The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

by: Stephen King

May 14, 2023

It’s been a few months since I’ve read the previous part of the “Dark Tower” series. And it’s not good. Again I had to recall what happened in the last book, who these people are (and not only people) and what this tower is all about.

This part is a smooth continuation of its predecessor - “The Waste Lands”. At this point the action of the novel slows down a bit. At one point the main character Roland begins his story from the past and… an amazing read begins for me.

The time of the plot, the characters, the mode of narration and even the language used by the characters changes. In this revised “version” Stephen King guides us through the next few hundred pages. We learn a lot of information about the events of Roland’s past, we learn some of the motivation that drives him in his search for the Dark Tower. The whole is tied up by a kind of intrigue against with a political background. Compared to the previous parts, we get a very balanced combination of western, romance, horror, science-fiction and fantasy.

Although this is the longest part of the series. It took me much less time to read than its predecessors.

I consider the whole series to be very successful. In “Wizard and Glass,” however, we get more information about the world in which the action takes place. Certain puzzles and understatements from the previous parts are partially explained. It gave me a more complete picture of the Intermediate World, which begins to gain substance and logic.