cityscapes, landscapes and creatures. The changing relationships between the foursome, their growth as individuals and as a group, is really worth noting. Although not as adventure-packed, nor as suspenseful, as the first four novels, the book moves along at a good clip, except for most of the Father Callahan episodes. The full-color illustrations by comic book artist Bernie Wrightson are outstanding.

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 2000 page ride, (approximately), and I have loved almost every minute of it. Nothing that occurs in future books can spoil what I have already read. Highest recommendations!! JANA

Okay--first things first, let's all admit to ourselves that nothing that I write here is going to have any implication whatsoever on your purchase of this book. If you've reached the point in your life where you are considering buying the fifth book in the Dark Tower series, you may as well just give up now and buy it. You don't get to find out how the story ends without reading the last three books that you've been waiting for, and this book, to be sure, is a book in that series. You and I both know you'll buy it, so just do.

But, for the rare prospective buyer who may not have all of the preceding books, or for the odd critic who is looking for something to argue with (as some people do with these things), I'll give my impressions.

To start, this book marks the beginning of a bit of a departure from the standard over the past four titles in the series. Like it or not, each one of those books felt and sounded different, mostly because there were years of time between each one's release. This book, and the two that come after, all sound very much the same, which is to say that they sound very different from the first four. Particularly irksome is the sudden explosion of idiom and slang that starts in this volume (hitherto unobserved in any of the previous books), penetrating the story even to the point that the out-of-character descriptive monologue gets peppered with it. I don't MIND the dialect, but it does wreck some of the verisimilitude of the story to this point.

Of somewhat greater concern is the fact that this book spends a lot of time to not get much of anywhere. True--roughly one month of calendar time passes in the story world in the course of this novel. But the vast majority of that time is spent sitting around, doing and thinking about abstract things and NOT shooting stuff, which is what made the third book in the series as gripping and entertaining as it was. New characters are harder to find (particularly since King has gotten into the habit of recycling his old characters--those who haven't read 'Salem's Lot might want to give it a go first) and action of any appreciable sort is played down. This continues a trend started in Wizard and Glass, and unfortunately one that I would rather not have seen go on.

All the same, the story is tolerable. Things are still happening, though not at a pace that you would expect them to given the fact that only twelve hundred pages remain in the entire series at the end of the novel. The character development is decently done, and although I didn't find the ending nearly as shocking as some other reviewers have (come now, folks--this isn't going to become The Usual Suspects of the literary world), there was a tolerable twist near the end to keep things interesting.

Not the high point of the series by any means, but good enough for readers who are already invested, and a marginal recommendation to new ones (it's a good step up from The Wheel of Time, if you have to pick a series to start--and this one is finished).