Nearly a year ago I read The Stand and in my blog post assured everyone that I'd be sure to get back to Stephen King very soon. Well, I guess a year was my definition of 'soon' cause I have now finally read another King book. Trev, Marissa and I have posted many books in the Dark Tower series, and a few years after completing the series Stephen King has decided to return with a new installment- The Wind Through the Keyhole. You see, in between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla, an unspecified amount of time passes as Roland and his crew journey along the path of the beam. This was enough room for King to add in a story, but as we all know not much can happen- no character's life is in danger, no one can learn anything too important or change in a meaningful way, as we already know what happens in the next three books. So for the most part, King doesn't have his characters do much except batten down the hatches and prepare for a hurricane, lasting all of 30 pages or so. Even if it was brief, it was just nice to catch up with these characters, it was like reuniting with some old friends. And King actually manages to make the scene pretty tense too, considering I knew no one was in any risk. For another 50 or so pages, the gang waits out the storm as Roland tells a story about his youth; specifically his second major adventure as a gunslinger, months after the events of Wizard and Glass as he and friend and fellow gunslinger Jamie DeCurry attempt to rid a town of a shape-shifting monster. During this tale, young Roland must attempt to calm an even younger child, so he tells the popular Mid-World fairy tale 'The Wind Through the Keyhole'. This sub-sub-story takes up a majority of the book as we witness a young boy seeking revenge against an abusive step-father and stumbling into the world of gunslingers and magic. While not directly affecting the story of Roland and his ka-tet, The Wind Through the Keyhole tale does wonders to expand on the backstory of Mid-World. We learn more of how Merlin and King Arthur fit into the whole thing, and the strong allure the dark tower can have on many outside of our ka-tet. And really that's a good way to describe the whole book- expansion. The Wind Through the Keyhole is pretty non-essential but is an enjoyable return to the story. I'm wondering how it affects the flow of the series as a whole- many complain about how book 4, Wizard and Glass is so heavy on backstory, so to immediately follow it up with another book of backstory would probably frustrate new readers. I've heard that Webber has started up The Gunslinger, so maybe he'll have some input if he gets into the series. Hop to it, dude!
In The Wind Through the Keyhole, King returns to that format, with Roland's Ka-tet holing up to wait out a storm. To pass the long, cold night in a desolate world, Roland tells another story of his youth, one that comes between the events in Mejis and the fall of Gilead, the kingdom over which his father is Steward. The tale is one of horror and justice and courage, as any good quest story should be, and King once again finds that fantastic narrative voice. What's more, during the story, young Roland begins to tell another, a kind of Mid-World fairytale about a boy named Tim Ross and the journey he takes to save someone he loves.
ReplyDeleteThe two stories, though seemingly unconnected, nevertheless weave together perfectly, creating a kind of resonant harmony for anyone willing to take the time to truly listen and understand the subtle tones which connect them.
Though the book can be read and followed as a stand-alone novel, with little of the impact lost, I found myself, as I finished it, finally feeling that deep sense of closure that the original series left me wanting, though I couldn't yet explain why. I realize that I probably won't have to urge fans